Raster Manager, overall, favors the use of raster references. All existing Raster Reference key-ins are supported. While there still is a "ref.ma" MDL application, the raster portion of "ref.ma" is carried out by "rastmgr.ma." The mdlRastRef API has been replaced by the mdlRaster API.

Previously, raster reference users were forced to create a new raster file after every raster modify operation. For example, after clipping or warping an image, users were forced to create a new image. This was costly, both in time and storage space, but is no longer necessary in Raster Manager. Instead, all modifications are non-destructive, meaning that they are kept inside the design file unless a new image file is saved. Your raster file remains the same, and modifications are applied, dynamically, to the image. The first time that you warp or clip an image, you will appreciate this improvement.

Raster Manager’s Transform tool is the way to move, scale, or rotate a raster file. Previously these were separate tools in raster reference and they were not as easy to use.

Raster Manager supports warping and aligning, but you must use the Bentley Descartes Registration tool for higher-order warping, and for properly dealing with residuals. One difference is that the Helmert warping in raster reference has been renamed to Similitude warping in Raster Manager. This was done because Similitude, technically, is more correct since this warp supports scaling.