HTC One M9 now supports RAW image format thanks to latest camera update
HTC’s camera app has received a nice upgrade over at Google Play. The biggest feature in tow is for users of the HTC One M9 — HTC has enabled the RAW image format for those who prefer capturing images that way.
In case you don’t know, RAW format is the completely raw, untouched result of whichever image you’re capturing. No software or hardware-based encoding or alterations are carried out.
The benefit of shooting RAW is that the image retains 100% of the original color information, so it’s much preferred for making adjustments to color, saturation, tone, contrast and all sorts of other things. While it’s still possible to make these changes to an image encoded in JPEG, the partial loss of original color information might make it difficult to achieve the exact effect you want.
The one downside to RAW is that it typically has to be encoded to a file format suitable for sharing on the web after it has been edited. That extra step is a small price to pay for being given total control over the outcome of your image. There’s also the issue of RAW files being significantly larger in file size than JPEG images of the same resolution.
The lack of RAW format typically isn’t an issue for your everyday camera user, but professional photographers view the ability to capture in RAW as invaluable. It’s there if you need it, but if the original image format worked well enough for you then you’re just as free to continue.
Here’s a quick list of some of the other changes coming along as part of this update:
- Crop-Me-In mode, only available on the HTC One (M8 EYE) running Android 5.0 Lollipop and the HTC Desire EYE
- Adjustable divider in Split Capture mode
- Add and remove camera modes
Be sure to grab it from the Google Play Store right here if all that sounds good to you.