We all know the many benefits of shooting in RAW, but the higher quality and correctability comes at a cost: file size. While storage devices are not as expensive as they used to be, it still adds up for the professional photographer. If only we could get the same quality with less file size, we’d save on storage and cutdown on e-waste. And, we’d enjoy increased time savings from working with lower file sizes in applications and cloud transfers.
Good news! You can have your digital cake and eat it, too with Rawsie! Rawsie is a raw image compression app. It’s simple, fast, and effective. Currently supporting Mac (but with a Windows version coming soon), it works on your local machine. Rawsie supports over 50 cameras and is always adding more. A number of Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Fuji models are supported, plus other manufacturers.
Simple
The interface is as easy and intuitive as it gets. You can upload individual raw files, or choose Lightroom catalog folders. The latter preserves metadata and any previously introduced edits. Rawsie can move the originals to an uncompressed folder and put the optimized versions in another folder in the same directory, or can move files to a folder of your choosing. Then, you are free to edit the file in your software of choice, enjoying both speed and size savings.
Fast
No one wants to spend time converting their RAW files. Typically, you’re either excited to begin editing or apt to postpone a task that seems time-consuming. That’s no longer an excuse because Rawsie is fast. It claims to take 0.6 seconds per image to compress, and my testing shows that to be accurate. I uploaded 6 RAW files, and the compression time was under 4 seconds. In fact, the entire process of dragging the 6 photos into the app interface, hitting the start button, and completing the process was under 10 seconds.
Effective
Speed is only good if the result is good. Rawsie performed excellently. In just the 6 photos I tested, I saved 280mb of file size. Collectively, the 6 CR3 Canon RAW files were 370mb. After Rawsie optimized them to the DNG format (a raw file format), the collective file size was 88mb. Each image was getting about a 5:1 file size reduction.
Below, you can compare the look of the original raw file (left) and the optimized Rawsie file (right). These photos were taken by my friend and award-winning photographer Heather Nicole, and I strongly encourage you to check out her work on her website.
Rawsie does not change bit count or resolution. No lossy artifacts or color loss are seen in the examples. The photo information for these examples is as follows: 1) Canon R5 f/5.6; 1/1250; ISO10000; 324mm. 2) Canon R5 f/7.1; 1/3200; ISO8000; 500mm. 3) Canon R5 f/7.1; 1/2500; ISO640; 500mm.
Even in low light images, you do not see increased noise or loss of fine detail via the compression process.
Night giraffe information: Canon R5 f/40.0; 1/320; ISO12800; 363mm.
In the final examples below, even the king of the jungle looks good while taking an 80% smaller bite out of your storage devices.
Photo information: 1) Canon R5 f/5.6; 1/3200; ISO3200; 324mm. 2) Canon R5 f/6.3; 1/1250; ISO2500; 400mm.
DNG format
Adobe’s Digital Negative Specification has been around for a while. This raw file format offers a file size savings over other RAW files, yet still allows for great control over the uncompressed image data. DNG was made for photo editing and is widely accepted by editing software. It’s an open source format that is highly compatible, providing dependable results using raw images from Canon to Nikon. DNG doesn’t require a sidecar (separate XML file), as any changes directly impact the file.
Rawsie algorithm
Rawsie takes DNG a step further by increasing the file size savings while still providing unmatched image quality. The app optimizes the noise encoding at the raw pixel level without compromising the signal. By analyzing and separating the signal and noise, Rawsie can compress the signal data losslessly but compress the noise data lossily to achieve optimal results.
You know how many photos you have. Cutting that down by 80% in size, without a perceived quality or functional loss, is meaningful to both your resources and your time. Give Rawsie a look. And, thanks to Heather for letting me test out Rawsie with her photos!
Adobe DNG Converter does the same job.
The Adobe Converter makes DNGs, but the application itself is more bloated and the DNGs it creates are not anywhere near as small of a file size reduction as Rawsie. You’d have to go deep into the lossy options to get the file size down to be close to where Rawsie puts it. Rawsie’s algorithms are what sets it apart from the free tools that don’t do as good of a job for the professional.
Will Rawsie work on the DNG files in Lightroom I’ve already converted from Nikon’s NEF raw format during the import to Lightroom using Adobe’s DNG Converter? Or only on the NEF originals from my Nikons?