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 RAF.
Looking to convert RAF to ARW? Here's the honest answer — and what works instead.
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RAF is Fujifilm’s raw photo format, capturing full sensor data from X-series and GFX cameras.
RAF opens in Lightroom, Capture One and Fujifilm software.
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 RAF 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 RAF 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 RAF into ARW or any real RAW.
RAF converts cleanly to PNG, JPG, TIFF and WEBP — free, no sign-up, no watermark.