Product Code Database
dcraw is an open-source computer program which is able to read numerous raw image format files, typically produced by mid-range and high-end . dcraw converts these images into the standard TIFF and Netpbm format image formats. This conversion is sometimes referred to as developing a raw image (by analogy with the process of film development) since it renders raw image sensor data (a "digital negative") into a viewable form.
A number of other image processing programs use dcraw internally to enable them to read raw files.
Development of dcraw began on February 23, 1997. Version 1.0 was released in revision 1.18, on May 5, 2000.According to the Revision Control System log Versions up to 3.15 used the name Canon PowerShot Converter, starting with v3.40 the name was Raw Photo Decoder, switching to Raw Photo Decoder "dcraw" in v5.70. Version 8.86 supported 300 cameras.
The development has stalled, with only two releases since May 2015 and the last release dated June 2018, but parts of dcraw are included in LibRaw.
Given this ever-expanding plethora of raw image formats, and uncertain and inconsistent support for them by the manufacturers, many photographers worry that their valuable raw images may become unreadable as the applications and operating systems required become obsolete.
In contrast to proprietary decoding software, dcraw strives for simplicity, portability, and consistency, as expressed by its author:
So here is my mission: Write and maintain an ANSI C program that decodes any raw image from any digital camera on any computer running any operating system.
dcraw is built around the Unix philosophy. The program is a command line tool which takes a list of raw image files to process, along with any image adjustment options desired. dcraw also serves as the basis for various high-level raw image-processing applications (such as viewers and converters), both free and open source software as well as proprietary software.
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