Camera RAW files
Professional and enthusiast cameras can save images in formats close to what the sensor records. These are collectively known as RAW files. RAW is not a single standard -- every manufacturer uses their own variant and provides software to convert it, giving photographers full control over the final result.
DNG (Digital Negative) is Adobe's open attempt to standardise RAW files. It is used natively by several camera brands and is increasingly common as the RAW format for smartphone cameras.
Embedded previews
Most RAW formats contain a JPEG preview embedded alongside the full sensor data. Cameras let you set the quality of this preview. File Juicer can extract these embedded JPEG previews from RAW files without converting the full RAW data.
File Juicer has extracted embedded previews from the following RAW formats:
- Canon: CRW, CR2 and CR3 (EOS R mirrorless, since 2018)
- Nikon: NEF
- Fuji: RAF
- Olympus: ORF
- Pentax: PEF
- Epson: ERF
- Konica Minolta: MRW
- Sony: ARW
- Adobe DNG: used by Hasselblad, Leica, Ricoh and Google Pixel phones, among others
Full RAW conversion
macOS includes RAW support via Core Image, which handles a wide range of camera formats. File Juicer can use this to convert the full RAW data to JPEG or TIFF depending on the settings in your preferences. For the most control over RAW conversion, dedicated apps like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One give better results.