libraw ☆

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Description:
Library for reading RAW files from digital photo cameras

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 0.21.4@0 | Tracked Since: Dec 24, 2025

Links: Homepage | @LibRaw | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Multimedia

Tags: raw photography image-processing camera libraw digital-photography

Install: brew install libraw

About:
LibRaw is a C++ library and command-line utility for extracting raw image data, metadata, and processing parameters from digital camera RAW files. It supports a wide range of camera manufacturers and provides robust tools for image pipeline development. The library serves as a foundational component for raw photo processing applications.

Key Features:

Supports over 1,000 camera models from various manufacturers
Provides both C++ library API and command-line tools
Handles demosaicing, color space conversion, and white balance
Reads comprehensive metadata including EXIF, IPTC, and XMP
Fast processing with multi-threading support

Use Cases:

Building raw photo processing and conversion applications
Extracting metadata and thumbnails from camera files
Implementing custom RAW development workflows
Digital photo archival and batch processing systems

Alternatives:

dcraw – LibRaw is based on dcraw but provides a modern C++ API and active maintenance
RawSpeed – RawSpeed focuses on decoding speed while LibRaw offers broader camera support and processing features
ImageMagick – ImageMagick is a general-purpose image toolkit, while LibRaw specializes in RAW file handling

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Dec 24, 2025 11:10am	0.21.4	0	VERSION_BUMP	a166b76e
Sep 17, 2023 9:32pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	81653860
Jan 5, 2023 9:05pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	46347be2
Jan 5, 2023 9:05pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	6bf368c8
Dec 19, 2022 8:08pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	32c5ebf0
Dec 19, 2022 8:08pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	dc0eef92
Dec 6, 2022 10:03am		4	VERSION_BUMP	020b030c
Dec 6, 2022 10:02am		4	VERSION_BUMP	de42e77c
Nov 18, 2022 7:01pm		3	VERSION_BUMP	008d55eb