Used by Sony in digital cameras to record RAW, i.e. βrawβ, not yet formed photographs. In other words, ARW files are related to RAW
Each ARW file contains a set of basic information:
- Information from the manufacturer (including information about the camera model, sensitivity, lens, color space, white balance, filters, etc.)
- EXIF data (information about exposure time, aperture, flash, etc.)
- Thumbnail (usually about 12 MPx, color, compression)
- Full size image with great color depth. Typically 12 bits per pixel, i.e. 4096 brightness levels (JPG format has 8 bits per pixel, i.e. 256 brightness levels)
The full-size image is stored as information about the various colors - green, blue and red - and then assembled as a real, color photograph.
The photo before generation does not have information about white balance and gamma - this data is created through a program that opens ARW files using additional data contained in the ARW file and the internal database.
Thanks to this, as well as the large RAW color depth - this type file is much better suited for graphics processing than a JPG photo. The format allows you to preserve more detail and gives you much more options for color correction, highlights, restoring shadow detail and reducing noise.
How to open an ARW file and how to convert the ARW format to JPG?
ARW files can be opened with most graphics programs. It should be noted, however, that even if the program opens ARW files, this does not mean that it will open files from specifically specific model cameras. Like other manufacturers, Sony improves its RAW files for each new generation of digital cameras.
Commercial programs that allow you to work with the ARW format:
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
- Adobe Photoshop (Photoshop Elements)
- DxO Optics Pro
- Apple Aperture
- Capture One
- Paint Shop Pro
- Bibble Pro
Free programs for ARW format:
- Sony Image Data Converter (included with every camera, or available for free download)
- RawTherapee
- IrfanView
- Picasa
- Image Magic
- GIMP (via relevant plugins)
- Adobe DNG converter (converts ARW files to DNG, which can be opened in most graphics programs)
- Dcraw (the program starts with command lineβ only for experienced users!)
How to preview ARW files on Windows?
ARW files can be viewed as thumbnails in Windows thanks to a system extension (plugin) called Microsoft Camera Codec Pack. After installing the package, you can view ARW files as thumbnails directly in the folder, or using the Windows Photo Viewer.
Viewing is limited to thumbnails stored in RAW. Using this plugin, you cannot view full-size photos, or convert them to JPG format.
RAW format from various manufacturers
Each manufacturer uses their own RAW file format. This list includes popular RAW formats used by other manufacturers that are equivalent to ARW in Sony cameras.
Extension |
Manufacturer |
| .arw | Sony |
| .crw | Canon |
| .dng | Casio, Hasselblad, Leica, Pentax, Ricoh, Samsung |
| .nef | Nikon |
| .orf | Olympus |
| .pef | Pentax |
| .raf | Fujifilm |
| .rw2 | Panasonic |
| .srw | Samsung |
| .x3f | Sigma |
In addition, Adobe is promoting its own open format RAW: DNG (Digital NeGative), which was supposed to become a standard for manufacturers, however, it did not catch on large corporations. Adobe currently provides free application Adobe DNG Converter, which allows you to convert most RAW files to DNG format.
The main thing is to specify the file on your computer or phone, specify required format images, click OK. The rest of the settings are set to default.
Supported image formats:
3FR, AAI, A.I., ART, ARW, AVS, BGR, BGRA, BIE, BMP, CAL, CALS, CANVAS, CIN, CMYK, CMYKA, CR2(Canon Digital Camera Raw Image Format), CRW, CUR, DCM, DCR, DCX, DDS, DIB, DJVU, DNG, DPX, EPDF, EPS, EPSF, EPSI, EPT, ERF, EXR, FAX, FITS, FRACTAL, FTS, G3, GIF, GIF87, GRAY, GROUP4, HDR, HRZ, ICB, ICO, ICON, IIQ, JBG, JBIG, JNG, JNX, JP2,JPE JPEG, JPG,JSON, K25(Kodak Digital Camera Raw Image Format), K.D.C., MAC, MAT, MEF, MIFF, MNG, MONO, MPC, MRW, MTV, NEF(Nikon Digital SLR Camera Raw Image File), NRW, ORF(Olympus Digital Camera Raw Image File), OTB, OTF, PAL, PALM, PAM, PBM, PCD, PCDS, PCT, PCX, PDB, PDF, PDFA, PEF, PES, PFM, PGM, PICON, PICT, PIX, PJPEG, PLASMA, PNG, PNG00, PNG8, PNG24, PNG32, PNG48, PNG64, PNM, PS, PSB, PSD, PTIF, PWP, R, RAF, RAS, RAW, RGB, RGBA, RGBO, RGF, RLA, RLE, RMF(Raw Media Format) RW2 (Panasonic Lumix Raw Image), SFW, SGI, SIX, SIXEL, SR2(Sony Raw Format 2) SRF, STEGANO, SUN, TGA, TIF, TIFF, TIFF64, TILE, UYVY, VDA, VICAR, VIFF, VIPS, VST, WBMP, WEBP, WPG, XBM, XCF(GIMP image), XWD, X3F(Sigma RAW Picture File)
The original image is not changed in any way. You will be provided with another processed image.
