How can I edit this RAW image to get the much superior JPG image?

Question

This is a small detail from picture that was taken by a cheap SX Canon in low light (ISO 100 0.8sec f/5). Maybe also the (auto) focus isn't good enough. The Jpeg (upper) is much more readable. How would you edit it (for example in UFRaw) to get at least that readability?

Nothing that I tried in UFRaw improved the picture. I would guess that it's more a matter of sharpness filter in a common photo editor. But does jpeg creation include a sharpness filter?

I n case I want to edit this picture (as an exercise) is there any point to use the RAW?

Answer 1

It is common for in-camera JPEG to apply a sharpening filter — often a quite strong one. Ufraw is rather dated. Use Rawtherapee or Darktable and include a sharpening step.

Answer 2

The JPEG doesn't look any better or more readable to me. It has WB applied, and sharpening (visible in the white haloes around the letters, which are then smudged by JPEG compression artefacts.)

That said, the RAW seems to suffer from a bad (or inappropriate) demosaicing algorithm which produces the dark dots in the figures.

I'd recommend to try other demosaicing algorithms, which you can select in UFRaw. After finding the best one, set white balance and experiment with sharpening parameters.