iPhones have been editing RAW photos since iOS 10, but a new app is bringing that same power to the iCloud and Photo Library. On Tuesday, November 14, Gentlemen Coders launched RAW Power for iOS, the first iOS app that allows for both nondestructive RAW photo editing and seamless iCloud photo integration. The mobile app builds on the success of a program by the same name for desktop and brings those tools to a mobile platform.
While several apps allow the iPhone to handle RAW files, RAW Power integrates directly with the camera roll or the iCloud library, the developer says. Once images are edited using the app, those changes are synced to the cloud platform or to the device, while users can also turn cloud features off to keep images offline.
Along with syncing files, the integration allows users to manage their photos in the app, including creating and adjusting albums. RAW Power also allows photographers to mark favorite photos and view metadata, while tools like a “recents” album and sorting options help users find the right photo.
With that access to images on the device and on the iCloud, RAW Power offers eight different sliders to adjust each image, with the option to copy and paste to apply those same adjustments to another shot. A histogram feature will automatically highlight over or underexposed areas, then help to correct those spots.
Gentlemen Coders says that by using Apple’s RAW Engine, the app can show those changes in real time. That expanded power also allows users to zoom in on shots up to 800 percent. The app can handle larger, DSLR files from several brands as well as DNG files shot on an iPhone.
The app’s key integration with native iOS apps comes from the founder Nik Bhatt, who is a former lead member of the Aperture and iPhoto staff. “We constantly hear from photographers how much they want to edit the RAW images in their iOS or iCloud photo libraries using the same kind of advanced tools they are accustomed to using on the desktop,” he said.
“Using our deep experience with Apple’s RAW Engine, we have created a powerful, easy-to-use editing app that seamlessly integrates with the built-in photo apps on iOS and Mac, allowing iOS users to keep their images in iCloud and maximizing integration with the Apple ecosystem.”
While RAW Power is a free iOS app, users can also purchase the one-time Advanced Adjustment Pack, which adds tools like curves and white balance. The advanced pack also includes Depth Effect, which can read the depth map from the dual-lens iPhones and adjust the highlights and shadows in the background and foreground separately.
RAW Power for iOS is now available from the App Store.
