RAW files: what are they and how do I open them?
Are you facing difficulties opening unknown files on your computer, or wondering exactly what this file is?
We've got the information and best software solutions for opening these files effortlessly.
.raw file type #1: RAW digital photo format
Various digital cameras and scanning devices utilize a raw extension for the default image format.
raw file contains data that has been minimally processed from the image sensor of a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner.
Further details:
RAW file is a type of image format that is produced by a digital camera or scanner. It contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of the digital camera.
Unlike JPEG or PNG files, RAW files are not compressed or processed, which means they contain more detailed, high-quality images. The RAW file format is often likened to the negatives in film photography, where the image has not yet been processed or edited. This allows photographers to have more control over how to process the image, such as adjusting the color, white balance, and other elements. However, because RAW files are not processed, they cannot be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor. They must first be converted to a standard image format, such as JPEG or TIFF, using an image editor or raw file converter software.
Open file with:
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Adobe's professional tools for RAW image management and post-production
.raw file type #2: Adobe Photoshop RAW picture image
A raw file extension is related to the Adobe Photoshop photo editing and picture adjusting software for Mac and Windows. A raw file stores picture image or photo.
Further details:
The raw file extension is associated with the Adobe Photoshop, a picture image and digital photo editing tool for Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X operating systems.
The raw file stores picture image or photo in TIFF (Aldus Tagged Image File Format) without file header (with no information on the size of the image, pixel place and order etc.. but only the pixel data).
The Photoshop RAW format is used, for example, with medical devices as the way the file should be read (the header) is located in the machine, therefore, no header is required in the file itself.
A Photoshop Raw image is not in the same file format as a camera raw image file from a digital camera!
Open file with:
Adobe Photoshop
One of the best bitmap graphic editing program
Adobe Photoshop for Mac
Mac version of popular digital image editor
Adobe Creative Cloud
Latest, subscription based productivity suite from Adobe
.raw file type #3: HP V41 program
A raw file extension is related to the HP V41, a programmable calculator developed by Hewlett Packard. A raw file stores program.
Further details:
The raw file extension is associated with the HP V41 programmable calculators introduced in 1979 by Hewlett-Packard. Production was stopped in 1990.
The raw file stores program created for HP V41 calculator.
We are sorry, there is currently no specific software link to open this kind of file.
.raw file type #4: ISIS RAW file format
A raw file extension is related to the ISIS, a pulsed neutron and muon source. A raw file stores data collected during an experiment on an ISIS.
Further details:
The raw file extension is associated with the ISIS, a pulsed neutron and muon source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.
Data collected during an experiment on an ISIS instrument is saved to disk as an ISIS RAW data file.
Open file with:
Open GENIE
An neutron scattering data analysis software
.raw file type #5: Nimbus 7 data
A raw file extension is related to the Nimbus 7 data format developed by Department of Atmospheric Physics.
Further details:
The raw file extension was also used for Nimbus 7 data format.
The Department of Atmospheric Physics has accumulated a valuable archive of atmospheric infra-red radiance measurements from its satellite experiments which started with the Nimbus 4 SCR in 1970.
Originally data was recorded on magnetic tape. The old tapes became unreliable and data was copied to optical discs in 1990. The optical disk media in turn became expensive and unreliable to support.
In 1997 a NERC SEEDCORN grant was awarded to move the data to CD-ROMs which could make the data available on a wide variety of hardware. This opportunity was also used to catalogue and publicise the archive.
This archive is intended as a supplement to that at the British Atmospheric Data Centre which concentrates on retrieved geophysical parameters (Temperatures, volume mixing ratios etc) rather than the radiance data available here. Low level radiance data is less in demand not least because its interpretation requires more knowledge of the details of the instrument making the measurements.
Open file with:
Fortran 77
A programming language
.raw file type #6: RAW audio format
Files with raw file extension can also be found as raw audio file format that contain recorded PCM audio data.
Further details:
The raw file extension is also used for RAW sound files. The raw audio file can contain sound in any codec but is usually used for PCM audio data. It is rarely used except for technical tests.
Open file with:
Winamp
One of the first Windows media players used by masses
.raw file type #7: RAW disk image
A raw extension may also be found as CD/DVD or disk binary images made as exact copies of physical disks.
Further details:
The raw file extension is also related to one of the less common disk image formats supported for example by VirtualBox software from Oracle.
The raw disk image stores captured data from floppy disks, hard drives, or optical disks without any procession, customization, or compression only sector by sector binary copy depend on file system.
The raw disk image is able to contain multiple tracks, audio, video, data tracks.
However, typically raw files are either pictures (photos taken by digital cameras in their raw data format) or audio files ripped from disks, not disk images.
Some CD/DVD burning applications may not support raw CD/DVD images, but renaming it to ISO can make it recognizable for the software.
Open file with:
QEMU
A generic machine emulator and virtualizer
VirtualBox
A multi-platform x86 virtualization software package
.raw file type #8: Sentry 2020 encryption data
A raw file extension is related to the Sentry 2020, a data protection software. A .raw file stores encryption data.
Further details:
The raw file extension is associated with the Sentry 2020, a data protection and encryption application for Microsoft Windows operating system.
The raw file stores encrypted and protected user's case sensitive data.
Open file with:
Sentry 2020
A data protection tool
.raw file type #9: XL-Paint MAX picture image
A raw file extension is related to the XL-Paint MAX picture image file format.
Further details:
The raw file extension is associated with the XL-Paint, a picture image editing software developed for ATARI 8-bit family of computers, introduced in 1979.
The raw file stores picture image (160x192, 16 colors) created in the XL-Paint program.
Open file with:
RECOIL
A viewer of pictures in native formats of classic computers
.raw file type #10: ZX Spectrum memory dump
A raw file extension is related to the memory dump files used by some ZX Spectrum emulators.
Further details:
The raw file extension is associated with some emulators of ZX Spectrum 8-bit computers, developed by Sinclair Research in early 1980s.
The raw file stores RAW memory dump from a real Spectrum. It is the 48Kb of ZX Spectrum RAM and a CODE header on the front.
We are sorry, there is currently no specific software link to open this kind of file.