RAW files are fairly large, and they must be converted to a more concise image format before being loaded into Agisoft Metashape or other photogrammetry program. Saving the image as a RAW file allows you to make many types of changes to images after-the-fact, such as changes to lighting. JPEG), your camera applies a number of pre-determined settings to the image before saving it to an SD card. When you take a picture and save it as a different file format (e.g. A RAW file is a photograph as seen by your camera’s digital sensor.
It is best if you have a camera that can take pictures in RAW file format, such as a Nikon or Canon DSLR or mirrorless camera. You can use any camera to gather photos, even the camera on your smartphone. The first step of any photogrammetry project is taking pictures of the object or environment that you want to model.
