Canon is one of the top camera brands with a long and impressive history for many decades. It is one of the brands highly preferred by professional photographers and enthusiasts. When you captured the photographs on those devices, it gets saved in the RAW format called CR2.
This file format is exclusive for their devices. It allows for seamless post-processing options to edit the clicked photos. These are comparatively heavy files and consume more storage memory. You might require CR2 file conversion to JPG for various requirements.
In this post, we shall look closely at this file format to understand how to handle them efficiently.
What’s CR2?
The CR2 was developed for capturing raw images on their own devices, and they also provide their own software for viewing those files. This RAW format stores additional information about each image. The specification of TIFF images is used in this image format, but the drawback is that they may not be accessible or compatible with common image viewer applications.
Just like TIFF image files, editing and post-processing of CR2 files are lossless. What it means is that the editing tasks will not cause any loss of image quality. Photographers can use the recorded details on these uncompressed and large files. It allows them to do fine editing as per their preferences.
The difference between TIFF and CR2 is compatibility with processing tools. While TIFF can be edited by using just about any processing tools that are available, CR2 files will require the exclusive software from Canon. Many of the operating systems do not provide a default tool for viewing Cr2 files, which is why the users will need a specialized tool or app to view them.
CR2 file format pros
Technically, each photograph captured by the sensor is in RAW format. You do get the choice of getting the output in JPG format on the device. It will get converted automatically, but initially, they are recorded in RAW image format.
Contains metadata – The CR2 format captures all the possible details of the image, including the shooting conditions and environment. Metadata is later helpful in processing as it has all the data of image recording. For example, blown highlights and clipped shadows can be recovered due to the extra data available from the CR2 format. Besides correcting errors in image exposure, RAW also allows for the adjustment of white balance quickly for getting awesome results. RAW files are preferred by photographers and image editors, but they are not suitable for regular users.
Supreme quality – Just like most other RAW files, you will need to process them manually. Since it has a lot of image data, it allows photographers to create ultimate photos after the final processing. These images will be of great quality, which is why they are legally accepted as authentic evidence in many cases. CR2 format’s capability to capture abundant details in high resolution is helpful in 3D modeling projects. Raw files are also preferred by architects to create high-quality virtual models of their projects.
Maintains originality – The CR2 format records the details in 14 bits, so hardly any detailing is lost after the processing of images on editor tools. It is an ideal choice for preserving the originality of the images. RAW files make it possible for the photographer’s perception to be depicted correctly, as it allows lossless editing.
Extra bit depth – RAW files have the potential to contain up to 4-trillion colors [14-bit], while JPG is capable to capture an 8-bit brightness level. It means the format can record an extensive range of colors and tones that is not possible with JPGs. The extra brightness allows working easily with contrast, exposure, blacks, and recovery features.
There are no concerns about quality being compromised, as you get the flexibility to make the finer adjustments. Photographers can even avoid posterization in images due to recording in a high brightness level that is 14 bits. Therefore, they always prefer to click originals in their RAW formats.
CR2 file format cons
- Bulky & long – The files are bulky, as the CR2 format holds lots of data about the captured photos. Therefore, sending those photos on emails is not easy unless you have a high-speed connection. Besides, compressing or zipping does not help much with reducing the file sizes. This is a huge drawback! It becomes even more inconvenient to send multiple RAW photos.
- Needs more storage – As the CR2 files are lengthy, it needs lots of storage. Your memory cards and hard drives will get filled up much sooner. You might even be forced to clean up the data for capturing new photos on your device.
- Compatibility problem – CR2 format is not supported by many operating systems. Users need special tools for opening and editing. Advanced editing applications like Adobe Photoshop are costly, so not everyone is able to invest in them. Newer Windows 10 OS allows for viewing them, but it does not provide post-processing features.
To overcome the above cons there is a need to convert the CR2 file into JPG. Converting into .jpg helps in –
- Post-processing
- Emailing
- Resolving compatibility issues and is more manageable
You can have more than double the number of images in the same space if you save files in JPG. However, CR2 files can be easily converted into JPG format using handy converter applications reaConverter. It is a simple to use program equipped with impressive features.
How to convert using this application?
The task of conversion with reaConverter is pretty straightforward and simple. It is a standalone software that you will need to install on your computer, by following the instructions that you see after clicking on the installation file.
Once the installation task is done, you can run the tool for the conversion of images. Just choose or browse the file, use the editing options that are provided, choose the target folder for saving the converted file, choose JPG from the list on the lower side of the software interface, and start the process.
This software is handy for doing the conversions quickly and saving on time because it has the batch conversion feature. Instead of 1 file, you can choose multiple files and follow the above mention steps to get the job done quickly.
Photographers and website developers or graphic designers can try the trial version to find out how the batch conversion feature can help them do the tasks quickly. One thing to keep in mind is that take a backup of the CR2 image file before conversion. If something goes wrong, then you will have the original RAW files that include the rich Metadata.
Author Bio: Abby Lau is a professional content writer and marketing expert for Zoom Wings. He has been into marketing for a long time and wrote this article for Zoom Wings to share his experience. Click here to visit the official website.
