Definition
What is a RAW photo file?
Short answer
Unprocessed sensor data straight from the camera, larger and more editable than JPEG.
Full definition
A RAW file is the unprocessed image data captured by a camera sensor before the camera applies tone curves, white balance, or compression. RAW files are 3–6× larger than JPEGs and let editors recover shadow detail, fix exposure, and shift white balance non-destructively. Common RAW formats include CR2/CR3 (Canon), NEF (Nikon), ARW (Sony), RAF (Fuji), DNG (Adobe). 12img supports RAW for both upload and archival.
Related terms
More from 12img
Try 12img Pro free for 14 days
Galleries, contracts, invoicing, video — all in one place. No card required.
Start 14-Day Pro Trial