RAW is a popular and basic format for digital images of modern photo and video equipment. When forming a picture, several raw layers, electrical matrix signals, are superimposed. Such formatting is not suitable for printing, so there is a need to export to jpeg, png and so on. In the presented article, we will understand how the RAW format is formed and how to open it, and also dwell on some technical points.
Who needs to work in RAW?
A sufficiently large number of people have to work with the files in question. Mainly in the professional field, although modern electronic technology is becoming more accessible to the average user. Here are some areas where you need to interact with the format:
- Photographers. Professional artists, creators of quality content take photos in the specified format. This is due to the possibility of high-quality simple processing.
- Web designers. Often with "raw" files you have to work with this group of people. Files with masks and multiple layers in Photoshop are saved in RAW, which requires conversion.
- Ordinary people who have purchased a professional video or camera and want to print a photo.
Are you in any group? It's time to read the information below.
Information in the file
Photos in RAW format have the following standard data: metadata for identifying the camera used, technical description of the shooting, parameters and conversion options, information flow regarding the sequence of the image, presets. In addition, in most cameras there is a hidden part that is programmed by manufacturers on an individual basis.
Advantages and disadvantages
The format under consideration is accompanied by a number of advantages and negative aspects. Among the advantages, it is important to highlight the following:
- It can be easily adjusted using editors without loss of quality. A photograph after rendering preserves colors, conveys saturation and beauty.
- The color gamut is much wider than in many alternative formats, which suggests more fruitful work for professional photographers.
- Having access to adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, and other important parameters.
- File conversion involves quality processing, since a powerful computer processor is responsible for the process.
- Addition and expansion of opportunities for a creative approach when working in non-standard spectral ranges.
As for the negative aspects, this is the need to work with paid software, the large weight of the file, and also takes more time when opening and processing information. Another omission is considered incompatibility with other files.
Programs for reading RAW
It remains to resolve several issues. And one of them is how to open the RAW format. At the moment, there is a huge amount of software that allows you to work with images of this type.
- Graphic editor. This includes the standard and popular Photoshop, Movavi Photo Editor, GIMP. In applications, you can not only save photos in a different format, but also carry out optimization, change and edit photos. It is important to note that there are much more software products, and the main difference is the available functionality.
- Programs for viewing pictures. The software in this group will not allow you to adjust the file, but it will help to consider the images and select those that need to be converted. Among the popular software in the category, it is important to highlight FastStone, IranView, Picassa.
- Converters Another kind of program that helps to change the format without adjusting the photo. The software product can be installed on a computer or use the online version of the converter, which is more rational and convenient.
Now you know how to open the RAW format. It remains only to download the necessary applications and take advantage of their functions. Please note that most professional software requires the purchase of a paid license. Free programs do not have powerful functionality and limit the photographer.
Conclusion
Now you know what it is used for and how to open the RAW format, how to work with it. In the afterword, I would like to note that at the moment the presented file type is considered the most popular, since all the pictures, and thousands of them, are made using the new technique. It is she who uses the submitted file as the base.