How to convert RAW to JPEG from PSD

Jpeg compression results in loss. You should be able to minimize the loss to an acceptable amount. There are 2 methods that I know of with photoshop.
1) Save For Web, choose jpeg and use the many options to excercise control, with preview, over the final output.
2) Choose File, Save As and choose Jpeg, and have less control (and no preview) over the final output.
I would go with option #1.

David you are missing two steps:

#1. Flatten your image if you use layers #2 Go to the Image menu and select "mode" then select "8 bit". The RAW images were probably 16 bit and photoshop will not create a 16 bit JPEG file.

That should do it.

make sure you are in 8bit and you have no layer and simply save.

I am confused - I always thought that flattening layers and converting to 8 bit was automatically done as a part of saving to jpeg. If it's not necessary to do, I wouldn't recommend doing these things out of risk of accidentally saving your flattened PSD once you're done.
But to each their own.

A quick test verified that these steps are done automatically as part of the Save For Web routine and it is not necessary to flatten your image or convert to 8 bit.

one more thing: if you want to publish the photo on the web, before saving for web, convert the image to sRGB, else you have the danger to have very different colors in PS and in your web-browser. This actually will flatten the layers.

if you are looking to publish it on the web, hence the resolution somewhere 800 to 1000 px, then SaveForWeb, and all layers will be flatten, image converted to 8 bit, etc, as mentioned before.

if you want to sent the image for printing, then you need much bigger resolution, eg 4x6" at 300dpi, the image should be 1200x1800px; 8x12" respectively 2400x3600px. In this case, you Save As, and choose JPG. Before that, flatten image, convert to 8 bit, else no JPG in Save As.

..or simply create a action that flatten your file. Use image processor to select all the image you need, and save them as jpeg, srgb, quality 10, 800x800 (for example) doing this mean that the longer side will have a maximum of 800 x whatever it need to maintain the proportion on a horizontal or vertical images.

you can even include your copyright as part of the metadata directly.

"else no JPG in Save As."
Aha! that makes sense thanks for explaining that.

Hey thanks a lot guys. Now i have a follow up question.

When i edit my image, it looks great right, and it has all the nice subtle details. But after when I save as JPEG, the image sort of loses its quality and the image turns 'flat' so to speak.

Any suggestions?