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Vow Photo Editor
Crop, brighten, blur a face, add text, and save to an exact file size
- Free: Every basic edit, 15 saved photos a day, no watermarks
- $9.95 once: No daily limit, one-click face blur, layers, batch edits and presets
Vow RAW Viewer
Camera RAW viewer & converter for Windows
Open any RAW photo. Instantly. No codecs. No subscription.
Drop a memory card's folder and every CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF or DNG appears at once. Flick through at full speed, rate the keepers, check focus and clipping, adjust, and export JPGs that look like your camera made them. All on your own PC.
- No ads
- No malware
- No account
- Light & dark theme
- Unlimited viewing, rating and adjusting, 10 exports a day
No ads. Ever.No pop-ups, no banners, no "offers".
No malware or bundlewareThe installer installs one thing: this app.
No account, no uploadIt works on your PC, and your files stay there.
Free daily limits, just $4.95 unlimitedNo subscription. No trial that runs out.
The problem
Looking at your own RAW photos shouldn't be this hard
You just want to see what is on the card, pick the good ones and send a few JPGs. Windows and the usual tools make a job of it.
Hunting for codecs
Windows often can't show a RAW file without an extra extension, and support for newer formats like CR3 can lag behind.
Waiting on every photo
Editors that fully render each RAW before you see it turn a quick look through a card into an afternoon.
Flat, grey exports
Many RAW-to-JPG converters give you dull, flat pictures that look nothing like what the camera showed you.
A subscription to see your photos
Monthly plans for software you mostly use to look at pictures and save a few JPGs.
Ad-stuffed online converters
Upload a 30 MB RAW to a website full of ads, wait in a queue, then download it again, one file at a time.
Or a whole darkroom to learn
Free professional editors are powerful, but they take a weekend to learn when you only want to pick keepers.
Vow RAW Viewer fixes all of it.
How it works
Open. Pick. Export.
A whole card on screen in a moment, the keepers rated, and JPGs that look like the camera's own.
- 01
Open a folder or card
Drop a folder, a card's DCIM or a few RAW files on the window. The grid fills at once from the previews inside each file.
Drop RAW photos or a folder and browse them instantly - 02
Rate, check and adjust
Step through with the arrow keys, press 1-5 for stars or X to reject, check focus and clipping, and tweak the look if you want.
...with culling, focus checks and simple adjustments - 03
Export
Pick JPG, TIFF, PNG or the camera's own JPEG and a size, then press Export. Selected photos are exported, or every one shown.
Choose where exports go and how photos are handled
Features
A fast viewer and a proper converter in one
For photographers who shoot RAW and want the first pass done before the coffee goes cold.
No codecs needed
LibRaw opens RAW files from 1,000+ camera models directly. There is nothing extra to install and no Windows extension to buy.
Instant browsing
Thumbnails come from the preview inside each RAW, then the real RAW data is developed in the background. The arrow keys never wait.
Looks like your camera
Brightness is matched to the camera's own JPEG, with Standard, Natural, Vivid, Flat and Mono looks. Exports never come out flat.
Real 100% on the RAW data
Zoom to 100% or up to 800% and the full-resolution RAW is developed, with a choice of demosaicing methods.
Clipping and focus checks
Histogram, blown highlights in red, crushed shadows in blue, focus peaking in green, and before and after against the camera JPEG.
Cull with stars and labels
Stars, rejects and colour labels go to XMP sidecars that Lightroom, Bridge, Capture One and darktable read. RAW files are never changed.
Adjustments you can undo
Auto, exposure, highlights, shadows, the camera's white balance presets, vibrance, noise reduction and crop, remembered per photo.
Exports for every job
JPG to a maximum file size in KB, 8 or 16-bit TIFF and PNG, or the camera's own JPEG copied byte for byte.
Colour and metadata done right
sRGB, Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB with the profile embedded, and EXIF kept, with or without the GPS location.
Names and batches
Name exports from {date}, {camera}, {lens}, {iso} or {rating}, and export several photos at a time with progress for each.
Light & dark theme
Easy on the eyes, day or night.
RAW Viewer comes with a crisp light theme and a calm dark theme. Switch with one click, or let it follow your Windows setting by itself. It remembers your choice.
