You just finished a portrait session and your client wants the RAW files. You have 400 images in CR3 format, totaling 28GB. How do you get them from your camera to your client’s computer without the files getting compressed, converted, or lost in transit?

For professional photographers and serious hobbyists, sharing RAW photos presents unique challenges that standard file sharing tools were not designed to solve. RAW files are massive, their formats are poorly supported by consumer platforms, and galleries of hundreds of images require careful organization. This guide covers every practical method for getting RAW photos and complete galleries from point A to point B — securely and without quality loss.

Why RAW Files Are Different from JPEGs

Before diving into sharing methods, it is worth understanding why RAW files demand special treatment.

A RAW file is the unprocessed data captured directly by your camera’s sensor. Think of it as a digital negative — it contains the full dynamic range, color depth, and detail the sensor recorded, before any processing or compression.

A JPEG, by contrast, is a processed and compressed output. The camera (or your editing software) makes decisions about white balance, sharpening, noise reduction, and color rendering, then discards the data it considers unnecessary to create a smaller file.

Property	RAW	JPEG
File size	25–80MB per image	3–10MB per image
Dynamic range	Full sensor range (12–16 stops)	Limited (8–10 stops)
Color depth	12–14 bit (4,096–16,384 tones per channel)	8 bit (256 tones per channel)
Editing flexibility	Extensive — recover shadows, adjust white balance	Limited — edits degrade quickly
Compatibility	Requires specialized software	Opens anywhere
Compression	Lossless or none	Lossy

The practical implication: a RAW file contains dramatically more information, which is why photographers shoot RAW when quality and editing flexibility matter. But that same richness makes RAW files harder to share.

The Challenges of Sharing RAW Files

1. File Size

A single RAW file from a modern full-frame camera is typically 40–60MB. A wedding shoot might produce 3,000–5,000 images. Even after culling, a delivery of 800 edited RAW files could total 40–50GB. Most sharing tools were not built for this scale.

2. Format Compatibility

RAW is not a single format — it is a family of proprietary formats:

Camera Brand	RAW Format	Extension
Canon	Canon RAW 3	.CR3
Nikon	Nikon Electronic Format	.NEF
Sony	Alpha RAW	.ARW
Fujifilm	RAF	.RAF
Adobe (universal)	Digital Negative	.DNG
Apple (iPhone)	ProRAW / DNG	.DNG

Many file sharing and cloud services do not recognize these formats. Some may try to convert them, preview them incorrectly, or reject them as “unsupported file types.” The recipient needs compatible software (Lightroom, Capture One, RawTherapee, Apple Photos) to open them.

3. Compression Risk

Some services re-compress files during upload, especially if they detect image formats. A RAW file re-compressed (or worse, converted to JPEG) loses the very data that makes it valuable. You need a sharing method that treats your files as opaque binary data and passes them through untouched.

4. Security

RAW files from a client shoot are confidential work product. An unreleased wedding gallery, a corporate headshot session, or a commercial product shoot contains images that are not meant for public consumption. Sharing them through unsecured channels risks leaks.

Method 1: Physical Media (The Reliable Workhorse)

For the largest transfers, physical media remains unbeatable in terms of speed and reliability.

USB Flash Drives and External SSDs

A 1TB portable SSD costs around $80 in 2026 and can transfer an entire wedding shoot in minutes via USB-C. This is often faster than any internet-based method:

Transfer Method	50GB Transfer Time
USB 3.2 SSD (10 Gbps)	~40 seconds
Wi-Fi 6 (local network)	~7 minutes
Fiber internet (1 Gbps upload)	~7 minutes
Cable internet (20 Mbps upload)	~5.5 hours
DSL (5 Mbps upload)	~22 hours

Best for: In-person client meetings, studio pickups, or when internet upload speed is a bottleneck.

Workflow:

1. Export your culled and edited RAW files to a named folder
2. Copy the folder to an external SSD
3. Hand the drive to the client (or ship it for remote clients)
4. Client copies files to their computer and returns the drive

SD Cards and CF Cards

If your client uses the same camera system, you can deliver original memory cards. More commonly, copy files to an SD card and provide that. SD cards are cheap enough to be treated as disposable delivery media.

