From Camera RAW to JPG: Workflow for Photographers

RAW Workflow

Shooting in RAW gives you maximum editing latitude, but publishing giant .CR2 or .NEF files online is impractical. Converting those digital negatives to well-compressed JPGs—without losing detail—is the secret to fast-loading galleries, satisfied clients and higher Google rankings. Follow this streamlined, SEO-friendly workflow built for Blogger users and photographers alike.

1 │ Import and Back Up Immediately

Copy every RAW file to two locations: an external drive and cloud storage. Redundancy protects your work before you ever click “export.”

2 │ Cull in a Dedicated Viewer

Use Lightroom, Capture One or Photo Mechanic to rate, flag and delete rejects. Smaller sets mean quicker edits and lighter web pages.

3 │ Global Edits First

Correct white balance, exposure and lens distortion on the entire batch. RAW files store full sensor data, so global tweaks are lossless at this stage.

4 │ Local Adjustments & Noise Reduction

Zoom to 100 %. Remove chromatic aberration, lift shadows, tame highlights and apply gentle sharpening only after noise reduction—doing it the other way around exaggerates grain.

5 │ Export to JPG With Web-Ready Settings

Resolution: Long edge ≤ 2048 px for blogs, 3000 px for client proofing
Quality slider: 80–85 % (visually identical, half the weight)
Color space: sRGB for universal browser support
Filename: use keywords (e.g., sunset-bridal-session-paris.jpg)

6 │ Run a Second-Pass Optimiser

Drop the freshly exported JPGs into a web compressor like Squoosh, ShortPixel or TinyJPG. Aim to keep individual files under 200 KB—your Core Web Vitals will thank you.

7 │ Upload to Blogger With Lazy Loading

In Compose view choose Insert Image → Upload and select Original size. Blogger automatically adds loading="lazy" so off-screen photos don’t delay First Contentful Paint.

8 │ Add Descriptive ALT Text

Example: “Golden-hour wedding couple on Paris rooftop.”

Natural language boosts accessibility and image-search visibility without keyword stuffing.

9 │ Verify Speed and Color

Open the published post in an incognito window. Images should appear crisp with no color shifts. Run PageSpeed Insights—“Properly size images” warnings should be gone.

10 │ Archive Final JPGs

Store the web-optimized set in a separate “Publish” folder. You’ll avoid overwriting masters and can re-use lightweight files for social media or client downloads.

Key Takeaways

Edit in RAW, publish in JPG to balance quality with performance.
Keep export quality around 80 % and compress again for sub-200 KB files.
Use keyword-rich filenames and ALT text for a double SEO win.
Fast images improve user experience, search ranking and even AdSense RPM.

Master this workflow once and every future shoot will move effortlessly from camera to blog—crystal clear, quick to load and Google-friendly.