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How to change your camera format to RAW
In This Article
If you’re getting into photography, you’ve probably come across the term ‘RAW’. This file format allows you to get the most out of your images and is especially useful when it comes to editing. Here’s how to change your camera to shoot in RAW.
RAW is a format found on manyDSLR,mirrorlessandcompact cameras– you can even find the setting on somesmartphonesthese days.
It’s essentially an uncompressed file format. Not only does the larger format allow you to capture more detail and colours than a typical JPEG image, but it also provides greater flexibility when editing. Photographers can adjust the brightness, contrast, exposure, white balance, colour balance and more with no effect on the original file (provided you have a photo editing software that supports the format).
Of course, the buttons you press to set your camera to shoot in RAW will depend on the make and model of your device. That means that if the instructions below don’t apply to you, you may need to refer to your camera’s manual. Nevertheless, we’ve put together this guide to take you through the general steps needed to find the RAW setting across a variety of camera brands.
Read on to learn how to change the image format on a Canon camera to RAW, or scroll down further for advice to doing so on Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm cameras.
What you’ll need:
The Short Version
How to change the format to RAW on a Canon camera
Step1
Click the menu button on your camera
We’ll be using a Canon 7D for this guide, but these steps may vary depending on the make and model of your camera. You can always refer to your camera’s manual for more specific instructions.
Step2
Click Image Quality
You should be able to find this under the camera settings tab.
Step3
Click RAW
You can choose to shoot only in RAW, or both RAW and JPEG at the same time as we have.
Step4
Click Set
This will save the new setting.
Troubleshooting
To change your file format on a Nikon camera, open the Menu, head to the Photo Shooting Menu, click Image Quality and change the format to NEF (RAW).
To shoot in RAW on a Sony camera, open your Menu, go to Quality/Image Size, click File Format and choose RAW.
To change your image format to RAW on a Fujifilm camera, click on the Menu, select Image Quality and pick RAW.
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Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. She’s also worked and studied in the US, holding positions …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
