Production stills guide

Your complete guide to RAW image files

You've received a delivery from your unit photographer: thousands of files with extensions like .CR2, .NEF, .ARW, maybe .DNG, and mysterious .xmp files alongside them. Here's what you're actually working with, and how to handle it without losing valuable edits.

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Diagram of a .NEF RAW file paired with an .xmp sidecar of edit instructions, rendering to a final graded film-set image

In short

What is a RAW file?

A RAW file is the unprocessed sensor data from a professional camera, a 'digital negative', not a finished picture. It has no baked-in look; edits are stored as separate instructions (XMP sidecars, settings or embedded metadata) that tell software how to render the image.

See how we handle RAW for productions →

What are RAW files?

RAW files are the “digital negatives” captured by professional cameras. Unlike JPGs, which the camera processes and compresses on the spot, RAW files contain all the unprocessed data straight from the sensor, giving photographers maximum flexibility for editing and colour correction.

It is more accurately a data file than an image. A RAW file stores unprocessed sensor data, not a finished picture. There is no baked-in white balance, contrast or sharpening. What you see on screen is a rendered interpretation, not the file itself, which is why the same RAW can look different in Capture One, Lightroom or Bridge.

Edits are instructions layered on top (XMP, sidecars, databases) that tell software how to show the image, not changes to the core data. The key distinction: an image file is the picture; a RAW file describes how a picture could be made.

Diagram showing a RAW data file plus an XMP sidecar of edit instructions producing a rendered photographic result

RAW vs JPG: what's the difference?

	RAW	JPG
Data	Unprocessed sensor data, everything the camera captured	Processed & compressed in-camera at the point of creation
Typical file size	~25-50MB per image	~10-25MB at full resolution and quality
Editing flexibility	Adjust exposure, white balance and colour extensively without quality loss	Limited: heavy editing degrades quality
Software needed	Requires processing software; won't open in basic viewers	Universal: opens anywhere, easy to share
Typical use	Professional standard for high-end production photography	Final delivery for web, publicity and general distribution

Unit photographers deliver RAW because distributors and archives require maximum quality and flexibility. With JPGs alone you can still colour-correct and adjust exposure, but the latitude is far narrower, so how far you can push a frame before it starts to degrade is significantly limited, and many distributor delivery specifications ask for RAW anyway.

Common RAW file formats

Different camera manufacturers use different RAW formats. Here's what you'll encounter and whether each typically relies on a separate sidecar file.

.CR2 / .CR3	Canon: Canon Raw 2/3. Requires sidecar (.xmp).
.NEF	Nikon: Nikon Electronic Format. Requires sidecar (.xmp).
.ARW	Sony: Sony Alpha Raw. Requires sidecar (.xmp).
.RAF	Fujifilm: Fuji Raw Format. Requires sidecar (.xmp).
.DNG / .RWL	Leica: Leica RAW formats. Sidecar optional (can embed edits).
.DNG	Universal (Adobe): Digital Negative. Sidecar optional (can embed edits).
.TIF / .TIFF	Universal: Tagged Image File Format. Sidecar optional (can embed edits).

Sidecar files vs embedded edits

Sidecar files (XMP & Capture One settings): Most proprietary RAW formats (.CR2, .NEF, .ARW) can't store editing information inside the RAW file. Editing software writes a separate ‘sidecar’ file holding all the instructions. Keep them together or the edits are lost.
XMP files (Adobe ecosystem): An XMP sidecar must have exactly the same filename as its RAW file and sit in the same folder; the link is based solely on matching filenames. More universally compatible, readable by Lightroom, Camera Raw, Bridge and many third-party apps. Move or rename the RAW and you must move or rename the .xmp the same way.
Capture One settings (.cos, .EIP, catalogs): Capture One uses a different system: settings files live in a ‘CaptureOne’ subfolder beside the RAW images, and the whole folder must travel with them. It's proprietary, so only Capture One can read these, but many professionals prefer its colour science.
DNG (Digital Negative): Can embed editing data and XMP metadata inside the file, so there are no fragile sidecars to lose. Exported correctly, the original RAW data stays accessible beneath the edits, a great option for non-destructive editing and client delivery. Many photographers convert to DNG for exactly this reason.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format): Can also embed edits and be self-contained, but once edited you often can't get back to the original RAW data, and files are huge (often 100MB+). DNG is usually the better option for high volumes of display-ready images.
PSD (Photoshop Document): Can store RAW data plus layers and edits while unflattened, but files are large and less universally compatible. Treated as a work-in-progress production file rather than a client delivery format.

