Wired
Photographer Austin Mann, who is well-known for iPhone camera reviews, shared yesterday the new ProRAW format enabled by Apple through the iOS 14.3 update to iPhone 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max models. As the iPhone’s exclusive RAW format, Apple also calls various “computational photography” functions for ProRAW. Austin Mann pointed out that it can generate more faithfully restored photos based on user preferences (white balance, noise reduction, sharpening, etc.).
(From: Austin Mann, via MacRumors)
In order to test the ProRAW features of the iPhone 12 Pro series smartphones, Austin Mann shot a night scene of a meteor shower. First, shoot the same scene in standard/ProRAW mode with iPhone 12 Pro Max, and then perform detailed observation and comparison in Lightroom. It turns out that the ProRAW format can indeed retain more details in the night sky. The noise reduction algorithm in the standard mode may have erased some planets instead.
Standard HEIC image on the left, ProRAW format image on the right
Second, in a well-lit/shadow environment, ProRAW also has excellent image/video advantages in HDR scenes with extended color ranges. With the support of 12-bit color and 14-level dynamic range, ProRAW can present more subtle shadows, and the color is also significantly improved.
In the need to implement more creative control of the shooting target, the iPhone 12 Pro series smartphones obviously brought a huge leap in imaging professionalism. If we abandon the “computational photography” preference that pleases most people, we can take clearer photos in almost any light condition.
Apple ProRAW is Here — iPhone 12 Pro & Pro Max (via)
Austin Mann added that whether it is indoor mixed lighting, low light, or ultra-high dynamic range images, shooting with ProRAW in extreme environments is more meaningful, because at this time Apple’s general algorithm can’t do everything well. jobs.
Finally, users must be mentally prepared for secondary editing of ProRAW format files, instead of directly sharing the original images taken by the camera. In addition, this function is not available in portrait or panorama mode. For more details, please go to Austin Mann’s personal website.