Method 2: Link-Based File Sharing Services

For remote clients, link-based file sharing is the most practical approach. Upload your files, get a link, send the link. The client downloads without needing an account or app.

How to Share a RAW Gallery via Stash

1. Organize your files into a clearly named folder on your Mac or iPhone
2. Select all files and upload through Stash
3. Stash encrypts each file on your device using AES-256-GCM before uploading
4. You receive a share link for each file (or batch)
5. Send the link to your client via email or messaging
6. The client opens the link in any browser and downloads the original RAW files

The files arrive exactly as uploaded — no conversion, no compression, no format changes. The end-to-end encryption means the files are protected in transit and at rest, and Stash’s servers never have access to the unencrypted images.

Other File Sharing Options

Service	Max File Size	Compression	RAW Support	Recipient Account
Stash	No limit	None	Yes (pass-through)	Not required
WeTransfer Free	2GB	None	Yes	Not required
WeTransfer Pro	200GB	None	Yes	Not required
Masv	15TB	None	Yes	Not required
Filemail	5GB (free)	None	Yes	Not required

Important: Avoid sharing RAW files through services that generate web previews by processing the images — this can sometimes trigger unwanted conversion.

Method 3: Cloud Storage Shared Folders

For ongoing collaboration with an editor or second shooter, a shared cloud folder provides persistent access and sync capabilities.

Google Drive

Google Drive stores RAW files at original quality. Create a shared folder, upload your RAW files, and share with your collaborator’s Google account.

Caveats:

• 15GB free storage fills fast with RAW files (a single session might be 30GB+)
• Google Drive cannot preview most RAW formats
• Upload can be slow for large batches

Dropbox

Dropbox handles RAW files well and offers selective sync, so collaborators only download the folders they need.

Caveats:

• 2GB free tier is insufficient for RAW galleries
• Camera Upload feature may compress photos (use manual upload instead)

Best Practice for Cloud Storage

When using cloud storage for RAW gallery sharing:

1. Create a dedicated folder per client or project
2. Disable auto-optimization features that could compress images
3. Verify file sizes after upload to confirm no compression occurred
4. Set appropriate permissions (view-only for clients, edit for collaborators)

Method 4: Self-Hosted Gallery Solutions

Some photographers run their own file serving infrastructure:

Nextcloud

A self-hosted cloud platform that gives you complete control:

• No file size limits (bounded only by your server storage)
• No compression
• Gallery views with RAW thumbnail generation
• User accounts with granular permissions

Trade-off: Requires a server (VPS or home server) and technical setup.

FTP / SFTP

For photographers sharing with other technical professionals (retouchers, agencies), SFTP provides fast, reliable transfers:

• No file size limits
• Resumable transfers for large galleries
• Scriptable for automated workflows
• Widely supported by professional tools

Organizing RAW Galleries for Delivery

How you organize files matters as much as how you transfer them. A poorly organized gallery wastes the client’s time and creates confusion.

Naming Conventions

Use a consistent naming structure:

ClientName_Date_EventType/
├── RAW/
│   ├── IMG_0001.CR3
│   ├── IMG_0002.CR3
│   └── ...
├── Edited/
│   ├── IMG_0001_edit.tif
│   ├── IMG_0002_edit.tif
│   └── ...
└── JPEG_Proofs/
    ├── IMG_0001_proof.jpg
    ├── IMG_0002_proof.jpg
    └── ...

Include a README

For client deliveries, include a plain text file explaining:

• What is in each folder
• What software the client needs to open RAW files
• The total number of images and approximate total file size
• Your contact information for questions

Provide JPEG Proofs Alongside RAW Files

Many clients do not have (or know how to use) RAW editing software. Including a folder of JPEG proofs lets them browse images quickly while still having the RAW files for professional use. The proofs serve as a visual index of the RAW collection.

