Blackmagic RAW File (.braw): What It Is and How to Open It

The basics

What is a Blackmagic RAW file?

Blackmagic RAW (BRAW) is the recording format of Blackmagic Design's cinema cameras, such as the Pocket Cinema Camera, URSA Mini Pro, URSA Cine and Cinema Camera 6K models. Blackmagic introduced it at IBC in September 2018, first as a public beta for URSA Mini Pro cameras, with support in DaVinci Resolve 15.1. Blackmagic's Video Assist 12G monitor-recorders can also record it from cameras made by other companies.

Like other raw formats, a BRAW clip keeps what the image sensor recorded instead of a finished picture. Choices that an ordinary camera bakes into an H.264 or HEVC video, such as white balance, ISO and the contrast curve, are stored as metadata. You can change them later in editing as if you'd changed them on the camera, with no loss in quality.

What makes BRAW unusual is how much work the camera does before saving. Most raw video formats store the sensor's mosaic of red, green and blue photosites untouched; BRAW moves part of the demosaicing, the step that turns that mosaic into full-colour pixels, into the camera. The result is smaller files that decode quickly on an ordinary computer, at the cost of being a little less raw than formats that leave the mosaic intact.

In short

A BRAW is a camera original for editing and colour grading, not a video to watch or send. For sharing, export an MP4 or a MOV from your editor.

Anatomy

What's inside a BRAW file

Blackmagic Design documents its SDK, not the file. What is known about the layout comes from outside: MediaInfo identifies .braw files as QuickTime movies with a video track, PCM audio and a timecode track, and data-recovery tools report that they start with a wide atom and can be parsed like other QuickTime files, with some Blackmagic-specific atoms. Below is an outline built from that and from Apple's QuickTime atom format, not a dump of a real file: the atom names and the wide bytes are standard, the rest is a description. How each frame is compressed is not public.

A001_10271430_C001.braw (structure outline)

A001_10271430_C001.braw (outline, not a real dump)

offset  bytes                      atom    contents
0       00 00 00 08 77 69 64 65    wide    an 8-byte placeholder atom: size 8,
                                           type "wide"
8       xx xx xx xx 6D 64 61 74    mdat    the media, frame after frame:
          frame 1                            one compressed Blackmagic RAW
                                             frame (partly demosaiced sensor
                                             data, 12-bit non-linear)
          audio                              PCM samples
          frame 2, audio, frame 3 …
…       xx xx xx xx 6D 6F 6F 76    moov    the movie header:
          video track                        frame size, frame rate, a
                                             Blackmagic RAW codec ID
          audio track                        PCM, usually 48 kHz
          timecode track
          metadata                           camera, lens, ISO, white
                                             balance, slate, optional 3D LUT

A001_10271430_C001.sidecar (optional, written by Resolve or the SDK)
{ "...": "JSON settings that override the embedded metadata" }

100 00 00 08 77 69 64 65
Atoms
A QuickTime file is a series of atoms: a 4-byte big-endian size, a 4-character type, then the contents. The first atom here is wide, just 8 bytes of header. QuickTime writers put it before the media so that, if the media grows past 4 GB, those 8 bytes can become a 64-bit size field without moving any data.
2mdat
The frames
Each frame is a separate compressed image, so an editor can jump to any frame without decoding the ones before it. The frame holds sensor data that the camera has already partly demosaiced and encoded in a 12-bit non-linear space. Blackmagic hasn't published how a frame is coded.
3audio
Sound
Uncompressed PCM audio from the camera's microphones or inputs, interleaved with the video like in any QuickTime movie. In Resolve it appears as a normal audio track.
4moov
The movie header
Describes the tracks: frame size and rate, the codec, audio format and the timecode track. A clip is one file, not a folder of frames, which makes BRAW easier to copy and manage than image-sequence raw formats.
5metadata
Embedded metadata
Lens, iris, ISO, white balance, colour space and slate information (scene, take and similar), and the sensor's characteristics, which the decoder needs. Some values, such as focus distance, can change frame by frame. The camera can also embed a 3D LUT that's applied without changing the image data.
6.sidecar
The sidecar file
When you change a clip's raw settings in DaVinci Resolve, they can be saved in a human-readable JSON .sidecar file next to the .braw. Other applications that use the SDK read it too. The .braw itself is never rewritten: delete the sidecar and the clip goes back to the settings it was shot with.

Under the hood

What "raw" means for video, and why BRAW looks flat

A camera sensor measures only brightness, through a pattern of coloured filters. In a normal video file the camera has already turned those readings into colour pictures, applied a white balance and a tone curve, and compressed the result for viewing. A raw file stops earlier. The decisions that remain are made by the software that opens it:

White balance and tint can be changed freely, because the colour channels haven't been mixed for one light source yet.
ISO in a BRAW clip is mostly a metadata setting: it changes how the recorded values are mapped to brightness, so you can raise or lower it later.
Colour space and gamma decide how the image is shown. Blackmagic's "Film" gamma keeps as much highlight and shadow detail as possible, which looks low in contrast and colour until it's graded or a LUT is applied.
Bit depth is 12 bits per value in a non-linear encoding. That leaves room for strong grading without banding, unlike 8-bit H.264.

