What is ARW?

Sony Alpha Raw (ARW) is Sony's proprietary raw image format containing unprocessed sensor data from Sony Alpha and Cyber-shot cameras.

What is IIQ?

Phase One IIQ is a professional medium-format raw format used by Phase One digital backs, delivering exceptional image quality for commercial photography.

When Should You Use ARW vs IIQ?

ARW vs IIQ: Key Differences

• •ARW uses lossless compression while IIQ uses lossless compression — both take the same approach to file size management.
• •Neither format changes compression philosophy — both are lossless compression — so any size differences are due to encoding efficiency, not a shift in quality approach.
• •Transparency: N/A
• •File sizes: ARW files typically range 20-40MB per photo and IIQ files 50-150MB per image from medium-format backs.
• •Primary audience: ARW is built for sony camera post-processing, professional editing scenarios, while IIQ focuses on professional studio photography, digital back capture — pick the format that matches your output requirement.

Advantages of ARW

• ✓At its core, ARW relies on lossless encoding — a design choice that makes it perfect for Sony camera post-processing, professional editing.
• ✓You won't run into compatibility issues with ARW — it's a universal standard across platforms.
• ✓File size management with ARW: larger files guaranteed to match the original exactly.
• ✓Every major application in the Sony camera post-processing, professional editing space supports ARW natively.

Advantages of IIQ

• ✓IIQ applies lossless compression specifically calibrated for Professional studio photography, digital back capture.
• ✓IIQ enjoys broad native support across operating systems, browsers, and creative tools alike.
• ✓IIQ guarantees every bit of the original data survives — no approximations, no shortcuts.
• ✓You will find IIQ support built into virtually every tool that handles Professional studio photography, digital back capture — no plugins or converters needed.

Common Use Cases for ARW to IIQ Conversion

• Email marketing campaigns
• Presentation graphics
• Blog and article illustrations
• Mobile app UI assets
• Product photography for marketplaces
• Digital art portfolios

Industry Applications

Best Practices for ARW to IIQ Conversion

• →Before converting ARW to IIQ, decide whether you need maximum quality or smallest file size — this determines which format truly fits
• →Save a master copy in a lossless format before converting to IIQ — you cannot recover detail lost during lossy compression
• →Check the color profile: ARW images may use a wider gamut than IIQ supports, causing a visible shift after conversion
• →Resize images to the final display dimensions before converting — this avoids unnecessary processing of oversized files
• →Run a single test conversion first to verify quality meets your standards
• →Strip unnecessary metadata to reduce file size after conversion

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Troubleshooting ARW to IIQ Conversion

• !Converting ARW to IIQ gives blurry output → increase the quality setting before conversion
• !Colors look different in IIQ than ARW → check color profile mismatch (sRGB vs Adobe RGB)
• !File size changed more than expected → IIQ uses different compression, file size differences of 2-5x are normal
• !Transparent areas in ARW turned white in IIQ → IIQ may not support transparency

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