Why I Always Shoot in ProRAW on iPhone
If you’ve followed me for a while, you already know this —
I’m obsessed with getting the best image quality out of my iPhone.
If I’m not carrying a professional camera, I want to see how close the iPhone can get to one.
I want my photos to look cleaner, more natural, and less processed than Apple’s default look.
Some people love Apple’s processing.
Nothing wrong with that.
But personally, I want my iPhone photos to feel like they came out of a mirrorless camera — not a phone.
That’s why I always shoot in ProRAW.
And with the latest iPhones, ProRAW is better and more flexible than ever.
Here’s exactly why I use it, how it fits into my workflow, and the small settings that make a big difference.
Why ProRAW Matters (In Simple Terms)
Regular iPhone photos are already “baked”.
ProRAW gives you the ingredients before it becomes a cake.
A bit of an over-simplification, but hopefully that makes sense.
You get way more control:
- More detail
- More dynamic range
- Cleaner shadows
- Recoverable highlights
- Natural colours
- A file that doesn’t fall apart when you edit it
I don’t want overly sharpened, overly bright images.
I want something I can shape myself.
ProRAW gives me the cleanest base possible — and that alone is worth using it for.
iPhones That Support ProRAW (Updated for iPhone 17 Pro)
Only the Pro models have ProRAW:
- 14 Pro / Pro Max
- 15 Pro / Pro Max
- 16 Pro / Pro Max
- 17 Pro / Pro Max
If you want the most flexibility when editing your iPhone photos, I highly recommend being on one of these models.
Older Pro models (12 Pro, 13 Pro) support it too, but the newer sensors handle it far better.
How I Set Up My iPhone for the Best RAW Photos
A lot of people underestimate how important the setup is.
Before you even take a photo, a few settings instantly improve quality.
Here are the key ones I always enable:
1. ProRAW + Resolution Control
Settings → Camera → Formats
Enable ProRAW & Resolution Control
Then choose JPEG-XL (lossy) for the RAW format.
This gives you 48MP RAW photos with dramatically smaller file sizes — without losing image quality.
Huge win.
2. Keep the Main 1x Lens Active
The main lens has the biggest sensor and the best detail.
Even though all iPhone 17 Pro lenses are 48MP now, the sensor size still matters.
I stick to the 1x lens for 95% of my shots.
3. Disable Macro Mode
Macro forces the phone onto the ultra-wide lens, which has a smaller sensor.
I only use macro when I actually need macro.
4. Slight Negative Exposure
I usually set my EV to –0.7.
It gives me a darker, moodier base and prevents blown highlights — which is harder to fix in editing.
When I Use ProRAW (And When I Don’t)
I don’t shoot RAW for everything.
But I shoot it for anything that matters.
I always use ProRAW for:
- Travel
- Landscape
- Low light or tricky lighting
- Product shots
- Photos I’ll edit properly
- Anything I want to look “camera-like”
I don’t use it for:
- Random quick snaps
- Anything I won’t edit later
RAW is all about giving yourself more flexibility.
If I care about the photo, RAW is instantly on.
Real Editing Workflow (What I Actually Do)
This is where the magic happens.
I import everything into Lightroom, because:
- It syncs across my Mac and iPhone
- It backs up all my photos
- It gives me more control
- The RAW support is excellent
Once the photos are in Lightroom, here’s my simple workflow:
1. Apply a preset
I use my presets from the iPhone Creator Kit, because they’re built specifically for iPhone RAW photos.
They instantly give me the “natural, clean, mirrorless-like” look I want.
It also allows me to keep my images consistent without having to manually edit each one individually every time
I’m not trying to make my photos look crazy or overly stylised.
Just better, cleaner, and more intentional.
2. Minor adjustments
After applying a preset, I usually only tweak:
- Exposure
- Highlights
- Shadows
- Colour temperature (if needed)
The heavy lifting is already done by the preset.
3. Composition fixes
Sometimes I’ll crop or straighten the image using the grid lines.
Small change, big difference, visually.
4. Optional details
- A touch of grain (this is something I’m using more and more of lately – makes my shots look more filmic)
- A little dehaze
- A slight shift in saturation
Nothing too extreme.
Subtle edits almost always look better.
And that’s it.
RAW + a good preset + small adjustments = professional-looking iPhone photos.
A Few Extra Tips From Shooting Thousands of iPhone Photos
These come directly from experience:
Use telephoto (4x or 8x) only in bright light
The zoom lenses still struggle in low light.
Stick to the main sensor when things get dark.
Turn off “View Outside the Frame”
It’s distracting.
I just want to see what I’m actually shooting.
Enable Grid + Level
These two alone improve composition massively.
HDR Video is worth it now
I used to avoid HDR entirely.
But on iPhone 17 Pro, it looks amazing on TikTok and Instagram.
Don’t crank exposure
Highlights on the iPhone clip fast.
Underexposing slightly gives you a much better file to edit.
Why I Care So Much About iPhone Image Quality
Simple:
If I’m not carrying my Sony or Fujifilm, my iPhone becomes my main camera.
And I want the photos to look like something I’d actually be proud of — not just “good for a phone”.
ProRAW + the right settings + good presets gets me 90-95% of the way to a mirrorless camera look.
That’s good enough for me.
And honestly… most people can’t tell the difference.
The Easiest Way to Get the Look (iPhone Creator Kit)
If you want to edit your iPhone photos the same way I do, everything I use is inside the iPhone Creator Kit:
- ProRAW presets
- Editing tools
- Camera settings
- Tutorials
- My full workflow
ProRAW?
ProRAW isn’t something you need to use for every photo.
But if you want the best possible quality from your iPhone — especially on the 17 Pro — it’s a no-brainer.
More detail.
More control.
More natural results.
The iPhone is already an amazing camera.
ProRAW just unlocks the rest of it.
