Camera RAW conversion
Convert CR3 to AVIF
Updated Jul 2026
CR3 is the raw format newer Canon cameras save every shot in, and AVIF is a compact modern format built for the web. To convert CR3 to AVIF, open the raw file in a converter and export it as AVIF. Doing that on your own computer means the raw file, and everything recorded in it, never has to leave your machine.
- Extension
- .cr3
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Newer Canon cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .avif
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Next-gen web images
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- Supported
Convert CR3 to AVIF on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert CR3 to AVIF
- Open Morphjet and drag in the CR3 files, or a whole folder of them, straight from your card or camera folder.
- Choose AVIF as the output format and pick a quality level.
- Convert. The AVIF images are written next to your originals, and nothing leaves your machine.
CR3 vs AVIF: what actually changes
| CR3 | AVIF | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens everywhere | No, needs Canon software or a raw-capable app | Mostly, current browsers and apps support it, older software may not |
| File size | Large, tens of megabytes per shot | Much smaller, a fraction of the raw size |
| Quality | Lossless, every sensor detail preserved | Lossy, but efficient enough that loss is hard to spot at normal quality settings |
| Transparency | No | Yes |
| Editable like a negative | Yes, exposure and white balance can be reworked after the fact | No, it's a finished image |
| Keeps camera metadata (EXIF) | Yes | Yes, unless you strip it |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert CR3 to AVIF when you've finished editing a shot and want to put it on a website or in an app where a small, sharp file matters, like a gallery or portfolio page.
Keep the CR3 original if you might still want to reprocess the shot, adjust exposure, or pull more detail out of shadows and highlights, because AVIF is a finished, flattened image with none of that raw latitude left.
Why not just use an online converter?
A CR3 file carries the camera settings, timestamp, and often the GPS location of where the photo was taken, all bundled into the raw data. Send that file to an online converter and a server somewhere gets that same information along with the image itself. Converting on your own computer keeps the shot, and where and how it was taken, entirely on your machine.
Questions
Does converting CR3 to AVIF lose quality?
Some, but it's usually not visible. CR3 is lossless and AVIF is lossy, though AVIF's compression is efficient enough that a reasonably high quality setting looks close to the original once it's flattened into a finished image.
Will the AVIF keep my camera's metadata?
Yes, the shooting details and any GPS location stored in the CR3 typically carry over to the AVIF unless you choose to strip them first. Worth checking before you post images publicly.
Why convert a Canon raw file to AVIF instead of JPG?
AVIF produces noticeably smaller files than JPG at similar visual quality, which matters if you're publishing a lot of photos on a site or want faster load times. The trade-off is that some older software and devices still don't open AVIF.
Should I edit the CR3 before converting it?
Yes. Do any exposure, color, or crop adjustments while it's still a raw file, since that's when you have the most room to work with. AVIF is meant to be the finished, exported result, not a working file.
Can I convert CR3 to AVIF without uploading the files anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet processes the raw files on your own computer, so nothing travels over the internet. It works the same with your wifi turned off.
Morphjet converts CR3, AVIF, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.