Raw File Storage

At Zenfolio, we’re happy to offer you unlimited storage for image display files (e.g., JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG), otherwise called “image files”. 

For additional fees, you may also store camera RAW image files (called “RAW files”) in your account. These RAW files contain the information required to produce a viewable image from the camera’s sensor data, but are not themselves capable of being viewed. 

In addition to RAW files, you may also pay additional fees to store any other type of file (e.g., DOC, PPT, XLS, etc.), these are called “non-image files”. 

For our purposes, RAW files and non-image files are collectively referred to as “RAW File Storage.”

Your account is charged per gigabyte of RAW file storage and billed monthly. Fees are determined on a "per-usage" basis, which means that the monthly charge is calculated based on the daily average of RAW file storage used during the billing period. Prices are as follows:

• USD $.085 / GB / month

• GBP £.085 / GB / month

• EUR €.085 / GB / month

• AUS $.085 / GB / month

All accounts with our current plans come with 2GB of RAW storage free. Funds from your account balance are used first before the credit card on file is charged. Please note that no RAW storage is provided with the legacy Basic plan.

 

Note: There is a maximum size per individual file of 2GB.

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• Uploading Raw Files and Non-Image Files
• Manually Linking Raw Files and Non-Image Files
• Locating Galleries with RAW files
• Moving and Copying a Linked Photo
• Deleting a Raw File or Non-Image File
• Downloading back a RAW file back to your computer
• Directly Sharing a RAW file with others
• Allow Downloading of RAW Files and Non-Image Files
• Selling Raw Files with Digital Products
• Frequently Asked Questions

 

Uploading Raw Files and Non-Image Files

Both RAW files and non-image files may be uploaded to your account through your browser or supported third-party applications. If you are using a third-party application to upload your files, you may want to check with the app creator to verify if the app has been updated for this functionality. All major browsers are supported.

Uploaded RAW files are associated with JPEG/ TIFF/PNG/GIF photos in the Gallery using filenames or date taken, and signified by a chain icon. There can be more than one type of RAW file associated with each photo. For example, if a user uploads a file ABCD.JPG, ABCD.RAW, and ABCD.XMP, both .RAW and .XMP files are linked to the ABCD.JPG. Additionally, if these files have a different name (such as ABCD.JPG and DCBA.RAW), but were taken within milliseconds of each other, they will also become linked.

1. In the Main Menu within your account, go to the Photos tab.
2. Select the Gallery in the Organizer to which you want to upload the RAW files.
3. In the Main Area click Upload under the Gallery title in the Top Menu. The Zenfolio Uploader will load automatically.
4. Select the desired photo, RAW files, and associated files on your computer.
5. While holding down the left mouse button, drag the files over the uploader browser window. When you see an orange highlight around the uploader box, release the mouse button and the files will drop inside the uploader. Repeat steps 1 to 2 to add more files.
6. Click Start Upload to begin uploading.

 

NOTE: The first time you upload RAW files or non-image files, you will see a confirmation screen to confirm that there are additional charges associated with storing more than 2GBs of RAW files.

 

After confirming that you want to proceed with uploading RAW files, the notice will not appear again. Billing begins once you have exceeded uploading and storing 2GBs worth of RAW files.

 

 

Manually Linking Raw Files and Non-Image Files

RAW files or non-image files that have not been linked to any photo in a Gallery may be linked manually. RAW files and non-image files will have a not linked indicator if they are unlinked.

1. In the Main Menu within your account, go to the Photos tab.
2. In the Organizer, find the Gallery where your RAW file is located. Click on RAW Files to view the list of RAW files in this gallery.
3. Locate the RAW file the click the ⊕ symbol to the right of the RAW file.
4. From the Link File window that appears select the thumbnail for the photo you wish to link to.
5. Click Link to confirm.

 

You may also choose to unlink a non-image file or a RAW file by clicking on the "No" Symbol under Linked To (only available if the RAW file is linked to an image).

 

Locating Galleries with RAW Files

Galleries that contain RAW files are marked with RAW Files in the Organizer. Click on RAW Files to navigate directly to the list of RAW files in that gallery.

 

Moving and Copying a Linked Photo

RAW files and non-image files cannot be moved or copied to other Galleries on their own; rather, the only way to move or copy a RAW file is when that RAW file is linked to an image, and then the image is moved or copied to another Gallery.

1. In the Main Menu within your account, go to the Photos tab.

2. Under the Organizer, select the Gallery that contains the image and RAW file that is to be moved or copied.

3. Click the thumbnail of the photo you would like to move or copy. You can select multiple photos by using the Control key on your keyboard (Command key on a Mac) then clicking on multiple images.

4. Click on the Actions button from the menu bar in the Main Area. A drop-down menu will appear.

5. Choose Move or Copy from the list of options. 

6. A popup window will open. Select the Gallery where you would like to move or copy the photo.

7. To ensure that the RAW file is also moved or copied along with the linked image file, make sure the option for Also move linked RAW files or Also copy linked RAW files is checked.

