ViolaScope 1.0 for macOS
Photo and RAW compatibility
ViolaScope imports common rendered image formats and a broad set of camera RAW formats. Proprietary RAW decoding depends on the ImageIO support available in the macOS version on your Mac.
Image formats enabled for import
ViolaScope 1.0 imports JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg), PNG (.png), TIFF (.tif, .tiff) and HEIF/HEIC (.heif, .heic). HEIF/HEIC decoding uses system support provided by macOS.
Camera RAW formats enabled for import
The current import registry includes Canon CR2, CR3 and CRW; Nikon NEF and NRW; Sony ARW, SRF and SR2; Fujifilm RAF; OM System / Olympus ORF; Panasonic RW2; Pentax PEF; DNG; Samsung SRW; Hasselblad 3FR and FFF; Phase One IIQ; Epson ERF; Minolta MRW; Sigma X3F; and GoPro GPR.
Being enabled in the import registry does not guarantee that every camera model or every file variant can be decoded. For proprietary RAW formats, the concrete file must also be supported sufficiently by macOS/ImageIO.
What system-dependent RAW support means
ViolaScope 1.0 uses the RAW decoding capabilities provided by macOS through ImageIO. It does not bundle a separate third-party RAW decoding engine.
As a result, RAW compatibility can vary with the camera model, the exact file variant and the macOS version. A newer macOS release can add or change system decoder support without a ViolaScope update, while an old or unusual RAW variant can still be unavailable even though its filename extension is recognized.
Tested, import-enabled and unsupported are different things
ViolaScope treats compatibility in three distinct categories:
- Tested and confirmed: formats or concrete files that have been verified with real test media.
- Import-enabled but not exhaustively verified: the format is supported by ViolaScope's import path, but not every camera and file variant has been tested with original media.
- Known limitation or not import-enabled: the current ViolaScope 1.0 import path does not accept the format, or the tested system decoder could not decode the concrete file sufficiently.
A camera that is not named on this page is therefore not automatically incompatible. It may work through the same format and system-decoder path even if that exact camera model has not been independently verified.
Verified Canon examples and decoder limits
The release compatibility work includes old Canon CRW files as well as newer Canon RAW variants. A Canon PowerShot S45 CRW file was successfully handled through ViolaScope's recovery path for RAW files whose original pixel dimensions are not reported in the normal ImageIO metadata path.
Separate real-file checks also included Canon PowerShot G1, PowerShot G2 and PowerShot S100V RAW files. On the tested macOS system, ImageIO recognized these files as Canon RAW but could not decode them sufficiently for ViolaScope. This is a system-decoder limitation for those concrete files, not a blanket statement that CRW or CR2 is unsupported.
Formats known to ViolaScope but not imported in version 1.0
The format registry also knows additional extensions that are not enabled for automatic import in ViolaScope 1.0. These currently include Leica RWL, Kodak DCR/KDC, Mamiya MEF, Leaf MOS, JPE, HIF, AVIF, WebP, GIF, BMP/DIB, JPEG 2000 variants, PSD/PSB and OpenEXR.
Recognition in the registry is not the same as release support. These formats should not be assumed to import until they are explicitly enabled and validated in a future ViolaScope version.
Damaged, mislabeled or undecodable files
ViolaScope validates media before adding it to the visible photo workflow. Files that are damaged, only carry a misleading filename extension or cannot be decoded sufficiently by the system are rejected in a controlled way instead of being treated as valid photos.
This distinction matters for compatibility testing: a file named with a RAW extension is not proof that the file actually contains a valid RAW image.
Real-file compatibility testing
ViolaScope's release testing includes heterogeneous real RAW/JPEG collections rather than only synthetic fixtures. In the documented release audit, 3,232 file candidates were evaluated, 2,794 were accepted by the import path, and all 2,794 accepted files passed the additional preview-decode probe. Files that did not meet the import requirements were rejected in a controlled way.
These results describe the tested collection. They are not a claim that every camera or every RAW file in the market is supported.
Need verification for a specific camera?
If a camera model is not listed here, that does not mean it is unsupported. If compatibility with a particular RAW variant is important to your workflow, contact ViolaScope Support. Suitable original files can be used to extend real-world verification when needed.
ViolaScope 1.0 requires macOS 14.0 or later. Because proprietary RAW decoding relies on macOS/ImageIO, include your macOS version when reporting a RAW compatibility issue.