Best Photo Editing Software for the Sony a6700 (2026)
Search for editing software for the a6700 and you land in forum threads written about full-frame bodies, with a shrug that "it's all the same ARW anyway." It isn't quite. A 26-megapixel APS-C sensor, two RAW compression settings, and a lens lineup built around software corrections make different demands than an a7 IV does. Here's how seven editors meet them.
Disclosure: we make RevelRaw. It is listed first because it is ours, not because of a test result; the free download lets you judge it on your own files. Every other entry gets its real strengths, prices and trade-offs.
The short version
| App | Price model | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| RevelRaw | Free download; Pro by subscription or lifetime purchase | Our app: a6700 owners on a Mac who want finished photographs the same evening, with AI denoise and no subscription required |
| Lightroom / Lightroom Classic | Subscription | The default: catalog, lens profiles for everything, endless tutorials |
| Capture One | Perpetual license or subscription, premium pricing | The deepest color tools, if editing is part of your income |
| DxO PhotoLab | One-time purchase | The strongest answer to APS-C noise and kit-zoom optics |
| ON1 Photo RAW | One-time purchase or subscription | The most features per dollar in one app |
| darktable / RawTherapee | Free, open source | Tinkerers who trade learning time for zero cost |
| Imaging Edge Desktop | Free (Sony) | Seeing your Creative Look rendered exactly as the camera meant it |
What the a6700 asks of your software
The a6700 writes a 26-megapixel .ARW file with two compression settings — Compressed, at roughly 27–33 MB per file, and Lossless Compressed, at 35–45 MB. There is no Uncompressed option on this body, and you won't miss it. Three things about this body matter when you pick an editor:
- APS-C reaches high ISO an hour before full frame does. The sensor is excellent, but it gathers a stop less light than its full-frame cousins, so the blue hour, the gym and the living room all push it to ISO 3200–12800 sooner. How an editor's denoising treats those files is the single biggest quality difference you'll see between the apps below.
- The lenses lean on software. The compact zooms that live on a6700 bodies — the 16–50mm power zoom above all — are designed assuming distortion and vignetting get fixed in software. An editor with good correction profiles quietly rescues the corners of every frame; one without them shows you what the glass really drew.
- Creative Looks are metadata, not pixels. Set FL or IN on the camera and the RAW records it as a note, not as processing. Only Sony's software renders it exactly; RevelRaw applies supported Creative Looks on open, and every other editor starts from its own neutral rendering. If your edits keep "losing" the look you shot with, this is why — our RAW vs JPEG guide explains what the file actually stores.
RevelRaw (our app)
This is our app, and it suits a6700 shooters. RevelRaw is a native macOS editor for every major camera brand — deepest for Sony Alpha — and the a6700 owner is who it fits best: you shoot on trips and weekends, you want the photos finished the same evening, and you have no appetite for a catalog or a subscription. Drop in an .ARW — either compression setting — and AI scene detection reads the photograph, then ranks 50+ curated presets so the looks that suit that image surface first. It also applies the Creative Look recorded in your ARW when the photo opens. Fine-tune with the usual controls, Structure and Dehaze included, compare before and after, and export sized for Instagram, print or web. Selective edits are free, with up to three mask layers. Use gradients and a brush on macOS 26 or later, or click-to-select on macOS 27. It works from your folders rather than a catalog, and has no pixel-compositing layers or tethering. Everything runs on your Mac with no account and no cloud, and the free download includes one full-quality export, so you can take a real a6700 file through the whole workflow before paying anything. It is Mac-only: macOS 26 or later on an Apple M1 or later.
Lightroom and Lightroom Classic
The default for a reason: full a6700 support in both compression settings, correction profiles for most of the E-mount lens catalog, and an answer on YouTube for any problem you'll ever hit. The cost is the subscription, and for an a6700 owner the math deserves a look: this is a body people buy to stay light and spend less, and a few years of monthly fees quietly outrun what the camera cost. If you already pay for Adobe, Lightroom serves the a6700 fully, and RevelRaw's free export makes an easy side-by-side before you renew. If you don't, read our Lightroom alternatives comparison before you sign up.
