RAW Converter to JPG: A Practical Guide for Photographers

Why Convert RAW to JPG

RAW files are the digital equivalent of film negatives. They capture everything the camera sensor sees, giving you maximum flexibility during editing. But that flexibility comes at a cost: RAW files are large, proprietary, and not universally supported.

JPG is the universal standard for sharing photos. It works everywhere—email attachments, social media, websites, messaging apps, and printed photo services. Converting RAW to JPG is typically the final step in any photography workflow, whether you are a professional or an enthusiast.

RAW vs JPG: Key Differences

Characteristic	RAW	JPG
File Size	25–80 MB (varies by camera)	2–8 MB (typical)
Color Depth	12–14 bits per channel	8 bits per channel
Editing Flexibility	Maximum (non-destructive)	Limited (lossy)
Compatibility	Requires specialized software	Universal support
Compression	Lossless or none	Lossy

Your Canon 5D Mark IV creates 35-45 MB CR2 files, your Nikon D850 shoots 50-65 MB NEFs, and your Sony A7R V produces 60-125 MB ARW files. These sizes make sense during editing but not for delivery. Converting to JPG reduces storage requirements by 80–95% while creating files anyone can open.

When to Keep RAW Files

Always keep your original RAW files as archives. RAW to JPG conversion is a one-way process—you cannot recover the original sensor data from a JPG. Think of RAW files as your master copies and JPGs as your distribution copies.

Supported RAW Formats by Camera Manufacturer

Every camera manufacturer uses their own proprietary RAW format. Compress.FAST supports 40+ RAW formats through our Universal compressor, automatically detecting and converting them to optimized JPG files.

Canon (CR2, CR3)

CR3 (newer) — Canon's latest RAW format used in EOS R5, EOS R6 Mark II, EOS R8, EOS R7, and recent Rebel/Kiss cameras. Based on ISO Base Media File Format with HEIF-style compression options.
CR2 (legacy) — Used in 5D Mark IV, 6D Mark II, 80D, 7D Mark II, and older EOS cameras. Still widely used and fully supported.
CRW — Original Canon RAW format from early digital cameras. Rarely encountered but supported for archival work.

Nikon (NEF, NRW)

NEF — Nikon Electronic Format, used across the entire Nikon lineup—Z8, Z9, Z6 III, D850, D780, D7500, and all professional bodies. Supports both compressed and uncompressed variants.
NRW — Simplified NEF variant from Coolpix compact cameras. Less common but fully supported.

Sony (ARW)

ARW — Alpha RAW format used in A7 IV, A7R V, A7C II, A1, A9 III, ZV-E1, and all Sony mirrorless cameras. Also used in high-end RX-series compacts like the RX100 VII.

Fujifilm (RAF)

RAF — Fuji RAW format used in X-T5, X-H2, X-H2S, X-S20, GFX 100S II, and all X-series and GFX medium format cameras. Includes support for X-Trans sensor RAW files.

Other Manufacturers

RW2 (Panasonic) — Lumix S5 II, S1H, GH6, GH7, G9 II, and all Lumix cameras. Both Micro Four Thirds and full-frame bodies.
ORF (OM System/Olympus) — OM-1, OM-5, E-M1 Mark III, and the entire OM-D and PEN series.
PEF/DNG (Pentax) — K-1 Mark II, K-3 Mark III, KF. Pentax cameras can shoot in both PEF (native) and DNG formats.
3FR/FFF (Hasselblad) — X2D 100C, 907X, H-series medium format cameras.
RWL/RW2 (Leica) — Q3, M11, SL3, and Leica compact cameras.
DNG (Adobe/Universal) — The open standard RAW format. Used natively by Leica, some smartphones (iPhone ProRAW, Google Pixel), and as an archival format. Many photographers convert proprietary RAW to DNG for long-term storage.

Format Auto-Detection

Compress.FAST automatically detects your RAW format from the file contents—not just the extension. Drop your files and we handle the rest. No need to specify camera type or format settings.

For advanced RAW conversion with custom output settings, see Convert.FAST's dedicated RAW to JPG converter.

Why RAW Provides Technical Advantage

Understanding why photographers shoot RAW helps explain why converting to JPG at the right moment matters. When you shoot a sunset on your Nikon D850 or capture a portrait with your Canon EOS R5, the RAW file preserves information that JPG cannot.

Color Depth and Dynamic Range

A RAW file stores 12–14 bits of data per color channel, compared to JPG's 8 bits. This means a RAW file can represent over 16,000 tones per channel, while JPG is limited to 256. In practical terms, this gives you more room to recover shadow detail and tame highlights during editing.

Consider an underexposed photo. In Lightroom or Capture One, you can push a RAW file's exposure by 2–3 stops and recover usable detail. Try the same with a JPG and you will see noise, banding, and artifacts almost immediately. The data is not there.

White Balance Flexibility

JPG files bake in the white balance setting at the time of capture. RAW files store the raw sensor data, allowing you to adjust white balance freely in post-processing. Shot under mixed lighting? With RAW, you can correct it perfectly. With JPG, you are working against already-processed color data.

Non-Destructive Editing

Every edit to a RAW file is stored as metadata—the original sensor data remains untouched. You can experiment freely, revert to the original at any time, or create multiple versions with different edits. JPG editing is destructive: each save degrades quality slightly.

RAW is your safety net during editing. The conversion to JPG should happen only when you're satisfied with the final result and ready to share.

For more on compression types and their implications, see our guide to lossless vs lossy compression.

JPG Export Settings: Finding the Right Balance

When converting RAW to JPG, the quality setting determines the trade-off between file size and image fidelity. Higher quality means larger files; lower quality means smaller files with potential artifacts. The right choice depends on your intended use.

