Photos - Image Formats (JPG, TIFF, RAW)

This article goes over different photo formats, and why you might want to use them.

You can toggle between photo formats in the top toolbar.

By default, you'll be shooting in JPG. It's an old but reliable photo format that just about every device knows how to handle. However, there are some other photo formats out there that may be better for your needs: DNG (RAW), HEIF, and TIFF.

HEIF (available on iPhone 7 and newer) is a more modern JPG that Apple uses by default now. A major benefit of this format is that it uses less space on your phone. If you don't see HEIF as an option in the top toolbar, go to the app Settings → Standard image format → and select High Efficiency (HEIF).

TIFF is a lossless file format that will take up much more space than JPG and HEIF. The advantage here is that very little compression is applied, so the end result may allow for a little bit better editing and higher resolution prints.

Now, let’s talk about RAW.

Available on iPhone SE, 6S, 6S Plus, and newer.

One very important aspect to know is the difference between processed and unprocessed photos. By default, we deliver processed photos, similar to the native app. This means that between capturing a photo and it being saved to your Camera Roll, Apple applies some edits behind-the-scenes to make the photo look more appealing. Unprocessed photos are not like this--they are taken from the sensor with very little correction done to them and delivered to you in a DNG file format, also known as a RAW photo.

The big advantage of RAW photos is that all of the image data from the sensor is saved and you have so more control when editing these photos. The downside is that they take up more space than a regular photo, and require more work, as you will need to edit them afterwards (otherwise they will look kind of bland). You can enable RAW+JPG in settings, which will save the image in both formats so that you can choose which one you want later.