.ARW · 2017 · 24 MP full-frame

Sony A9 RAW Files: Open, Cull & Edit .ARW Free

Sony's first stacked-sensor sports flagship, built to shoot 20 fps blackout-free bursts through fast action. A single race or match can generate several thousand frames from continuous shooting alone. At that pace, sharpness scoring across the whole take is the only realistic way to reach a final edit before a deadline.

Sony A9 RAW at a glance

RAW formatARW — Sony Alpha RAW (.ARW)
Sensor24 MP full-frame
Resolution24 megapixels
Typical RAW sizeabout 22-28 MB
Released2017
RAW options14-bit ARW RAW with an optional lossless-compressed mode added by firmware; 20 fps electronic bursts with no viewfinder blackout.

Editing A9 files with imagic

imagic opens .ARW files from the Sony A9 natively on Windows and macOS. Point it at a card or shoot folder and it builds previews, scores every frame for sharpness, closed eyes, and composition, and groups near-duplicate bursts — so a full shoot collapses to its keepers before you edit anything.

Processing runs through the bundled RawTherapee engine, entirely on your machine: batch-apply one look across the keepers and export JPEGs in a single pass. Nothing uploads, which matters at about 22-28 MB per frame. The 7-day trial is full-featured and needs no card; licenses are one-time, from €19.

Frequently asked questions

What RAW format does the Sony A9 use?

The Sony A9 writes ARW files with the .ARW extension. 14-bit ARW RAW with an optional lossless-compressed mode added by firmware; 20 fps electronic bursts with no viewfinder blackout.

How big are Sony A9 RAW files?

Expect about 22-28 MB per frame from the 24 MP full-frame sensor, depending on compression settings and scene detail. A full shoot adds up quickly, which is why culling before editing matters on this body.

How can I open Sony A9 .ARW files for free?

imagic opens ARW files from the Sony A9 natively on Windows and macOS — the 7-day trial needs no card. It culls the shoot with AI quality scoring, groups duplicates, and batch-processes keepers locally through its RawTherapee engine.

More about ARW

The A9's .ARW files share their structure with every Sony body using ARW — the full ARW guide covers compression variants, free openers, and conversion options in depth.

Other Sony bodies

Sony A7R V Sony A7C II Sony A7C R Sony A9 III Sony A1 II Sony A6000 Sony A6300 Sony A6500

Cull a A9 shoot before your coffee cools

AI quality scoring, duplicate grouping, and local batch processing for .ARW — free for 7 days, no card required.

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