GIF to RAF Converter

Encoding: the GIF uses lossless LZW over a palette of at most 256 colours; RAF uses uncompressed or lossless compressed sensor data in Fujifilm's own container, and the download is a Linear DNG: demosaiced 8-bit RGB with the colour matrices raw editors need.

Bit depth: 8 bits per pixel, as indexes into a palette in the GIF; RAF allows 12 to 16 bits per channel depending on the camera, and the DNG written here has 8 bits per channel, linearised.

Colour: an indexed palette of up to 256 colours per frame in the GIF; RAF supports camera RGB from an X-Trans 6×6 or Bayer 2×2 mosaic, written here as 8-bit sRGB.

Transparency: the GIF stores it as one palette entry marked transparent, so each pixel is either fully shown or fully hidden; the DNG has none, so transparent areas are filled with the colour you choose.

Animation: image blocks with their own delay and disposal method, looped by the NETSCAPE2.0 extension; the DNG holds one image, so only the first frame is converted.

Metadata: the GIF can carry comment and application extension blocks, but no EXIF; RAF can carry EXIF and Fujifilm maker notes, including the Film Simulation, but nothing is copied across.

GIF is the classic animated image format. It is limited to 256 colours per frame and 1-bit transparency, so photos look grainy and files are large, but it plays everywhere.

A GIF starts with 'GIF89a' (or the older 87a), a logical screen descriptor and an optional global colour table, then image blocks, each preceded by a graphic control extension that sets its delay and transparent colour.

GIF files usually come from reaction clips, memes, old websites and screen recordings.

RAF is the raw format of Fujifilm cameras, from the X series to the medium-format GFX. Most X-series bodies use an X-Trans sensor with a 6×6 colour filter pattern instead of the usual Bayer 2×2.

RAF is not TIFF at the top level: it opens with the text 'FUJIFILMCCD-RAW', then a header with the camera model and offsets to three blocks: a JPEG preview near the start of the file, a header describing the sensor layout, and the sensor data.

RAF files come from Fujifilm X-T, X-H, X-S, X-E, X100 and GFX cameras.

Forms and workflows that ask for RAF usually feed a raw editor, and each of those opens DNG as well, so the DNG can take the RAF's place. Keep the GIF if you only need to view or share the picture.

What RAF offers when it comes straight from the camera: Film Simulation baked into the embedded JPEG; Lossless compressed option on recent bodies; Large medium-format files from GFX cameras. Its drawbacks: Fujifilm's own container rather than TIFF; X-Trans demosaicing differs between raw editors; Film Simulations need camera-matching profiles in third-party editors.