About Apple ProRAW

On iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max with iOS 14.3 or later, you can take photos in Apple ProRAW, which gives you greater creative control when editing photos.

Apple ProRAW combines the information of a standard RAW format along with iPhone image processing, which gives you more flexibility when editing the exposure, color, and white balance in your photo. With iOS 14.3 or later, your iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max can capture images in ProRAW format using any of its cameras, including when also using the Smart HDR, Deep Fusion, or Night mode features.* You can edit ProRAW photos in the Photos app and other third-party photo apps.

* You can't use ProRAW with Live Photos, in Portrait mode, or when shooting video.

Turn on ProRAW

To enable your iPhone to take photos with ProRAW, go to Settings > Camera > Formats, then turn on Apple ProRAW under Photo Capture. To take a ProRAW photo, tap RAW  in the Camera app, then take your shot.

If you turn RAW off in the Camera app, the format of the photo defaults to the format you set under Camera Capture in Settings > Camera > Formats: either High Efficiency (HEIF format) or Most Compatible (JPEG).

Manage ProRAW files

ProRAW files are 10 to 12 times larger than HEIF or JPEG files. If you store the files on your device, you might run out of space more quickly than you expect. And if you use iCloud Photos to store your photos, you might need to upgrade your iCloud storage plan to make more space available for these larger files.

Use ProRAW with Photos and other apps

ProRAW uses the industry standard digital negative (DNG) file format, so you can open ProRAW files with apps that are compatible with DNG files. For the best experience, however, use apps that are compatible with ProRAW files, like the Photos app on your iPhone with iOS 14.3 or later or on a Mac with macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later.

You can share the original unedited ProRAW photo, which has the .dng file extension. And if you edit the photo in the Photos app, you can also share the edited version, which has the .jpg file extension when shared.

Edit a ProRAW file with another app

You can open a ProRAW photo in an app that doesn’t support ProRAW, but it might look different than expected when opened. If the ProRAW photo doesn't look as expected, try using the app's feature for automatically enhancing the photo.

Share ProRAW photos

Here are the best ways to share your ProRAW photos:

Use iCloud Photos to access the original ProRAW file in full resolution on all of your devices. 

To transfer the original ProRAW file from your iPhone to another iPhone, iPad, or your Mac, use AirDrop. If you edited the photo in the Photos app and then you share it, you'll share a JPG file. To share the original ProRAW file from the Photos app on your iPhone, tap Share, tap Duplicate, tap Edit, tap Revert, then share the photo using AirDrop.

To share an edited ProRAW photo with someone else, edit the photo in the Photos app on your iPhone, then AirDrop, email, or send with Messages. A JPG file that includes your edits is shared.

To email a ProRAW photo, create an email in the Mail app on your iPhone, then add the photo to the email. The Mail app automatically converts the ProRAW file to a smaller JPG file, which you can then send with email.

If you edit a ProRAW photo and want to share both the original ProRAW file and the edited JPG file, use Image Capture on Mac or the Windows Photos app on a PC to import the files.

If you’ve edited a ProRAW photo in the Photos app on your Mac, and you want to use your Mac to share the original ProRAW file only, select the photo in the Photos app, then choose File > Export > Export Unmodified Original.