Why your RAW files look terrible in File Explorer

This catches people out constantly. You open a delivery in Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder to check it, and the images look flat, wrong-coloured or underexposed. You panic and contact the photographer, but nothing is wrong.

File Explorer cannot read XMP files. It's showing you the original, unedited RAW data or the camera's basic JPG preview. The editing data is right there in the .xmp files; you're just viewing it with software that can't read those instructions.

The same applies to email previews and cloud-storage thumbnails. Which software you need depends on how the edits were stored. Capture One edits can only be viewed in Capture One: its settings are proprietary, so a Capture One-edited file opened in Lightroom will show you the unedited RAW. Edits written as XMP sidecars are far more portable: Lightroom, Bridge, Camera Raw and other Adobe-ecosystem tools can all read and apply them. Either way, view RAW files in software that reads the editing data, never in a file browser.

The same film-set frame shown flat and washed out in a basic file explorer versus rich and colour-graded in professional RAW software

Destructive vs non-destructive editing

Knowing which kind of editing you're dealing with tells you what can still be changed or reverted.

Non-destructive editing

Edits are stored as instructions in sidecars (XMP, .cos) or embedded metadata; the original RAW data is untouched. You can always revert to the original, undo any edit, and keep multiple versions from one file. This is how Lightroom, Camera Raw and Capture One work.

Destructive editing

Edits permanently modify the actual pixel data. Once saved, the original is overwritten and can't be recovered, repeated editing degrades quality, and there's no flexibility for future adjustments. Saving over a JPG in Photoshop, or flattening a TIFF, are typical examples.

DNG files

It depends which software made the DNG. Converted from a proprietary RAW (.NEF, .CR2) in Adobe software, the original sensor data is preserved inside the DNG: open it in Camera Raw or Lightroom and you get full RAW editing, including reverting to the unprocessed original, so it stays non-destructive. A DNG exported from Capture One is not the same thing: the edits are baked in and the RAW data is discarded.

TIFF files

Depends how it was made. Exported from Lightroom with RAW data embedded, you keep RAW controls; exported as a standard rendered TIFF (most common), there's no RAW data to revert to. If you need full flexibility, request DNGs or the original RAW plus XMP sidecars.

Common challenges when managing RAW files

Based on our experience across 120+ film and television productions, these are the problems we see most often.

“The files look terrible”

Flat, wrong colours, underexposed. You're viewing the unprocessed RAW or camera preview; the edits are in the XMP files. Open them in Bridge, Lightroom or equivalent.

XMP files get separated or deleted

A team member ‘tidies up’ by deleting ‘weird technical files’, or reorganises photos without the matching .xmp files. Thousands of pounds of editing work vanishes instantly.

Can't open the files at all

Double-clicking a .CR2 or .NEF does nothing. RAW files need specialised software, so install Adobe Bridge (free with Creative Cloud) or Lightroom to view and manage them.

Inconsistent appearance across platforms

Great in Lightroom, wrong in Photoshop, or different team members see different versions. Usually XMP files aren't present or aren't being read. Ensure they're there and software is set to read them.

File renaming breaks everything

You rename IMG_5432.NEF but forget IMG_5432.xmp, so the software can't find the edits. Always rename in Bridge or Lightroom, which keep RAW and XMP in sync automatically.

Distributor delivery confusion

A distributor asks for ‘high-resolution RAW files’. The NEFs? The XMPs? DNGs? TIFFs? Specs vary, and many want DNG or high-res TIFF. This is exactly where professional file management earns its keep.

Drowning in XMP sidecars, Capture One settings and delivery specs?

Maintaining file relationships and cross-software compatibility is a lot to manage on top of running a production. We handle all of it as standard.

See how we simplify your workflow See the approvals platform →

Best practices for managing RAW files

If you're managing unit photography internally, these professional practices avoid the most common and most expensive mistakes.

