A JPEG is a finished image: the camera has applied colour, contrast, sharpening and noise reduction and thrown away the rest of the data. A RAW file keeps everything the sensor captured, so you can make those decisions yourself later.
Why shoot RAW
- Recover blown skies and dark shadows much further.
- Fix white balance perfectly after the fact.
- Better results from modern AI noise reduction.
Why JPEG is fine
- Smaller files and faster bursts.
- Ready to share straight from the camera.
- Fujifilm's film simulations and other makers' picture styles look great without editing.
The best of both
Set RAW + JPEG. Share the JPEGs and keep the RAWs for the shots that matter.
Software
Adobe Lightroom and Capture One are the paid standards; Affinity, darktable and RawTherapee are free. See photo editing software compared for prices and what each is best at.