How to make your smartphone photos so much better
Professional photographers have long used the RAW format and editing software to turn image files into stunning images, and so can you.
Smartphone cameras and software that automatically processes images have become so good at creating fantastic photos on the fly that most people don't even carry a separate camera anymore (well, except for some Gen Z-ers going retro). There are plenty of apps out there that can apply a filter to an image to make it look even better, but if you really want to improve your mobile photography skills, consider the format the pros use: RAW.
Editing a RAW file takes more work, but it allows the photographer to have more control over the light and color of the image after it's captured - and in some cases enough pixels to crop significantly the photo and still look sharp. Here's a guide to get started.
What is RAW?"RAW" stands for raw data - and lots of data. Many phone cameras automatically capture and save images as JPEG or HEIC files, which reduce and delete some of the image data to reduce file size. However, when you choose to capture images as RAW files, you get uncompressed and unprocessed data from the camera sensor. Without compression, RAW images contain more detail and color to work with. But the files can be huge.
On an iPhone 12 Pro (or later Pro and Pro Max models) running at least the iOS 14.3 operating system, you can capture and store RAW files by going to the main Settings app and choosing Camera and then Formats. Tap the button next to Apple ProRAW, which is Apple's variant of the RAW format. On iPhone 14 Pro models, you can choose the resolution to store your RAW files: 12 megapixels or 48 megapixels.
Professional photographers have long used the RAW format and editing software to turn image files into stunning images, and so can you.
Smartphone cameras and software that automatically processes images have become so good at creating fantastic photos on the fly that most people don't even carry a separate camera anymore (well, except for some Gen Z-ers going retro). There are plenty of apps out there that can apply a filter to an image to make it look even better, but if you really want to improve your mobile photography skills, consider the format the pros use: RAW.
Editing a RAW file takes more work, but it allows the photographer to have more control over the light and color of the image after it's captured - and in some cases enough pixels to crop significantly the photo and still look sharp. Here's a guide to get started.
What is RAW?"RAW" stands for raw data - and lots of data. Many phone cameras automatically capture and save images as JPEG or HEIC files, which reduce and delete some of the image data to reduce file size. However, when you choose to capture images as RAW files, you get uncompressed and unprocessed data from the camera sensor. Without compression, RAW images contain more detail and color to work with. But the files can be huge.
On an iPhone 12 Pro (or later Pro and Pro Max models) running at least the iOS 14.3 operating system, you can capture and store RAW files by going to the main Settings app and choosing Camera and then Formats. Tap the button next to Apple ProRAW, which is Apple's variant of the RAW format. On iPhone 14 Pro models, you can choose the resolution to store your RAW files: 12 megapixels or 48 megapixels.
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