Adobe is Bringing RAW Photo Editing to Photoshop for iPad
Adobe has announced that RAW photo editing support is coming to its Photoshop iPad app through a teaser video it has published to its YouTube channel.
Photoshop for iPad — which was originally announced in November of 2019 — has seen several notable updates in that time. For example, in October of 2020 it received the “edit image size” feature and live stream support. Three months before that, Adobe added the refine edge brush to the app. The app has also recently received the healing brush and magic wand and custom brushes this year, among other updates.
Adobe MAX is set to take place at the end of October which will very likely bring a wide range of product announcements with it. But ahead of that, Adobe has published a sneak peek at a new feature coming to iPad: RAW photo editing support. The announcement is similar in scope to the feature the company did on enhanced masking for Lightroom, if not a bit shorter and simpler.
While it’s not clear if this is the only update Photoshop for iPad will get this year, it is a notable one. Adobe has announced that RAW files of all kinds will be editable on Photoshop for iPad which includes everything that Adobe currently supports in its desktop operating system, from RAWs shot on full-size cameras to Apple ProRAW files captured on the latest iPhones.
From DNG to Apple ProRAW, users will be able to import and open camera raw files, make adjustments like exposure and noise, as well as take advantage of non-destructive editing and auto-adjustments in raw files — all on the iPad.
In the video above, Adobe Photoshop on the iPad product manager Ryan Dumlao demonstrates how photographers will be able to use the RAW editing capabilities to import and open camera RAW file formats on the go and make both minor and relatively robust adjustments to files. Additionally, the app supports the ability to import RAWs as an ACR Smart Object which retains RAW information that can then be imported as a PSD for further editing on the desktop version of Photoshop.
Dumlao shows the import process but also makes minor edits to the photo through the app, likely to remind users what is possible on Photoshop for iPad since photographers may not use the app frequently in its present state because of its lack of RAW file support. Now, though, the software has considerably more utility for photographers and may see its use increase significantly as a result.
Adobe has not revealed when the feature will ship to end-users, but it is highly likely that will come during MAX later this month since Adobe has historically used the annual event to update its entire suite of software applications.
