Shooting RAW on iPhone: when it helps and how to edit the file

01What a RAW file keeps

DSLR Camera saves RAW photos in DNG, a format that photo editors read widely. Compared with a compressed image, a RAW file holds more information in the darkest and brightest areas, and its white balance can be changed after the shot without damaging the colours.

The price is size: RAW files are larger. They also look flatter at first, because nobody has processed them yet.

02When RAW is worth it

Use RAW when the light is difficult: sunsets, backlit subjects, interiors with windows, night scenes. Use it for pictures you plan to print or to edit carefully. For quick everyday photos, a standard format is more practical.

On compatible iPhone cameras, version 12 adds 48 MP capture with a format and resolution selector, so you can choose the combination that suits each situation. Pair RAW with Manual mode, where you set shutter speed, ISO, focus and white balance yourself.

03Edit without leaving the app

The integrated editor adjusts exposure, contrast, lights, shadows, colour temperature, saturation, vividness, structure, sharpness, photo noise and vignette, and includes tone curves plus tools to crop, resize and straighten. Version 12 redesigned it with a more consistent interface.

Work in this order: exposure first, then lights and shadows, then colour. Finish with noise and sharpness, in small amounts.

See the complete feature list in the DSLR Camera overview.

Check whether RAW improves this particular image

Use a static scene with a bright window and a darker object. If your camera supports it, save a RAW version and a standard-format reference without changing framing or light. Keep the originals. In the editor, first match overall brightness and white balance, then compare highlight detail, shadow noise and edge texture.

RAW cannot recover highlights that were clipped at capture and cannot undo motion blur. A computationally processed standard image may look better immediately. Choose RAW when the extra control gives a result you actually need, not simply because the file is larger. Verify that the app and camera offer the selected format; 48 MP and RAW are separate capabilities and their combination is not universal.