# LibRaw/LibRaw

LibRaw is a library for reading RAW files from digital cameras

Repository: https://github.com/LibRaw/LibRaw
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/libraw
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-08-18T17:54:22+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 88/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 69, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5805, "days_push": 15, "days_rel": 48, "gap_med": 91.0, "n_releases_24m": 7}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1560, forks 369 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:03.731223+00:00)

## What it is
LibRaw is a C++ library providing a unified interface for reading RAW files from digital cameras, extracting pixel data, processing metadata, and embedded previews. It supports hundreds of camera formats and includes basic RAW conversion inherited from dcraw.

## Use cases
- read RAW files from digital cameras in my app
- extract pixel data and metadata from CR2/NEF/ARW files
- build a RAW photo viewer or converter
- extract embedded thumbnails from camera RAW files
- analyze RAW sensor data for panorama or focus stacking software
- decode Bayer pattern and white balance info from RAW images

## When to choose
- you need broad camera RAW format support in a native C/C++ application
- you are building RAW viewers, converters, or analyzers
- you want a mature, dual-licensed (LGPL/CDDL) decoding library usable in commercial products

## When to avoid
- you need production-quality RAW rendering — LibRaw explicitly does not focus on that
- you want a high-level image processing pipeline rather than RAW decoding
- you need frequent minor releases with new camera support — major releases come every 1.5–3 years

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: image-processing, parser, sdk
- domain: photography, image-processing, files, media
- platform: cross-platform, cpp
- tags: raw-files, digital-cameras, dcraw, c-plus-plus, dual-licensed

## Member repositories
- LibRaw/LibRaw (main) score 88

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:03.731223+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:29:45.657995+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/LibRaw/LibRaw (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:03.731223+00:00, sha be16a2fa15dc)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.