RAW to CR2 Converter
Convert RAW 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
RAW expected · other image formats also work
How to use RAW to CR2
- 1
Add your RAW 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 raw 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 RAW
The DNG stores the camera preview's pixels uncompressed, so it can be as large as the 20 to 80 MB raw file, or larger, depending on the preview's resolution.
No new artefacts
The preview inside the RAW is a camera JPEG; the DNG stores its 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.
RAW vs CR2
What changes from RAW to CR2
Encoding: the RAW uses uncompressed, lossless JPEG or vendor-specific coding of the sensor data, depending on the maker; 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: 12 to 16 bits per channel in the RAW; CR2 allows 12 or 14 bits per channel, and the DNG written here has 8 bits per channel, linearised. The sensor's 12 to 16 bits are not used: the camera's 8-bit preview is converted.
Colour: camera-native RGB from a colour filter mosaic in the RAW; 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 RAW can carry EXIF and vendor maker notes, almost always with an embedded JPEG preview; CR2 can carry EXIF, Canon maker notes (Picture Style, lens, focus points) and the embedded previews, but nothing is copied across.
About RAW
Camera RAW files (CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RW2, RAF and others) hold the unprocessed sensor data from a camera along with an embedded full-size JPEG preview rendered by the camera.
.RAW is an extension rather than one format. Panasonic and Leica compacts wrote TIFF-like .RAW files before Panasonic moved to RW2, and scanners and scientific cameras use .raw for headerless dumps with no width, height or layout recorded, which nothing can read without being told those values.
RAW files usually come from older Panasonic and Leica compacts that saved .RAW, and scanners or scientific cameras that use the extension for pixel dumps.
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 RAW 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 RAW 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
- The camera's embedded JPEG preview is what gets converted, not the sensor data; it matches what the camera showed on its screen.
- A headerless .raw pixel dump has no preview and no size information, so it cannot be converted here.
- The DNG holds the decoded 8-bit pixels, so it adds no dynamic range or detail beyond the RAW.
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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. This converter reads the JPEG preview inside the RAW, not its sensor data, so it cannot make one either. 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 this process the RAW sensor data?
No. Camera RAW files carry a JPEG rendered by the camera when the picture was taken, and that is what gets converted, so the result matches what you saw on the camera screen. For full development (white balance, highlight recovery, lens corrections) use a RAW editor.
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.