1

Use professional photo management software

Work with RAW files in Adobe Lightroom, Bridge or Capture One, never File Explorer, Finder or basic viewers. These tools handle XMP files, maintain relationships, and show you the edited versions.
2

Never separate RAW files from their sidecars

When you move, copy or organise RAW files, their .xmp or .cos files must move with them. Use software that handles this automatically rather than manual file operations, because one slip can destroy hours of editing.
3

Back up RAW files AND sidecar files

Your backup must include .xmp, .cos and .EIP files alongside the RAW. A backup of just the RAW data, without the editing instructions, leaves you with no colour correction or adjustments.
4

Educate everyone handling the files

Make sure the whole team understands what RAW and sidecar files are and why they must stay together. One person ‘cleaning up technical files’ can cause catastrophic data loss.
5

Verify files after transfer, then understand the workflow

Some SFTP providers don't transfer sidecars by default, so check they arrived. Ask your photographer which software and formats they deliver, and confirm you receive the matching XMP or Capture One settings.
6

Consider DNG, but check which software made it

If juggling RAW plus separate XMP files is overwhelming, a DNG from Adobe software embeds the editing data while keeping the original RAW data inside the file, which removes the sidecar problem at no cost. A DNG exported from Capture One does not: it bakes the edits in destructively and discards the RAW data, so from a Capture One photographer ask for the native RAWs plus the Capture One settings instead. Always keep originals backed up before converting.

How Image Approvals handles RAW files

Professional RAW file management is included as standard in every talent approvals package. Here's how we take on the technical complexity for you.

Professional ingest & verification

We verify every RAW file, check for matching XMP or Capture One settings, test integrity, confirm editing data is present, and audit against delivery specs before any other work begins.

Multi-format expertise

Canon CR2/CR3, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW, DNG and more. Whether your photographer uses Lightroom or Capture One, we maintain editing-data integrity throughout.

Automated file management

Our systems keep RAW files synchronised with their sidecars during every operation (renaming, organising, tagging and delivery prep) so they're never separated by hand.

Format conversion & optimisation

When your RAWs reach us, we convert them to high-quality JPGs for talent review, collapsing the photographer's edits into the file so cast see the images as intended. We can also export to DNG for distributors who want the RAW to arrive with its edits applied non-destructively, and we keep full version traceability throughout.

Comprehensive quality control

We verify edits display correctly, check colour accuracy across software, ensure metadata is preserved, and validate against distributor specs before every milestone.

Documentation & traceability

Detailed reports of formats received, conversions performed and version relationships give you complete transparency and confidence in your deliverables.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my RAW files look flat or wrong-coloured? +

You're almost certainly viewing them in File Explorer, Finder or a basic image viewer, which can't read the XMP edit data and show the unprocessed RAW or camera preview. Open the files in Adobe Lightroom, Bridge, Camera Raw or Capture One to see the photographer's edits.

What is an XMP sidecar file? +

An XMP file stores the editing instructions for a RAW file that can't hold edits internally. It must keep exactly the same filename as its RAW file and stay in the same folder. If it's separated, renamed or deleted, the editing work is lost.

What's the difference between RAW and JPG? +

RAW is unprocessed sensor data with maximum editing flexibility but needs special software; JPG is processed and compressed in-camera, opens anywhere, but has limited editing headroom. Unit photographers deliver RAW so you can colour-correct and meet distributor specs.

Should I ask for DNG files? +

It depends entirely on how your photographer exports them. From Adobe software, a DNG retains the original RAW data inside the file, with the edits held non-destructively alongside it, so you get the convenience of no sidecars without giving anything up. Capture One behaves differently: forced to export a DNG, it bakes the edits destructively into the file, and the original RAW data is gone. So if your photographer works in Capture One, don't ask for DNGs. Ask for the native RAW files plus the Capture One settings, which keeps the RAW data intact and the edits reversible. Either way, keep the originals backed up before any conversion.

What should I deliver to a distributor? +

Delivery specs vary, and many distributors want DNG files or high-resolution TIFFs rather than proprietary RAW plus sidecars. If you're unsure, this is exactly the kind of technical handling we manage as standard.

Take the stress out of your production stills delivery.

Let us handle the technical complexity (RAW formats, sidecars, conversions and delivery specs) while you focus on the production. Professional RAW file management is included as standard.

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