Camera RAW conversion
Convert CR3 to HEIC
Updated Jul 2026
CR3 is the raw file a Canon camera saves straight off the sensor; HEIC is a compressed image most phones and photo apps open right away. To convert, run the CR3 through a converter that reads Canon's raw format and export it as HEIC. Doing that on your own computer means the raw file never has to leave your machine.
- Extension
- .cr3
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Newer Canon cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .heic
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Default iPhone photo format
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert CR3 to HEIC on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert CR3 to HEIC
- Open Morphjet and drag in the CR3 file, or the whole folder of them straight off your memory card.
- Choose HEIC as the output format.
- Convert. Morphjet reads the raw sensor data and writes finished HEIC images next to your originals, all without an internet connection.
CR3 vs HEIC: what actually changes
| CR3 | HEIC | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Large, tens of megabytes, holds full sensor data | Small, a fraction of the raw size |
| Quality | Lossless, nothing discarded | Lossy, compressed on export |
| Editing flexibility | High, full latitude to adjust exposure and white balance | Limited, adjustments are baked in once converted |
| Opens natively on | Only in raw-capable photo software or Canon's own apps | Yes, iPhone, Mac, and modern Windows |
| Keeps camera metadata (EXIF) | Yes, full shooting data | Yes, carried over unless stripped |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert CR3 to HEIC when you want a finished, viewable photo you can open on your phone, share, or store without keeping the full raw file around.
Keep the CR3 if you plan to edit the shot later, because once it's converted to HEIC the exposure and white balance are locked in and can't be pulled back the way a raw file allows.
Why not just use an online converter?
CR3 files carry the same kind of metadata a JPG would, plus everything your camera recorded about the shot, and if your camera has GPS, potentially the location too. Uploading raw photos to an online converter means a stranger's server gets that file, and everything in it, before you ever see the result. Converting on your own computer keeps the raw file, and whatever it contains, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting CR3 to HEIC lose quality?
Yes, some. CR3 is lossless raw data; HEIC compresses it down to a much smaller, ready to view image. For everyday photos the difference isn't visible, but it's a one-way trip, so keep the CR3 if you might want to reprocess the shot later.
Can I edit exposure and white balance after converting to HEIC?
Not the way you can with the raw file. Converting bakes in whatever exposure and white balance settings were used, so treat the CR3 as your working copy and the HEIC as the finished export.
Will the HEIC keep my camera's metadata?
Yes, the shooting details Canon records, like lens, shutter speed, and date, carry over to the HEIC. If your camera also logs GPS location, that comes along too unless it's stripped out.
Why convert CR3 to HEIC instead of JPG?
HEIC keeps similar quality in less space than JPG, and it's the default photo format on iPhone and modern Mac, so it plays well if that's where you view or store your photos.
Can I convert CR3 to HEIC without uploading the files?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet reads the raw file and writes the HEIC locally, so nothing about the shot, or where you took it, goes over the internet.
Morphjet converts CR3, HEIC, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.