RAW image
Also known as: raw photo, dng, cr2 nef arw
A RAW image is the unprocessed data straight from a camera sensor, before any in-camera compression or color processing. It preserves maximum editing flexibility but produces very large files — many times bigger than a JPEG or HEIC of the same shot.
- Unprocessed sensor data; maximum editing latitude
- Many times larger than JPEG or HEIC
- Apple ProRAW is a DNG-based RAW format
Why RAW files are so big
A normal photo is processed and compressed inside the camera into a small JPEG or HEIC. A RAW file skips that step and records the full sensor reading, so it keeps far more detail in highlights and shadows — and weighs many times more.
Formats vary by maker (Canon CR3, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW, Adobe DNG). Apple’s ProRAW is a DNG variant; capturing in it can produce files tens of megabytes each, filling a camera roll quickly.
Keep RAW only when you edit
RAW pays off if you seriously edit photos, since it leaves the most room to recover detail and adjust color. If you are not editing, the matching JPEG or HEIC looks nearly identical at a fraction of the size, and deleting unused RAW files reclaims a lot of space.