Apple ProRaw file format and options High Efficiency & Most Compatible

Question on iPhone 12 ProMax photo file formats (and this carries over to the other iPhone cameras that support RAW).

It's not clear to me the overlap, if any, in the camera settings when using Apple ProRaw (APR) and the other two settings of HEIC and Most Compatible (MC). It's confusing in that I can select Apple ProRaw and then still have the option to select HEIC or Most Compatible. I want the most information from my shots so I almost always shoot APR but does it make a difference as to whether HEIR or MC is checked?

I haven't been able to find any info on the relationship if any between these settings but I'll venture a guess. I am guessing that if one selects APR, then the shots are by default all shot Raw and will show up as DNG files when imported into LightRoom (that's my workflow anyways). Now, if one turns off Raw by toggling the button on the camera when taking a shot, then the choice of HEIC or MC kicks in. So I'm guessing that there is no overlap between APR and the other two settings, but it's confusing that the options/relationships are not made more clear. Thanks.

iPhone 12 Pro Max, iOS 16

Posted on May 14, 2023 9:18 AM

Top-ranking reply

nathan430

Community Specialist

Posted on May 16, 2023 2:43 PM

Hey there gmarcos,

Thanks so much for using Apple Support Communities.

We're happy to help explain this a bit further and share some resources to you, but you hit the nail right on the head with your thoughts on how toggling Apple ProRAW works. When you enable Apple ProRAW, you will be given the option in the Camera app to toggle that feature on. While this is enabled, your photos will be captured and saved in the ProRAW format. If you have this feature enabled in Settings but toggled off for that photograph, it will automatically be saved in either High Efficiency (HEIF) or Most Compatible (JPEG) depending on your preferred settings.

You can find a ton of really good information at the links below:

We hope that this information is helpful.

Have a great day!

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Apple ProRaw file format and options High Efficiency & Most Compatible

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