Converting RAW files from your Canon camera is a necessary operation during the whole image editing process. RAW files like CR2 are not universal, which means they can be viewed only with the aid of special software.
The RAW format is superior to the rest of image formats due to its ability to preserve all the details and provide all the flexibility you need during editing. On the downside, these files are unprocessed and generally uncompressed and can be truly large in comparison to JPEG for instance. Therefore the conversion process is mandatory in order to easily send the pictures to your clients, to share them online on social networks, to add them to your portfolio or include them in a blog post.
Here’s how you can convert Canon RAW files to a more common format like JPG with the aid of special software.
Canon’s DPP
If you’re shooting RAW and looking to make the transition to a commonly-used, easy sharable format, why not first try the software you get with your Canon camera? Digital Photo Professional (DPP) is Canon’s RAW editor that can help you get the job done without resorting to third-party tools. The software is perfectly capable of processing, viewing, editing and printing RAW images.
When it comes to image adjustments, DPP isn’t a letdown. The program allows you to perform a series of useful edits, such as adjusting the white balance, highlights and shadows, dynamic range, tone and saturation. At the same time you can fine-tune the noise, as well as correct lens distortions in an effective way. On the downside, the interface isn’t the most intuitive and modern, meaning you’ll have to do some serious searching to find certain controls and options. Also it’s worth taking into account that the software only supports Canon cameras.
BatchPhoto
BatchPhoto is a Canon RAW converter with batch processing capabilities. The program stands out through its ability to effectively process hundreds of RAW files and its ease of use. There’s nothing complicated or confusing about the interface. This is due to the fact that this batch editing software was conceived as a three-step wizard. All you have to do is load your images in the first step, edit them as you like in the second and select your output format and folder in the third.
BatchPhoto can read RAW images from almost all cameras, including Canon’s CRW and CR2, and offers options to adjust custom development settings, such as demosaicing, white balance and highlights. The tool is quite rich in features and comes with multiple possibilities to optimize and enhance your pictures. You can resize, crop, rotate, watermark or date stamp images, change the DPI, replace colors, as well as adjust the contrast, gamma levels, brightness or saturation. At the same time you can apply a wide range of artistic effects, borders or vintage frames.
It’s important to mention that BatchPhoto offers special features to improve your workflow. The tool enables you to save your settings as Profiles and easily load them in another session, hence eliminating the tedious task of going through the same editing operations over and over again. Another feature designed to boost productivity is the Folder Watch. The program will monitor folders for newly added images and will automatically apply a series of custom edits you previously defined. For instance, you can transfer a couple of hundred RAW photos to such folder and they’ll be automatically converted, resized, renamed and watermarked.
ON1 Photo RAW
ON1 Photo RAW is a non-destructive, all-in-one image editor designed to generate professional photography results. The software offers support for more than 800 cameras and places at your disposal tons of useful and creative features. It provides a robust file management tool to properly view, find and organize your photos, a powerful RAW processing engine, as well as layer functionality and advanced masking options.
With ON1 Photo RAW you can perform basic operations, like adjusting the exposure, contrast, white balance, the tone and colors, but also have options for HDR, focus stacking or panorama stitching. The editor stands out through its artificial intelligence portrait editing, as well as the impressive array of preset filters and effects. As far as productivity goes, you have options to sync edits across dozens or hundreds of images and also to save your presets. It’s worth mentioning that the interface isn’t for beginners, rather for an intermediate level user.
Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo is a robust photo editor, offering everything you may need to improve the appearance of your images in a professional way. Full RAW development, complex retouching, live filters layers enabling you to apply numerous effects non-destructively, adjustments layers or layer masks, these are just some of the powerful options you can find available. The interface is not cluttered and will require little time to familiarize yourself with it.
Speaking of RAW development, Affinity Photo gives you plenty of options to create stunning imagery. The program supports massive RAW files (over 100 megapixels) and lets you adjust everything from the exposure and the white balance to the highlights, shadows and tones, reduce the noise, make lens corrections and much more. Affinity Photo also offers 360 image editing, smart object support, HDR merging or focus stacking. As far as time saving goes, the tool gives you the possibility to batch edit images.
DxO PureRAW2
DxO PureRAW2 is a photo editing program designed to generate significant improvements to the quality of your Canon RAW files. The program relies on AI technology to automatically provide an optimal experience for your demosaicing and denoising needs. In addition to efficiently reducing noise, the tool can also improve sharpness and correct lens distortions, chromatic aberrations and vignetting effects.
DxO PureRAW2 is a solution for those in search of simplicity. There are no sliders or advanced adjustments available. In the standalone mode, all you have to do is add your pictures, choose your processing options (lens module and desired noise reduction), your output format and destination. At the same time you can export the linear DNG files to your preferred RAW editor, whethere it’s Photoshop, Lightroom or Capture One Pro. You can also process your photos directly from Windows File Explorer or macOS Finder.
Photo Ninja
Photo Ninja is an interesting solution for converting RAW to JPG or other popular format. The software is centered around two main functions: Browse and Edit. The first is designed to help you organize your photos, while the second gives you the possibility to process, view and edit RAW files. Working in Photo Ninja is rather simple, thanks to the user-friendly interface that requires little time for understanding.
When it comes to RAW files, the program can be a really good alternative. Photo Ninja provides various conversion options and enables you to create presets in order to convert multiple files at once. The tools offers numerous enhancement and correction tools to help you improve the overall quality of your images. This means you can use the intelligent illumination options, enhance and correct colors, sharpen photos, reduce the noise or perform chromatic aberration and lens distortion corrections.
Raw.pics.io
If you’re looking to convert CR2 to JPG and don’t want to install another software on your computer, Raw.pics.io is an alternative to consider. This is a browser-based RAW converter that offers support for numerous digital cameras including, of course, Canon. One of the strong points of this online editor is, without a doubt, its ease of use. The interface is clean and clear, with everything in the right place, making sure you’ll accomplish your editing tasks in an effective manner.
When it comes to editing, Raw.pics.io offers a satisfying amount of features to enhance both your RAW and converted image files. This web-based editor lets you crop and rotate your pictures, adjust the HSL, brightness, contrast, saturation or tone curves. In addition you can apply a couple of special effects like sepia, blur, grayscale and emboss. The program allows you to work with multiple files at the same time and to save your adjustments for later use.
