How to open BRAW files on mac (Guide)

In simpler words, we can say that these BRAW files act as a type of container that contains compressed images arranged in a planned sequence and also contains audio in it. But, in this article, we will cover the most important question – How to open BRAW files on mac.

BRAW is way more different from audio and video and is known as the raw format of the video that is made using Blackmagic cameras.

The videos made with the help of Blackmagic cameras produce a different type of file known by the name of BRAW files and this is the native file format for such videos.

What is a BRAW File?

BRAW files contain video and audio data that is normally stored in a container format. These files are generated only with the help of Blackmagic cameras, such examples of Blackmagic cameras are – Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12k and Pocket Cinema Camera 4k.

These BRAW container format files are almost similar to the MOV video container files but these files contain some additional elements that are missing in MOV video container files.

Images have a special data representation and all the data inside the BRAW are encoded for better quality purposes.

The BRAW files follow a simple algorithm and the data is encoded in the BRAW codec, and the algorithm it follows is known as the compression algorithm.

These files include metadata that might have lens information, color space, ISO, and much more details.

These BRAW files are widely used by professional photographers and cinematographers for creating the best-quality videos, capturing live sporting events, filmmaking, weddings, broadcasting news, making professional videos, and much more.

Opening BRAW files is still a troublesome question for users as sometimes it gets difficult to access the files if you don’t know how to open them.

But, you can open them if you have better knowledge about the steps, the steps for opening BRAW files are quite simple and you can easily operate them.

The easiest and best method to open the BRAW files is to use adobe premiere pro on your mac device.

Opening of BRAW Files on mac

Multiple options can be useful in opening BRAW files on mac. Some of the best methods that can be used if you want to open BRAW files on your device.

You can easily open the files with the help of the Blackmagic RAW player and by the Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve.

Moreover, if your mac device has the Blackmagic RAW plugin installed in the device, then you can also use Adobe Premier Pro, and Avid Media Composer platform for the opening of BRAW files.

All these methods are quite simple and the user can easily use these for opening BRAW files.

The Blackmagic RAW player is mostly used for opening and editing BRAW files, whereas Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve is used for a different purpose.

It provides benefits to the main grading suite and allows the metadata to pass through the DaVinci resolve that is stored in the actual RAW data.

Blackmagic RAW player includes a speed test that contains, a GPU test, and a CPU test against different RAW bitrates.

Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premier Pro are different from the Blackmagic RAW player and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve as these are independent software that allows perfect editing and also support additional features.

Let’s understand the steps that are needed for opening BRAW files using Avid Media Compose.

  • The first step is to open the Avid Media composer on your mac and then look for the file on which you want to work.
How to open BRAW files on mac
  • The Avid media composer will work on files that have an extension .braw and the file will not get imported if you don’t have proper plugins.
  • If your file has this type of extension then it is ok otherwise you have to check for different plugins that are installed on your device.
  • Open Console and write ama_ListPlugins, you will get a list of plugins that are installed on the device.
Opening console to open BRAW files on mac
  • Check whether Blackmagic RAW is installed or not.
Blackmagic row to open BRAW files on mac
  • If the plugin is installed, then double-click on the file and you will get to see the file is open now. If the plugin is missing on your device then you have to search for it on the web and you have to install it from there.

These steps will help you open BRAW files on mac using the help of Avid Media Composer. Now it’s time to look at the steps that can be used with help of Adobe premiere pro for opening BRAW files.

If you are a creator or an editor then you must be aware of the use of adobe premiere pro and it might be easier for you to use.

But, if you are a newbie and don’t know how to use this platform, then follow these steps to get the solution of How to open BRAW files on Mac.

  • Download and install Adobe Premier Pro software on your device.
  • When you try to open files on your device you will see that you can’t access them if you don’t have a supported software, but Adobe Premier Pro allows users to open .braw files.
Adobe Premier pro to open BRAW files on mac
  • Also, the user can’t simply import these files as the files still remain unsupported in Adobe Premier Pro, but there is a solution to this problem.
BRAW file unsupported in Adobe premier pro
Blackmagic design to open BRAW files on mac
  • Scroll down the section that displays the latest downloads and then download Developer SDK Blackmagic RAW 1.6 for mac.
  • Now make sure to enter your details so that you can download the file.
Downloading developer SDK balckmagic RAW on Mac
  • After downloading make sure to install the file.
  • Once installation is done, you can see your files are now supported on your device.
Plugin Installed on Mac to open BRAW files on mac
  • You can also go to Adobe Premier Pro and check that now the files can get imported into your device without any difficulty.
Importing files to open BRAW files on mac
  • The last step is to select the files that you want to import and then click on import for the opening of files.  

This method is quite easier and helpful for users and most people choose this method for opening the BRAW files on their mac.

Conclusion         

BRAW files act as containers and store metadata in them. In simpler words, we can say that these files are a combination of audio and video.

It is quite easy to open such files on your mac, and generally, four methods are used if you want to access a BRAW file. The most common and widely used method is the use of Adobe Premier Pro.

The other alternatives are Blackmagic RAW player, Blackmagic DaVinci Response, and AVID Media Composer. Follow this helpful guide to know the solution of How to open BRAW files on mac.

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