Google has modified the integration of RAW files in Google Photos, which will now be automatically saved, without the possibility of only keeping them on a smartphone.
This is a new feature that should particularly appeal to photographers and users who wish to retouch their photos to modify their aesthetic appearance. As reported by the site 9to5Google, Google has changed the way Google Photos handles RAW files. Now, Google’s photo backup and editing app will automatically back up not only photos in JPG format, but also RAW files.
The site specializing in pu experiences this on a Google Pixel 8 with the Google Photos application which now indicates that “the new RAW photos will appear in the photo view and will now be saved“. Photos in RAW format now appear in the gallery, alongside the JPG version, but remain clearly identifiable due to the integration of a watermark “RAW» superimposed on the thumbnail.
As a reminder, RAW files are not images as such, but much larger files which allow all of the data from a photo to be recovered. These files are much larger and much more detailed than an 8-bit encoded JPG file. Therefore, they allow much greater room for maneuver in retouching, development or post-processing, in particular to modify the brightness of an image, modify its colors or reduce its contrast. These files can be retouched in dedicated software such as Adobe Lightroom, Capture One or… Google Photos.
Much heavier files to save
The downside is that RAW files are much larger than images saved in JPG format. A problem that can particularly arise in the context of Google Photos, since the images are saved in the cloud and can therefore fill up the storage space available on Google One quite quickly. Unfortunately, despite the arrival of this automatic backup of RAW files in Google Photos, the application does not allow you to deactivate this automatic upload.
Previously, RAW files could already appear in Google Photos, but were stored in a dedicated folder that could not be synced. From now on, it is therefore impossible to save only JPG images, but not RAW files.