RAW vs JPEG Storage
Also known as: raw vs jpeg size, raw storage cost
A RAW file records the camera sensor's unprocessed data with little or no lossy compression, so it is many times larger than the JPEG or HEIC the phone would otherwise save. RAW gives maximum editing flexibility at a steep storage cost, which is why shooting RAW fills a camera roll far faster.
- RAW files store unprocessed sensor data with little or no lossy compression, making them many times larger than JPEG.
- RAW preserves dynamic range and color for editing; JPEG/HEIC bake in processing to stay small.
- Shooting RAW often saves a RAW and a JPEG of the same shot, creating duplicate large files.
Why RAW files are so large
A JPEG or HEIC is a finished, heavily lossy-compressed image: the camera bakes in color, sharpening, and tone, then discards the rest to keep the file small. A RAW file instead stores the sensor's full readout, often at higher bit depth and with lossless or only light compression, preserving data the camera would normally throw away.
Because so little is discarded, a single RAW frame is typically several times to many times larger than the equivalent JPEG. Apple's ProRAW combines RAW sensor data with computational processing, producing files that are especially large compared with a standard HEIC capture.
The storage trade-off
RAW is worth the space when you plan to edit seriously, since it preserves dynamic range and color information for adjustments. For everyday snapshots, the extra detail is rarely used and the files quietly consume large amounts of storage.
If you shoot RAW you accumulate big files fast, and you often keep a RAW plus a JPEG of the same shot, an immediate duplicate. A cleaner like Cleanor helps by surfacing your largest files and redundant RAW/JPEG pairs so you can keep the keepers and clear the rest.