Uploading your RAW files is a great way to manage your photographic workflow entirely within SmugMug. You can even upload their associated PSD, JPEG, and .xmp files, or only upload and archive RAW files for organization and safekeeping.
Uploading with SmugMug Source is just like uploading to your main SmugMug account. You can upload from your desktop, mobile-device browsers, and SmugMug apps.
Note: PSDs (Photoshop files) can only be uploaded in the web uploader.
Upload RAW files.
To upload RAW files the same way you upload JPEG, PNG, and GIF files, drag and drop them right into your selected gallery. Or select Site from the navigation menu, then navigate to a gallery, and choose the Upload button. Or, from your Site homepage, choose the Upload button then select upload to an existing gallery or create a new gallery.
If you have a folder full of RAW files, those can also be uploaded to a folder on your SmugMug account. From the Site homepage—or from a selected folder in the Organizer—choose the Upload Folders option from the upload menu, then drag a folder from your computer to the uploader, or browse to find one on your computer to begin the upload. If you accidentally have a gallery selected, you won't see the folder upload option.
NOTE: There can be 5,000 assets in a gallery, with each asset potentially containing multiple entangled components (RAWs, JPGs, XMP, etc). The JPGs we create or those uploaded with the RAW files won't be counted as extra against that 5,000 limit.
Assistants, a feature available with a Pro plan, can upload RAW files when an account has an active Source subscription.
FYI: Your RAW files aren't available for sale. However, if you have shopping turned ON in a gallery that contains RAW files, the display JPEGs for those RAW files will be available for purchase. To prevent this, make sure to turn shopping OFF in your gallery settings.
Apps.
We have official SmugMug apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. Each one is available for uploading your JPEG, PNG, GIF, and RAW files (PSD files aren't available for uploading at this time in these apps).
Desktop.
Our desktop apps are the best option for uploading your RAW files to SmugMug, and RAW files are supported in both the Windows and Mac apps. With our apps, you have the option to manually upload or use the folder-watch feature. The apps provide a more streamlined experience than browser uploading.
The Windows app has an option to limit your bandwidth if you need to watch your bandwidth throughout the day, but the Mac app doesn't have this feature at this time. Both apps feature an option for scheduling uploads, and the status bar will show you the progress of your upload.
Mobile.
SmugMug mobile apps are available to conveniently upload RAW files as well. Upload on your mobile devices with our Android and iOS apps. If you're using auto upload in the mobile app, you can choose to include your RAW files. To enable this in your iOS device, turn on the RAW upload option in Settings > Auto Upload > Include RAW photos. These steps are similar in the SmugMug Android app.
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iOS Pro RAW (DNG) files are supported.
You can also view existing RAWs on your account using our mobile apps. The RAW badge is visible on your image tiles so you know which images are RAW.
Note: Downloading RAW files isn't yet supported on mobile devices. A JPG image will be downloaded to the device if a RAW file is requested on a mobile device.
Lightroom.
Our Lightroom plug-in now supports RAW uploads. In the Publishing Manager under the Publish and Syncing section, you'll now find an option to check Upload Raw and JPG. Access the Lightroom Publishing Manager for the plug-in by double-clicking on the plug-in, then selecting Publishing Manager > File Settings > Upload RAW with JPEG > Save. This is the main level setting for the plug-in.
The RAW and JPEG files will associate with one another once published if the filenames match and they're uploaded into the same gallery.
File settings.
Image format:
- JPEG: If JPEG is selected in the File Setting > Image format of the Publishing Manager, this will upload RAW and JPEG files if the Upload RAW with JPEG is checked.
- Original: If Original is selected in the File Setting > Image format of the Publishing Manager, ONLY the RAW will upload. A JPEG with your edits won't be included. If you upload RAW only and later make edits to the published RAW, the changes won't be apparent on the published RAW file. RAW files don't store edits, so there won't be a change in the published RAW file. The exception to this would be DNG or TIFF files that do save edits. The plug-in would therefore mark those images to republish to SmugMug and the edits would be included.
