[SmilinBob]

Why does a photo appear darker in raw format than in jpeg as presented by my Windows 10 software? Of course, the f/ stop and shutter setting are the same in both formats; the raw photo has many more pixels as expected.

[Adam]

This is because most raw files needs to be processed before they will look good. Basic gallery software doesn't do as much processing as the camera would, and as a result your raw files may look worse.

[pschlute]

Why does a photo appear darker in raw format than in jpeg as presented by my Windows 10 software? Of course, the f/ stop and shutter setting are the same in both formats; the raw photo has many more pixels as expected.

Raw files (PEF; DNG) are not picture files, like JPG. As Adam says, they need processing and saving as a jpeg or other picture format file. If you try and view a raw file in software like Windows 10 picture viewer the software will display a "jpeg preview" that is within the raw file. This "preview" may look quite different to any jpeg that has been correctly created from the original raw file, whether in camera or in software capable of raw conversion.

BTW the raw and jpeg will contain exactly the same number of pixels unless you have cropped the jpeg image or downsized it.

[tokyoscape]

JPG is a cooked file. The camera does it's own processing / cooking the file and give you a jpg file. (Think of quick noodle when you can just add boiled water and wait 3 minutes and you get what the manufacture want you to taste.)

Raw is a raw file. It has most of the information from a camera, such as sharpness and contrast but you have to cook the file yourself. (Think of a refrigerator full of... veg, meat, what have you... you cook it the way you want.)

So having more data in a file doesn't make it brighter, more saturated, sharper, etc. But having more data giving you more flexibility to cook it the way you like. You just have to bring those data out by yourself.

[wings]

I have also read that jpeg files tend to degrade when copied and/or transferred whereas the raw files do not.

[dvoth]

I have also read that jpeg files tend to degrade when copied and/or transferred whereas the raw files do not.

JPEG is considered a lossy photo format. Each time time you make changes and save it the file loses some information. You can control the amount lost with the the quality adjustment when you save, but that also affects file size.

[SmilinBob]

Thank you.