Security Considerations for Client Galleries

Why Encryption Matters for Photo Galleries

Client photos are private. Wedding images, family portraits, corporate headshots, and commercial product shots are all created under an expectation of confidentiality. A leaked gallery can:

• Violate client trust and damage your professional reputation
• Expose private moments (especially wedding and family photos)
• Allow competitors to access unreleased commercial work
• Create legal liability if the images are used without authorization

Best Security Practices

• Use end-to-end encrypted sharing so files are protected in transit and at rest
• Do not store client galleries indefinitely on cloud services — transfer, confirm receipt, and delete
• Use watermarked JPEG proofs for initial client review, delivering full files only after approval
• Control access — share links only with the client, not in group chats or public channels
• Document your delivery — keep records of when files were shared and when the client confirmed receipt

Handling Common Problems

”The Client Can’t Open RAW Files”

This is the most common issue. RAW files require specialized software. Recommended options for clients:

• Adobe Lightroom (subscription) — industry standard
• Apple Photos (free on Mac/iPhone) — supports most RAW formats
• RawTherapee (free, open source) — works on Windows, Mac, Linux
• Darktable (free, open source) — similar to Lightroom

Alternatively, convert RAW files to DNG (Adobe’s universal RAW format) before sharing. DNG has broader software support than proprietary formats like CR3 or ARW.

”The Upload Is Taking Forever”

Large RAW galleries (30GB+) take significant time to upload:

Speed up uploads:

• Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi
• Upload during off-peak hours (early morning or late night)
• Close other apps consuming bandwidth (streaming, cloud sync, backups)
• If the service supports it, use a desktop upload client rather than the web browser

Alternative for massive galleries: Ship a physical drive. For 100GB+, it is often faster and more reliable.

”The Client Says the Colors Look Wrong”

This is usually a color profile issue, not a file sharing problem. RAW files embed color profiles that need to be interpreted by the viewing software. If the client opens images in an app that does not support the embedded profile, colors may look flat or shifted.

Solutions:

• Export final deliverables in sRGB if they are for web or screen viewing
• Export in Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB if the client will print professionally
• Include a note about which color profile to use in your README file

”Some Files Are Missing After Download”

This can happen with very large batch downloads when the connection is unstable:

• Have the client verify the file count against what you sent
• If files are missing, the client can re-download individual files
• For critical deliveries, include a manifest file listing every filename and its file size for verification

Building a Repeatable RAW Delivery Workflow

The photographers who run the smoothest operations have a standardized delivery process they follow for every job:

1. Cull and organize the shoot into final selections
2. Export RAW files (and JPEG proofs if included) to a delivery folder with clear naming
3. Upload to your file sharing service of choice
4. Verify upload by checking file counts and sizes
5. Generate and send the download link with a professional message
6. Confirm receipt — follow up to make sure the client downloaded successfully
7. Clean up — delete the files from the sharing service after confirmed receipt

This workflow takes minutes once it is habitual, and it ensures consistent, professional deliveries every time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share Apple ProRAW photos from iPhone the same way?

Yes. Apple ProRAW files are stored in DNG format, which is more widely compatible than proprietary RAW formats. You can share them through any file sharing service that does not compress uploads. They will retain their full 12-bit depth and editing flexibility.

Should I convert RAW files to DNG before sharing?

It depends on the recipient. If your client uses Adobe software (Lightroom, Photoshop), DNG works well and has broader compatibility. If they use brand-specific software (Canon DPP, Nikon NX Studio), they may prefer the native RAW format. When in doubt, ask.

How do I share a gallery of 500+ RAW files efficiently?

For 500+ files, consider zipping the gallery into a single archive before uploading. This reduces the number of individual uploads and makes the download a single file for the client. Most operating systems can unzip archives natively.

Is it safe to share RAW files over the internet?

With end-to-end encryption, yes. The files are encrypted on your device before upload, and only the person with the share link can decrypt them. Without E2E encryption, the files exist unencrypted on the server, which carries the risks of server breaches and unauthorized access.

What is the cheapest way to share large RAW galleries?

Physical media is cheapest for very large galleries (100GB+) — a 1TB SSD costs ~$80 and is reusable. For remote deliveries, services like Stash offer free tiers that handle large files without compression. WeTransfer Free allows up to 2GB per transfer. For galleries exceeding free tier limits, paid plans on any major sharing service are typically $10–20/month.

Can I share RAW files from my camera’s SD card directly?

On iPhone and iPad, you can use a USB-C SD card reader to import RAW files directly into the Photos app or Files app, then share from there. On Mac, the SD card mounts as a drive and you can upload files directly. Avoid importing through apps that auto-convert to JPEG.