I have an academic but not an active interest in ProRAW. I no longer bother to print out high resolution photos on archival quality paper to be framed but rather constrain myself to images for the digital screen. RAW serves my occasional needs but I have been interested to see where ProRAW is going. A year in and I don’t see the format as compelling.
I expected you to tell the real experience, well done. I had mixed feelings about ProRAW and you just told me what I thought :) thank you. So which app does takes the best RAW photos on the iPhone?
Thanks Armin! Yeah, I’m always going to be realistic and honest. The built-in camera app takes the best ProRAW photos as it’s soooo much faster, and for traditional RAW I still use Halide for those 14-bit zebras 👍
I think ProRAW can be pretty nice for people who are willing to explore raw photography but are somewhat afraid or bummed by the flat look and think there's less work to be done in post with ProRAW rather than any other conventional raw file. And that's because ProRAW already looks slightly processed just like you mentioned. Other than that, yeah, the inconsistency in shooting settings is something I look forward to being updated sometime soon. But for a person who used to be a professional photographer, I will use Halide when I am really serious about my raw. O zi faina si felicitări pentru video!
Haha multumesc Mihai! While the urban photos do look great, I don’t think it comes over on the video just how ‘blocky’ and ‘mushy’ some of the nature textures are, or maybe as a RAW shooter I’m more critical, as HEIC and JPEG shooters should be really pleased with the improvements to image quality and exposure.
For him, Halide is not the best app At All. Listen his video. Native App is better for Proraw, and for classic raw, Darkroom or Raw Power are better than Halide or Moment App.
I could be very wrong but I think it's limited to the Pro series because of memory. The Pro series has 6GB whereas 12 and 12 Mini have 4GB. That extra 2GB could be necessary to keep the phone running smoothly while shooting ProRAW.
i guess i'll need to wait until Adobe has an update for ProRAW, but at least they include the apple embedded color in the color profile setting. anyway it's my first time visiting your channel, and i'd say your videos are amazing, very detailed and practical than others, keep it up!!
and as a beginner in raw shooting and editing, i found ProRAW serves its purpose of bridging the gap between processed image and traditional raw very well. I still have a hard time in dealing with the color noise on tradtional RAWs. And there's interesting thing about proraw like semantic mapping that might be useful in the future.
@@VincentTse Semantic rendering is definitely interesting but as I mention in this video, this sort of A.I. based processing takes control away from the photographer as the iPhone will make adjustments where it thinks they're needed. Admittedly, most users will probably love this, but me, I'd rather do it myself. Thanks for checking out my channel Vincent. I'm working on more videos as we speak! 👍
Thanks David for your take on it. I'm not surprised you were kind of harsh on the ProRaw. On the contrary, I'm grateful that you pointed some aspects that might not be obvious on the face of it. What I would appreciate is if you could explain more in details what is your practical implementation of ProRaw in your daily workflow, with Halide put into context in particular. Are there any settings in Halide that could assure better quality in comparison to a stock Apple camera regarding ProRaw? Thanks, Greg.
Thanks Greg. I wanted to love it, I really did! After all of the hype around the beta I was excited to go out and shoot but when I saw the results I was particularly disappointed with the ‘baked in’ processing of the details. Plus I was surprised that literally nobody else had mentioned anything other than how it was a “game-changer” for photography. The video you want is coming soon!
Regarding Halide, I saw a couple of your comments both on the Halide's twitter account and on their blog asking (Sebastian) specific questions. Have you received any conclusive/insightful answers that would shed some light on the matter? Cheers.
As always a great explanation, jury still out for me. I need to do more comparisons, but your analyses looks less optimistic about the pro RAW benefits.
Thanks David. That is an extremely useful insight into ProRAW. It appears that using Raw Power or Darkroom is essential. How would you save the file after applying the tone mapping, so the most data will be available for further editing in Photoshop, for applying dodge and burn with luminosity masks?
It’s a tough one because tone mapping is like a fancy dodging and burning anyway. My answer would have to be a general one of simply save as high quality as possible. Raw Power let’s you save 16 bit TIFF files so I’d go for that.