Supported RAW (raw) photo formats With automatic correction and taking into account the built-in metadata:
.3FR, .FFF Hasselblad Hasselblad RAW Image
.ARW, .SR2, .SRF- RAW photo from digital camera Sony, Sony Digital Camera RAW Image
.BAY- RAW photo from a digital camera Casio, Casio RAW Image
.CR2, .CRW- RAW photo from a digital camera Canon, Canon RAW Image
.DC2, .DCR, .K25, .KC2, .KDC- RAW photo from a digital camera Kodak Kodak RAW Image File
.DNG- digital negative, Digital Negative Image File
.ERF- raw image Epson, Epson RAW File
.HDR- High Dynamic Range image
.MDC, .MRW- Minolta Raw Image File
.MEF, .MOS- Mamiya Digital Camera RAW Image Format
.NEF, .NRW- RAW photo from DSLR camera Nikon Nikon Raw Image File
.ORF- RAW photo from a digital camera Olympus, Olympus RAW File
.PEF - Pentax Electronic File
.PXN- PictureWorks PhotoEnhancer Image
.QTK - Apple QuickTake Picture Image
.RAF - Fujifilm CCD-RAW Graphic File
.RAW- Digital Camera Photo RAW Image Format
.RW2 Panasonic, Panasonic RAW Image
.SRW- RAW photo from camera Samsung
.X3F- RAW image from a digital camera Sigma, Sigma Camera RAW Picture File
Image files β uncompressed images which can be later on adjusted using image editing software. RAW images are popular among photographers because they allow an advanced degree of customization during digital post-processing. However, ARW files, like most RAW images, tend to be very large in size, which makes them difficult to store and transfer.
JPG is one of the most popular image file formats currently in use, often referred to as a standard for uploading images online and for displaying photographs. One of its main advantages is providing a good image quality in a relatively small file size, which is easy to store and transfer. JPG uses a type of compression that prioritizes the quality of some image sections over others, thus assuring that most favorable quality/size ratio.
So, how to change ARW into JPG?
The quick and simple way to handle your files is to get a quality piece of software, such as reaConverter. Although it is fast, this software is extremely efficient in managing a wide range of conversions. As you will soon realize, reaConverter will help you avoid spending countless hours trying to figure out how to convert ARWs. But at the same time, it will allow you to apply a wide range of editing options.
Download and Install reaConverter
reaConverter is quick to download, install and launch, and you don"t need to be an IT specialist in order to understand in a few minutes how it operates.
Install reaConverter
Load ARW Files
Start reaConverter and load all the .arw files you intend to convert into .jpg because, as opposed to most free online converters, reaConverter supports batch conversion. So you can save the time and energy you would lose with doing repetitive operations.
Select ARWs from a folder or by drag-and-dropping them directly into the reaConverter window.
Choose Output Folder
Go to the Saving options tab and decide where you want to save new .jpg files. You can also spend a few more moments to apply additional editing to the images prepared for conversion.
Then pick the JPG as output format. To help you do this, a series of buttons is conveniently placed at the bottom of the reaConverter window, so you can simply press on the one you need or click Plus button to add new options.
Then simply press the Start button and your conversion will begin in no time!
Try Free Trial VersionVideo tutorial
Online ARW to JPG converter
reaConverter is a great solution for efficiently managing a large amount of files, on a frequent basis. However, if you are planning to convert only a few ARW photos and only once in a while, then you can also try
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ARW Raster image file format
ARW (Sony Alpha Raw) files are Sony RAW or ArtStudio project image files. Those images taken with Sony cameras (using TIFF software) produce RAW files in the ARW format. Such files contain all the data that was captured by the camera lens. With the help of image editing programs, the user can edit photos for subsequent export in a compressed format - JPG, GIF or PNG. Before compression and conversion, such files are very large in size, and a large number of various information (depending on the type of camera). Although there are many ARW file viewer programs available in the market, sending and receiving ARW files comes with its own challenges.
Technical information about ARW files
Due to certain acceptable differences between ARW files (depending on the type of camera), not all Sony programs capable of editing images can work with the format. We recommend that you refer to your camera's instruction manual to find out which program you need to use. ARW files undergo minimal editing by camera sensors, i.e. Such images may contain data that is not viewable by image viewers. This is why images in this format are not suitable for sending over the Internet. They need to be converted. Conversion may occur automatically when transferring images from the camera to a computer (in particular, when using a camera-specific software). In addition, you can convert files online.