Yep, that’s right. Not every program can open a RAW file. They aren’t like JPEG files which are accessible over a wide variety of programs and software.
Professional photographers like myself have special software to process and edit the RAW files.
Oh, and I almost forgot, most of the time a RAW files is HUGE. Like super big multiple megabytes kinda huge. Not something you want to figure out how to store.
Part of the reason you chose me as your photographer is for the final images that you have seen in my portfolio – from my Facebook page, on my Instagram feed, or on my website – those images are all edited and a final product. None are RAW images.
