RAW Supersampler Aims to Reduce Nikon Raw File Sizes While Keeping a Native Raw Workflow

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by Jakub HanToday

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RAW Supersampler is a new macOS application designed to reduce the storage and transfer requirements of Nikon raw video while keeping footage in a native raw workflow. It supports NEV and R3D-NE files from the Nikon ZR, Z9, Z8 and Z6 III, with full-sensor conversion to 6K, 4K UHD, or FullHD compressed raw without debayering or cropping. The app offers four variable-bitrate compression profiles, preserves supported metadata such as ISO, white balance, color information, lens corrections, and available timecode, and retains the original PCM audio, including 32-bit float audio from the Nikon ZR. It also includes batch processing with optional preservation of folder structures and uses GPU, Metal, CPU and NEON acceleration to speed up conversions.

With internal raw video becoming a standard feature in so many affordable mirrorless cameras lately, we filmmakers get much better flexibility for color grading and correcting footage. Just like with raw photos, a raw video workflow allows you to tweak the footage much more than a compressed 10-bit codec, for instance.

Shooting raw video, however, usually comes with one challenge. Storage space. Every minute of raw video footage (especially with higher 6K or 8K resolutions and higher framerates) takes up quite a bit of space. If you shoot with three or four cameras, you easily end up with multiple TB of footage at the end of a long filming day. Thankfully, it seems that now there might be a neat solution combining smaller file sizes with raw video workflow. Let’s take a quick look at the new RAW Supersampler app.

RAW Supersampler for Nikon cameras

RAW Supersampler is a new macOS application designed to reduce the storage and transfer requirements associated with Nikon RAW video while maintaining a native raw workflow. The software can recompress and supersample supported NEV and R3D-NE footage while retaining camera metadata, timecode, lens corrections, and original audio.

One of the application’s main workflows is converting Nikon ZR 6K R3D-NE footage to native 4K UHD RAW. Rather than debayering the material or simply cropping the original image, RAW Supersampler processes the Bayer CFA data directly. According to the developers, this allows the resulting files to remain in NEV or R3D-NE format while reducing their data requirements.

The software provides four variable-bitrate compression profiles:

• CQ0 Maximum Quality
• CQ3 Normal
• CQ5 Light
• CQ9 Extra Light

Users can create native 6K or 4K UHD output using the full sensor area, while Full HD output is also available for selected workflows. Supported camera information includes color metadata, ISO, white balance, and Nikon lens corrections, alongside available timecode. 

Audio is also carried over during processing. Original PCM audio is retained, and 32-bit float recordings from the Nikon ZR remain in 32-bit float format in the processed files. This may be particularly relevant for productions that want to reduce their video storage requirements without separating or converting the accompanying audio.

RAW Supersampler currently supports raw footage from the Nikon ZR, Z9, Z8, and Z6 III. Batch processing is available for both individual files and folders, with an option to preserve the original source folder structure. Processing makes use of GPU and Metal acceleration as well as CPU and NEON processing. In the developer’s test configuration using an M3 Max system, processing performance was measured at more than 100 fps. Actual performance will depend on your Mac configuration, source material, and conversion settings.

Significant file size reduction

Storage reduction is one of the application’s central features. According to the developers, in their own testing, Nikon ZR 6K R3D-NE footage converted to 4K UHD using the CQ5 Light profile produced a 75% reduction in the raw video payload. The company states that reductions of up to 94% are possible in certain combinations of source resolution, output resolution, and compression settings.

Those figures require some qualification. They refer specifically to the raw video payload, not the total size of the finished file. Overall savings can vary depending on factors such as image detail, noise, audio, metadata, and the chosen resolution and compression profile. Higher-compression and lower-resolution settings also involve corresponding compromises, so the best option depends on whether the footage is intended for finishing, editing, archiving, or another part of the production workflow. Last but not least, the app also lets you create proxy files if needed.

Why is this useful?

If I had been writing this article two years ago, or even a year ago, I probably would have labeled such an app as “not really necessary.” I probably would have suggested simply buying more storage to save your raw video and not bother shrinking it.

Well, we are in 2026, and storage prices have risen significantly – especially with fast SSD storage and memory cards; we have seen unprecedented price hikes over the last year. Prices of certain drives have tripled over the last 12 months. That means the RAW Supersampler can really prove helpful and actually provide some storage cost savings.

What about Windows computers?

The RAW Supersampler app is only available for Apple computers running macOS 13 or later. Before you ask, the app developers said they plan to release a Windows version in the future. However, they haven’t shared a timeframe yet. Stay tuned to CineD to learn more in the future.

Price and availability

RAW Supersampler is available now for macOS devices through the Apple App Store and can be downloaded and tested for free. A one-time lifetime full unlock costs $149 (or €159 in Europe, including VAT where applicable). A quick disclaimer: the app is independently developed and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nikon Corporation or RED Digital Cinema.

Do you shoot raw video with Nikon cameras on your productions? What do you think about the RAW Supersampler? Is this something you would like to try and test with your footage? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.