JPG to CR2 Converter
Convert JPG to CR2 in your browser. You download a Linear DNG (.dng), not a .cr2: only a Canon camera can create a genuine CR2, and every editor that opens CR2 also opens DNG. Nothing is uploaded.
- Processed locally
- No upload, no wait
- No sign-up
- No watermark
Drop images here
or choose files · paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
JPG expected · other image formats also work
How to use JPG to CR2
- 1
Add your JPG files: drop them here, choose them, or paste from the clipboard.
- 2
There is nothing to tune: the DNG is written uncompressed. Resizing and rotating are under More options if you need them.
- 3
Click Convert. Each file is decoded and encoded in a background thread on this device.
- 4
Download the .dng files one at a time or together as a ZIP.
Why use Aback Images for jpg to cr2
Where a CR2 would go
CR2 files are opened by Canon Digital Photo Professional, Lightroom, Photoshop Camera Raw, Capture One and darktable, and every one of them opens the DNG too.
DNG next to JPG
The DNG is written uncompressed, so expect it to be several times larger than the JPG, which stores lossy DCT coding in 8×8 pixel blocks, with colour usually stored at half resolution.
No new artefacts
JPG is already lossy, since it stores lossy DCT coding in 8×8 pixel blocks, with colour usually stored at half resolution; the DNG keeps the decoded pixels uncompressed, so this step adds no compression damage of its own.
Processed on your device
Your images are decoded, edited and encoded inside this browser tab by Web Workers. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
JPG vs CR2
What changes from JPG to CR2
Encoding: the JPG uses lossy DCT coding in 8×8 pixel blocks, with colour usually stored at half resolution; CR2 uses lossless JPEG-compressed sensor data, cut into vertical slices, and the download is a Linear DNG: demosaiced 8-bit RGB with the colour matrices raw editors need.
Bit depth: 8 bits per channel in the JPG; CR2 allows 12 or 14 bits per channel, and the DNG written here has 8 bits per channel, linearised.
Colour: YCbCr shown as RGB, greyscale, or CMYK from print software in the JPG; CR2 supports camera RGB from a Bayer mosaic, with the Picture Style recorded in the maker notes, written here as 8-bit sRGB.
Metadata: the JPG can carry EXIF (camera, date, GPS), XMP, IPTC and an ICC profile in APP segments; CR2 can carry EXIF, Canon maker notes (Picture Style, lens, focus points) and the embedded previews, but nothing is copied across.
About JPG
JPEG is the universal photo format. It compresses by discarding fine detail the eye is least sensitive to, which makes photos small but blurs sharp edges and text if pushed too far.
A JPEG starts with the bytes FF D8 and is a run of marker segments: APP1 carries EXIF and often a thumbnail, APP2 an ICC profile, DQT the quantization tables that decide the quality, and SOS the compressed scan, which ends at FF D9.
JPG files usually come from cameras, phones, scanners and almost every app that saves photos.
About CR2
CR2 is the raw format of Canon EOS cameras from 2004 until CR3 replaced it in 2018. It holds the sensor's 12 or 14-bit readings, losslessly compressed, plus a large JPEG preview rendered with the camera's Picture Style.
CR2 is TIFF-based: the TIFF header is followed by the letters 'CR' and version 2.0, then four image directories: a large JPEG preview with the EXIF block, a 160×120 thumbnail, a small uncompressed RGB image, and the sensor data as lossless JPEG cut into vertical slices.
CR2 files come from Canon EOS DSLRs made from 2004 to 2018, such as the 5D Mark II and III, 6D, 7D and the Rebel series.
When converting JPG to CR2 makes sense
Forms and workflows that ask for CR2 usually feed a raw editor, and each of those opens DNG as well, so the DNG can take the CR2's place. Keep the JPG if you only need to view or share the picture.
What CR2 offers when it comes straight from the camera: Large embedded JPEG rendered with the camera's Picture Style; Lossless 12 or 14-bit sensor data; Widely supported after fourteen years of Canon DSLRs. Its drawbacks: Replaced by CR3 in 2018, so current Canon bodies no longer write it; 20 to 50 MB per photo; Sliced lossless JPEG data that only raw decoders can read.
Limitations
- JPEG artefacts already in the file, such as blocking near edges and smeared colour, are kept as pixels: a lossless target preserves them faithfully rather than removing them.
- The DNG holds the decoded 8-bit pixels, so it adds no dynamic range or detail beyond the JPG.
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Frequently asked questions
Why do I get a .dng file instead of a .cr2?
A real CR2 is written by Canon cameras and holds the sensor's own readings (12 or 14 bits per channel, stored as lossless JPEG-compressed sensor data, cut into vertical slices) along with EXIF, Canon maker notes (Picture Style, lens, focus points) and the embedded previews. A JPG holds no sensor data, so no software outside the camera can create a genuine CR2. The Linear DNG you get instead is Adobe's open raw format, and every editor that opens CR2 files opens it with the same raw controls. It holds decoded pixels, so it adds no quality or dynamic range.
Does converting JPG to CR2 lose quality?
DNG is written uncompressed, so the pixels are stored exactly as decoded. Artefacts already in the JPG stay, but nothing new is lost.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. Processing happens inside your browser with WebAssembly and Web Workers. The site only downloads the app code and codecs; your files never leave your device. You can confirm this with the live upload counter on the tool, or in your browser's network panel.
Can I process many files at once?
Yes. Drop a whole selection or folder. Files are processed in parallel on several worker threads, each result can be downloaded on its own, and everything can be saved as one ZIP.
Is it free? Is there a file limit or watermark?
It is free with no account, no watermark and no daily limit. The only limit is your device's memory: very large images (over roughly 100 megapixels) may be refused to keep the tab from crashing.