JPG to RAW! is it possible?

[tk101]

to anyone out their i just have a question. i am using a sony cybershot DSC-P10 camera and i was wondering if my camera can change a setting to raw pictures? Or if there's a program that will convert my jpg files to raw files. thanks yall.

[gparr]

Welcome to dphoto. Good to have you with us.

Can't imagine how you could go from jpg to RAW since a jpg file contains considerably less data than a RAW file and going from jpg to RAW would require adding data that your camera didn't originally retain. As for whether your camera can capture RAW files originally, I would suggest checking the owners manual or doing a tour through the camera's menus to find the place where you change image quality and see if RAW is an option.
Gary

[brentrh]

JPG files do not have the data that a RAW file has. When you convert to a RAW image to a JPG file you loose data. The data can not be restored because it does not exist. So it is not possible to create a RAW file from a JPG file. There are no programs that will create information about a photograph from nothing. You have to have a camera that can capture the image in RAW. You can manipulate JPG images with various photo processing programs, but you will get the quality of a RAW file. If your camera can make RAW images it would come with some kind of software for processing RAW images. RAW standards vary from manufacture to manufacture.

[Nols]

I think what you're looking for is a software hack for your camera. I know for that for the Minolta Dimage Z2, there is an available hack which you load as a hardware firmware update to give you the raw file. You can try a search at google or at any of the sony forums at stevesforums or at dpreview.

Nols

[hnordberg]

All digital cameras capture raw data, but the question is if they can write the RAW format. Many can. My old 2MP Coolpix 950 has a service mode in which it will write RAW files.

Like others have said, you cannot go from JPG to RAW, in the way you would want to. It may be technically possible to create a file that abides by the RAW spec. (if there was one, well there's DNG), but those files would not have the features that normal RAW files have (such as being able to set the white balance) since the extra information is not present.

[MatsP]

I just saw this subject, and my question on it is this:

What exactly are you trying to achieve with this.

If you take images that are way too difficult to correct from JPG, you may be able to rescue some more info by using the RAW data, but RAW is nothing magical as such, it just allows a little bit more data to be extracted at the extremes of the range that the sensor can cope with (shadows and highlights), whereas mid-tones are unaffected, generally speaking.

But knowing what you're trying to achieve by having a raw format rather than JPG would be really helpful here.

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Mats

[swartzphotography]

im curious i heard that there is a some places (obviously not wal-mart) that can actually make prints from raw files. has anyone heard this as i do it now i start raw get the color and saturation wb and such all how i want then i fine tune after i have gotten the image out of the raw format stage and finally i switch back to 8 bit from 16 bit but i wonder does that not cause it to loose all that information to change it to jpeg?

[rjgleason]

to anyone out their i just have a question. i am using a sony cybershot DSC-P10 camera and i was wondering if my camera can change a setting to raw pictures? Or if there's a program that will convert my jpg files to raw files. thanks yall.

Why would you want to do this?

[Unregistered]

im curious i heard that there is a some places (obviously not wal-mart) that can actually make prints from raw files. has anyone heard this as i do it now i start raw get the color and saturation wb and such all how i want then i fine tune after i have gotten the image out of the raw format stage and finally i switch back to 8 bit from 16 bit but i wonder does that not cause it to loose all that information to change it to jpeg?


Most likely, the places that can print from RAW files, will print the SAME picture off a well setup JPG photo. I doubt very much that the actual printer will be able to differentiate more than 256 colours per printed pixel anyways.

You do loose the information switching from 16 to 8 bit, but at a stage where the information is no longer of use [unless you fluffed your picture edit, but you could always save a 16-bit TIFF before you convert to JPG, and use the TIFF for future edits].

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Mats