Thanks. The 16 bit file will leave the information in the photo intact. The idea is to do global adjustments in the raw editor and local adjustments in Photoshop.
Maybe the better alternative to using Darkroom or RAWPower is the iOS native foto editing app. It is a completely working ProRAW converter and even has a histogram in the MacOS version. And it has with the brilliance setting a very nice possibility to edit the pictures and with that more editing possibilities than Darkroom.
So moment APP is worse than Halide II for editing ProRAw and traditionnal RAW ? What's software do you use to editing Traidtionnal Raw (Darkroom and Raw power) ? Wha'ts software do you use to editing ProRaw (Darkroom ? Raw power ? Halide II ? ). Thanks a lot !
You're mixing up shooting and edit apps. Halide Mk II and Moment are for taking the pictures, and Darkroom and RAW Power are for editing. I personally use Halide and Darkroom.
@@David_Addison Yes, sorry for my mistakes ! :) So for sum up : 1 ) Proraw is better than classic raw in low light (thanks to longer exposure with Native Apple App) and is as good as classic raw for urban shootin (building for example) 2 ) For shooting ProRaw, Native App is way better than tierces App (like Halide, Moment etc...). No lag for processing image etc... 3 ) Shooting true raw is better for landscape, grass than Proraw (too much sharpen/processing), and in a day to day images. 4) For shooting Classic Raw, Halide is better than Moment App (worse quality on the raw footage). 5) For Editing raw footage, Darkroom or RawPower, or PixelMator, or Lightroom are better than Viesco or Snapseeed 6) For editing proRaw footage, Native app is better than tierces app. Are you agree with that ? Thanks a lot
@@David_Addison Thank you. ProRaw will evolve in future updates for sure. Naturally, It makes sense that it works well on the native app. I need to set up my defaults to shoot raw, if able, on all my apps.
I only have a iPhone XR so, looking from outside, it seems that 12 Pro is more for nightmode than anything else, unless I miss-understood. It's a bit late ;)
@@David_Addison Thank you for your great review. To be quite honest I did not even realize the amount of processing in my proRaw files! Your video actually shocked me. Gonna stick to the traditional raw files as well I guess. Do you know if there is any way to switch back to traditional raw files in the moment app?
Glad I could help Daniel! I'll be sticking with RAW for most situations too but ProRAW is definitely leaps ahead in low light. Yeah just go into settings, then where it says RAW format select RAW.
As far as I’m aware, no third party app can replicate Night Mode style long exposures. ProCamera’s low light mode for example only allows 1 second. It’s a limitation on the iPhone I hope is removed soon.
I think ProRaw is complete crap. I don’t understand why Apple can’t give us genuine raw. Or bring back iPhone 8’s camera system where it didn’t add sharpening and saturation adjustments
This is why I love this channel! No hype, just honest thoughts based on experience.
This means a lot. Thank you! 🙏
I have an academic but not an active interest in ProRAW. I no longer bother to print out high resolution photos on archival quality paper to be framed but rather constrain myself to images for the digital screen. RAW serves my occasional needs but I have been interested to see where ProRAW is going. A year in and I don’t see the format as compelling.
I expected you to tell the real experience, well done. I had mixed feelings about ProRAW and you just told me what I thought :) thank you. So which app does takes the best RAW photos on the iPhone?
Thanks Armin! Yeah, I’m always going to be realistic and honest. The built-in camera app takes the best ProRAW photos as it’s soooo much faster, and for traditional RAW I still use Halide for those 14-bit zebras 👍
@@David_Addison awesome, thank you.... still waiting for the next batch of Pro Max coming to Malta :) small island....
Ah you’re in Malta? I’ve heard it’s really nice but I’ve never been.
@@David_Addison yeah 8 years now, enough hahaha
I think ProRAW can be pretty nice for people who are willing to explore raw photography but are somewhat afraid or bummed by the flat look and think there's less work to be done in post with ProRAW rather than any other conventional raw file. And that's because ProRAW already looks slightly processed just like you mentioned. Other than that, yeah, the inconsistency in shooting settings is something I look forward to being updated sometime soon. But for a person who used to be a professional photographer, I will use Halide when I am really serious about my raw. O zi faina si felicitări pentru video!
