RAW files are the highest-quality image you'll ever have from a camera — and the most annoying to organize. They're large (25–50 MB each), numerous, and often paired with JPEG versions you shot at the same time. A good RAW workflow culls aggressively, keeps RAW and JPEG together, and avoids proprietary catalogs that lock you in.
The first rule of RAW organization is no import step. A manager that decodes your RAW files where they already sit — straight from the memory card folder — avoids duplicating files and building a catalog you're then trapped in.
When you shoot RAW+JPEG, you get two files per shot. A good manager groups them as one item, so your library shows one photo instead of two, and moving or deleting one keeps the pair together.
RAW libraries are full of near-misses — slightly soft focus, bad framing, test shots. Cull first with a side-by-side comparison view, and you'll often cut the volume in half before tagging a single file.
RAW metadata is rich. Filtering by the camera body and lens that shot each photo is the fastest way to find a specific image — and it's information only RAW files carry so reliably.
Storage is cheap; re-shooting is not. Keep the RAW as your master and export JPEG/HEIC only for sharing. This preserves maximum editability without cluttering your working library.
| Aspect | RAW | JPEG |
|---|---|---|
| Typical file size | 25–50 MB | 2–5 MB |
| Editability | Full sensor data | Compressed, limited |
| Metadata depth | Rich (camera/lens) | Basic |
| Ideal role | Master archive | Sharing / preview |
Lap decodes 24 RAW formats via LibRaw (CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF, DNG and more), pairs RAW with same-named JPEG/HEIC, and offers a four-pane comparison viewer for fast culling.
Lap supports 24 RAW formats including CR2, CR3, NEF, NRW, ARW, RAF, RW2, ORF, PEF and DNG.
Yes — Lap groups a RAW file with its same-named JPEG/HEIC companion as a single item.
No. Lap is folder-first and decodes in place — your RAW files stay as ordinary files.
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