Google Photos web gets two RAW edit options

Google has now defined a more distinct, two-method approach for dealing with RAW files in Google Photos on the web (https://blog.google/products/photos/end-smartphone-photos-your-phone). When you open a RAW photo and hit Edit, you’ll now be presented with two options: edit in Google Photos, which converts the file into a JPEG; or download the original RAW so that you can process it on your own. That’s a minor change that could have a major workflow impact on anyone who shoots in RAW, particularly photographers who use Chromebooks or lightweight laptops.

What’s new in Google Photos for RAW files

The web editor now asks how you would like the service to proceed before making any changes. Select Edit in Google Photos, and the service generates a JPEG derivative and launches the well-known web editor with its sliders for exposure, color, and crop. Use Download Original, and you’ll end up with the unadulterated RAW (usually a DNG on modern phones) to send to a proper app like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop on the web, Capture One, or Photopea.

This prompt clears up ambiguity regarding whether or not Google Photos performs non-destructive RAW editing. It doesn’t. Instead, the web app uses RAW-to-JPEG for its editing pipeline, which is quicker and easier if you just want to make a few basic adjustments, but it costs you some of the RAW’s latitude.

Why this JPEG conversion is important for photographers

RAW files preserve more bits (typically 12–14 bits per channel for a dedicated camera; 10–12 for most phones) of information from the sensor, whereas JPEGs are just 8-bit and lossy. As Adobe’s documentation puts it, the additional data in RAW images retains highlight and shadow detail; color grading can be more aggressive without experiencing banding or posterization. By converting to JPEG, you collapse that dynamic range and bake in white balance and tone curves, which makes extreme recoveries much less forgiving.

There’s also a color space and compression angle. JPEG derivatives are generally sRGB 4:2:0 and use lossy compression, which is suitable for sharing but not so much for archiving a master. If you’re intending to make large prints, perform HDR merges, or do complex masking work, exporting the RAW for a dedicated editor is safer.

Storage and bandwidth trade-offs when managing RAW files

RAW’s flexibility comes with weight. Phone-shot DNGs are typically 10–40 MB, whereas similar JPEGs weigh in at something like 2–6 MB depending on detail and how much they’ve been compressed for easier sharing. Google accounts come with 15 GB of free pooled storage across all services, and a library of RAWs can fill that capacity quite rapidly. This way, you lower the storage pressure and minimize syncs (at the cost of editing headroom).

For many photographers, a hybrid approach is probably best: keep mission-critical RAW files offline or in a separate archive (such as the Lightroom cloud; an external SSD; or your NAS), and allow Google Photos to handle social-ready JPEGs. Quick web edits are much more convenient for RAW shooters, too.

Mobile handling of RAW files in Google Photos may change

Advice from recent Android app builds implies that Google is working on more comprehensive RAW organization on mobile, including the ability to store RAW files in a separate folder and have finer controls over backups.

That would reflect the way most photographers work — storing small JPEGs in the cloud for quick access while archiving larger RAW masters elsewhere.

Beneficiaries of each option and how to choose wisely

• Select Edit with Google Photos if you want a quick touch-up for sharing or printing, prefer the simplicity of having only one cloud-based library like Google Photos, and don’t need heavyweight highlight/shadow recovery. The JPEG workflow is fast, dependable, and consistent across devices.
• Select Download RAW if you depend on non-destructive parametric edits, batch color management, lens profiles, or local masking in programs such as Lightroom or Capture One. You will retain bit depth and metadata, color-managed workflows will be available, and you can export to many different formats later.

A more defined fork in the road for Google Photos users

By presenting those two options immediately, Google recognizes the divide between casual web editing and pro-grade RAW processing. It’s not a substitute for a full-featured RAW editor, but it takes the guesswork out and makes sure you can protect your original when it counts. That clarity is the actual upgrade for those who have managed to straddle convenience and control.