According to Android Authority, Google has announced an update to how Google Photos on the web handles RAW format photos. The change, detailed in a Google support thread, gives users two specific choices when they want to edit these large files. The first option is to edit the image directly in Google Photos, which automatically converts the RAW file into a JPEG before opening the editor. The second option is to download the original RAW file to your device for use in a third-party editor like Adobe Photoshop on the web or Photopea. This web update follows earlier discoveries in version 7.52.0.825653635 of the Android app from October, which hinted at separating RAW and JPEG storage and backup options.
Raw Deal Gets Better
This is a long-overdue, pragmatic move from Google. For years, Google Photos has basically been a JPEG-only club for editing, treating those massive, data-rich RAW files as second-class citizens you could only store and view. Now, they’re offering a real choice. And it’s a smart one. Most casual shooters who dabble in RAW will probably just hit “edit” and let the conversion happen. It’s fast, it’s seamless, and it keeps everything in their familiar Google Photos ecosystem. But for the prosumers and enthusiasts who actually need that uncompressed data for serious color grading or recovery, the direct download option is a lifeline. It acknowledges that Google’s own tools aren’t (and maybe don’t need to be) the best for every job.
The Storage Question Looms
Here’s the thing, though. This new flexibility circles back to the eternal problem with RAW: storage. Those files are huge. The article mentions that the Android app changes discovered last October would let you choose whether to back up RAW files to the cloud at all. That’s a massive deal. If that feature rolls out widely, it could save photographers a ton of Google One storage space. Why upload a 40MB RAW file if you only plan to edit it on your desktop later? This feels like Google is slowly building a more nuanced system for professional workflows, where your JPEG previews live happily in the cloud for sharing, and your RAWs stay local unless you explicitly choose otherwise. It’s a recognition that one size doesn’t fit all.
What It Means For Your Workflow
So what’s the real impact? For the average user, not much will change. But if you’re someone who shoots in RAW, this web update is a genuine quality-of-life improvement. No more frantic downloading before you can tweak a photo on your laptop. The integration with web-based editors like Photopea is particularly clever—it creates a surprisingly powerful, browser-only editing suite without ever needing a dedicated installed app. It also continues the trend of blurring the lines between desktop and web applications. Now, the big question is when these web choices and the mobile storage options will officially converge into one coherent policy. Google’s playing catch-up here, but at least they’re moving in the right direction.
