User Guide

Command Line Interface

The rawtoaces command-line tool provides a comprehensive interface for converting RAW images to ACES format.

Basic Syntax

rawtoaces [options] <input_files_or_directories>

White Balance Options

--wb-method <method>

Specify the white balance method:

  • metadata (default): Use white balance from file metadata

  • illuminant: White balance to a specific illuminant

  • box: Calculate white balance from a region of the image

  • custom: Use custom white balance multipliers

--illuminant <name>

Specify the illuminant for white balancing. Can be:

  • A blackbody color temperature below 4000K (e.g., 2800K, 3200K)

  • A D-series illuminant (e.g., D50, D55, D65)

  • Any illuminant name present in the data folder

--wb-box <x,y,w,h>

Define a region for box white balance calculation.

--custom-wb <r,g,b,g2>

Provide custom white balance multipliers.

Matrix Options

--mat-method <method>

Specify the color matrix method:

  • auto (default): Use spectral if available, otherwise metadata

  • spectral: Use camera spectral sensitivity curves

  • metadata: Use matrix from file metadata (DNG)

  • adobe: Use Adobe color matrix from LibRaw

  • custom: Use a custom 3x3 matrix

--custom-matrix <m00,m01,...,m22>

Provide a custom 3x3 color transformation matrix.

Output Options

--output-dir <path>

Specify output directory for converted files.

--overwrite

Allow overwriting existing output files.

--create-dirs

Create output directories if they don’t exist.

--headroom <value>

Set the highlight headroom (default: 6.0 stops).

Cropping Options

--crop <mode>

Specify cropping mode:

  • off: Write full sensor area

  • soft: Full sensor area with crop marked as display window

  • hard (default): Write only the crop area

Camera Override Options

--custom-camera-make <name>

Override camera manufacturer name.

--custom-camera-model <name>

Override camera model name.

These options are useful when metadata is missing or incorrect.

Verbosity Options

--verbose or -v

Enable verbose output.

--timing

Show timing information for each processing step.

Examples

Convert a single file with default settings:

rawtoaces photo.dng

Convert using a specific illuminant:

rawtoaces --wb-method illuminant --illuminant D55 photo.cr2

Batch convert a directory:

rawtoaces --output-dir ./converted --overwrite /path/to/raw/files/

Use custom white balance:

rawtoaces --wb-method custom --custom-wb 2.1,1.0,1.5,1.0 photo.nef