RAWdemptionBeta

An intuitive, modern RAW editor for the Mac.

Apple silicon · macOS 13 or later · 9.8 MB
Mountains612 Photos
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LibraryYour folders, just as they are on disk, with favourites and Things down the side.
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ƒ/81/320 sISO 10024 mm
Sony α7 IV · 14 August 2025 at 07:12
A snowy mountain camp, open in the editor
Fit
EditorEvery slider in one panel on the right. Drag its edge and it grows.
Exported 10 photos in 3.3 s
JPEG 85 · Full size · sRGB → RAWdemption Exports
Show in FinderDone
ExportJPEG, HEIC, 16-bit TIFF or PNG. Each photo gets a tick as its file is written.
Morning, Alex. Soft light out thereSaturday 16 August · with RAWdemption since 3 March 2025
Patron
TodayThis weekLast weekThis monthThis yearAll time

2,214 photos this year across 3 folders. Your Sony α7 IV did most of the work.

Taken2,214380 more than this point last year
Edited48692 more than this point last year
Exported402in 37 exports
Favourites1286% keepers
Cameras

Your Sony α7 IV does most of the work.

Sony α7 IV1,412 · 64%
RICOH GR III644 · 29%
iPhone 15 Pro158 · 7%
Lenses

Your 24-70mm stays on the camera most.

FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II980 · 44%
GR Lens 18.3mm F2.8644 · 29%
Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG DN432 · 20%
FE 85mm F1.8158 · 7%
Your signature settings

Shallow focus, everyday shutter speeds.

ƒ/2.8aperture
1/250 sshutter
ISO 400typical ISO
Street & travel eyeEarly riserWeekend shooterZoom userMulti-camera shooter
91% RAW
Focal lengths
28 mmyour favourite focal length
Ultra-wide
1,180Wide
560Standard
330Portrait
144Tele
When you shoot

An early riser: busiest around 7:00, most on Saturdays.

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0:006:0012:0018:00
Milestones
23 daysin a row with an edit
41 dayslongest editing streak
312 photosbiggest day, 14 June
Since 2016oldest photo in your library
6,840photos in your library
1,150edited, all time
1,038exported with RAWdemption
342favourites
ProfileHow you shoot, worked out from your own photos. The full page is a thank-you for supporters.
0.07 sto the next photo
3.3 sto export 10 RAWs
9.8 MBdownload
0photos uploaded anywhere

Times measured on my M2 Pro.

What's in it

Light and colour

  • Tone
  • White balanceW
  • Curves
  • Colour mixer
  • Colour grading
  • Black and whiteV
  • Clarity and dehaze
  • Vignette and grain

Detail and masks

  • Sharpness
  • Noise reduction
  • Lens corrections
  • Crop and straighten
  • Subject and background
  • People
  • Sky
  • Brush and gradients

Going through a shoot

  • Hearts and rejects1–5 · X
  • Quick previewSpace
  • CompareC
  • Presets
  • Copy and paste
  • Before and after\
  • Your own shortcuts
  • Undo per photo

Finding and exporting

  • Search
  • Things
  • Tags
  • Collections
  • Export
  • Border and date
  • Your profile
  • Your originals stay put
Made editing easier? Buy RAWdemption. RAWdemption keeps getting better because people buy it. Pay once, and the extras are yours for good. Every Thing in your photosYour full profileLifetime supporter, paid once Buy for $9or $19 for up to three Macs
RAWdemption icon
RAWdemption 0.9.59 beta
9.8 MB · Apple silicon · macOS 13+ · 16 GB memory recommended

Open Terminal (⌘ Space, type Terminal), paste this and press Return:

curl -fsSL https://rawdemption.com/install.sh | bash

It downloads the app, checks it and puts it in Applications. No password, nothing else installed. Read the script if you like; it's short.

Why Terminal?

macOS only opens a browser-downloaded app straight away if Apple has notarised it, which needs a paid yearly developer membership. I make this on my own and give it away, so for now macOS calls it “damaged”. Nothing is wrong with the file.

Both ways above just do what you'd do by hand. After that, every update is signed with RAWdemption's own key, and the app checks it before installing.

Questions

Something else? Settings › Feedback in the app comes straight to me.

Why RAWdemption?

Lots of people edit the casual way: a few natural touches, then on to the next photo. Plenty of them are new to photography. A monthly subscription or a crowded pro tool just gets in their way. RAWdemption is quick, light and pleasant to use, and it's free.

Which cameras does it open?

RAWdemption reads RAW files with LibRaw, the open-source RAW library many editors are built on. It opens most RAW files from Canon, Fujifilm, Leica, Nikon, OM System/Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax/Ricoh, Sony and others, plus DNG. Sigma's Foveon cameras aren't supported. JPEG, HEIC, PNG and TIFF open too. If your camera doesn't work, tell me in Settings › Feedback.

Did you use AI to make it?

Yes. A RAW editor made by one person in their spare time would absolutely not exist otherwise.

Your photos never leave your Mac. Nothing is uploaded and no AI service ever sees your photos.

Which Macs does it run on?

Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or later) on macOS 13 Ventura or later. 16 GB of memory is recommended for smooth editing of 24-megapixel RAW files; Intel Macs aren't supported.

Can it replace Lightroom?

For a lot of people who shoot for fun, yes. It covers what I used Lightroom for day to day. It doesn't do catalogues across many drives, tethered shooting, print layouts or plugins, and I don't plan to add them in this current version of the app anyway.

Will it stay free?

Yes. Editing and exporting are free and always will be: no limits, no subscription, no ads, and nothing that's free today will be put behind a payment later. Buying it ($9, once) is optional. It lets me spend more time on RAWdemption, and as a thank-you, buyers get their full profile page and every Thing, and become lifetime supporters.

Will my photos look like they do in Lightroom?

Not exactly. RAWdemption reads RAW files with LibRaw, an open-source library, and does its own colour and tone from there; Lightroom uses Adobe's own engine. Every editor develops RAW files a little differently, and so does your camera's JPEG. Expect some difference in contrast and colour.

Does it change my photos?

Originals are only read. Each edit is a small recipe saved in a hidden .lightbox folder beside the photos, along with your favourites, so edits travel with the folder to another drive or Mac. Exports are always new files.

Why does installing need Terminal?

macOS only opens an app downloaded in a browser if Apple has notarised it, which takes a paid developer membership. RAWdemption is free and made by one person, so it isn't notarised, and macOS calls it “damaged” instead. The Terminal command installs the very same app without the “downloaded” label that triggers this. The install script is short enough to read, and every update after that is signed and checked by the app before it installs.

Is it finished?

No. It's in public beta. If something breaks or looks off, Settings › Feedback sends it to me. I read every report.