Halide builders break down the technology powering Apple’s new ProRAW picture format: Digital Photography Overview

Apple’s new ProRAW format is now accessible to Apple iphone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max people jogging iOS 14.3. The new format claims the electricity of Apple’s impression processing capabilities with the versatility of a Uncooked image. But what just is a ProRAW impression, how handy is the format and what kind of final results can we count on from it?

Ben Sandofsky, 1 of the builders driving the iOS camera application Halide, has answered all of individuals issues and much more in a comprehensive overview of the ProRAW technologies, with illustrations and case in point photos from Halide designer, Sebastiaan de With.

Sandofsky’s overview is proficiently damaged down into a few sections. That very first component clarifies how a digital digicam ‘develops’ an picture using the details from the sensor. The second part clarifies the execs and disadvantages of conventional Uncooked documents. And the 3rd component is the place we discover what is exceptional about Apple’s ProRAW technologies and why it ‘changes the game’ regardless of ‘its few remaining negatives.’

We counsel using Sandofky’s guidance and grabbing a coffee if you plan on reading through the whole article, but we’ll summarize a number of of the standout facts below on DPReview as properly in the case you are in a rush or are out of coffee.

Due to the fact most DPReview audience are acquainted with how a camera processes info from the sensor, as nicely as the pros and cons of Uncooked information, we’re likely to skip proper to Sandofky’s rundown of the new ProRAW technological innovation from Apple.

Shadow recovery on a ProRAW shot taken with the newest Halide beta.

This is just… wow. pic.twitter.com/ti03Js2C5n

— Halide (@halidecamera) December 13, 2020

Sandofsky gets straight to the point, answering a concern we’ve seen a number of people today talk to in the responses of past content articles on Apple’s new ProRAW technological know-how — ‘Technically, there’s no these types of detail as a ProRAW file.’ ProRAW image information, as he clarifies, are only frequent DNG documents that use minor identified characteristics in the DNG file format requirements, as properly as a number of new attributes Apple labored with Adobe to employ in the new 1.6 specification.

Precisely, Adobe and Apple labored collectively to add a new set of tags for the open Raw structure that allow a lot of what Apple is undertaking with its ProRAW-branded DNG information. In truth, the new DNG 1.6 specification went are living the working day Apple unveiled the iOS 14.3 public beta, showing just how carefully the two labored jointly on the new specification.

As Sandofsky points out, Apple opting to use the DNG structure implies, even with their endeavor at rebranding the know-how as its have Uncooked structure, almost nothing about the ensuing data files is proprietary. The shots should, in concept, be in a position to operate with any other machine or program that chooses to make the most of the new DNG 1.6 normal.

Sandofsky goes on to state that ProRAW images retail outlet pixel values just after the demosaic step. These demosaiced coloration values nevertheless have all of the primary colours and dynamic selection of the scene, he says, they just reduce out the stage of selecting what demosaic algorithm will be utilised on that data—something ordinarily accomplished in put up-processing dependent on the editing software package you’re employing.

Sandofsky argues that, apart from conserving time and taking an additional stage out of the equation, it is ‘quite feasible that iOS can do a much better job demosaicing your photographs than any 3rd-occasion Uncooked editor’ considering Apple’s toughness of its vertical integration of hardware and softrware. That is, Apple ‘know[s] particularly the sensor you are using, and how it behaves with unique ISO configurations.’ Sandofsky even points out that with Apple’s impression recognition technological know-how, iOS could apply a particular demosaic algorithm dependent on the scene to obtain an best final result.

Just one instance he utilizes is a set of starscape visuals from photographer Austin Mann, who has also shared a in-depth breakdown of the new ProRAW know-how on his web site alongside a wonderful assortment of pictures.

A ProRAW file prior to and right after enhancing.

Another reward of this approach is Apple could, in concept, get started to develop its personal sensors, eschewing the latest bayer sensors they use. By undertaking so, they could tailor-make the greatest sensor feasible for their smartphones and as extensive as the resulting impression is saved as a ProRAW file, ‘it would function from day just one in just about every professional pictures process and application like Lightroom with out acquiring to hold out for Adobe to write a new demosaic algorithm’ for the new sensor.

Next, Sandofsky clarifies how Apple is baking in the ‘local tone mapping and other computational pictures goodies’ right inside the DNG utilizing the new tags found in the DNG 1.6 normal. By utilizing the new tags, Apple is equipped to apply its Wise HDR and Deep Fusion technological know-how to the ProRAW pictures. Although Halide is opting to not use all of this technologies — Sandofsky clarifies why in detail in just his submit — it’s even now there to leverage in the picture editor of your choice or use with yet another 3rd-celebration digicam app should the developers select to. ProRAW visuals also keep semantic maps — the depth info made use of in Portrait method — which offers developers nevertheless one more piece of facts to operate with.

A comparison picture exhibiting the semantic maps of an graphic future to the primary photo.

Sandofsky goes on to explain the file sizing overall flexibility of ProRAW files. A typical ProRAW file, captured with the default 12-bit knowledge, is about 25MB. But it’s feasible for developers to fall that to 10-little bit, which around halves the file size whilst even now obtaining ‘most of the ProRAW benefits.’ If that’s not compact plenty of, it’s also probable for builders to use lossy compression on ProRAW data files, which drops the documents down to as little as 1MB, but as Sandofsky notes, this results in a ProRAW file that isn’t significantly much more multipurpose than a conventional 8-bit JPEG.

A listing of Uncooked and ProRAW taking pictures alternatives the Halide group has executed into its digicam application.

A different neat trick is that it is probable to store a thoroughly-processed JPEG model of an image right inside of the DNG file. Apple does not do this by default in its iOS Camera app, 3rd get together builders can pick out to do this, which would guarantee apps that don’t guidance DNG data files, this sort of as Instagram, can even now use the processed JPEG picture. Halide claims it’s extra this possibility in its app, but do observe it will incorporate an further 4MB or so to the file sizing, owing to the more baggage.

In summary, Sandofsky notes that ProRAW ‘is a leap forward for all people, but it will be primarily impactful for starting photographers.’ With Apple supporting Raw editing instantly in its iOS Shots app, even informal photographers will be equipped to have the overall flexibility of editing a ‘Raw’ file structure — even if they’re not using a lot more sophisticated editing apps this sort of as Affinity Picture, Adobe Lightroom, Seize Just one, etc.

Sandofsky wraps up his publish chatting about how the Halide team is even further pushing the boundaries of ProRAW with its application, but we’ll let you read through that more than on the whole put up, linked under. You can download the Halide camera app in the iOS App Retailer.

Knowledge ProRAW

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Image credits: All pictures and illustrations by Halide, made use of with permission.