So a BRAW clip that looks grey and washed out is usually fine: it's showing its log-style "Film" encoding. Choose a Rec.709 or HDR output in the raw settings, or apply the camera's LUT, and it looks normal. Unlike a photo raw file, a BRAW clip has no embedded preview JPEG: every viewer has to decode the raw data, which is why only programs with the SDK can show it.

Compression

Constant bitrate vs constant quality

Every BRAW clip is compressed, and none of the settings is mathematically lossless. Cameras offer two families of settings:

Mode	Settings	How it behaves
Constant bitrate	3:1, 5:1, 8:1, 12:1, 18:1 (which ones depends on the camera)	The ratio is measured against the uncompressed size of one sensor frame, so file sizes and recording times are predictable. Detailed, noisy shots get compressed harder than simple ones to stay within the budget.
Constant quality	Q0, Q1, Q3, Q5	Variable bitrate. Q0 uses minimal quantisation for the highest quality; Q5 quantises more for smaller files. Busy scenes produce bigger files, so recording time is harder to predict.

Because the ratios refer to the sensor's frame size, the same setting gives very different data rates on different cameras: a 12K camera at 12:1 writes far more than a 4K camera at 12:1. The camera's menus show the remaining recording time for each setting. Q1 and Q3 were added after launch, and not every device offers them: the Video Assist records Q0 and Q5 only.

Metadata

Embedded metadata, LUTs and .sidecar files

A BRAW clip carries a lot of information about how it was shot, and it's designed so that the original file is never modified after recording:

Embedded metadata: camera settings, lens, iris, ISO, colour space, white balance and slate details. Some of it, such as focus distance, is stored per frame.
The sensor profile: the characteristics of the camera's image sensor, used by the decoder to render colour correctly. This is why the colour science version matters (see below).
An embedded 3D LUT, optionally, so a look chosen on set travels with the clip.
A .sidecar file, created by DaVinci Resolve or another SDK application when you change the raw settings. It's plain JSON, and its values take precedence over the embedded ones. A LUT in the sidecar overrides the embedded LUT.

Keep sidecars with their clips

If you copy .braw files without their .sidecar files, the grade-ready settings someone chose in Resolve are lost and the clips open as shot. When sending footage, copy the folder, not just the .braw files. Also check what the slate metadata says before sharing clips outside a production: it can include production, scene and crew details typed in on set.

Where it comes from

Which cameras and recorders write BRAW

Blackmagic Design cameras: BRAW is the raw format of its current cinema cameras, from the Pocket Cinema Camera range to the URSA Mini Pro 12K and URSA Cine. The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K gained it in a March 2019 software update.
Blackmagic recorders: the URSA Mini Recorder writes 12-bit BRAW to SSDs. The Video Assist 12G HDR monitor-recorders record BRAW from the raw output of cameras by Canon, Fujifilm, Leica, Nikon, Panasonic, Sigma, Sony and Z CAM. Blackmagic keeps the list of supported models in the Video Assist tech specs.

A clip recorded on a Video Assist from, say, a Fujifilm or Panasonic camera is still a BRAW file: it opens in the same software as one from a Blackmagic camera, with that camera's sensor data inside.

Newer cameras can bring a newer colour science. Blackmagic RAW 6.0 (September 2026), for example, added support for Blackmagic's Generation 6 Color Science and lens correction for the Cinema Camera 6K L-Mount. Software built on an older SDK may refuse such clips or show them with the wrong colours, so update Resolve, the plug-ins or the Player when you get a new camera.

How to

How to open, edit and convert a BRAW file

Just watch: the free Blackmagic RAW Player for macOS, Windows and Linux plays clips with their full dynamic range. It comes with Blackmagic's camera software and the Blackmagic RAW download.
Edit and grade: DaVinci Resolve reads BRAW natively, with every raw setting in its Camera Raw panel.
Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer: install Blackmagic RAW (version 1.5 or later), which adds free plug-ins so both open BRAW without transcoding.
Final Cut Pro: has no built-in support. Third-party tools such as LateNite's BRAW Toolbox add it; its version 3 includes a macOS Media Extension that also lets QuickTime Player open BRAW. Blackmagic announced its own Media Extension in 2024, but it hadn't shipped as of April 2026.
Develop your own tools: the free Blackmagic RAW SDK (macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS) decodes clips on the CPU or the GPU (Metal, CUDA, OpenCL), reads metadata and can decode at reduced size for previews.

FFmpeg can't decode Blackmagic RAW video, so VLC, HandBrake and the players built into Windows and macOS can't show it either. To make a file anyone can play, export from DaVinci Resolve's Deliver page (H.264 or H.265 in MP4, or ProRes in MOV for further editing).

Slow playback?

