A batch RAW to JPG workflow that keeps a whole shoot consistent

Converting one RAW file is easy. Converting 200 so they look like they belong together takes a little structure. This is the workflow we recommend, from culling to the final ZIP.

After a wedding, a trip or a family weekend you can easily come home with several hundred RAW files. The temptation is to convert everything at once and be done. The result is usually a folder full of JPGs where half the frames are blurry duplicates and the colors drift from one scene to the next.

A good batch workflow fixes both problems. It is mostly about doing things in the right order: decide which frames deserve to exist, build one look that suits the whole set, then export in sensible groups with names you will understand in five years.

Step 1: Cull before you convert

Culling means selecting the keepers and dropping the rest. It is the step that saves the most time, because every rejected frame is one you never have to adjust, export, back up or scroll past again.

A fast way to cull is in passes:

1. Technical pass. Remove anything clearly out of focus, badly blurred by motion, eyes closed, or accidental shots of the ground.
2. Duplicate pass. From each burst or series of near-identical frames, keep the best one or two.
3. Story pass. Ask what someone viewing the set actually needs to see. A good set of 40 strong images usually beats 300 average ones.

Many photographers cull using the camera's own playback, the embedded previews in their file browser, or a dedicated culling tool, then move keepers into a separate folder. Whatever you use, physically separating keepers from rejects makes the rest of the workflow simpler. Do not delete the rejects immediately if you have the space; storage is cheap and second opinions happen. Our archiving guide covers how to file them away.

Step 2: Group frames by lighting

A consistent look does not mean identical settings for every file. Frames shot outdoors at noon, in shade, and indoors under warm lamps need different white balance and exposure to look like they belong together. Before adjusting anything, sort your keepers into a few lighting groups. For a typical day it might be:

• Outdoor, direct sun
• Outdoor, open shade or overcast
• Indoor, artificial light
• Evening or golden hour

Each group will get the same base look, with small per-group corrections. This is the same idea professionals use when they "sync" settings across a selection in a full raw editor.

Step 3: Build the look on one representative frame

Pick a frame from your largest group that has typical lighting and a subject that matters, ideally including skin tones if people are in the set. Develop that one carefully:

1. Start with a preset close to the look you want, or from Natural. See how to use presets well for choosing a starting point.
2. Set white balance with Temp and Tint until neutral things look neutral and skin looks healthy.
3. Adjust Exposure, then Highlights and Shadows, then Whites and Blacks.
4. Finish with Vibrance or Saturation and a small amount of Clarity if needed.

Keep the adjustments moderate. A look that is pushed hard on one frame often breaks on another frame with different contrast. Gentle settings travel better across a batch.

Step 4: Save the look as a preset

Once the representative frame looks right, save it as your own preset. In RAWSnap, use the "Save preset" button and give it a name that describes the shoot or the lighting, for example "Beach day - sun" or "Kitchen tungsten". Custom presets are stored in your browser's local storage on that device, so they stay available next time you open the site in the same browser, but they are not synced to other devices and will disappear if you clear site data.

If your shoot has several lighting groups, create one preset per group, starting from the first and only changing what the light demands (usually Temp, Tint and Exposure). That keeps the overall character consistent while each group still looks correct.

Step 5: Apply, then check each frame briefly

In RAWSnap, the current slider settings apply to every file you have open, and the ZIP buttons export all open files with those same settings. That makes one lighting group per batch the natural unit: open a group of RAW files, apply the matching preset, and click through the files in the main preview. You are not re-editing every picture; you are checking for frames that clearly break the set.

If a frame needs its own correction, save it on its own: select it, make the change, use Save for phone or Save full quality for that one file, then re-apply the group preset before exporting the rest. Typical fixes are small:

• Exposure drift. A frame a stop darker or brighter than its neighbors. Nudge Exposure.
• White balance drift. Clouds passing or a subject stepping into shade. Nudge Temp.
• Crooked horizons. Use Straighten, which ranges up to 15 degrees either way.

