RAW to JPG Converter: Export Camera Files for Sharing, Web, and Print
Every serious digital camera — from a Canon 5D Mark IV to a Sony A7R V to a Nikon Z8 — shoots RAW files by default or as an option alongside JPG. RAW files contain the complete, unprocessed data from the camera sensor: every bit of dynamic range, every stop of shadow and highlight detail, every color value the sensor captured. They're the digital equivalent of a film negative. And just like a film negative, you can't hand one to someone and expect them to look at it. Converting RAW to JPG is how you turn a camera file into a photo that anyone can open, share, or print.
Understanding RAW Formats: CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG and Why There Are So Many
There's no single "RAW format" — every camera manufacturer invented their own. Canon uses CR2 (and now CR3 for newer bodies like the R5 and R6). Nikon uses NEF. Sony uses ARW. Olympus/OM System uses ORF. Panasonic uses RW2. Fujifilm uses RAF. Each of these is proprietary, and each carries slightly different metadata structures, color profiles, and compression schemes specific to that manufacturer's sensor pipeline.
Adobe created DNG (Digital Negative) as an open standard, and it's used by DJI drones, Leica cameras, most Android phones shooting RAW, and as an archival format when you process Canon or Nikon files through Adobe's DNG Converter. DNG has the widest support outside of dedicated camera software because it's documented and open — your browser is most likely to successfully decode a DNG file. CR2 files from older Canon bodies also tend to decode well in modern browsers on macOS, because Apple's Image I/O framework (which powers Safari, Photos, and Preview) has deep RAW support built in at the operating system level.
How This RAW to JPG Converter Works and What to Expect
This tool uses browser-native RAW decoding. That means it asks your browser to interpret the RAW file directly, without any server involvement. On macOS and iOS, this works well for most formats because Apple's operating system provides extensive camera RAW support that Chrome, Safari, and Firefox can call on. On Windows, native RAW support is more limited — the browser relies on codecs installed via Windows Camera Codec Pack or the manufacturer's own software, which may or may not be present.
The conversion happens entirely in your browser using the Canvas API, then falls back to the UTIF library for TIFF-based RAW files. Your camera files are never uploaded to any server. This is particularly important for RAW files, which contain full EXIF metadata including GPS coordinates if you shoot with location enabled, as well as your shooting data (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lens serial number). None of that leaves your device.
Quality defaults to 92% in this tool, which is higher than the 85–90% range recommended for photos that started as JPG. RAW files contain significantly more tonal information than a compressed JPG, and converting at 92% preserves that detail without producing unnecessarily large output files. For final delivery to clients or archiving, 92–95% is a solid range.
When RAW Conversion Fails and What to Do
If your file fails, the most reliable fix is to open it in Lightroom, Capture One, or even macOS Preview and export it as a TIFF at full resolution. TIFF is a lossless format with near-universal support. Then bring that TIFF back here (or use our TIF to JPG tool) to complete the conversion. This two-step approach adds a minute but is essentially foolproof for any RAW format from any camera.
You can also set your camera to shoot RAW+JPG simultaneously — every camera that shoots RAW supports this. It saves both files to the card. The in-camera JPG won't have the same editing latitude as the RAW, but it's a immediately usable backup that doesn't require any conversion. For photographers who mostly shoot events, weddings, or sports where fast turnaround matters, RAW+JPG is a common workflow.
RAW vs JPG: What You're Actually Giving Up
RAW files are typically 20–40 MB for a 24-megapixel camera. The JPG equivalent at 90% quality is usually 4–8 MB. That size reduction comes from discarding data the compression algorithm decides you won't notice. For a well-exposed, properly white-balanced image, that's true — you won't notice. For an underexposed shot you want to recover 2–3 stops of shadow detail on, you absolutely will notice. RAW gives you that latitude. JPG doesn't.
For sharing, social media, client proofing, and web galleries, JPG is the correct format. For actual editing and archiving, keep the RAW. Use this converter as part of a delivery workflow, not as a replacement for keeping your originals.
After converting, use the Compress Image tool to optimize file size for web delivery, or Resize Image to hit specific dimensions for client deliverables or social platforms. Photographers shooting iPhone HEIC files alongside camera RAWs can use the HEIC to JPG converter on the same site to standardize their whole mobile shoot to JPG in one pass.