What is FITS?

Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) is a scientific data format used primarily in astronomy for storing and transmitting images and datasets.

What is ARW?

Sony Alpha Raw (ARW) is Sony's proprietary raw image format containing unprocessed sensor data from Sony Alpha and Cyber-shot cameras.

When Should You Use FITS vs ARW?

FITS vs ARW: Key Differences

• •The core technical difference: FITS relies on lossless compression whereas ARW uses lossless compression.
• •Neither format changes compression philosophy — both are lossless compression — so any size differences are due to encoding efficiency, not a shift in quality approach.
• •Alpha channel support: ARW lacks transparency support.
• •FITS files are typically Varies from 1MB to several GB while ARW files range 20-40MB per photo
• •FITS is optimized for astronomy, scientific imaging, research while ARW is designed for sony camera post-processing, professional editing — choose based on your specific workflow needs

Advantages of FITS

• ✓FITS applies lossless compression specifically calibrated for Astronomy, scientific imaging, research.
• ✓FITS enjoys broad native support across operating systems, browsers, and creative tools alike.
• ✓FITS guarantees every bit of the original data survives — no approximations, no shortcuts.
• ✓You will find FITS support built into virtually every tool that handles Astronomy, scientific imaging, research — no plugins or converters needed.

Advantages of ARW

• ✓At its core, ARW relies on lossless encoding — a design choice that makes it perfect for Sony camera post-processing, professional editing.
• ✓You won't run into compatibility issues with ARW — it's a universal standard across platforms.
• ✓File size management with ARW: larger files guaranteed to match the original exactly.
• ✓Every major application in the Sony camera post-processing, professional editing space supports ARW natively.

Common Use Cases for FITS to ARW Conversion

• E-commerce product images
• Email marketing campaigns
• Presentation graphics
• Blog and article illustrations
• Mobile app UI assets
• Product photography for marketplaces

Industry Applications

Best Practices for FITS to ARW Conversion

• →When converting FITS to ARW, check whether ARW supports transparency — if not, your transparent areas will be filled with a solid color
• →Use ARW for maximum quality archival and FITS for lossless workflows
• →Optimize images for web to reduce page load times — tools like our converter let you adjust quality settings before conversion
• →Maintain original aspect ratio to avoid distortion during conversion
• →Always keep a backup of your original files before converting
• →Choose the appropriate quality settings for your specific use case

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Troubleshooting FITS to ARW Conversion

• !Converting FITS to ARW gives blurry output → increase the quality setting before conversion
• !Colors look different in ARW than FITS → check color profile mismatch (sRGB vs Adobe RGB)
• !File size changed more than expected → ARW uses different compression, file size differences of 2-5x are normal
• !Transparent areas in FITS turned white in ARW → ARW may not support transparency

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