Capture One
The color-grading benchmark, with Sony support that runs deep — its ARW rendering and skin tones keep working pros loyal, and it reads a6700 files without complaint. But its headline strengths sit oddly with this body: studio tethering and session workflows matter to commercial shoots, not to a camera that lives in a jacket pocket. You pay premium prices either way. If editing earns money for you, it's worth the trial; if you shoot weekends, it's a lot of software.
DxO PhotoLab
Buy it once, own it, and point it at exactly the two problems an a6700 has. DxO's denoising is the best in the business at turning ISO 12800 APS-C files back into photographs, and its corrections are built per body-and-lens pair — which is transformative for the small zooms that depend on them. The organizing tools are thin, so bring folder discipline. If your a6700 shoots concerts, wildlife at dusk or anything indoors, start your free-trial tour here.
ON1 Photo RAW
Browsing, RAW development, layers, masking and effects in one app, for a one-time price. On a6700 files it does everything adequately and nothing best-in-class; the appeal is scope per dollar, not refinement. Performance on big libraries varies by machine, so trial it on your own Mac before buying.
darktable and RawTherapee
Free, open source, and more capable on a6700 files than their price suggests — darktable mirrors the catalog-plus-develop model, RawTherapee hands you the processing pipeline down to the demosaicing algorithm. Both read the a6700's files and both have usable profiles for the common lenses. The price is time: flat defaults, private vocabularies, and a first good edit that takes an evening. Worth it if the craft of the tool is part of the fun.
Imaging Edge Desktop
Sony's free suite earns a place on this list for one unique trick: it's the only software that renders your a6700's Creative Look on the RAW file exactly as the camera intended. As a viewer and a reference for "what did I actually shoot," it's genuinely useful. As an editor it's slow and sparse, and almost nobody finishes their photos in it. Install it alongside whatever you choose, not instead of it.
How to choose
- You shoot Sony, edit on a Mac, and want finished photographs in minutes (our app): RevelRaw.
- You already pay for Adobe: Lightroom handles the a6700 well; open the same file in RevelRaw with the free export and compare.
- You edit for clients: Capture One, and take the perpetual license.
- Your photos live at ISO 6400 and above: DxO PhotoLab.
- You want one purchase that does everything: ON1 Photo RAW.
- You want to pay nothing and learn deeply: darktable, with Imaging Edge installed as your Creative Look reference.
FAQ
Does Lightroom support the Sony a6700?
Yes — current versions read both compression settings, including Lossless Compressed, with correction profiles for the common E-mount glass.
What's the best free editor for the a6700?
On a Mac, try RevelRaw (our app): the download is free, with full editing and one free full-quality export, so a real a6700 photograph can be finished before you pay anything. Beyond that, Sony's own Imaging Edge Desktop is free and is the only editor that renders your Creative Look exactly as the camera shows it. darktable and RawTherapee are free, open source and far more capable as editors, at the cost of a real learning curve. Those three all read a6700 files.
Is Imaging Edge Desktop good enough to edit a6700 RAW files?
As a reference it is unmatched: Imaging Edge Desktop renders the Creative Look you shot with exactly as the camera does, and RevelRaw applies supported Creative Looks when you open the photo. As an editor it is slow and sparse — few photographers finish their photos in it. Install it alongside a real editor rather than instead of one.
Can Preview and Photos on a Mac open a6700 files?
Yes, on current macOS versions — you just get Apple's default rendering rather than your own edit. Our guide to opening ARW files on a Mac covers the details.
What's the best non-subscription editor for the a6700 on a Mac?
On a Mac, try RevelRaw (our app): it is built natively for macOS, the download is free with one free full-quality export, and Pro is available as a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase, so you can avoid the subscription. AI scene detection ranks 50+ presets against each photo. Capture One and DxO PhotoLab both sell perpetual licenses at pro prices, ON1 Photo RAW bundles the most features per dollar, and darktable is the no-cost route if you will trade learning time for money.
Do these editors read the a6700's Lossless Compressed files?
All seven do today. Support lagged in the camera's first months back in 2023, which is worth remembering the next time you buy a just-released body.
Related reading: Best editing software for the Sony a7 IV · What is an ARW file? · Lightroom alternatives for Sony shooters