Experienced photographers know RAW is the best format to retain quality and detail in your shots.
This list ranges from free options to lifetime licenses.
Adobe Photoshop With the Camera RAW Plugin
Adobe Photoshop is arguably the king of image editing.
But Photoshop alone cannot process RAW images.
Camera RAW works as a great middle-ground software between the two.
It is included in any Adobe plan that includes Photoshop with it.
Image Credit:CorelDRAW
Download:Adobe Photoshop(From $20.99/month, free trial available)
2.
Adobe Lightroom
Whereas Photoshops focus is on graphics of all kinds, Lightroom focuses on photo editing specifically.
Camera RAW is inspired heavily by the editing options found natively in Adobe Lightroom.
This means theres hardly any learning curve between the two.
Lightroom is a fantastic software for editing your RAW photos.
Download:Adobe Lightroom(From $9.99/month, free trial available)
3.
Image Credit:CorelDRAW
Corel PHOTO-PAINT
Corel PHOTO-PAINT is the forgotten sibling of CorelDRAW.
Although overlooked, when purchasing the Corel Graphics Suite, PHOTO-PAINT is included in the bundle.
Corel PHOTO-PAINT allows you to edit and process RAW photos and images in PHOTO-PAINTs Camera RAW Lab.
So this lesser-known software provides two ways to edit your RAW photos.
Worth a shot, dont you think?
Download:CorelDRAW Graphics Suite(From $39.99/month, free trial available)
4.
Affinity Photo 2
Affinity Photo 2 offers RAW editing features under the Develop persona.
Read about theAffinity V2 upgrades of Photo, Designer, and Publisher.
Capture One Pro
Capture One Pro is an extensive photo editing software similar to Adobe Lightroom.
Image Credit:Photopea
This powerful software can open and edit a plethora of RAW formats from all the major camera types.
Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo is an AI-based photo editor available as a standalone tool or a plugin.
WhilePhotopea has its pros and cons, it offers some helpful features without you having to pay a cent.
it’s possible for you to drag any RAW image into the image uploader to begin editing it.
Unfortunately, Photopea only supports limited RAW formats, such as .DNG, .NEF, CR2, and .ARW.
Overall, for a free RAW editor, we cant complain.
Pixelmater Photo
Pixelmater Photo is an iOS and iPadOS photo editing software.
Pixelmater Photo offers dynamic RAW editing options.
Photopeas free model works in a pinch and Pixelmater Photo is a great option for on-the-go RAW editing.
Corel and Affinity both offer affordable options to compete against Adobe.
This list has likely connected you with your new favorite RAW editor.