8. Confirm your decision by clicking Move or Copy. ​

 

​Download a RAW file

1. In the Main Menu within your account, go to the Photos tab.

2. In the Organizer, find the Gallery where your RAW file is located. Click on RAW Files to view the list of RAW files in this gallery.

3. Click Download to the right of the desired RAW file to download it to your computer. Your computer or browser's download file dialog will display. Follow the on screen prompts to complete downloading the file.

 

Directly Share a RAW file

All uploaded RAW files have their own direct web address (URL) that can be shared and used by others to download the file. Please note that this is the case regardless of your Access Control Download Settings. For that reason, you may want to only share this URL to those who are allowed to download the RAW file.

1. In the Main Menu within your account, go to the Photos tab.

2. In the Organizer, find the Gallery where your RAW file is located. Click on RAW Files to view the list of RAW files in this Gallery.

3. Click Share to the right of the desired RAW file. The RAW file's direct URL will be displayed. This can be copied and pasted as needed.

 

 

Deleting an Unlinked Raw File or Non-Image File

RAW files and non-image files can be deleted like any other file. Deleting any file is a permanent operation and cannot be undone; you should be absolutely certain before taking action.

1. In the Main Menu within your account, go to the Photos tab.
2. In the Organizer, find the Gallery where your RAW file is located. Click on RAW Files to view the list of RAW files in this Gallery.
3. Locate the RAW file and click Delete to the right of the RAW file.
4. Click Yes to confirm or No to cancel.

 

Allow the Downloading of RAW Files

Note: For Zenfolio users that signed up after May 10 2018, this option is not going to be available. 

Since RAW files are never displayed on your website, they cannot be downloaded (on their own) directly from it. To allow others to download a RAW file from your website, the RAW file must be linked to an image. You may then allow the download of the image and its linked RAW file via Access Control Download Settings.

When downloaded, the image and the linked RAW files will be zipped together as one download.

1. In the Main Menu within your account, go to the Photos tab.

2. Select the Gallery in the Organizer that contains the RAW files.

3. Click on Gallery Access under the Details Column to open Access Control. If a specific image is selected, Gallery Access will be replaced with Photo Access.

4. Uncheck the Same as Containing... checkbox.

5. Go to the Downloading tab.

6. Select the radial button for Allow downloading and or Lock with a password.

7. Select the radial button for Full-resolution images and linked RAW files.

8. Click Save for the new settings to take effect immediately.​​

Note that this may be done as shown to an individual photo, an entire Gallery or Group, or as a default setting applied to the All Photographs Group. See this link for more details on allowing the downloading of original images.

 

F.A.Q

Q: Why can't I preview my uploaded RAW files and non-image files? Is it possible to display RAW files and non-image files for my website visitors?

A: RAW files and non-image files are composed of data which is not viewable within a browser; special software is actually required to translate this data in order for it to be viewed. For this reason, your uploaded RAW files and non-image files will only appear in list-form within a separate tab, and are not capable of being previewed by you, or displayed to your visitors via your website.
 

Q: How do I stop paying for RAW file storage?

A: You will only be charged for RAW file storage if your account exceeds 2GB of RAW file Storage. If you want to stop paying for it, simply delete any RAW files or non-image files that exceed 2GB in the aggregate.
 

Q: How much will it cost me to store 100GB of RAW files?

A: $0.085 * 100GB = $8.5 per month (this assumes the daily average during the billing period is 100GB). 
 

Q: Where are the RAW files and non-image files stored?

A: The RAW files are stored in secure servers operated by Zenfolio in geo-distributed locations throughout the US.
 

Q: What RAW files and non-image files am I able to upload?

A: You can upload RAW files that come from your camera; you can combine them with XMP files that Lightroom uses to track changes to files, Photoshop files, and digital negatives (DNG) files. While RAW file storage was designed primarily for storing RAW files from your camera, there’s actually no limit on the types of files that can be uploaded. All file types are accepted (e.g., ZIP, DOC, XLS, PPT, etc.), just keep in mind that these non-image files are subject to the same fees as RAW files.
 

Q: I read that Zenfolio provides unlimited storage, how come I’m being charged for RAW files?

A: Zenfolio provides unlimited storage for image files (e.g., JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and GIF) , which are “display” files. RAW files and non-image files are usually much larger than typical image files, and require more memory and maintenance.
 

Q: Can I upload files other than RAW files?

A: While the RAW file storage feature was designed primarily for storing source files, such as RAW, DNG, NEF, XMP, PDF, PSD, AI, etc, there’s actually no limit to what you can upload (ZIP files, DOC files, etc); all file types are accepted.
 

Q: Can I sell a RAW file or non-image file?

A: Sure, you can sell a RAW file or a non-image file along with any Digital Product, as long as the RAW file is linked to the image being sold.

In other words, RAW files can only be sold and downloaded with the original/full resolution image that it’s linked to.
 

Q: How are upload speeds for RAW files? 

A: RAW files are uploaded using the same uploaders as JPEGs; RAW files are typically larger and may take more time with that consideration. Otherwise, all existing upload speed considerations are applicable to RAW files.