What’s Apple ProRAW? Tips on how to shoot RAW photos on iPhone

Not like devoted cameras, smartphones can take, edit, and share all from one machine, however iPhone Professional customers can create higher edits with a characteristic hidden contained in the iOS settings. Apple ProRAW is a file format that enables iPhone customers to edit shade and publicity with higher outcomes than the default JPEG. Studying the ins and outs of Apple ProRAW can enhance the standard of iPhone photos just by adjusting a couple of settings.

Apple ProRaw is a characteristic that’s, for now, solely on iPhone Professional fashions. The file format first launched with the iPhone 12 Pro, however it’s obtainable on each Professional mannequin launched since. Apple ProRAW additionally requires iOS 14.3 or later.

Whereas Apple ProRAW will enhance the standard of photographs shot and edited on an iPhone, the file format isn’t proper for each photograph. Apple ProRAW doesn’t help each capturing mode, comparable to Portrait, and may rapidly refill inner storage and iCloud. Learn to shoot RAW photos on an iPhone — and when not to make use of this characteristic.

What’s Apple ProRAW?

The important thing to understanding Apple ProRAW is first recognizing what a RAW {photograph} is. A RAW {photograph} captures extra information than the usual JPEG format. With that additional information inside a RAW file, the picture may be additional adjusted after it has been captured. For instance, if the {photograph} is simply too blue or orange, you possibly can open that RAW file, alter the white steadiness, and get the colours that you really want. Should you attempt to alter the white steadiness on the identical picture in a JPEG, the colours usually gained’t look fairly proper as a result of a JPEG lacks the additional information.

Together with the white steadiness, a RAW file may simply be edited lighter or darker than the unique, with a lot better outcomes than making use of those self same changes to a JPEG file. Within the two photographs above, the darker picture is an edited JPEG — it could not be brightened any additional, in contrast to the ProRAW picture. Colours will also be simply manipulated from a RAW file. This file sort additionally tends to have a wider dynamic vary, which implies that the darkest and lightest areas of the picture will retain extra element than on a JPEG. {Many professional} photographers shoot in a RAW format, however the characteristic has solely lately arrived on smartphone cameras.

Whereas the file comprises extra information, a RAW picture doesn’t have the same old edits {that a} digicam routinely applies to a JPEG file, comparable to making use of a shade profile or routinely correcting lens distortions. That’s as a result of RAW pictures are supposed to be edited and with out making use of these typical in-camera changes, photographers have extra management over the ultimate outcomes. However, if a photographer shoots in RAW however doesn’t full any modifying, the RAW file will truly look worse than the JPEG.

An Apple ProRAW picture is an iPhone RAW photo that also applies the same old in-camera edits. That implies that Apple ProRAW photos have all of the modifying flexibility of a RAW file, however for those who don’t apply any edits in any respect, it is going to nonetheless look simply pretty much as good if not higher than the JPEG. If you shoot Apple ProRAW from an iPhone, you’ve all of the modifying flexibility to regulate the colours or publicity, however you even have the choice to share it straight away with none edits in any respect. Apple ProRAW nonetheless contains the Good HDR, Deep Fusion, and Evening mode results as properly.

Apple ProRAW recordsdata have a .dng extension — it is a common file format that any RAW-enabled photograph editor can open and work with. Whereas most picture editors can open the file, the app should be appropriate with Apple ProRAW to have changes like Evening mode or HDR already utilized to the picture.

When must you use Apple ProRAW?

Use Apple ProRAW any time chances are you’ll need to edit a picture later. With ProRAW, you possibly can simply alter the colours. The file will also be lightened or darkened way more than a JPEG file can. Apple ProRAW recordsdata are saved as a .dng file, which is appropriate with most however not all picture editors. Double-check that your favourite picture modifying app helps .dng recordsdata earlier than switching to ProRAW.

When must you not use Apple ProRAW?

Apple ProRAW recordsdata have plenty of flexibility for modifying later — however they may also take up more room contained in the Digicam Roll and iCloud. A 12-megapixel ProRAW file will take up 10 to 12 occasions more room than an everyday JPEG or HEIF file. Should you take numerous photographs, have an iPhone with restricted storage, or by no means undergo and delete undesirable photographs, capturing all of your photos in ProRAW will eat up house rapidly.

Apple ProRAW additionally isn’t appropriate with Portrait mode or Reside photographs.

What photograph modifying apps help Apple ProRAW?

The native Images app helps ProRAW. However, most of the hottest iPhone modifying apps additionally help the file format. Among the apps that can support ProRAW embody Lightroom, VSCO, Afterlight, Darkroom, RAW Energy, RNI Movies, and Muse Cam.

Apple ProRAW recordsdata will also be edited on a laptop computer or desktop laptop. The file extension on an Apple ProRAW picture is .dng, which is appropriate with most superior picture modifying packages, together with Adobe Digicam RAW, Lightroom, and Seize One.

Tips on how to shoot RAW photographs on an iPhone

Fortunately, when you activate Apple ProRAW within the iOS settings, an icon within the Digicam app lets you flip the characteristic on and off rapidly. Which means you possibly can shoot in RAW if you need it and JPEG if you need to save house with out digging into the Settings app each time. Right here’s tips on how to shoot in Apple ProRAW on an iPhone.

1. Open the Settings app
2. Navigate all the way down to Digicam and faucet on it
3. Faucet Codecs
4. Faucet the ProRAW & Decision Management toggle on
5. On the iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional, faucet on Professional Default and choose ProRAW Max for 48-megapixel photos or ProRAW 12 MP for smaller 12-megapixel recordsdata
6. Navigate to the Digicam app
7. Within the higher proper nook, make sure the RAW icon will not be crossed off to take a RAW photograph
8. For photographs that don’t want the RAW flexibility, faucet the RAW icon till it’s crossed out to shoot in JPEG or HEIF