How it works
When a camera takes a photograph it can either process the image internally into a JPEG or save the sensor’s near-raw output to a RAW file. RAW keeps far more information — wider dynamic range and finer colour — at the cost of larger files that must be processed before they can be used directly.
That extra data is what makes RAW the working format for professional stills. Exposure, white balance and tone can be pushed much further in editing without the image falling apart, which gives a photographer room to match a shot to a production’s look after the fact.
RAW is also non-destructive when handled properly: editing applications leave the original untouched and record adjustments in an XMP sidecar file, alongside image metadata such as captions and credits. The strong frames are marked up on the way to the key selects and only later exported to delivery formats.
Because RAW formats are camera-specific, file handling and naming matter. For a fuller explanation, read what are RAW files.