JPEG's and Lightroom CC / Photoshop 2017

[Pixels]

I have friend shooting jpeg photographs. My question is can any type of editing be done at all in Lightroom CC or Photoshop 2017 on jpeg photographs?

[JP Hess · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can work with JPEG images in both Lightroom and Photoshop. You have to be a little bit more careful with them and not try to push the shadows or compress the highlights as much because there isn't as much data to work with as there is in raw files. You won't have the choice of different camera profiles such as Adobe Standard, Camera Standard, Camera Portrait, etc. because the profile is part of the JPEG image and cannot be reassigned. Those different profiles and shooting styles can be selected in the camera and will become part of the JPEG image.

[dj_paige]

The exact same tools are available in Lightroom and Photoshop for JPGs that are available for RAW photos. However, since the JPGs are really 8 bit images while RAWs are 12 or 14bit images, the tools might be less effective on JPG images. In my experience, JPG original still can be greatly enhanced by these tools.

[Akash Sharma]

Hi Pixels ,

Almost all editing tools can be used with jpeg images. See Editing a JPEG photo in Photoshop​

There are few limitations editing a Jpeg, biggest being the lack of quality. Refer Raw vs JPEG For Photo Editing for more info.

But, if your friend is shooting commercially or is a professional, I would highly recommend shooting only in Raw. See 10 Reasons Why You Should Be Shooting RAW

Regards,

Akash

[Pixels]

Thank you all for the helpful information.