iPhone HEIC vs ProRaw vs bayer raw
HDR images best viewed on an HDR capable device + browser. Recommended setup: Macbook Pro 16 with XDR display + Google Chrome.
Note: 12 bit PQ HDR AVIF files are not supported on older Safari versions. Safari Technology Preview Release 216 (Safari 18.4, released on April 3, 2025) supports displaying PQ HDR AVIF files, but some bugs may remain (color banding, reduced highlight luminance, HDR disabled in lightbox view)
All images are captured on the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s ultra wide angle camera.
100% crops
1. HEIF image captured by the stock camera app
The HEIF image is converted into HDR AVIF by Lightroom (Chrome doesn’t support HEIF). The converted image looks identical to the original HEIF when viewed in the iPhone Photos app.
2. ProRaw image captured by the stock camera app
The ProRaw image is converted into HDR AVIF by Lightroom with sharpening set to 0.
3. Bayer raw image converted to HDR AVIF
The bayer raw image is captured by the No Fusion-Powerful Pro Cam app and converted to HDR AVIF by Lightroom using the Adobe neutral profile. Sharpening and noise reduction are set to 0.
4. SDR HEIF converted from bayer raw (No Fusion app)
This is the HEIF image captured by the No Fusion-Powerful Pro Cam app, using the bayer raw as source (HEIF+ option). Sharpening is set to 0, but we can observe some noise reduction being applied. The HEIF file is converted to JPG for viewing in Chrome. 