Open and edit RAW photos in your browser

Open RAW files without a converter

RAW files hold what the camera recorded before it made a JPEG, and they normally need desktop software to open. CutLift is a camera RAW editor online: drop a CR2 or CR3 from Canon, a NEF from Nikon, an ARW from Sony, a RAF from Fujifilm, an ORF, RW2 or PEF, or a universal DNG, with no plug-in to install.

The camera’s embedded preview opens at once. Where the browser allows it, the RAW data is then developed on your device with the camera’s white balance and replaces the preview; in browsers that can’t, Safari among them, you edit the embedded preview, which is usually full size. Either way it doubles as a quick CR2 viewer or CR3 viewer when you only want to check a frame.

A RAW editing workflow

Start with brightness: Image ▸ Exposure for the overall level, then Levels or Curves to set the black and white points. Fix colour next with the grey point eyedropper, or Colour balance for shadows, midtones and highlights. Vibrance adds life without pushing skin too far. Each step is an editable adjustment in the Filters panel, so you can change its strength or order later.

Because it is the whole editor, a session as a NEF editor or ARW editor can also include the Spot Healing Brush for sensor dust, Crop and Straighten for a tilted horizon, Remove object and background removal.

RAW to JPG and other outputs

There is no one-click RAW to JPG conversion of the whole photo. Save a Photoshop (PSD) file with layers to continue in other software, or a project file to keep your adjustments editable in CutLift. Cut-outs export as PNG or WebP, and Cutout Studio saves a JPEG of a subject on a solid background.

Free and private

Opening and editing RAW files is on the free plan, and the list goes beyond the common formats to NRW, SRW, X3F, 3FR, KDC, MRW and IIQ. Large RAW files never leave your computer: they are read and developed in your browser, which suits client shoots and unreleased work.