ARW is Sony's in-camera RAW
ARW is the raw sensor data a Sony camera writes at the moment of capture. It's produced by the camera's own hardware and firmware — software can read it, but nothing can manufacture a genuine ARW from a finished NEF.
Looking to convert NEF to ARW? Here's the honest answer — and what works instead.
Turn your file into a share-worthy AI Effect — one tap, no prompts.
NEF is Nikon’s raw photo format, preserving all sensor data so you can adjust exposure and white balance without quality loss.
NEF opens in Nikon NX Studio, Lightroom, Photoshop and most raw editors.
ARW is Sony’s raw photo format, storing unprocessed sensor data from Alpha cameras for full editing latitude.
ARW opens in Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One and Sony Imaging Edge.
No. ARW stores the raw signal a Sony sensor recorded at capture. A NEF is a finished image with that data already baked in and discarded — there's nothing for a converter to reconstruct.
RAW formats like ARW give maximum editing latitude — but only when they come straight from the camera. Converting a NEF to ARW would just wrap a finished image in a RAW container, with none of the benefits.
DNG is an open RAW container. You can convert a camera's own RAW (including ARW) into DNG, but you still can't turn a regular NEF into ARW or any real RAW.
NEF converts cleanly to PNG, JPG, TIFF and WEBP — free, no sign-up, no watermark.