Camera RAW conversion
Convert CR2 to HEIC
Updated Jul 2026
CR2 is the raw file your Canon camera saves straight from the sensor, and it needs raw-capable software to open. Converting it to HEIC renders that raw data into a finished, compressed image that iPhones and most modern apps can open directly. You can do this conversion on your own computer, without uploading the original file to any server.
- Extension
- .cr2
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Canon cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .heic
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Default iPhone photo format
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert CR2 to HEIC on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert CR2 to HEIC
- Open Morphjet and drag in the CR2 files you want to convert. You can add a single photo or a whole folder from a shoot at once.
- Choose HEIC as the output format.
- Convert. Morphjet decodes the raw sensor data and renders it into a finished image on your own machine.
- The HEIC files are written next to your CR2 originals, and nothing is uploaded anywhere.
CR2 vs HEIC: what actually changes
| CR2 | HEIC | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens everywhere | No, needs a raw viewer or editor | Mostly, needs a recent Apple device or plugin on older systems |
| File size | Large, often 25 to 30 MB | Small, typically a few MB |
| Quality | Lossless, full sensor data | High, modern compression with a small one-time loss on export |
| Editing headroom | High, exposure and white balance can be adjusted after the fact | Limited, most decisions are already baked in |
| Color depth | 12 or 14-bit per channel | 8-bit per channel |
| Keeps camera metadata (EXIF) | Yes | Yes, unless you strip it |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert CR2 to HEIC once you're happy with a photo's exposure and color and want a compact version to share, back up, or view on an iPhone without keeping the full raw file around.
Keep the CR2 original if you might want to re-edit the shot later, because a raw file holds far more exposure and color detail than HEIC can, and that detail can't be recovered once it's converted.
Why not just use an online converter?
CR2 files carry the camera's full EXIF data, including the date, camera model, lens, and sometimes GPS coordinates for where the photo was taken. Sending that file to an online converter means a stranger's server processes both the image and that history before handing back a HEIC. Converting on your own computer keeps the photo, and everything attached to it, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting CR2 to HEIC lose quality?
Some. CR2 holds raw, uncompressed sensor data with full editing latitude, and HEIC is a compressed, finished image. Once it's HEIC, the exposure and white balance decisions are locked in and you can't pull the file back to raw.
Will the HEIC keep my camera's metadata?
Yes. Details like the date, camera model, lens, and exposure settings carry over from the CR2 to the HEIC. If the CR2 also has GPS location saved, that comes along too unless you strip it before sharing.
Why convert Canon raw files to HEIC instead of JPG?
HEIC stores similar quality in roughly half the space of JPG, so it's a reasonable pick if you're sharing or backing up a lot of photos and want to save space. Just check that wherever you're sending it can actually open HEIC.
Can I convert CR2 to HEIC without uploading my photos?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file on your own computer, so nothing is sent over the internet. You could disconnect from wifi entirely and it would still work.
Can I convert a whole folder of CR2 files at once?
Yes. Morphjet lets you drag in an entire folder from a shoot and convert every CR2 file to HEIC in one pass, instead of doing them one at a time.
Morphjet converts CR2, HEIC, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.