Contains information such as identifiers, byte-ordering etc.

A header: common in most file formats.Despite this variance, these RAW files all follow a typical structure: RW2 (Panasonic) just to name a few examples. Most camera manufacturers use their own proprietary RAW format, and they can have various filename extensions such as.

Let’s start with what’s in a typical RAW file. But why does it offer us these benefits? What is actual RAW data? And why can you dramatically alter the white balance so easily, pull highlights and push shadows, and perform other numerous tweaks that are more successful with RAW compared to JPEG? Let’s have a look. Our general understanding is that it behaves a bit like a ‘digital negative’, rewarding us with more image ‘information’ and more flexibility during editing. If you’re a photographer, you’ve no doubt come across RAW. What’s actually in a RAW file, and how does software convert it to something tangible that we can view and edit? Let’s find out.

Affinity photo raw editing