RAW Formats RevelRaw Opens
RevelRaw is a native macOS RAW editor built around Sony Alpha — .ARW is the format it's designed for and the one the interface talks about. But a RAW file is a RAW file: unprocessed sensor data waiting to be developed. So RevelRaw opens the other major brands' formats too. Drag any of the files below in, and AI scene detection ranks 40+ presets against the photo, with the full set of fine-tune controls on top. Everything runs on your Mac; no file ever leaves it.
Each format has its own guide — what the file actually contains, which cameras write it, how to open it on a Mac, and how to convert it to JPEG.
The formats
| Extension | Brand | Written by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| .ARW | Sony | Every Sony Alpha body | What is an ARW file? |
| .SR2 | Sony | DSC-R1, the pre-Alpha bridge camera | What is an SR2 file? |
| .SRF | Sony | Early Cyber-shot (F707, F717, F828) | What is an SRF file? |
| .CR3 | Canon | EOS R mirrorless, late DSLRs, recent PowerShots | What is a CR3 file? |
| .CR2 | Canon | DSLRs from 2004 to the CR3 era | What is a CR2 file? |
| .CRW | Canon | Early DSLRs and PowerShots, ~2000–2004 | What is a CRW file? |
| .NEF | Nikon | Every Nikon DSLR and Z mirrorless body | What is a NEF file? |
| .NRW | Nikon | Advanced Coolpix compacts | What is an NRW file? |
| .RAF | Fujifilm | X-series and GFX bodies | What is a RAF file? |
| .RW2 | Panasonic | Lumix mirrorless and advanced compacts | What is an RW2 file? |
| .ORF | Olympus / OM System | OM-D, PEN, OM-1/3/5 bodies | What is an ORF file? |
Beyond these, RevelRaw also accepts .DNG and RAW files from Pentax, Leica, Hasselblad, Phase One, Samsung, Epson, Minolta, Kodak and Leaf — guides for those are on the way.
How it works, whatever the badge on your camera
Every format above stores the same thing at heart: one brightness reading per photosite on the sensor, before white balance, sharpening or any in-camera look has been baked in. That's why one editor can develop them all. Open a file in RevelRaw and it decodes the sensor data on your Mac, classifies the scene, and ranks its 40+ presets so the most relevant looks surface first — then you fine-tune exposure, color, curves and grain, and export as JPEG, PNG, TIFF or HEIF with platform presets for Instagram, print and web.
FAQ
Does RevelRaw only work with Sony cameras?
Sony Alpha is what it's built around — ARW is the headline format. But RAW files from Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Olympus and other brands open all the same: drag one in and everything works on it.
Does RevelRaw open Canon CR3 or Nikon NEF files?
Yes — along with CR2, CRW, NRW, RAF, RW2 and ORF. Drag and drop or File > Open, then export as JPEG, PNG, TIFF or HEIF.
What if my RAW file won't open?
Files from a just-released camera can fail until Apple ships a RAW update for that body — the file isn't broken; the software just hasn't met that camera yet. For very old formats, a one-time conversion with Adobe's free DNG Converter usually solves it; keep both files afterwards.
Does RevelRaw open video files?
No. RevelRaw is a stills editor. Video from your camera needs a video editor.
Whatever your camera writes, see what's really in the file. Download RevelRaw, drop a RAW in, and watch it ranked against 40+ presets in seconds — with one full-quality export on the house. Get it on the Mac App Store.
Related reading: What is an ARW file? · How to open ARW files on a Mac · RAW vs JPEG on a Sony Alpha