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Yesterday, the developer beta for iOS 14.3 – which contains the upcoming ProRAW photo feature – became available. While the exact date for the consumer beta or final release of the software has yet to be announced, we now know a few facts about how ProRAW works.
In an interview last week with Apple, we already gleaned a lot of information about the benefits of the upcoming file type. The company has created a new imaging pipeline that combines computer photography techniques with the power of RAW files, allowing first-time photographers to access both features simultaneously. You can read this story here.
What was unknown at the time was how a ProRAW’s capturing process would work, what kind of RAW we were going to see produced, and what options photographers would have with the file.
We now know that a ProRAW file will be a 12-bit DNG RAW with 14 stops of dynamic range. This file will give you access to standard options such as white balance, tone mapping, exposure, and black point, but Apple will also provide more information in the RAW file which includes tone mapping and color maps. pigmentation for the skin and the sky.
The file will be written in the DNG, or digital negative, file format. The native Photos app as well as some third-party apps – like Darkroom – will be able to access a wealth of digital image data right off the bat. Programs like Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop as well as Capture One will also be able to play the file, but those initial renderings will improve once these companies update their profiles to include the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max.
You will be able to enable ProRAW by flipping a switch in the Settings app, after which the Camera app will have a button that you can press to turn the feature on and off. If you take a ProRAW photo and view it in the Photos app, you’ll see a “RAW” badge on it, just like you already do for an HDR or Live Photo image.
However, what you will see is the rendered photo, not the raw photo itself. This means that the phone automatically captures in JPEG and RAW format. If you choose to edit the image, then you will see the RAW image which you can save non-destructively.
You can also choose to export the DNG to an editing application on your phone or on your computer to edit it in any DNG compatible program.
Only the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max will have access to ProRAW, which leaves the standard iPhone 12 and 12 Mini out. That said, any camera from either of these models will be able to capture images in ProRAW, including the front camera.
It remains to be seen what to expect from these 14 dynamic range values when it comes to real-world photography. PetaPixel intends to perform a full review of the new RAW format when it becomes available.
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