What is IIQ?

Phase One IIQ is a professional medium-format raw format used by Phase One digital backs, delivering exceptional image quality for commercial photography.

What is RAF?

Fujifilm Raw Format (RAF) contains raw sensor data from Fujifilm X-Series and GFX cameras with unique X-Trans sensor processing.

When Should You Use IIQ vs RAF?

IIQ vs RAF: Key Differences

• •The core technical difference: IIQ relies on lossless compression whereas RAF 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: RAF lacks transparency support.
• •File sizes: IIQ files typically range 50-150MB per image from medium-format backs and RAF files 20-50MB per photo.
• •IIQ is optimized for professional studio photography, digital back capture while RAF is designed for fujifilm photography, film simulation processing — choose based on your specific workflow needs

Advantages of IIQ

• ✓At its core, IIQ relies on lossless encoding — a design choice that makes it perfect for Professional studio photography, digital back capture.
• ✓You won't run into compatibility issues with IIQ — it's a universal standard across platforms.
• ✓File size management with IIQ: larger files guaranteed to match the original exactly.
• ✓Every major application in the Professional studio photography, digital back capture space supports IIQ natively.

Advantages of RAF

• ✓RAF compresses data using lossless methods, keeping file sizes manageable for Fujifilm photography, film simulation processing.
• ✓Industry-wide support means RAF files open anywhere — from legacy systems to the latest devices.
• ✓Lossless quality makes RAF the gold standard for archival and master copies.
• ✓From Adobe Photoshop to open-source alternatives, RAF works out of the box.

Common Use Cases for IIQ to RAF 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 IIQ to RAF Conversion

• →When converting IIQ to RAF, check whether RAF supports transparency — if not, your transparent areas will be filled with a solid color
• →Use RAF for maximum quality archival and IIQ 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 IIQ to RAF Conversion

• !RAF shows visible compression artifacts → lower the compression level or switch to a lossless variant
• !The converted RAF image looks washed out → the source IIQ likely uses a wider color space than RAF supports
• !RAF file is much larger than expected → check if the conversion preserved an unnecessarily high resolution
• !Text in the converted RAF looks fuzzy → text-heavy images benefit from higher quality settings or a different output format

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