Stock Photography Resources
Using RAW or JPG Formats
The DSLRs and most of the point and shoot cameras today give the user the choice of shooting images in JPEG or RAW format. One of the main considerations of choosing one of these formats is how much space there is on your memory card.
Shooting with JPEG takes up less room on the memory card as there is compression of the image's information. This allows much more room for more images on the card. On the downside, it can introduce artifacting and additional noise to the image.
When shooting with the RAW format, all the information is captured without any compression by the software in the camera. This allows a much more accurate image to be captured and also gives the photographer more room for adjusting in the post-processing phase. The only problem with shooting RAW is the space it requires on the memory card. If you have many cards, and space is not an issue, then RAW is the format to shoot with.
Some of the cameras allow a TIFF setting as a shooting format. TIFF is kind of in-between JPG and RAW. It uses more space than JPG, but not as much as RAW. There is compression but it is based on a different "lossless" formula than JPG compression. It retains the image quality without loss.
When submitting to the Microstock agencies, they all require JPG images. Some of them will allow TIFF, and some even want you to use your RAW images.
JPG is the way to go when submitting for a number of reasons. It is universal across all the sites, so only one set of images needs to be saved, not one in each format which would take up a considerable amount of room on your computer's hard drive. If processed correctly, the JPG format yields great results.
RAW format to me represents a negative as in the days of film. Most photographers know that the negative proves ownership of the image and is therefore a valuable item. I would never consider uploading a RAW format image to a microsite for any reason.
RAW and JPG formats can be explained in more detail by visiting the following links. I have also included links for color management as that starts in the camera and follows through the work flow.
Why use your camera's RAW format?
Basics of RAW, JPG and TIF
Color Management Introduction This is a great article for explaining why color management is needed in the digital world from the camera through the printing process. Many great links and resources are on this website.
Color Management