macOS · Metal GPU · Local AI

Tell it the look.
Watch real sliders move.

MeraRAW is a Lightroom-class RAW editor with a local AI assistant that edits through your actual sliders — not a filter. Every move is visible, readable, and undoable.

Get MeraRAW See it in action
GPU-accelerated, full-res · Your RAW never leaves the machine
MeraRAW
DSC03585.ARW
Edited landscape preview
67%
ready Apple M1 Max SONY ILCE-7M4 · 24mm · ISO 100 · 1/200 · f/8.0 · 7008×4672
MetalGPU accelerated
On-deviceAI never sees your RAW
Non-destructiveFull undo, always
The one thing Lightroom can't do

Describe the look. AI moves the sliders.

Ask in plain language — "warm it up and lift the shadows" — and MeraRAW edits through the exact same controls you'd touch by hand. You see every move, and you can keep, tweak, or revert the whole batch in one click.

  • ✓ Real, labeled, undoable slider moves — no hidden filter
  • ✓ Auto-grade a flat RAW, or ask it to explain what's wrong
  • ✓ One-click revert of the entire AI batch
Warm it up and lift the shadows for a golden-hour feel.
Warmed the white balance, nudged exposure, and opened the shadows. Pulled highlights back so the sky doesn't clip.
Temp +8Exposure +0.30 Shadows +18Highlights −22

GPU develop engine

Re-runs only from the first dirty stage, so sliders feel instant on full-resolution RAW.

Smart masks

On-device subject and sky detection, plus radial, linear and brush masks — each with its own develop stack.

Private by design

Your RAW never leaves the machine — the AI receives a small preview and your edit settings, never the original file.

MeraRAW vs Lightroom

Where MeraRAW pulls ahead.

Three things Lightroom can't do — because of how its AI and business model are built.

Capability MeraRAW Lightroom
Edit in plain language through real, labeled sliders ✓ Every move is an op you can read & undo ✕ Presets & masks, not slider-level language
AI runs on-device — RAW never uploaded ✓ RAW stays local; AI receives a small preview + edit settings ~ Cloud features upload your images
One-click revert of the AI's entire batch ✓ Snapshot before, restore in one click ✕ Undo step-by-step, no grouped revert
From card to client

One smooth workflow.

  1. 01 — Import & cull. Point MeraRAW at a folder, rate and flag the keepers.
  2. 02 — Develop. GPU-fast sliders, curves, HSL, masks — all non-destructive.
  3. 03 — Grade with AI. Describe the mood, review the moves, keep what you like.
  4. 04 — Export. Color-accurate JPEG, PNG or 16-bit TIFF with embedded ICC profiles (JPEG).
Under the hood

Engineered for color.

The full technical picture — what's inside the engine, every format it reads and writes, the tools it ships with, and how that stacks up against the rest of the field.

PlatformmacOS · Tauri 2 · native wgpu (Metal) · Apple Silicon
GPU engineRender-graph caching — re-runs only from the first dirty stage
Working spaceLinear Rec.2020 · 16-bit float · scene-referred, highlight-safe
Color landingAs-shot WB → dual-illuminant camera→XYZ → Rec.2020
RAW decoderawler — 20+ formats (see formats below)
Develop toolsWB · Basic tone · Tone Curve (point + parametric) · 8-band HSL · 3-way color wheels (Oklab) · Detail · Calibration
MasksSubject · sky · background · radial · linear · brush — on-device, each with its own develop stack
AI assistantOptional · natural language → real ops · readable edit log · preview + edit settings sent, RAW stays local (needs API key)
LibraryImport · thumbnails · ratings · pick/reject flags · search · blur & duplicate detection
ExportJPEG · PNG · TIFF16 → sRGB / Display P3 / Adobe RGB · embedded ICC profile on JPEG · tiled full-resolution
Editing modelNon-destructive · sidecar truth · 30-step history · named snapshots · full undo/redo
PrivacyYour RAW never leaves the machine; masking runs locally
RAW formats in (rawler)
Sony ARWNikon NEFNikon NRW Canon CR2Canon CR3Canon CRW Adobe DNGFujifilm RAFOlympus ORF Panasonic RW2Pentax PEFSamsung SRW Epson ERFKodak KDCKodak DCR Phase One IIQHasselblad 3FRMamiya MEF Leaf MOS
Files out
JPEGPNGTIFF (16-bit)
Output color spaces
sRGBDisplay P3Adobe RGB+ ICC (JPEG)

