Years ago, I enjoyed taking part in the Play RAW Challenges that were popular in the RawTherapee community.
That inspired me to create my own annual RAW Challenge. The idea is straightforward: I provide the original RAW file in DNG format, and you create your own interpretation using whatever software you prefer. Open source or commercial, it doesn’t matter. This isn’t about proving one editor is better than another. It’s about creativity, personal vision, and discovering how many different images can emerge from exactly the same file.
I ran the challenge last year and received around fifteen submissions. It wasn’t a huge event, but it was great fun to see the variety of interpretations, so I thought I’d do it again this year.
If you’d like to take part, I’d be delighted to see your version. You can download the RAW and DNG, read the guidelines, and upload your finished image here:
Hey Popanz, would you consider posting your beautiful interpretation on my website as well?
Of course, I could copy it over myself, but submitting it through the form also gives you the opportunity to describe the editor you used and add any comments or thoughts about your processing. That’s exactly why I built the form that way.
No pressure at all. I just wanted to mention it because I’d be very happy to have your version featured there, if you’re interested. You’re more than welcome.
No worries at all, I completely understand. Thanks for letting me know, and thanks for attaching the XMP.
I’ll copy everything over myself and make sure you’re credited properly. I really appreciate you taking the time to create and share your interpretation.
By the way, your interpretation is scheduled to be published on La Gallerie on Monday, 13 July 2026, at around 6:00/6:15 AM : La Gallerie
Attempting to make the tunnel a bit more endless (maybe that’s what the solders thought about the war they were in) through some quite heavy processing…
I admit the style might be too post-mordern-ish, I simply don’t have the best aesthetic taste.
Thanks for taking the time to join the challenge! If you don’t mind, could you also post your final image on the challenge page on my blog? It helps me keep all the entries together in one place, and it makes writing the roundup and replying to everyone much easier. Here’s the post: RAW DEV : July RAW Challenge – A Glimpse Through History – Open Source Photography Thanks, I really appreciate it!
, on my site that’s simply the natural order. I first explain what the project is and what the idea behind it is, then I provide the RAW file (DNG) for people to download, and only after that comes the upload form. To me, that seems like the most logical flow—you read the explanation, download the file, work on it, and then upload your result.
That said, I get the impression that quite a few people here on Pixls.us are actually editing the JPEG I posted instead of downloading the DNG, which isn’t really the intention. The whole idea is to work from the original RAW file so everyone starts from the same source
