Sony's Imaging Edge Desktop--Raw files

[Pearson2002]

How do I recover an original RAW file? I made some changes to a RAW file, saved it, but then changed my mind and want to revert to the original. This was easy when I shot RAW Canon photos (there was a "Revert to Shot..." menu option), but I can't find the equivalent in Sony's IED Edit program.

Thank you.

OS: Windows 11

 

[AlanKlein68]

Welcome to TPS. How did you save it? If you saved it to the original file, it may be lost? Did you create a second file with the changes using save as?

 

[Pearson2002]

I just saved it pressing the Save option on the menu bar. Didn't realize it had a drop-down menu with Save and Save As... options. Plus, I didn't realize that this didn't still keep the original file. This is a different operation than the Canon raw editor. Using Save on Canon would still keep the original raw file (you could always revert to shot version).

 

[greybeard20]

I didn't think you could directly edit or change a RAW file. Usually the software makes the changes in memory and then saves the edited file as either a .dng, .tif or .jpg while leaving the original raw file untouched.

 

[AlanKlein68]

I just saved it pressing the Save option on the menu bar. Didn't realize it had a drop-down menu with Save and Save As... options. Plus, I didn't realize that this didn't still keep the original file. This is a different operation than the Canon raw editor. Using Save on Canon would still keep the original raw file (you could always revert to shot version).

Graybeard made a good point. You probably didn't edit the original RAW file. But you could have overwritten it with let;s say an edited jpeg.

Did you check the original file folder to see if the original RAW file was there or not. If it isn't, what is there?

 

[AlanKlein68]

I ran Gemini AI . It came up with this. Hope it helps.

When working with RAW files (.ARW) in Sony Imaging Edge Desktop (IED), the actual raw sensor data in the .ARW file is never permanently modified or altered. However, selecting Save writes edit metadata directly into the .ARW header or creates/updates an associated sidecar file.

To safely save edits or revert your RAW photos, follow these methods depending on what you want to achieve:

1. Export as a New Format (Safest Workflow)​

To keep your RAW file completely untouched and generate a finished image, export the file rather than saving over it:

• Go to File → Export... (or click the Output icon).
• Save your edited version as a JPEG or TIFF file. This leaves the underlying RAW file in its default state.

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2. Save Processing Settings Separately​

If you want to save your current adjustments without altering how the RAW file opens by default:

• Go to Edit menu → Image Processing Settings → Save....
• This saves your edits as an external .ST1 / .ST2 preset file that you can load onto any RAW photo later.

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3. Revert an Edited RAW Back to the Original Shot​

If you clicked Save on a RAW file and want to completely undo all adjustments:

• Open the image in the Edit window.
• Go to Edit menu → Image Processing Settings → Reset (or click the Reset button at the bottom of the adjustment panel on the right).
• Go to File → Save to overwrite the metadata back to default settings.

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4. Create a Copy Before Editing​

If you want to create multiple versions of the same RAW file within Sony IED:

• Select the file in Viewer or Edit.
• Choose File → Save As... to save a duplicate .ARW file with your new adjustments.