Blackmagic designed BRAW to decode quickly, but 8K and 12K clips still need a strong GPU. In Resolve, lower the playback resolution (Playback → Timeline Proxy Resolution) or generate proxies; the decoder can skip work at reduced sizes.

Compared

BRAW vs ProRes RAW, REDCODE RAW and ARRIRAW

Format	Owner	What's stored	Files
Blackmagic RAW	Blackmagic Design	Partly demosaiced sensor data, 12-bit non-linear, compressed (constant bitrate or constant quality)	One `.braw` per clip, plus an optional `.sidecar`
ProRes RAW	Apple	Bayer sensor data, compressed with variable bitrate	One MOV per clip
REDCODE RAW	RED (Nikon since 2024)	Bayer sensor data, wavelet-compressed	`.R3D` files in an `.RDC` folder, split into segments
ARRIRAW	ARRI	Bayer sensor data, uncompressed 12- or 13-bit log (or losslessly packed HDE)	One `.ari` per frame, or one MXF per clip

For editing performance, BRAW sits between a raw format and an ordinary intermediate codec such as ProRes: smaller and faster to decode than most raw, but tied to Blackmagic's SDK. And unlike DNG, Adobe's openly documented raw format, BRAW has no public specification: every application reads it through Blackmagic's SDK.

Troubleshooting

Common BRAW problems and fixes

Symptom	Usual cause	Fix
The file won't import into Premiere Pro or Avid	The Blackmagic RAW plug-ins aren't installed, or are older than the camera.	Install the current Blackmagic RAW software from Blackmagic's support page and restart the editor.
The picture looks grey and flat	The clip uses Blackmagic's Film gamma, meant for grading.	Set the gamma to Blackmagic Design Video or Extended Video in the raw settings, or apply the camera LUT.
Colours differ between applications	One application uses an older SDK or ignores the `.sidecar` file.	Update every application to the same Blackmagic RAW version, and keep sidecars next to their clips.
Settings changed in Resolve are gone elsewhere	The changes were saved in the Resolve project, not in a sidecar, or the sidecar wasn't copied.	In Resolve, update the sidecar from the clip's Camera Raw settings, then copy it with the clip.
VLC or Windows says the format isn't supported	No consumer player can decode BRAW.	Use the Blackmagic RAW Player, or export an MP4 from Resolve.

Sample files

There are no sample BRAW files on this page. Blackmagic RAW can only be recorded by Blackmagic cameras and recorders, so the simplest test file is a short clip from one of them.

Put it online

Have a BRAW file? Give it a link.

Drop a Blackmagic RAW clip on 99helpers and it gets its own address to send to an editor or colourist instead of a transfer service. Browsers can't play BRAW, so the file downloads when the link is opened; add an MP4 export if people just need to watch it.

Put a BRAW file online

Questions

Blackmagic RAW files, frequently asked

What is a BRAW file?

A Blackmagic RAW video clip: the raw recording format of Blackmagic Design's cinema cameras and Video Assist recorders. It stores sensor data so that ISO, white balance and colour can be set later in editing.

How do I open a BRAW file?

Use the free Blackmagic RAW Player or DaVinci Resolve. Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer open BRAW after you install Blackmagic's free Blackmagic RAW software, which adds plug-ins. Final Cut Pro needs a third-party extension.

Can VLC play Blackmagic RAW?

No. VLC relies on FFmpeg, which can't decode Blackmagic RAW video. Use the Blackmagic RAW Player, or export an MP4 from DaVinci Resolve.

How do I convert BRAW to MP4?

Import the clips into DaVinci Resolve, adjust the raw settings or apply a LUT, then render H.264 or H.265 MP4 from the Deliver page. Premiere Pro can do the same once the Blackmagic RAW plug-ins are installed.

Is Blackmagic RAW lossless?

No. Every setting is compressed, from 3:1 or Q0 (very light) up to 18:1 or Q5. At the lighter settings the loss is hard to see, but none of the modes is mathematically lossless.

What is a .sidecar file next to my BRAW?

A small JSON file holding raw settings changed after shooting, such as ISO, white balance or a LUT. Software that reads BRAW applies it instead of the settings stored in the clip. Delete it to go back to the original settings.

What's the difference between constant bitrate and constant quality?

Constant bitrate (3:1 to 18:1) keeps the data rate fixed, so file sizes are predictable. Constant quality (Q0 to Q5) keeps the quality level fixed and lets the data rate vary with the scene.

Is BRAW really raw?

Mostly. White balance, ISO and colour are still set in software, but part of the demosaicing is done in the camera. That makes BRAW smaller and faster to decode than formats that store the untouched sensor mosaic.

Related formats

Other file types explained

R3D file ARRIRAW file CRM file MOV file MXF file DNG file All file types

Keep going

Host a BRAW file

Put a Blackmagic RAW clip online at its own address for others to download.

Share a BRAW file

Send camera originals as a link instead of through a transfer service.

Hosting guides

How to put different kinds of files online.

Sources

Last reviewed 27 October 2026.