Camera RAW conversion
Convert CR3 to PSD
Updated Jul 2026
CR3 is Canon's raw camera format, holding unprocessed sensor data that needs to be developed before it behaves like a normal photo. Converting it to PSD renders that raw data into a layered image file that Photoshop and compatible editors open directly. Doing this on your own computer means the raw file, and its shooting details, never leave your machine.
- Extension
- .cr3
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Newer Canon cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .psd
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Photoshop files
- Transparency
- Supported
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert CR3 to PSD on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert CR3 to PSD
- Open Morphjet and drag in the CR3 files from your Canon camera, or point it at the whole folder from a shoot.
- Choose PSD as the output format.
- Convert. The PSD files are written next to your originals, and nothing leaves your machine.
CR3 vs PSD: what actually changes
| CR3 | PSD | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Large, full sensor data plus an embedded preview | Large, a flattened rendered image without the raw data |
| Quality | Full sensor data, nothing processed yet | Rendered image, quality locked in at conversion |
| Opens everywhere | No, needs raw-compatible software | No, needs Photoshop or a compatible editor |
| Still adjustable (exposure, white balance) | Yes, the raw values are untouched | No, you're editing finished pixels at that point |
| Transparency | No | Yes, supports an alpha channel |
| Keeps shooting metadata (EXIF) | Yes | Yes, unless you strip it |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert CR3 to PSD when you want to bring a Canon raw photo into layer-based editing, combine it with other elements, or hand it off to someone whose software can't read Canon's raw format.
Keep the CR3 original if you might want to re-adjust exposure, white balance, or highlights later, since once it's rendered to PSD those raw sensor values are gone for good.
Why not just use an online converter?
CR3 files carry the same kind of shooting metadata as any camera file, including the date, camera settings, and sometimes GPS coordinates on cameras with location tagging turned on. An online converter would receive that raw file, and everything embedded in it, on someone else's server before sending back a PSD. Converting on your own computer keeps the photo and its metadata local the whole time.
Questions
Does converting CR3 to PSD lose quality?
The rendering step locks in choices like exposure and white balance that the raw file would otherwise leave open, so you lose the ability to reprocess the sensor data. From that point on, the PSD itself doesn't degrade further.
Will the PSD keep my Canon camera's metadata?
Yes, the shooting details captured in the CR3, including camera settings and any location data, generally carry over into the PSD unless you strip it out.
Why convert CR3 to PSD instead of just editing the raw file directly?
Plenty of software and older workflows don't read Canon's raw format at all, and once you're doing detailed layer-based editing, a PSD is often the more practical container to work in.
Can I convert CR3 to PSD without uploading it anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet processes the raw file on your own computer, so it never has to travel over the internet.
Morphjet converts CR3, PSD, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.