What is a ARW file?
ARW is Sony's RAW format, produced by every Alpha body since the 2006 A100 — which today means one of the largest shooter bases in photography, from A6000-series APS-C cameras to the 61 MP A7R V. It is TIFF-derived and universally supported by current processors.
Sony's compression history matters: for years the only choice on many bodies was an 11+7-bit lossy compression that could, in extreme edits, show artefacts. Modern bodies (A1, A7 IV onward) added true lossless compressed ARW, and it should be your default.
ARW at a glance
| Extension | .ARW |
|---|---|
| Maker | Sony |
| Introduced | 2006 (Alpha A100) |
| Container | TIFF-based |
| Bit depth | 12-bit or 14-bit depending on body and drive mode |
| Compression | Lossy compressed historically; lossless compressed on recent bodies |
| Shot by | All Sony Alpha and ZV bodies (A7/A7R/A9/A1 series, A6xxx, ZV-E) |
How to open ARW files free
imagic reads ARW natively across the Alpha range. Sony shooters tend to be volume shooters — 10 fps bursts have been standard on even mid-range Alphas for years — so the duplicate-burst detection and per-frame sharpness scoring do the heavy lifting before editing starts, and everything processes locally through the RawTherapee engine.
darktable, RawTherapee, and Sony's free Imaging Edge Desktop all open ARW. Watch bit depth: some bodies drop to 12-bit in silent or continuous modes, which is a camera setting, not a software issue.
Converting ARW files
Lossless-compressed ARW from recent bodies is already efficient; DNG conversion mainly helps very old workflows. Batch JPEG export covers delivery, and 16-bit TIFF covers retouching handoff.
Cameras that shoot ARW
31 popular bodies in our camera guide write .ARW files, including:
Frequently asked questions
How do I open ARW files without Photoshop?
Any current RAW processor opens ARW: imagic (free 7-day trial), darktable, RawTherapee, or Sony's Imaging Edge. If the shoot is thousands of frames, cull first — editing unculled Sony bursts is where whole evenings go.
Is Sony's compressed RAW safe to use?
On modern bodies, use lossless compressed: identical data, smaller files. The older lossy option is fine for most real-world work but can artefact under extreme shadow pushes; if your body offers lossless, there is no reason to risk it.
Why are my A7R V files so large?
61 megapixels at 14-bit is simply a lot of data — expect roughly 60-70 MB per lossless frame. Culling ruthlessly before processing matters more at this resolution than at any other.
Other RAW formats
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