Camera Tethering

With tethering, your camera is connected to the computer by USB and every photo you take lands directly in RapidRAW. You see the live view on screen, set exposure from the computer, and can apply a preset to each shot automatically. Ideal for studio, product and portrait work.

Available on macOS and Linux (x64) only, in a separate tethering build. Not available on Windows, Android or in the Flatpak.

Setup

1. Install libgphoto2

Tethering uses libgphoto2, which supports most Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm and Panasonic cameras.

System	Command
macOS (Homebrew)	`brew install libgphoto2 pkg-config`
Ubuntu / Debian	`sudo apt install libgphoto2-dev pkg-config`
Fedora	`sudo dnf install libgphoto2-devel pkgconf-pkg-config`
Arch Linux	`sudo pacman -S libgphoto2 pkgconf`

2. Install the tethering build

On the releases page, download the file with tethering in its name for your system and install it like the normal version.

3. Prepare the camera

Connect it with a good USB cable, directly to the computer (not through a hub if you can avoid it).
If your camera has a USB mode setting, choose PC Remote, Tether Shooting or PTP.
On macOS, quit apps that grab cameras automatically (Image Capture, Photos).

Connecting

In RapidRAW, open the folder you want to shoot into. It must be a normal folder, not an album.
Open the Tethering panel (camera icon, in the left panel by default).
RapidRAW looks for cameras every few seconds. Click the scan button to search right away.
Click Connect Camera. If several cameras are connected, the first one found is used.

Once connected, the panel shows the camera model and battery level.

Live View

Click Start Live View. The live image appears in the Tethering panel. Hover it for the toolbar:

Control	What it does
Stop	Ends live view.
Overlay	Off, or cycle through composition guides: thirds, diagonals, golden triangle, golden spiral, phi grid, armature and center.
Rotate 90°	For shooting in portrait orientation.
Flip Horizontal	Mirrors the view.
Overlay Last Shot	Shows the previous photo at 50% on top of the live view. Perfect for matching the position of a product or a pose across a series.

Exposure settings

Set the camera from the panel. Only the settings your camera supports over USB are shown.

Control
Shutter, Aperture, ISO	Type a value; it snaps to the nearest value the camera allows.
Exp. Comp	Exposure compensation.
White Balance and WB Temp (K)	Preset or Kelvin.
Metering Mode

Auto-apply a preset and auto-open

Setting	What it does
Auto Apply Preset	Pick a preset (Select Preset). It is applied to every new photo right after capture. Change or Clear it at any time.
Auto-open captured image	On by default: each new photo opens in the editor so you can check it immediately.

Example for a product shoot: create a preset with your white balance, a light S-curve, sharpening and a 1:1 crop (save it with Include Crop & Transform). Set it as Auto Apply Preset, and turn on Overlay Last Shot to keep each product in the same spot.

Taking photos

Click Capture. Trigger Autofocus focuses first if needed. The photo is downloaded into the current folder with the camera's file name, and removed from the camera's memory card.

Photos must be taken with the Capture button in RapidRAW; pressing the shutter button on the camera does not send the photo to RapidRAW.

Troubleshooting

No camera found

Run gphoto2 --auto-detect in a terminal (install the gphoto2 package). If your camera is not listed, the problem is the connection or camera support, not RapidRAW.
Make sure you installed the tethering build.
Close other apps that might use the camera, and try another cable or USB port.
On Linux, some desktops mount the camera automatically. Unmount or eject it in the file manager first.

Live view is black or frozen

Some cameras need live view or "PC remote" enabled in the camera menu.
Click Stop, then Start Live View again, or reconnect the cable.

An exposure control is missing

The camera does not offer it over USB. Set it on the camera body.