SRW (Samsung RAW)
Samsung's native RAW format, storing every photon the sensor captured before the camera touched a single pixel.
| Full name | Samsung RAW |
| Extension | .srw |
| MIME type | image/x-samsung-srw |
| Developer | Samsung Electronics |
| Released | 2010 |
| Type | RAW image |
| Based on | TIFF/EP standard (not fully compliant) |
| Bit depth | 12-bit packed, uncompressed sensor data |
What is a SRW file?
SRW is the proprietary RAW image format used by Samsung digital cameras, introduced in 2010 alongside the Samsung NX10 — the company's first mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera with an APS-C sensor. The format stores unprocessed sensor data, giving photographers full control over white balance, exposure, and color grading in post-processing. Samsung discontinued its camera division in 2016, so SRW is no longer being produced by new hardware, but millions of existing files remain in photographers' archives.
An SRW file holds raw, unprocessed data read directly from a Samsung camera's image sensor, stored as packed 12-bit numbers with no compression applied to the pixel data. The file structure is loosely based on the TIFF/EP standard, though SRW files are not fully TIFF-compliant — they are missing some mandatory TIFF tags such as ImageLength, which means standard libtiff cannot open them. Each file contains the full-resolution RAW image embedded in a SubIFD, a JPEG thumbnail for quick preview, and EXIF metadata recording camera settings like ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Because the data is uncompressed, SRW files are large but carry the maximum tonal information the sensor can produce.
History
Samsung introduced the SRW format in early 2010 with the NX10, its first serious attempt at a mirrorless system camera aimed at enthusiast photographers. The NX10 was notable for being the first mirrorless camera from any manufacturer to use a larger APS-C sensor, and SRW was designed to complement that ambition by capturing full-quality RAW output. Samsung continued using the format across its NX series, including the NX11, NX100, NX300M, GX20, and WB2000, until the company quietly exited the camera business in 2016. Because Samsung never published a formal public specification, third-party tools — including dcraw, LibRaw, darktable, and RawTherapee — reverse-engineered support for the format.
How it works
SRW files follow a TIFF-like structure organized around Image File Directories (IFDs). The first IFD holds camera metadata and points to a SubIFD containing the full-resolution RAW sensor data. A second IFD stores a JPEG thumbnail so applications can show a preview without decoding the raw payload. The pixel data itself is packed 12-bit values arranged in a Bayer color filter array pattern — red, green, and blue photosites alternating across the sensor grid. Because there is no per-pixel compression, file sizes are determined almost entirely by the camera's sensor resolution.
What it is used for
- Archiving original captures from Samsung NX series cameras before any post-processing
- High-quality photo editing where recovering shadow or highlight detail matters
- Color grading workflows that require the full tonal range the sensor recorded
- Digitizing or converting legacy Samsung camera archives for long-term storage in a more universal format like DNG
How to open it
Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Camera Raw, Capture One, RawTherapee, and darktable all open SRW files using LibRaw or dcraw under the hood. On Windows, the Microsoft Camera Codec Pack adds thumbnail support in File Explorer, and free tools like IrfanView with the RAW plugin also work.
Pros and cons
Strengths
- Stores the maximum data the sensor captured with no lossy compression
- 12-bit color depth gives substantial room to recover blown highlights and crushed shadows
- Embeds a JPEG thumbnail so file browsers can show a preview without a full RAW decode
- Supported by all major RAW editing applications via LibRaw and dcraw
Trade-offs
- Large file sizes because the pixel data is stored uncompressed
- Not fully TIFF-compliant, which can cause compatibility issues with some standard image libraries
- Samsung exited the camera market in 2016, so no new cameras produce SRW files
- Requires RAW-capable software to edit; ordinary image viewers cannot display the full quality
Convert SRW files
Free, in your browser, no signup. Start at the SRW converter, or jump straight to a popular conversion below.
Curious how fast and how small? See our measured conversion benchmarks.
SRW FAQ
Can I still open SRW files today even though Samsung no longer makes cameras?
Yes. Support for SRW is built into LibRaw, which powers darktable, RawTherapee, Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, and most other RAW editors. The format is stable and well-understood, so existing software continues to handle it correctly.
Should I convert my SRW files to DNG for long-term storage?
DNG is an open standard maintained by Adobe and is a reasonable choice for archiving because it does not depend on Samsung. Converting to DNG embeds the original RAW data and preserves EXIF metadata. The trade-off is that the conversion step itself is an extra process, and you lose the ability to go back to the original SRW if a bug is later found in the converter.
Is SRW the same as a standard RAW file?
Not exactly. SRW is Samsung's own RAW format based loosely on TIFF/EP, but it is not interchangeable with other manufacturers' RAW formats such as Canon CR2, Nikon NEF, or Sony ARW. Each manufacturer uses its own structure and metadata layout. What they share is the concept: unprocessed sensor data recorded at capture time.
Which Samsung cameras shoot SRW files?
The SRW format was used across Samsung's NX mirrorless lineup and some advanced compact models, including the NX10, NX11, NX100, NX300M, GX20, and WB2000. Samsung's consumer point-and-shoot cameras typically shot JPEG only.