Quality Settings by Use Case

Quality Range	File Size	Best For
90–100	Large (4–10 MB)	Print work, archival delivery, client masters
80–89	Medium (1–4 MB)	Web galleries, portfolio sites, social media (high quality)
70–79	Small (500 KB–1.5 MB)	Email attachments, quick sharing, thumbnails

Compress.FAST uses quality 85 by default—a setting optimized for web delivery that balances visual quality against file size. This works well for the majority of use cases.

Color Space Considerations

RAW files are typically processed in wide color spaces like Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB. When exporting to JPG for web use, convert to sRGB. This is the standard color space for web browsers, email clients, and most consumer devices.

sRGB for Web Delivery

If you export in Adobe RGB without proper color profile embedding, your photos may appear desaturated or color-shifted in web browsers. sRGB is the safe choice for any image destined for screen viewing.

Resolution and Dimensions

Modern cameras produce images far larger than most display contexts require. A 45-megapixel RAW file is excellent for cropping flexibility and large prints, but excessive for web use.

Social Media — Most platforms resize to 1080–2048 pixels on the long edge. Uploading larger files wastes bandwidth.
Web Galleries — 2000–2500 pixels on the long edge handles high-DPI displays while keeping file sizes reasonable.
Email Sharing — 1200–1600 pixels is usually sufficient and keeps attachments under typical size limits.
Print Delivery — Keep full resolution. A 300 DPI print at 20×30 inches requires roughly 6000×9000 pixels.

For more on balancing quality and file size, see our article on lossless and lossy compression.

Batch Conversion Workflow

Photographers rarely work with single images. A typical wedding might produce 3,000 RAW files; a product shoot might have 500. Efficient batch conversion is essential to any professional workflow.

Using Compress.FAST for Batch RAW Conversion

Collect your edited RAW files in a single folder. If using Lightroom or Capture One, export your selections to a staging folder. Remove any images you do not want to convert.
Open Compress.FAST and drag your RAW files into the drop zone. You can process up to 50 files at once for free, or up to 1,000 on paid plans. We auto-detect each RAW format.
Once processing completes, download your compressed JPG files individually or as a ZIP archive. Original RAW files remain untouched on your local machine.

Security and Privacy

When processing client photos or sensitive images, security matters. Compress.FAST is built with professional photographers in mind:

TLS 1.3 Encryption — All file transfers use the latest encryption standard. Your RAW files are protected in transit.
AES-256 at Rest — Files are encrypted on our EU-based servers during processing.
Auto-Delete — Processed files are automatically deleted within 1 hour. We do not retain your images.
EXIF Stripping — By default, we remove EXIF metadata including GPS coordinates and camera serial numbers. This protects your privacy and your clients'.

For more on how we handle metadata, see our metadata handling guide. For complete details on our security practices, visit our security overview.

Need Advanced Options?

Compress.FAST focuses on simplicity: drop RAW files, get optimized JPGs. If you need custom quality settings, specific output dimensions, or format options beyond JPG, see Convert.FAST's dedicated RAW converters:

Universal RAW to JPG — All 40+ RAW formats with custom quality and dimension options.
Canon CR2 to JPG — Optimized for Canon RAW files with CR2-specific handling.
Nikon NEF to JPG — Optimized for Nikon RAW files with NEF-specific handling.

Try Compress.FAST

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about RAW to JPG conversion.

What RAW formats can be converted to JPG?

Compress.FAST supports 40+ RAW formats from all major camera manufacturers:

Canon: CR2, CR3, CRW
Nikon: NEF, NRW
Sony: ARW, SRF, SR2
Fujifilm: RAF
Panasonic: RW2
Olympus/OM System: ORF
Pentax: PEF, DNG
Hasselblad: 3FR, FFF
Leica: RWL, DNG
Adobe DNG: The universal RAW format

We auto-detect the format from file contents, so you do not need to specify your camera type.

Does converting RAW to JPG lose quality?

Yes, but the loss is intentional and controlled. RAW files contain 12–14 bits of color data per channel; JPG stores 8 bits. This reduction is why JPG files are 80–95% smaller.

For final delivery, this quality loss is acceptable and usually imperceptible. The key is performing your edits on the RAW file first, then converting to JPG as the final step. Do not edit the JPG further—each save introduces additional compression artifacts.

At quality settings of 85–95, most viewers cannot distinguish a well-converted JPG from the original on typical displays.

Can I turn a JPG back into a RAW file?

No. RAW to JPG conversion is a one-way process. The additional color depth, dynamic range, and sensor data in a RAW file cannot be reconstructed from a JPG.

You can rename a JPG to have a RAW extension, or embed it in a DNG container, but this does not restore the original data—it's still a JPG internally.

This is why photographers always keep their original RAW files as archives.

Should I keep my original RAW files after converting?

Absolutely. RAW files are your digital negatives. They preserve the maximum possible quality and editing flexibility. Storage is cheap; your original captures are irreplaceable.

A recommended workflow is to keep RAW files on archival storage (external drives, NAS, cloud backup) and work with JPGs for day-to-day use and sharing.

If you're concerned about proprietary formats becoming obsolete, consider converting RAW files to DNG for long-term archival—it's an open standard designed for preservation.

Compress.FAST handles RAW to JPG conversion on encrypted EU-based servers and deletes your files automatically—fast, simple, and secure.

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Stewart Celani

Founder

15+ years in enterprise infrastructure and web development. Stewart built Tools.FAST after repeatedly hitting the same problem at work: bulk file processing felt either slow, unreliable, or unsafe. Compress.FAST is the tool he wished existed—now available for anyone who needs to get through real workloads, quickly and safely.