Stepping quickly from one frame to the next is a surprisingly good way to spot outliers. If one frame jumps out as visibly warmer or brighter than its neighbors, viewers will notice it too.

Step 6: Export: phone size or full size?

RAWSnap offers two export sizes, and with several files open you can download them all as a ZIP:

Both use high-quality JPEG compression (quality 92). For most shared sets, phone size is the better choice: files are a fraction of the size, upload faster, and social networks resize to similar dimensions anyway. Our guide to JPEG export settings explains why bigger is not always better.

Step 7: Name files so they sort and make sense

RAWSnap names exports after the original file with a suffix, for example a file originally called DSC01234 becomes DSC01234_phone.jpg or DSC01234_original.jpg, and ZIP downloads are named RAWSnap_phone.zip or RAWSnap_original.zip. That keeps a clear link back to the RAW, which is useful. Before sharing or archiving, consider:

• Renaming the ZIP to something descriptive with a date, such as 2026-06-14_beach-day_phone.zip.
• Keeping the original frame number in the JPG name so you can always find the source RAW.
• Using year-month-day dates (YYYY-MM-DD) at the start of folder names so they sort chronologically everywhere.

Browser memory: why smaller batches work better

RAWSnap processes everything on your own device. That is what keeps your photos private, but it also means your browser's memory sets the practical limit on batch size. Each open RAW file is held in memory along with its decoded preview, and full-quality export decodes each file again at full resolution. A 24-megapixel RAW might be 25 to 50 MB on disk, and its decoded image takes considerably more memory than that.

Rules of thumb:

• Phones and tablets: work in batches of roughly 10 to 20 files, fewer for high-resolution cameras.
• Typical laptops: around 20 to 50 files per batch is usually comfortable.
• Desktops with plenty of RAM: larger batches can work, but there is little benefit beyond 50 to 100 at a time.
• High-resolution bodies (45 megapixels and above): halve those numbers.
• Full-size ZIP exports are the heaviest operation. If the tab slows down or reloads, export in smaller groups or use phone size.

Close other heavy tabs while converting, and if a batch fails partway, reload the page and continue with the remaining files. Because lighting groups are natural batch boundaries, the grouping from step 2 doubles as a memory-friendly way to split the work.

When a desktop raw editor is the better tool

For a few dozen photos you want to share quickly, a browser workflow is fast and simple. For a professional job with hundreds of frames, tight deadlines and a need for culling ratings, lens corrections, noise reduction, crop and per-image masks, a catalog-based editor such as Lightroom Classic, Capture One or darktable is the right tool. Our comparison of RAW editors covers the trade-offs honestly.

Checklist

1. Cull in passes; move keepers to their own folder.
2. Group keepers by lighting.
3. Develop one representative frame per group with moderate settings.
4. Save each look as a preset.
5. Apply, step through the frames, save outliers individually.
6. Export in batches sized to your device; phone size for sharing, full size for prints.
7. Rename ZIPs and folders with dates; keep the RAW originals.

FAQ

How many RAW files can I convert at once in the browser?

It depends on your device's memory and your camera's resolution. As a rough guide, 10 to 20 files on a phone and 20 to 50 on a typical laptop work comfortably. Split larger shoots into several batches.

Will the same preset look identical on every photo?

The settings are identical, but photos shot in different light will still look different. Group frames by lighting and adjust Temp, Tint and Exposure per group for a consistent result. In RAWSnap the settings apply to all open files, so convert one lighting group at a time.

Where are my custom presets stored?

In your browser's local storage on that device. They persist between visits in the same browser but are not synced elsewhere, and clearing site data removes them.

Do the exported JPGs keep the capture date?

No. RAWSnap does not copy EXIF metadata into exported JPGs. Keep your RAW files, which retain the full capture information.

Should I export phone size or full size?

Phone size (2048 px long edge) for sharing and web use, full size for printing, heavy cropping later or archiving a finished version.