April 29, 2024

Halide Developer Shares Detailed Explanation of Apple's ProRAW Image Format

Posted December 16, 2020 at 4:00am by iClarified · 6071 views
Ben Sandofsky, developer of the Halide camera app, has posted a detailed explanation of Apple's new ProRAW image format.

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Apple builds products for the broadest possible audience, and RAW is a tool for photo-nerds. These powerful files take skill to edit and come with significant tradeoffs. Why would Apple cram a complicated feature into an app meant for everyone?

As we dug deeper into ProRAW, we realized it wasn’t just about making RAW more powerful. It’s about making RAW approachable. ProRAW could very well change how everyone shoots and edits photos, beginners and experts alike.

To understand what makes it so special, the first half of this post explains how a digital camera develops a photo. Then we go on to explain the strengths and weaknesses of traditional RAWs. Finally, we dive into what’s unique about ProRAW, how it changes the game, and its few remaining drawbacks.

Grab a coffee, because this is a long read.
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Hit the link below for the full dive. You may also want to check out photographer Austin Mann's thoughts on ProRAW.

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