Haha multumesc Mihai! While the urban photos do look great, I don’t think it comes over on the video just how ‘blocky’ and ‘mushy’ some of the nature textures are, or maybe as a RAW shooter I’m more critical, as HEIC and JPEG shooters should be really pleased with the improvements to image quality and exposure.
For him, Halide is not the best app At All. Listen his video. Native App is better for Proraw, and for classic raw, Darkroom or Raw Power are better than Halide or Moment App.
I was not expecting that review. Thanks for keeping it real.
Thanks Richard! Always!
Hope they make pro raw purchase-able for iPhone 12 users someday
I could be very wrong but I think it's limited to the Pro series because of memory. The Pro series has 6GB whereas 12 and 12 Mini have 4GB. That extra 2GB could be necessary to keep the phone running smoothly while shooting ProRAW.
Thanks David, was this improved with the iPhone 13 Pro?
5:21 shouldn't all proraws also have the same post-processing touch like the heic and jpgs?
Good review! I haven’t try it until I get the new iPhone
Thanks Pablo!
Just found your channel and loved this super honest review...subscribed✅
Thanks Ben! Welcome aboard!
i guess i'll need to wait until Adobe has an update for ProRAW, but at least they include the apple embedded color in the color profile setting. anyway it's my first time visiting your channel, and i'd say your videos are amazing, very detailed and practical than others, keep it up!!
and as a beginner in raw shooting and editing, i found ProRAW serves its purpose of bridging the gap between processed image and traditional raw very well. I still have a hard time in dealing with the color noise on tradtional RAWs. And there's interesting thing about proraw like semantic mapping that might be useful in the future.
@@VincentTse Semantic rendering is definitely interesting but as I mention in this video, this sort of A.I. based processing takes control away from the photographer as the iPhone will make adjustments where it thinks they're needed. Admittedly, most users will probably love this, but me, I'd rather do it myself. Thanks for checking out my channel Vincent. I'm working on more videos as we speak! 👍
Thanks David for your take on it. I'm not surprised you were kind of harsh on the ProRaw. On the contrary, I'm grateful that you pointed some aspects that might not be obvious on the face of it. What I would appreciate is if you could explain more in details what is your practical implementation of ProRaw in your daily workflow, with Halide put into context in particular. Are there any settings in Halide that could assure better quality in comparison to a stock Apple camera regarding ProRaw? Thanks, Greg.
Thanks Greg. I wanted to love it, I really did! After all of the hype around the beta I was excited to go out and shoot but when I saw the results I was particularly disappointed with the ‘baked in’ processing of the details. Plus I was surprised that literally nobody else had mentioned anything other than how it was a “game-changer” for photography. The video you want is coming soon!
Regarding Halide, I saw a couple of your comments both on the Halide's twitter account and on their blog asking (Sebastian) specific questions. Have you received any conclusive/insightful answers that would shed some light on the matter? Cheers.
I can’t remember what I asked 😆 but no, no response.
As always a great explanation, jury still out for me. I need to do more comparisons, but your analyses looks less optimistic about the pro RAW benefits.
Thanks Ian! Just trying to keep it real and honest. I'll have another, more practical demonstration of ProRAW vs other formats coming soon.
Thanks David. That is an extremely useful insight into ProRAW. It appears that using Raw Power or Darkroom is essential. How would you save the file after applying the tone mapping, so the most data will be available for further editing in Photoshop, for applying dodge and burn with luminosity masks?
It’s a tough one because tone mapping is like a fancy dodging and burning anyway. My answer would have to be a general one of simply save as high quality as possible. Raw Power let’s you save 16 bit TIFF files so I’d go for that.
Thanks. The 16 bit file will leave the information in the photo intact. The idea is to do global adjustments in the raw editor and local adjustments in Photoshop.
The tone mapping in Darkroom and RAW Power is technically local tone mapping, but I know what you mean.
