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ARW at a glance
ARW
As Sony expanded from consumer electronics into serious camera bodies and sensors, ARW became part of the broader shift that put Sony raw support on the critical path for many photo applications.
EXR at a glance
EXR
OpenEXR came from film-production needs at ILM and then evolved into an open industry format that spread across rendering, compositing, and broader high-end image pipelines.
Format comparison
| Feature | ARW | EXR |
|---|---|---|
| File type | Image | Image |
| Extensions |
|
|
| MIME type |
|
|
| Compression / quality | raw | depends |
| File size characteristics | large | medium |
| Compatibility | limited | broad |
| Editability | high | moderate |
| Created year | 2006 | 2003 |
| Inventor | Sony | Industrial Light & Magic |
| Status | proprietary | active |
| Transparency | Not supported | Not supported |
| Animation | Not supported | Not supported |
| Primary use cases |
|
|
| Common software |
|
|
| Archival suitability | strong | moderate |
| Metadata handling | rich | moderate |
| Delivery profile | limited | strong |
| Workflow fit | source | delivery |
| Layer support | Not supported | Not supported |
| Vector scaling | Not supported | Not supported |
| Camera raw data | Supported | Not supported |
| HDR support | Not supported | Supported |
| Streaming ready | Not supported | Not supported |
When to use each format
When to use ARW
- capture ingest
- editing
- web or print delivery
- Preserve capture-stage sensor information.
When to use EXR
- capture ingest
- editing
- web or print delivery
- Designed for HDR and production-grade image precision.
FAQs
Why convert ARW to EXR?
Choose EXR as target when the image needs high dynamic range, floating-point precision, render passes, or linear-light compositing.
What changes when converting ARW to EXR?
Convert to EXR when the image needs high dynamic range, floating-point precision, render passes, or linear-light compositing. It is ideal for CGI, VFX, and advanced HDR production pipelines.
What should I review after converting ARW to EXR?
After conversion, review these destination checks: Open converted output in OpenEXR tools and verify behavior on real samples; Compare output against the expected depends quality profile; Not appropriate for lightweight general-purpose delivery.
How can I keep quality stable in ARW to EXR conversion?
Run representative samples, keep settings deterministic, and monitor these risks: Needs target-aware validation because viewers and editors may handle EXR differently; Not appropriate for lightweight general-purpose delivery; Validate destination compatibility before large-batch conversion.