RAW is really powerful, but it also adds a step. Another trade-off! Yay!
I used the RAW+JPEG setting for a while, but now I just shoot raw and use Aperture. I don't *have* to do any fine-tuning to get a JPEG (or, most of the time, just upload to Flickr): I just import the picture into Aperture and then export the JPEG with a click or two. But I just this weekend realized how much information is really available in the RAW file; I had a shot that looks pretty overexposed in places (like there's no detail in the sky because it's too bright). Playing with the exposure slider I could pull that detail out (while making the rest of the scene much darker). Someone with an iota of Photoshop knowledge could decrease the exposure of that part of the scene without sacrificing the rest of it. It's definitely a more advanced thing. You're better served right now by spending time behind the viewfinder!
