Photo Mate R2. First, Nokia popularised RAW mobile photography, then Android brought in support for the professional format with 5.0.
It's just another sign that smartphones are creeping ever closer to DSLR cameras. And while RAW alone won't bridge the gap by any stretch, it's great to know that the feature is there.
Why shoot in RAW?
RAW doesn't mean much for most people, but there are quite a few advantages to shooting in the format though.
For one, you can edit the photo without destroying the quality of it (which happens with JPEG), while another strength is that you have a lot more power/flexibility over editing.
You see, instead of all the extra information being thrown away, as is the case with JPEG, RAW preserves this for your tweaking pleasure.
And with the likes of the LG G4, HTC One M9, Lumia devices and more using this format, there's no shortage of compatible devices.
But what if you want to edit these snaps directly on your phone? We picked three you should consider.
Rawer (free trial - Windows Phone 8)
Arguably the leading choice for Windows Phone is Rawer, which popularised RAW editing on the platform.
The free trial is limited to simply opening RAW (.DNG) files, but it's worth the R20+ price tag to get a few editing features too.
There aren't as many variables to tweak as you'd find on desktop tools, but what's here is good. You've got the ability to edit highlights, shadows, colours, sharpness and noise reduction.
Adobe Photoshop Express (free - Android, iOS)
Got an LG G4 or another Android superphone capable of RAW shots? Then the free Photoshop Express tool might be for you.
Even if you don't/can't shoot RAW snaps on your device (looking at you, iPhone), it's worth a download so you can edit your DSLR snaps on the go.
Aside from DNG support, the app is also compatible with more obscure RAW formats, like ARW, DCR, NEF and RWL.
As for RAW editing features, you've got digital exposure compensation, contrast and sharpening. Cough up around R50 for an advanced editing pack, which delivers noise reduction and other effects too.
Photo Mate R2 (R104 - Android)
Looking for something powerful and don't mind splashing out R100? Then consider Photo Mate R2.
The utility supports a variety of RAW formats, be it DNG on your Android phone or snaps from your Canon, Nikon or Sony cameras.
Features include noise reduction, sharpening, curves, clarity, editing layers and the ability to stack images for HDR and other effects.
Source: Edit RAW photos on your phone
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