Camera RAW conversion
Convert CR2 to HEIC
CR2 is Canon's raw format, holding the unprocessed sensor readout at full bit depth. HEIC is a modern, efficient photo format that Apple devices use by default. Converting CR2 to HEIC gives you a viewable, compact photo at a small fraction of the raw file's size, at the cost of the raw file's editing latitude.
All 2,911 conversions verified on macOS, Windows, and Linux against the shipping release, this one included. Every conversion runs entirely on your own computer.
- 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.
One-time purchase, no subscription. 14 days to change your mind.
How to convert CR2 to HEIC
- Open Morphjet and drag in the CR2 files, or point it at a folder from the memory card.
- Choose HEIC as the output. The raw file is developed using the settings recorded in it, then encoded.
- Convert. The raw originals are left in place, so the developed copies are additions rather than replacements.
CR2 vs HEIC: what actually changes
| CR2 | HEIC | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Very large, often tens of megabytes per frame | A small fraction of that |
| Colour depth | 12 to 14 bits per channel | 8 or 10 bits, depending on how it is written |
| Recovering blown highlights | Often possible | No, the processed result is fixed |
| Viewing on a phone | Needs raw support, and is slow | Native on Apple devices, instant |
| Re-editing white balance | Freely, as if at capture time | Only as an adjustment to a finished image |
| Long-term archival value | The master copy | A derived viewing copy |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert CR2 to HEIC when you want the shoot on a phone or in a photo library without carrying tens of gigabytes of raw files around, and the photos are for viewing and sharing rather than further editing.
Do not delete the raw files afterwards. HEIC is a finished interpretation, so the exposure and white balance latitude that made the raw worth shooting is gone once you throw the original away.
Why not just use an online converter?
A CR2 is the fullest record a Canon body writes. Canon raw files record the body's serial number, the lens fitted, the shutter count, the owner name if the camera was ever registered to one, and GPS coordinates when a receiver or paired phone supplied them. That is a detailed picture of who took the photograph and with what. Developing the files on your own computer means none of it is handed to a conversion service along with the image.
Questions
Will converting CR2 to HEIC lose quality?
Some, unavoidably. The raw file holds more tonal information than any 8 or 10 bit format can carry, and HEIC compresses lossily on top of that. For viewing and sharing the result looks excellent; for further heavy editing the raw is still the file you want.
Is CR2 still Canon's current format?
No. CR2 came from bodies up to around 2018 and newer cameras write CR3. If you have both, note they are different containers, so software that opens one does not necessarily open the other.
How much space will I save?
A great deal. Raw frames commonly run to tens of megabytes each, and the HEIC copies typically land in the low single digits, which is what makes a whole shoot practical to keep on a phone.
Can I convert raw files without uploading them?
Yes. The files are developed on your own machine, which avoids uploading very large files and keeps the camera and location data embedded in them from being shared.
Morphjet runs this conversion and 2,910 others, all on your machine. Available now.
One-time purchase, no subscription. 14 days to change your mind.