Maybe the better alternative to using Darkroom or RAWPower is the iOS native foto editing app. It is a completely working ProRAW converter and even has a histogram in the MacOS version. And it has with the brilliance setting a very nice possibility to edit the pictures and with that more editing possibilities than Darkroom.
Thanks Christian, that is very useful.
So moment APP is worse than Halide II for editing ProRAw and traditionnal RAW ? What's software do you use to editing Traidtionnal Raw (Darkroom and Raw power) ? Wha'ts software do you use to editing ProRaw (Darkroom ? Raw power ? Halide II ? ). Thanks a lot !
You're mixing up shooting and edit apps. Halide Mk II and Moment are for taking the pictures, and Darkroom and RAW Power are for editing. I personally use Halide and Darkroom.
@@David_Addison Yes, sorry for my mistakes ! :)
So for sum up :
1 ) Proraw is better than classic raw in low light (thanks to longer exposure with Native Apple App) and is as good as classic raw for urban shootin (building for example)
2 ) For shooting ProRaw, Native App is way better than tierces App (like Halide, Moment etc...). No lag for processing image etc...
3 ) Shooting true raw is better for landscape, grass than Proraw (too much sharpen/processing), and in a day to day images.
4) For shooting Classic Raw, Halide is better than Moment App (worse quality on the raw footage).
5) For Editing raw footage, Darkroom or RawPower, or PixelMator, or Lightroom are better than Viesco or Snapseeed
6) For editing proRaw footage, Native app is better than tierces app.
Are you agree with that ?
Thanks a lot
What do u think of the skin tone ? i thought is not as good as dslr.
Another good review 👌
Thanks Lythg!
0:09 Was that a fake reference material with placeholder text under the ProRaw headlines?
First...EDIT: Nice review David.
Well done Harry! This is for you: 🥇
@@David_Addison Thank you. ProRaw will evolve in future updates for sure. Naturally, It makes sense that it works well on the native app. I need to set up my defaults to shoot raw, if able, on all my apps.
What do you think of ProRAW? 📱 Are you surprised I didn't show it more love? ❤️ Is 'scruntinously' a word? 🤔
I only have a iPhone XR so, looking from outside, it seems that 12 Pro is more for nightmode than anything else, unless I miss-understood. It's a bit late ;)
Yeah it can perform really well in low light and in situations with challenging exposures.
@@David_Addison Thank you for your great review. To be quite honest I did not even realize the amount of processing in my proRaw files! Your video actually shocked me. Gonna stick to the traditional raw files as well I guess. Do you know if there is any way to switch back to traditional raw files in the moment app?
Glad I could help Daniel! I'll be sticking with RAW for most situations too but ProRAW is definitely leaps ahead in low light. Yeah just go into settings, then where it says RAW format select RAW.
When I open a ProRAW in Lightroom mobile or Snapseed the file is overexposed. Why? Only in darkroom app I see it correctly
Because of tone mapping. I mention twice in the video in the Shooting and Editing section.
Why when i open my ProRaw files in Lightroom, my photos are very UNDEREXPOSED ? I need to overexposed a lot (+2 stops)
It’s a tone mapping issue. Lightroom doesn’t seem to register DNG files already having tone mapping. There’s nothing you can do at the moment.
How to get apple pro raw files on computer?
Hey David
I think im the first Person to say that u looks like Kevin De Bruyne 😁🙈😂
Compare us when I get into Pro Footballer shape 😂
Hey are you planning on reviewing Obscura Camera?
Yes it's on the list, it'll be next year now though with everything happening in the iPhone photography space 😊
Can we control the 30s shutter on third party apps?
As far as I’m aware, no third party app can replicate Night Mode style long exposures. ProCamera’s low light mode for example only allows 1 second. It’s a limitation on the iPhone I hope is removed soon.
@@David_Addison So can we expect an update for this issue in these apps?
I dunno dude, I don’t have insight into what’s going to happen.
Cortex Cam is the only app that does night mode better than Apple’s night mode
I think ProRaw is complete crap. I don’t understand why Apple can’t give us genuine raw. Or bring back iPhone 8’s camera system where it didn’t add sharpening and saturation adjustments