- LightClear and bright for daytime and busy offices
- DarkGentle on tired eyes late at night
- Follow WindowsChanges by itself when your PC does
Screenshots
See Vow RAW Viewer in action
Real screenshots of the real app, in both of its themes: 5 light, 5 dark. Click any picture to see it full size.
Light theme
Dark theme
Who it's for
Made for everyone who shoots RAW
Emptying a memory card
See every shot at once, reject the misses and export the keepers as JPGs.
Travel photographers
Cull hundreds of holiday shots on a laptop, with focus checks before you delete anything.
Event and wedding shooters
A fast first pass with stars and labels that Lightroom picks up later from the XMP.
Photography students
Learn what RAW really holds with the histogram, clipping overlay and before and after view.
A PC without an editor
Open RAW files on any Windows PC, or run the portable version from a USB stick.
Quick sharing
Send JPGs under a size limit for email, forums and upload forms in one export.
Compare
Vow RAW Viewer vs the usual RAW tools
What you get from typical RAW viewers, converters and online tools, side by side.
| Feature | Vow RAW Viewer | Typical RAW viewers & converters |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free every day, or $4.95 once | Often a subscription or paid upgrades |
| Extra codecs needed | None | Often an extension or plug-in |
| Browsing a full card | Instant, from the built-in previews | Often renders every file first |
| Exports match the camera's look | Brightness matched to the camera JPEG | Often flat and dull |
| Culling with XMP ratings | Stars, rejects, labels | Viewers often lack it |
| Batch export to JPG, TIFF, PNG | Yes, several at a time | Viewers often lack it |
| JPG to a maximum file size | Yes, in KB | Rare |
| Your photos are uploaded | Never: 100% on your PC | Online converters: always |
| Ads, pop-ups, bundled extras | None, ever | Common on free sites and downloads |
"Typical" describes what we found across the most-downloaded alternatives when we built RAW Viewer. Your mileage with any one of them may vary; ours won't.
Pricing
Free every day. Just $4.95 once for the lot.
That is not a typo. Software this powerful usually means a monthly subscription; RAW Viewer is $4.95, once, for life: it's almost a giveaway. Use it free for as long as you like, and unlock Unlimited only if you need more.
Free
$0forever
Unlimited viewing, rating and adjusting, 10 exports a day.
- View, browse, rate and adjust any number of photos
- 10 exports a day (resets at midnight)
- JPG, TIFF, PNG or the camera's own JPEG
- Histogram, clipping overlay and focus peaking
- Stars and labels in Lightroom-compatible XMP
- No watermarks, no sign-up, nothing uploaded
Best valueUnlimited
$4.95USD, once. Yours for life.
Almost a giveaway. Less than a coffee for software this powerful: no subscription, no renewals, yours for life on 2 PCs.
Export any number of photos and whole cards in one go.
- Export any number of photos, every day
- Whole folders and memory cards in one go
- No photos held back until tomorrow
- Every format, size and colour space
- One payment, yours for life on 2 PCs
- Every future update included
How unlocking works
- 1Use it free first Install Vow RAW Viewer and use it on your own files. No card, no account, no time limit.
- 2Click "Unlimited" in the app Pay $4.95 USD once by card, securely through Stripe in your browser.
- 3It unlocks itself Within seconds, for life, on up to 2 of your PCs. Your license key is emailed to you, and every future update is included.
Payments by Stripe: we never see or store your card. Questions? Ask a real person.
Clean software
Safe to install. Nothing else comes with it.
Most "free" Windows downloads pay for themselves with ads, bundled extras or your data. Vow RAW Viewer doesn't need to: it's paid for honestly, once, by the people who find it useful.
Download RAW Viewer free- No ads, toolbars or "offers"The installer installs one thing: Vow RAW Viewer. No pre-ticked boxes to watch out for.
- No administrator rights neededIt installs just for you, in your own user folder, and leaves the rest of Windows alone.
- Nothing running in the backgroundNo startup programs, no tray nags, no services. When you close it, it's closed.
- Everything includedAll it needs is inside the installer, so you never have to fetch a "required component" from somewhere else.
