Currently, Photoshop on the iPad doesn’t work with camera RAW files (uncompressed, minimally processed images), but Adobe says it will soon. In a recent video, product manager Ryan Dumlao shows off the new feature by directly importing and editing a RAW photo file from his camera. He goes on to explain that it will support numerous RAW file formats, and you can import from just about any digital photo device (i.e. digital cameras, the iPhone 13, etc.). File formats like JPEGs and TIFFs are automatically compressed by your device’s photo software, so your files have less imaging data (pixels) to work with. Conversely, RAW files keep most—if not all—of this data intact. In essence, it presents optimal photo editing potential because none (or very little) of the photo data has been altered. Almost everything your camera’s sensors capture will be on display and editable. You’ll also be able to import the image as an ACR Smart Object, which will allow you to save the PSD file while keeping the original embedded RAW file intact. Up until now there was no way to edit RAW camera files in Photoshop—you’d have to convert them first, thus reducing the amount of available image data. Once RAW photo editing is available, you’ll have much more control over how your photos end up. Or, if nothing else, it will save time since you won’t have to bother converting and exporting your photos before bringing them into the app. Adobe hasn’t given an exact date for when this new feature will be available for the iPad Photoshop app, but says it’s “coming soon.”
