ProRAW is in the stock Camera app on Pro models — turn it on in Settings ▸ Camera ▸ Formats ▸ ProRAW & Resolution Control, then tap RAW in the viewfinder.
Plain Bayer RAW — a normal DNG with none of Apple's processing baked in — isn't available in the stock app at all. A third-party camera app captures it, including on non-Pro iPhones.
Shoot raw when you'll edit, when the light is hard, or when the shot can't be repeated. Shoot HEIF for everything else.
The four formats, honestly
| Format | What it is | Size (12 MP) | Editing headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEIF | Apple's default. Fully processed, compressed, 10-bit. | ~2 MB | Limited |
| JPEG | Same processing, older container, 8-bit. For compatibility. | ~3 MB | Least |
| ProRAW | Raw data plus Apple's computational pipeline baked in. | ~25 MB | High |
| Bayer RAW | What the sensor recorded. No merging, no HDR, no noise reduction. | ~12–25 MB | Highest, and hardest |
The distinction people miss: ProRAW is not a neutral file. It has already had Deep Fusion, Smart HDR, tone mapping and noise reduction applied. It is a raw file with opinions. Plain Bayer RAW is the file without opinions — and it will look flat, noisy and disappointing straight out of camera, because you're seeing the image before the processing that normally flatters it.
What ProRAW actually is
Apple's problem: computational photography and raw capture want opposite things. Raw means untouched sensor data. But an iPhone's good photos come from merging many exposures — that is the processing. A conventional raw file would throw away the thing that makes the camera good.
ProRAW is the compromise. It runs the computational pipeline, then writes the result into a DNG with the depth and latitude of a raw file. You get:
- White balance you can change freely after the fact, with no quality cost
- Highlight and shadow latitude far beyond a HEIF
- Apple's multi-frame merging already applied — so it's clean in low light
- Some tone mapping baked in, which you can't fully undo
For most people, most of the time, ProRAW is the right raw file. It's clean, it's flexible, and it doesn't demand much of you.
Astrophotography, long exposures, and anything where you want a single real exposure rather than a merge. Apple's stacking assumes handheld frames of a normal scene — point it at a 30-second star trail and the assumptions stop holding. A conventional DNG gives you exactly one honest exposure to work from.
Turning RAW on
ProRAW, stock app, Pro models
Settings ▸ Camera ▸ Formats
Find ProRAW & Resolution Control and turn on ProRAW.
Pick a resolution
ProRAW Max gives you the full readout; the alternative caps at 12 MP with smaller files.
Tap RAW in the viewfinder
The RAW badge toggles per shot. It resets between sessions unless you turn on Preserve Settings.
Plain Bayer RAW, or RAW on a non-Pro iPhone
The stock app doesn't offer it on any model. A third-party camera app does, and this is one of the clearer reasons to use one — it's also how non-Pro iPhones get raw capture at all, since ProRAW is gated to Pro hardware but conventional RAW is not.
Useful trick: shoot RAW + JPEG where the app supports it. You get a shareable file immediately and a negative to return to. The storage cost is trivial next to the raw file you were already saving.
12, 24 or 48 megapixels
A 48 MP sensor doesn't always give you 48 MP. It offers several readouts, and they're genuinely different pictures:
| Readout | How it's made | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 12 MP | Pixel-binned — four sensor pixels combined into one | Low light, everyday shooting, small files |
| 24 MP | Fused from a binned frame and a full-resolution frame | The everyday compromise on recent models |
| 48 MP | Full sensor readout, no binning | Good light, detail, cropping, large prints |
The catch nobody mentions: 48 MP needs light. Binning exists because combining four pixels produces a cleaner signal. Shoot 48 MP in dim conditions and you get four times the pixels and considerably more noise in each. In good light it's a real gain; at night it's usually a downgrade with a bigger file.
Wondering how large any of this prints? The print size calculator answers it, and the answer is usually "bigger than you think."
When raw is worth it
Shoot raw when:
- You're going to edit. Raw is a negative — it assumes a second step.
- The light is difficult. Backlit, mixed sources, harsh midday, deep shade.
- White balance is uncertain. Neon, stage lighting, candlelight, anything mixed.
- The moment can't be repeated.
- You're printing, or cropping hard.
Don't bother when:
- You're sharing it straight from your phone. HEIF already looks good.
- You're shooting a lot and won't edit any of it.
- You're running low on storage.
- Night mode is doing a better job than a single exposure would.
The honest version: raw doesn't make photos better. It makes them more recoverable. If you never open the file again, you spent 25 MB on nothing.
What to do with the files
iPhone raw files are DNGs, which every serious editor reads — Lightroom, Capture One, Darktable, Affinity, and Apple's own Photos.
Two things worth knowing:
- Apple Photos edits DNGs non-destructively, and for ProRAW it's genuinely capable. You don't need a subscription to work with these files.
- The first edit is usually white balance and highlights, in that order. It's the pair raw buys you the most freedom on, and the pair a JPEG has already decided for you.
If a raw file looks worse than the JPEG your phone would have made, that's expected. It isn't finished. That's the deal you accepted when you chose the format.
Want to see how a grade lands before committing? Drop a photo and a .cube file into the LUT preview tool, or check what's actually clipped with the histogram analyzer.
Common questions
Can I shoot RAW on a non-Pro iPhone?
Yes, with a third-party app. ProRAW is gated to Pro models, but conventional Bayer RAW capture is available through iOS on non-Pro iPhones too.
Is ProRAW better than RAW?
Different, not better. ProRAW gives you Apple's computational processing plus editing headroom — usually the better everyday file. Plain RAW gives you one honest exposure with nothing applied, which matters for astro, long exposures, and doing your own processing.
Why are my RAW photos so big?
Because they store far more data per pixel and aren't lossily compressed. Roughly 25 MB for a 12 MP ProRAW and 75 MB or more at 48 MP, against 2 MB for a HEIF.
Does RAW work with Night mode?
ProRAW does — Apple's pipeline runs, and Night mode is part of it. Plain Bayer RAW does not, because it's a single exposure with no merging. For static scenes on a tripod, a manual long exposure often beats Night mode anyway.
Do I need a Pro iPhone to make this worthwhile?
No. The Pro models get ProRAW, the telephoto and the 48 MP readouts, but manual controls and conventional raw work across the line. A non-Pro iPhone shot deliberately beats a Pro shot carelessly.
Keep going
RAW, ProRAW, and the badge that tells the truth.
Lucid reads the resolutions your sensor actually advertises and reports what the file really came back with — instead of printing 48MP over a binned frame.