How MeraRAW compares

✓ Full ~ Partial / limited ✕ Not available Soon On the MeraRAW roadmap
Capability MeraRAW Lightroom Capture One Photoshop Luminar Neo RawTherapee darktable
Platform & engine
Operating systems macOS Windows · macOS Windows · macOS Windows · macOS Windows · macOS Win · Mac · Linux Win · Mac · Linux
Pricing Free (beta) Subscription Paid / subscription Subscription Paid / subscription Free · open source Free · open source
GPU acceleration ✓ Metal (wgpu) ~ Some tools ✓ OpenCL / Metal ✓ ✓ ✕ CPU only ✓ OpenCL
Render-graph caching ✓ From first dirty stage ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ✓ Pixel-pipe cache
Working color space Linear Rec.2020 · 16-bit float · scene-referred ProPhoto-based "Melissa" Proprietary · 16-bit Configurable · 16/32-bit Proprietary Float · selectable Scene-referred (filmic / sigmoid)
Files in
RAW decode engine rawler Adobe Camera Raw Proprietary Adobe Camera Raw Proprietary / libraw RawSpeed / dcraw RawSpeed
RAW formats ✓ 20+ (ARW, CR2/3, NEF, DNG, RAF, ORF, RW2, PEF…) ✓ Very wide ✓ Wide (curated) ✓ Very wide (ACR) ✓ Wide ✓ Very wide ✓ Very wide
Non-RAW input (JPEG/TIFF/PNG) Soon RAW-first ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Develop tools
White balance · Basic tone ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Tone curve (point + parametric) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
8-band HSL / per-channel color ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
3-way color-grading wheels ✓ Oklab ✓ ✓ ✓ ~ ✓ ✓ Color balance rgb
Noise reduction · sharpening ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Camera calibration / profiles ✓ Basic ✓ ✓ ✓ ~ ✓ ✓
Crop & straighten Soon ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Lens corrections · CA · vignetting Soon ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Perspective / geometry transform Soon ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Heal / clone / retouch Soon ✓ ✓ ✓ Best in class ✓ ~ ✓
Masks & local adjustments
Radial · linear · brush masks ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
AI subject mask (on-device) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ~
AI sky mask (on-device) ✓ ✓ ~ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕
Per-mask develop stack ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
AI assistant
Plain-language editing → real sliders ✓ Signature feature ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Readable, undoable AI edit log ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Deep-learning denoise Soon Classic NR today ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ~
Fully on-device / private ✓ Preview-only upload ~ Cloud features ✓ ~ Cloud / Firefly ~ ✓ No AI ✓
Library & workflow
Catalog / DAM ✓ ✓ Strong ✓ ✕ Via Bridge ~ ✕ Folder browser ✓
Culling — ratings & flags ✓ ✓ ✓ ~ Via Bridge ~ ~ ✓
Blur + duplicate detection ✓ ~ ~ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Non-destructive + sidecar ✓ Sidecar ✓ Catalog / XMP ✓ Sessions ~ Smart objects ✓ ✓ .pp3 ✓ XMP
History + snapshots ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ~ ~ ✓
Export
Output formats JPEG · PNG · TIFF16 JPEG · TIFF · PSD · PNG · DNG JPEG · TIFF · PSD · PNG PSD · TIFF · JPEG · PNG · … JPEG · TIFF · PNG · PSD JPEG · TIFF · PNG JPEG · TIFF · PNG · WebP…
Output color management ✓ sRGB / P3 / Adobe RGB + ICC ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Comparison reflects typical configurations as of 2026 and is our best read of each app; competitors evolve and some capabilities depend on version, plug-ins or plan. MeraRAW rows marked “planned” are on the roadmap, not shipping today.

Develop your RAWs the fast way.

MeraRAW runs natively on Apple Silicon. One-time purchase — sign in, pay once, download.

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$19 one-time · Apple Silicon · macOS 12+