How to edit RAW photos online for free.

A pro-inspired tutorial, then the original demo.

Start with I Followed a Pro Lightroom Tutorial Using a FREE Browser RAW Editor, NijRAW to see NijRAW used in a Lightroom-inspired editing exercise. Then watch the earlier demo for a broader introduction to the editor.

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What is a RAW photo?

A camera RAW file keeps more of the image data captured by your camera than a typical ready-to-share JPEG. This gives you flexibility when adjusting exposure, white balance and colour, especially if the starting image looks a little too dark or too bright.

Camera makers use different formats — for example, DNG, NEF, ARW, CR2/CR3, RAF, ORF and RW2. NijRAW supports many RAW formats, along with JPEG, PNG, HEIC and other everyday files. Exact support depends on the file and browser.

Open your camera file.

Launch the NijRAW editor and choose a photo from your device. RAW files can take longer to decode than JPEGs, especially on older devices, so allow a moment for a large file to open.

1. Choose a supported RAW photo, or use a JPEG to practise the same adjustments.
2. Look at the whole image before moving any sliders: is the subject too dark, the sky too bright, or the colour too warm?
3. Open Photo Insights for on-device observations, or try Auto improve as an optional starting point.

Balance exposure and contrast.

Make broad tonal changes first. An image usually feels more natural when the main subject is readable without flattening every shadow or losing bright detail.

• Exposure: brighten or darken the overall image until the subject feels balanced.
• Highlights and shadows: check whether bright skies or dark foreground areas need attention.
• Contrast and curves: add depth gently; avoid pushing the dark and light areas so far that useful detail disappears.

Set white balance and refine colour.

White balance controls the overall warm or cool appearance of a photo. Correct obvious colour casts first, then make creative adjustments. NijRAW includes colour controls such as HSL and colour grading for more selective changes.

1. Adjust white balance until skin tones, neutrals or familiar objects look plausible.
2. Use modest saturation or vibrance changes; check that vivid areas retain texture.
3. If needed, use HSL to adjust a particular colour family rather than the whole image.

There is no single correct colour grade. A warm evening photograph and a neutral product photo may call for very different choices.

Make local adjustments only where needed.

When the overall image is balanced, refine individual areas. NijRAW offers subject and background selection, brush masks and gradient masks, so you can work on one region without changing everything else.

• Brighten a subject slightly without lifting the entire background.
• Use a gradient for a bright sky or uneven light.
• Use Heal or Clone to clean up small distractions when appropriate.

Compare, save and export.

Before exporting, look at the full composition and zoom in to check detail. NijRAW offers before-and-after comparison and Two Looks so you can judge different edits more fairly.

1. Compare the edited photo with the original. Turn down any change that no longer looks natural.
2. Consider saving a .nijraw project if you want to revisit the adjustments.
3. Export a JPEG for easy sharing, or choose PNG, TIFF or another available format when your workflow calls for it. Available export formats depend on browser support.

You now have a repeatable process: open → exposure → colour → local edits → compare → export.

RAW editing FAQ.