What Is Apple ProRAW? iPhone RAW Photos Explained

Apple ProRAW is a computational RAW photo format available on iPhone Pro models that combines the editing flexibility of traditional RAW files with the computational photography processing (Smart HDR, Deep Fusion, Night mode) that makes iPhone photos look great. ProRAW files are saved in the DNG format and are significantly larger than standard photos — typically 25-75 MB each.

How ProRAW Works

Traditional RAW photos from dedicated cameras capture unprocessed sensor data, giving photographers full control in editing software. However, standard RAW capture on iPhone would lose all the computational photography that Apple has developed — features like Smart HDR, Deep Fusion, and Night mode that combine multiple exposures into a single optimized image.

ProRAW solves this by baking iPhone's computational photography into the RAW file itself. You get the multi-frame processing Apple is known for, but the result is saved as an editable DNG file with 14-bit color depth and full highlight and shadow recovery range. This gives professional photographers and serious hobbyists far more flexibility when editing in apps like Adobe Lightroom, Darkroom, or Halide.

ProRAW File Sizes

ProRAW photos are much larger than standard HEIC images:

12MP ProRAW — 25-50 MB per photo
48MP ProRAW (iPhone 14 Pro and later) — 75 MB or more per photo
Standard HEIC for comparison — 1-3 MB per photo

A single day of shooting in 48MP ProRAW can easily consume several gigabytes. This makes storage management critical for ProRAW users.

Which iPhones Support ProRAW

ProRAW is exclusive to iPhone Pro models. It was introduced with the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max and is available on all subsequent Pro and Pro Max models, including iPhone 13 Pro, 14 Pro, 15 Pro, 16 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro. Standard iPhone models do not support ProRAW.

How to Enable or Disable ProRAW

Go to Settings > Camera > Formats and toggle Apple ProRAW on or off. When enabled, a "RAW" button appears in the Camera app so you can toggle it per shot. If you only shoot ProRAW occasionally, keep it off by default and tap the RAW button when you need it for a specific shot.

Do You Need ProRAW?

For casual users, ProRAW is unnecessary. Standard HEIC photos look excellent and are 10-25 times smaller. ProRAW is best suited for photographers who edit extensively in professional software and need maximum flexibility with highlights, shadows, white balance, and color grading. If you are not editing RAW files in Lightroom or a similar app, you will not benefit from ProRAW.

Related Terms

HEIC — Apple's default photo format, 40-50% smaller than JPEG
Optimize iPhone Storage — iCloud Photos setting to save local space
iCloud Photos — Apple's cloud photo sync service

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Frequently Asked Questions

How big are ProRAW photos?

ProRAW photos at 12MP are typically 25-50 MB each. At 48MP resolution (iPhone 14 Pro and later), a single ProRAW photo can be 75 MB or larger — roughly 10-25 times the size of a standard HEIC photo.

Which iPhones support ProRAW?

Apple ProRAW is available on iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and all later Pro and Pro Max models. It is not available on standard (non-Pro) iPhone models.

Should I shoot in ProRAW all the time?

For most people, no. ProRAW files are 10-25x larger than HEIC and the difference is only visible when you edit photos professionally in apps like Lightroom. Casual users should stick with HEIC to save storage.

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