Your iPhone is already capable of taking incredible photos. But if you want more control over the final image — especially when editing — there’s one camera setting worth knowing about: Apple ProRAW.
ProRAW gives you significantly more image data to work with than a standard iPhone photo. That means more flexibility when adjusting exposure, recovering highlights and shadows, and fine-tuning colours.
In this guide, we'll explain what ProRAW actually does, which iPhones support it, how to turn it on, and when it makes sense to use it.
What Exactly Is Apple ProRAW?
When you take a normal photo with an iPhone, the camera does a lot of processing for you.
It automatically adjusts things like colour, contrast, sharpness and dynamic range before saving the final image. This is great when you want a photo that looks good straight out of the camera, but it also means some of that information is already processed when you start editing.
RAW works differently.
Instead of giving you a finished image, a RAW file preserves much more of the original information captured by the camera sensor.
Think of it as the difference between buying a finished meal and getting all the ingredients separately. With RAW, you have much more freedom to decide how the final result should look.
Apple ProRAW combines this RAW information with some of the iPhone's computational photography. The result is a file that gives you considerably more flexibility when editing.
This can be especially useful for:
- Recovering detail in bright highlights
- Bringing back information in dark shadows
- Making more precise colour adjustments
- Creating cleaner and more controlled edits
- Getting better results from Lightroom and other editing apps
The difference might not be obvious when you first open the photo. It's when you start editing that ProRAW really shows its advantage.
Which iPhones Can Shoot ProRAW?
Apple ProRAW isn't available on every iPhone. It's a feature reserved for the Pro models.
Currently, supported models include:
- iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
- iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
- Iphone 17 Pro and Pro Max
If you have a standard iPhone model, you won't find the ProRAW option in your camera settings. You can still take great photos and edit them using the standard image format, but you won't get the same amount of editing data as you do with ProRAW.
How to Enable ProRAW on Your iPhone
Getting ProRAW set up only takes a few seconds.
1. Open Settings
Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Open Camera
Scroll down and select Camera.
3. Select Formats
Tap Formats to access your camera's file format settings.
4. Enable Apple ProRAW
Under Photo Capture, switch on Apple ProRAW.
5. Choose Your Resolution
If you're using an iPhone 14 Pro or newer Pro model, you'll also have the option to select 48MP ProRAW.
For maximum image detail, choose 48MP.
Once you've enabled it, open the Camera app. You should now see a RAW button at the top of the screen.
Tap RAW whenever you want to shoot in ProRAW. You can also leave it turned off for normal photos.
One thing to keep in mind
ProRAW files are much larger than regular iPhone photos.
A 48MP ProRAW image can easily take up 70–80MB or more, depending on the image. Because of this, you probably don't want to use ProRAW for every single photo you take.
Instead, think of it as a setting to turn on when the extra image data is actually useful.
When Should You Shoot in ProRAW?
ProRAW is most useful when you know you're going to do something with the image afterwards.
For everyday snapshots, standard iPhone photos are usually more than enough. But there are certain situations where ProRAW can give you a much better starting point.
Consider using it when:
You're photographing something important.
If you're travelling somewhere special or capturing a moment you know you'll want to keep, the additional editing flexibility can be worthwhile.
The lighting is difficult.
High-contrast scenes with bright skies and dark foregrounds can benefit from having more information available in the highlights and shadows.
You're planning to edit the image.
If you're going to bring the photo into Lightroom and apply a preset or create your own edit, ProRAW gives you more information to work with.
This is particularly useful if you're using our presets, since the additional image data gives the presets a stronger foundation to work from.
How to Edit ProRAW Photos
Once you've captured your photo, you don't need any complicated workflow to start editing it.
ProRAW images can be edited directly in the Photos app on your iPhone. You can also import them into apps such as Lightroom Mobile for more advanced editing.
The editing process is essentially the same as with other photos. The difference is that ProRAW gives you more information to work with.
You'll notice this most when making bigger adjustments to things like:
- Exposure
- Highlights
- Shadows
- White balance
- Colour
- Contrast
This extra flexibility can be particularly helpful when applying presets, because you have more room to fine-tune the result afterwards.
Do You Need to Shoot Everything in ProRAW?
Not necessarily.
ProRAW is best thought of as another tool in your camera rather than a setting that should always be switched on.
If you're quickly taking a photo to send to a friend or posting something straight to Instagram, the standard iPhone format is often perfectly fine.
But when image quality and editing flexibility matter, ProRAW is worth considering.
It's especially useful for travel photography, landscapes, architecture, challenging lighting conditions, and any image that you know you'll want to spend some time editing.
Get More From Your iPhone Photos
Shooting ProRAW gives you a much better starting point, but getting the final look you want can still take time.
That's where presets can help.
At our shop, we've created a collection of presets specifically designed for raw images.
There are currently 15 preset in the pack, covering different styles and situations — from travel and film-inspired looks to softer colour grades, black & white edits and everyday photography.
The goal is simple: spend less time figuring out your edit and more time enjoying your photos.
Shoot in ProRAW, choose a look you like, make a few adjustments, and you're ready to go.