Take your professional photo editing skills on the go with these great photo editors and camera apps that can deal with RAW photos!
While iPhones have always been pretty good cameras, they only began to be able to shoot in the RAW format since the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The RAW format means the highest level of quality, you get to keep all image data, and it allows for the most control when it comes to editing without losing any quality. And since the iPhones can now shoot in RAW format, that means you can also import your RAW images from your DSLRs and edit them on your iPhone or iPad as well. These are some of the best apps that we’ve found on the App Store for editing RAW files!
Halide Camera
If you don’t have a DSLR but interested in shooting RAW photos, then you need a camera app that will do the job. Halide is one of the best around, and it comes packed with a ton of features.
Halide features a gorgeous, streamlined UI that makes it easy to make the most out of your iPhone’s camera hardware. You can change manual and exposure with just a swipe, focus peek with just a tap, check histograms, have an adaptive level grid for straight shots, adjust manual depth capture, and shoot in RAW format if you wish.
While I usually just use the default iPhone camera for snapshots, I prefer using Halide when I go out for the sole purpose of photographing things with a unique perspective. It’s powerful, packed with so many great features, and lets you shoot in RAW.
Moment – Pro Camera
Another great app that lets you shoot in RAW is Moment – Pro Camera. This one goes especially well if you have picked up any of the Moment iPhone lenses (we have plenty of recommendations).
With Moment, you will not only be able to shoot in RAW, but you’ll have access to a bunch of tools that will ensure that you have the best possible photo or video possible. There are manual controls for split focus/exposure, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and more. Videographers can control color profiles, bitrates, dual-channel audio meters, waveforms, and more. Moment has even added a slow shutter for long exposures, and there are plenty more options available to you when you shoot with Moment.
While the Moment app works without the lenses, you do get the most out of it if you have already invested into the Moment lens system.
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe is no stranger to creative software, and Lightroom is a powerful photo editor for your iPhone and iPad.
With Lightroom, you’re able to do everything you need when it comes to post-processing photos, whether they’re in RAW format or not. You can also shoot RAW photos directly with Lightroom as well, which is nice. Lightroom has several presets so you can edit your photos to perfection in one touch, or you can manually adjust settings like white balance, temperature, exposure, tone curve, color, brightness, contrast, and more.
Lightroom is free to download and use. Optionally, there are some features that are Premium only ($5 in-app purchase), and include healing brush, selective adjustments, geometry tools, and more. And if you have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription ($10 a month), you can access your photos across multiple devices, and you get 100GB of storage.
Free with in-app purchases – Download Now
Snapseed
Snapseed has been around for years, but it’s still one of the great little photo editors that you can use on iOS, especially considering that it’s free with no in-app purchases.
With Snapseed, you can edit pretty much any image, including those in RAW format. You will find 29 powerful tools and filters in the app to help you get the perfect snapshot. These powerful features include tune image with manual or automatic controls, details (brings out the details you will otherwise have missed), perspective straightening tools, healing, glamour glow (great for portraits), and much more. Everything is easy to access and the app is intuitive, so your photos will look pro in no time at all.
Darkroom
My personal favorite among these apps is Darkroom. It’s one of the best little photo editors around, and it’s free.
With Darkroom, you can access your entire Photo Library from the get-go. It lets you view your photos, and immediately jump into editing mode when you are ready. Darkroom also sees every image format, including RAW, so no worries there. You’ll have access to the basic photo editing tools like brightness, contrast, vignette, highlights, shadows, and much more, including filter presets. But the real magic with Darkroom is the curves and color adjustment, which is intuitive and easy enough for anyone to use and understand. And those who have devices with Portrait Mode, there are tools for adjusting depth as well.
It’s free to download and use Darkroom. However, there are some premium filters and tools that you will need to unlock through in-app purchase, but these are completely optional. If you don’t need them, then Darkroom is still fully functional without costing you a dime.
Free with in-app purchases – Download Now
ProCam 6
ProCam 6 is a professional camera replacement and photo editor all in one, making it great if you want just one app for the job.
With ProCam 6, you’re able to shoot directly in RAW format, and it supports regular photo, night mode, burst, slow shutter, Portrait mode, 3D photos (dual lens device required), video, and time lapse. You’ll get the highest quality possible with ProCam 6, and there are manual controls if you need as well. The photo editing is non-destructive, so everything is reversible if you change your mind. The editing tools include 60 filters, 17 lenses, 19 comprehensive adjustment tools, and all of the basics.
ProCam 6 is a paid app, but it does have even more features that you can unlock through in-app purchases. They’re optional, like some filter packs and ultra 4K HD video resolution, but available if you need them.
$6 with in-app purchases – Download Now
Camera+ 2
Camera+ 2 is the follow-up to the popular and critically acclaimed camera app from almost a decade ago, Camera+. With Camera+ 2, it’s a complete overhaul.
Camera+ 2 is now capable of both RAW capture and editing. Once you have your image, you can develop them in the RAW Lab to get the exact results you want. Other editing tools include the basics like scenes, cropping, brightness, contrast, saturation, blur, exposure, and more. The filters in Camera+ 2 are similar to what you had with the original app, giving you plenty of variety with the retro and modern effects. One of the best features of Camera+ 2 is the Smile mode, which automatically captures the image once it detects everyone in the picture smiling, or Stabilizer, where it takes the photo once it detects that the iPhone is steady enough.
VSCO
Another great option for shooting and editing in RAW is VSCO from Visual Supply Company.
With VSCO, you’ll get access to 10 VSCO presets and all of the basic editing tools to help you get a great RAW photo. The app itself has a simple and intuitive design that is easy enough for everyone to use and understand, and the results are stunning, even for the free version. If you need more of the amazing and professional filters from VSCO, there are several other packs that you can download from their store.
To get the most out of VSCO, you will want to try VSCO X, which is $20 a year. You’ll get access to the complete preset library (over 170 filters), and you can recreate vintage film looks by Kodak, Fuji, Agfa, and more. VSCO X also has advanced editing tools like HSL, borders, and video editing.
Free with in-app purchases – Download Now
Unleash your inner photographer
These are some of the best apps that we’ve found for both shooting in and editing RAW photos right on your iPhone or iPad. What are you using for RAW images? Share your favorites with us in the comments below!
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Source of the article – iMore