Gallery settings.
- In the plug-in, if you right-click on a gallery and select Edit Gallery, you'll see the gallery-setting options. The default option will be enabled for uploading RAW with JPEG and the default is the setting invoked in the File Settings section of the Publishing Manager.
- There are three settings options in this gallery view. These can be invoked to override the settings chosen in the File Settings of the Publishing Manager.
- Default: Follows the main setting of the Publishing Manager.
- Yes: Will allow RAW files to upload even if the main setting is not checked, but JPEGs are chosen in the file setting of the Publishing Manager.
- No: Disallows RAW files from uploading no matter the setting in the Publishing Manager.
This chart goes over the settings, options, and outcomes for files when each is invoked in the Publishing Manager and gallery settings within the plug-in.
| Main level in the Publishing Manager | File Setting in the Publishing Manager | Gallery Setting in the plug-in | Result uploaded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upload RAW & JPG not checked | Original | RAW + JPEG | Only RAW |
| NO | Only RAW | ||
| Default | Only RAW | ||
| JPG | RAW + JPEG | Both RAW & JPG | |
| NO | Only JPG | ||
| Default | Only JPG | ||
| Upload RAW & JPG checked | Original | RAW + JPEG | Only RAW |
| NO | Only RAW | ||
| Default | Only RAW | ||
| JPG | RAW + JPEG | Both RAW & JPG | |
| NO | Only JPG | ||
| Default | Both RAW & JPG |
Supported file types.
PSD, PSB, RAF, .RW2, .CR2, .NRW, .ARW, .NEF, .DNG, .SRF, .RAW, .DCR, .ORF, .CRW, .SRW, .CR3, .RWL, .X3F, .MRW, .IIQ, . PEF, .TIF, .TIFF, .BMP
RAW files have a limit of 3GB per photo.
Sidecar files: Adobe (.xmp), Capture One, (.cof, .cop, .cot, .comask, .cos, .icm), DxO (.dop), On1 (.on1). RAWTherapee, (.pp3).
Associated file types.
We'll associate related files together to keep the clutter down and your organization easier. If you upload a RAW file, along with a companion PSD, JPEG, and/or sidecar file, we'll associate them together as a stacked resource. But for this to work, both files must have the same file name and be uploaded to the same gallery in order to remain an associated set.
This means you can upload RAW files to an existing gallery of JPEGs that have matching filenames and the RAWs will automatically associate together as a set.
If you only upload RAW files to a new gallery, we'll create display JPEGs of them so your images can be seen by visitors. RAW files currently aren't visible via any browsers, so we need to make a JPEG available for viewing. We currently won't generate JPEG previews for ARW using lossless compression, but we will in the future, including back-filing, once we do support them.
If you upload an .xmp file along with the RAW and JPEG files, that sidecar file will also stay associated with the RAW and JPEG files.
Download RAW files.
As the account owner, you can download all the RAW files you uploaded. If you uploaded a RAW, JPEG, and .xmp sidecar file, then that's what will be available when you download the associated files for a given image from within the Organizer. If you uploaded only the RAW and .xmp files, then you'll receive those files plus a SmugMug-generated JPEG with your download.
If you've permitted downloading for visitors in your gallery settings, your visitors will only be able to download the JPEG file you provided. They won't receive any system-generated JPEGs we created as display copies. Visitors do NOT have access to your RAW files if they request the download.
Delete RAW files.
As the account owner if you choose to delete a RAW file it will delete all of the assets associated with that file. The JPEG does not remain, it will be deleted with the RAW file. If you close your Source subscription the RAW files and any .xmp files will be removed, but if you uploaded a JPEG that is associated with the RAW file, you will still have access to those JPEG files.
Replace RAW files.
The option to replace a RAW file appears to be available, but it actually only replaces the associated JPEG file.
You may add assets to a RAW file. For instance if you upload 1234.CR and then 1234.TIFF, in the same gallery, the file will associate with the previously uploaded CR file of the same name and will entangle to be part of that files associated assets.