How to Shoot Open-Gate RAW Video on Any iPhone (No SSD Required)
How to Shoot Open-Gate RAW Video on Any iPhone (No SSD Required)
This tutorial explains how to record true CinemaDNG RAW video on any model of iPhone using the RAW Cam: Open Gate DNG Video app. It demonstrates how RAW Cam enables internal CinemaDNG recording on iPhone while completely bypassing Apple’s image signal processing. The result is genuine RAW sensor data, full access to Camera RAW controls in DaVinci Resolve, and image quality that can rival — and in some cases surpass — ProRes RAW on the latest iPhone Pro models.
ProRes was also mentioned in our article ProRes ‘Almost’ RAW vs 12-Bit DCG RAW Video Shootout! (iPhone 17 Pro vs Pixel 10 Pro)
The video covers:
What RAW video actually is and why it matters
How RAW Cam works on iPhone using Open Gate CinemaDNG
Supported iPhone models, including iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, and newer
Internal versus external recording, and why SSDs are not required
Exposure, ISO, focus, and clipping indicators explained
Converting MCRAW to CinemaDNG on both Mac and Windows
A complete DaVinci Resolve RAW grading workflow
Side-by-side comparisons with the native iPhone camera
Key limitations that must be understood before shooting RAW on iPhone
Unlike Apple Log or ProRes RAW, RAW Cam removes Apple’s ISP entirely, delivering minimally processed Bayer sensor data. This allows for improved highlight recovery, no baked-in sharpening, cleaner colour, and the flexibility to convert footage to ARRI LogC, Blackmagic Film Gen 5, or other professional colour spaces — even on older iPhones such as the iPhone 11. The app effectively transforms older iPhone models into capable pocket cinema cameras.
Because RAW video on iPhone is extremely demanding, the tutorial also addresses dropped frames, recording-time limits, the absence of stabilisation, focus limitations, very large file sizes, and why RAW is not always the most practical choice.
For filmmakers seeking the maximum possible image quality from an iPhone — particularly models that do not support Apple Log — this app offers a way to achieve true RAW capture and a genuinely cinematic workflow on iOS.
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photographer, photography journalist, editor and curator and the founder and editorial director of TheAppWhisperer.com, an independent international photography publication established in 2009.Her journalism, criticism and commentary have appeared in The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, BBC, Vogue Italia, LensCulture, Popular Photography, Android Magazine, NikonPro, DPReview, Which Digital Camera and Which Camera. She has lectured internationally on photography and mobile art, served as a juror for international photography awards, and exhibited her own photographic work across the UK, Europe, South Korea and the United States.Alongside her editorial work, Joanne's photographic and postgraduate research explores death, grief, memory, representation and social inequality through contemporary photography, participatory practice and visual research methods, with the longer-term aim of developing this work through doctoral research.Through TheAppWhisperer, she continues to publish independent photography journalism spanning contemporary photographic practice, mobile imaging, photographic apps, computational photography and emerging imaging technologies.Joanne is available for editorial commissions, photography projects, judging, curatorial work, speaking engagements, consultancy and selected collaborations.
