Sony RAW (ARW)
.arw · image/x-sony-arw · 2006 · Sony
Sony Alpha RAW files. Convert to JPEG without installing anything. Below is what ARW is best at, where it falls short, and how it compares — plus free, in-browser tools to convert ARW to and from other formats, with nothing uploaded.
ARW is the RAW format of Sony Alpha cameras. Like all RAW formats it preserves everything the sensor captured and opens in almost nothing. EditItAll develops ARW files locally in your browser and exports JPEG, PNG or WebP — handy when you need to share a frame fast and your editing machine is elsewhere.
Compression
Lossless
Transparency
No
Animation
No
Browser display
None
Strengths & limitations
Strengths
- Full sensor data from Sony bodies
- Ideal starting point for editing
Limitations
- No everyday-software support
- Large files
Best used for
- Sony Alpha originals
- Professional photo editing
Tools for ARW
Frequently asked questions
Is ARW lossy or lossless?+
ARW is lossless: it preserves every pixel exactly, with no quality loss.
Does ARW support transparency?+
No — ARW has no alpha channel, so transparent areas are flattened onto a solid background. It is a still-image format (no animation).
Can browsers open ARW files directly?+
No — browsers can't display ARW in a page. Convert it to JPG or PNG first, which you can do here with nothing uploaded.
How do I open or convert a ARW file for free?+
Drop your ARW file into the EditItAll converter and choose an output format — it decodes and re-encodes entirely in your browser, with nothing uploaded, no account and no watermark. (There is no in-browser ARW encoder, so you can convert ARW to other formats but not save back to ARW.)