- Uninstalls cleanlyOne click in Windows Settings > Apps. Your own files are never touched.
- A real company behind itMade, published and supported by XTO Pty Ltd, an Australian company, with real people answering every message.
Step-by-step guide
How to open RAW files and convert them to JPG on Windows
From a full memory card to a folder of JPGs in a few minutes, without installing a codec.
Step 1: get it freeDownload and install it free
Get Vow RAW Viewer from this page and run the installer. It needs no administrator rights and no account, and LibRaw is built in, so no codec is needed. A portable version is available too.
Open your photos
Drop a folder or a memory card's DCIM onto the window, press Ctrl+Shift+O, or right-click a RAW file in Explorer and choose Open with. The grid fills at once.
Pick the keepers
Double-click a photo to open the viewer. Use the arrow keys to move, 1-5 for stars, X to reject and Space for 100%. Hold B to see the camera's own JPEG.
Adjust if you want
Press Auto or choose a look such as Vivid, then fine-tune exposure, white balance and colour. Copy the adjustments to other photos with Ctrl+Shift+C and Ctrl+Shift+V.
Export to JPG
Filter to your rated photos, pick JPG and a size on the export card, and press Export (Ctrl+E). The files go to Pictures\Vow RAW Viewer, or next to each RAW.
Technical details
RAW Viewer at a glance
- Works on
- Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11, 64-bit
- RAW formats
- CR3, CR2, NEF, ARW, RAF, ORF, RW2, DNG, PEF, SRW, 3FR, IIQ, X3F
- Cameras
- 1,000+ models (LibRaw 0.21.1)
- Exports
- JPG, TIFF 8/16-bit, PNG 8/16-bit, camera JPEG
- Colour spaces
- sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto RGB (ICC embedded)
- Ratings
- XMP sidecars, Lightroom-compatible
- Internet
- Not needed: works fully offline
- Install
- Per-user, no administrator rights, no account; portable zip too
- Theme
- Light, dark or follow Windows: one click to switch
- Version
- 1.0.0, released 7 November 2026
- Publisher
- XTO Pty Ltd (Australia)
FAQ
Questions about RAW Viewer
Is Vow RAW Viewer free?
Yes. Viewing, browsing, rating, checking and adjusting are free and unlimited, and you can export 10 photos a day to JPG, TIFF, PNG or the camera's own JPEG, with every option. Unlimited, a one-time $4.95 USD payment, removes the daily export limit so whole folders and cards go in one go.
Which cameras and RAW formats does it open?
CR3, CR2, NEF, ARW, RAF, ORF, RW2, DNG, PEF, SRW, 3FR, IIQ, X3F and more, from over 1,000 camera models supported by LibRaw 0.21.1. A very new camera that LibRaw doesn't know yet still shows its built-in JPEG preview, and that JPEG can be exported.
Do I need Microsoft's Raw Image Extension?
No. Vow RAW Viewer decodes RAW files itself, so there is no codec or extension to install and nothing to download later.
Will it change my RAW files?
Never. Ratings and labels are written to small .xmp sidecar files next to each photo, adjustments are stored by the app, and exports are always new files.
Will my JPGs look like the camera's?
By default the brightness of every render is matched to the camera's own JPEG, with a Standard look, so exports don't come out flat. You can switch to Natural, Vivid, Flat or Mono, or turn the matching off.
Does it work with Lightroom?
Yes. Stars, rejects and colour labels go into XMP sidecars that Lightroom, Bridge, Capture One and darktable read, and sidecars those apps already wrote are read and kept intact.
Can I export a JPG under a size limit?
Yes. Set a maximum file size in KB and the quality, and if needed the size, is lowered until each file fits. That suits email, forums and upload forms.
Is it safe to install?
Yes. It is made and published by XTO Pty Ltd, an Australian company. There are no ads and no bundled software, it needs no administrator rights, it never takes over your file types, and it uninstalls cleanly from Windows Settings.
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Done searching. Get RAW Viewer.
Open camera RAW photos instantly, pick the keepers and export JPGs. Free to use every day, $4.95 once if you ever want Unlimited.
- No ads
- No malware
- No account
- No subscription