UnlimitedConvert
HEIF to RAW Converter
Turn iPhone HEIF photos into DNG, the open RAW format that Lightroom, Photoshop and darktable open as a raw file. Everything happens on your device: nothing is uploaded.
Your images are processed in this browser tab and never uploaded.
Why convert HEIF to RAW (DNG)?
A HEIF photo opens in Lightroom as a finished image, with less room to push exposure and white balance. A DNG opens as a raw file, so you get the full raw controls and 16-bit processing: the same workflow you use for camera RAW files.
DNG is an open standard, so one file works in Lightroom, Lightroom Mobile, Camera Raw, Capture One, darktable and RawTherapee.
What to expect
- Honest note: your HEIF is already a processed photo, so the DNG can't bring back detail that was never saved (blown highlights stay blown). What you gain is a raw workflow: 16-bit linear data, white balance and exposure controls that behave like raw, and no further quality loss while you edit.
- Want true RAW straight from an iPhone? On Pro models from the iPhone 12 Pro onwards, turn on Apple ProRAW (Settings → Camera → Formats). It records DNG directly.
- The DNG is uncompressed 16-bit, so it's large: about 6 MB per megapixel (a 12 MP photo becomes about 72 MB).
- Colours are tagged as sRGB with a D65 white point, so the photo opens looking like the original, with white balance set to As Shot.
- Live Photos convert to a still image. Location and camera details (EXIF) are not copied into the DNG.
How to convert HEIF to RAW (DNG)
Add your files
Drop your HEIF files into the box or tap “select files”. Add as many as you like.
Pick the options
Nothing to set: the DNG is saved as uncompressed 16-bit for the most editing range.
Convert and download
Press Convert. Download each RAW (DNG) on its own, or everything at once as a ZIP file.
HEIF vs RAW (DNG)
| HEIF | RAW (DNG) | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | High Efficiency Image Container | Adobe Digital Negative, the open RAW format |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Best for | storing photos on Apple devices | editing in a RAW editor with full white-balance, exposure and colour controls |
| Support | Opens natively on Apple devices. Windows needs an extra codec, and most websites and Android apps don't accept it. | Opens in Lightroom, Lightroom Mobile, Photoshop (Camera Raw), Capture One, darktable, RawTherapee, Affinity Photo and macOS Photos. |
About the formats
HEIF (High Efficiency Image Container, 2015) is the format iPhones and iPads use for photos since iOS 11. It keeps photos at about half the size of JPG, but many Windows PCs, websites and apps can't open it. HEIC and HEIF are the same container format. HEIC is the name Apple uses for photos stored with HEVC compression.
RAW (DNG) (Adobe Digital Negative, the open RAW format, 2004) is Adobe's open, documented RAW format. Lightroom, Photoshop (Camera Raw), Capture One, darktable, RawTherapee and Lightroom Mobile all open it, and many cameras and phones (including iPhone ProRAW) record straight to it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert HEIF to RAW?
Drop your HEIF files into the box above, press Convert and download the .dng files (or all of them as a ZIP). Open them in Lightroom, Camera Raw or darktable like any RAW file.
Is a DNG a real RAW file?
Yes. DNG is Adobe's open RAW format, read by every major RAW editor. This converter makes a linear DNG (16-bit RGB), the same kind Lightroom itself creates when it merges HDR photos or panoramas.
Will converting to RAW improve the quality?
No converter can. The HEIF was already processed and compressed, and the DNG keeps exactly that image. It gives you raw-style editing with more headroom, not new detail.
Why not CR2, NEF or ARW?
Those are camera makers' own formats, tied to a specific camera's sensor, so no tool can create them from a photo. DNG is the universal RAW format every editor understands.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge. On a phone, save the DNG to Files (or Downloads) and open it in Lightroom Mobile.