Aftershoot’s Free RAW Editor, Photon, Teaches You How To Edit Photos

Aftershoot, known for its AI-driven photo editing platform for pros, has launched its own free RAW editor, Photon.

Photon promises to make RAW photo editing easier and more accessible by introducing a built-in AI assistant, the AI Coach. The AI Coach tells users what they may want to adjust in their photos and explains why, giving it a more educational tilt than a typical AI editing tool.

Aftershoot notes that the photography industry is growing again, welcoming in a new generation of users who may want to take advantage of their camera’s RAW photo capabilities but don’t necessarily understand how to edit their shots.

“Many of these [newer] photographers will eventually want to shoot RAW, and that’s where they get stuck,” Aftershoot says. “Most RAW editors are built for professionals, with subscriptions and complex tools that assume you already know what each slider does. Photon takes a different approach — making RAW editing simple and intuitive, whether you’re just getting started or already know your way around a camera.”

To that end, Photon is also free, as mentioned above. As Aftershoot says, it is “100% free” and does not require a credit card. Photon supports RAW and JPEG files from a wide range of cameras from the major brands. As for which cameras are supported, Aftershoot tells PetaPixel that the company focused on building support for the most common cameras first, which it says will cover “most of the user base.”

Supported cameras include recent iPhone models, most Canon DSLR and mirrorless cameras, a bunch of Fujifilm cameras, and models from Nikon, Sony, OM System (and Olympus), Panasonic, and more. Support for additional models will be determined by user demand and will take anywhere between a month and a year to add. The company added that it built its own RAW image processing engine from scratch, though it relied on DCP profiles from Adobe’s DNG Converter for color calibration.

While Photon’s AI Coach is a key part of the new RAW editor’s sales pitch, Aftershoot has also built a wide range of manual editing tools. AI Coach suggests styles and edits, but users can take or leave as much of the guidance as they want. The user remains in complete control throughout the entire editing process.

“For years, we’ve helped professionals get their time back. But most people who love photography never get a great place to start editing. Photon is that place,” Aftershoot’s Founder, Harshit Dwivedi, says.

“AI Coach is like having a mentor alongside you — helping you get the best out of your images while walking you through the editing process and explaining the why behind each adjustment. You’re not just getting better edits; you’re learning how to make them yourself.”

It’s a compelling idea that builds on Aftershoot’s existing product portfolio, which relies on artificial intelligence to help professional photographers work faster. Photon targets a different, less experienced photographer and ideally provides initial guidance they’ll eventually outgrow as they learn how they like to process their RAW photos.

Photon is available for free now for macOS and Windows.

Image creditsAftershoot