Camera RAW conversion
Convert RAW to HEIC
Updated Jul 2026
RAW is the unprocessed file straight off your camera's sensor, and HEIC is a compact, ready-to-view format your phone and photo apps open instantly. To convert, open the RAW file in a converter and export it as HEIC. Doing this on your own computer means the photo, and any location data attached to it, never leaves your machine.
- Extension
- .raw
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Various cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .heic
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Default iPhone photo format
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert RAW to HEIC on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert RAW to HEIC
- Open Morphjet and drag in the RAW files you want to convert, or drop in a whole folder from a shoot.
- Choose HEIC as the output format, and set a quality level if you want a smaller file.
- Convert. The HEIC files are written next to your originals, and nothing leaves your machine.
RAW vs HEIC: what actually changes
| RAW | HEIC | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Large, tens of megabytes per photo, uncompressed sensor data | Much smaller, compressed for storage and sharing |
| Ready to view | No, needs raw-processing software before it looks right | Yes, opens right away on iPhone and modern photo apps |
| Editing headroom | Full latitude, exposure and white balance can be reworked after the shot | Limited, it's already a finished, compressed image |
| Opens everywhere | No, needs software that matches your camera's RAW variant | Mostly, modern Apple devices and recent Windows software support it, but not universal |
| Keeps camera and location data (EXIF) | Yes, full shooting data | Yes, carries over unless stripped |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert RAW to HEIC once you've picked your keeper shots and want a smaller, easy-to-view file for your phone, an album, or sharing, without giving up as much quality as a JPG export would.
Keep the RAW file if you still plan to edit the photo, since HEIC is already compressed and processed, and you lose the flexibility to rework exposure or white balance from scratch.
Why not just use an online converter?
RAW files often carry the camera model, exact timestamp, and sometimes the GPS location where the shot was taken, and that metadata typically carries over into the HEIC you export. Send the RAW through an online converter and that data, along with the photo itself, ends up on someone else's server. Converting on your own computer keeps the photo, and everything attached to it, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting RAW to HEIC lose quality?
A little. RAW is uncompressed and holds every bit of data your sensor captured, while HEIC compresses that down to a much smaller file. For a finished photo you're viewing or sharing, the difference is hard to spot, but the conversion only goes one way.
Will the HEIC keep my RAW file's metadata?
Yes. Camera model, exposure settings, timestamp, and GPS location, if your camera recorded it, carry over into the HEIC unless you strip it out.
Can I still edit the photo after converting to HEIC?
Some editing, but not like RAW. Once it's HEIC, exposure and white balance are already baked in, so you're working with a finished image rather than raw sensor data.
Why convert RAW to HEIC instead of JPG?
HEIC holds similar quality in roughly half the file size of JPG, so it's a reasonable pick if you want smaller files for storage or for viewing on an iPhone.
Can I convert RAW to HEIC without uploading my photos anywhere?
Yes. Morphjet converts on your own computer, so the RAW file and everything in it stay local. It works even with your wifi off.
Morphjet converts RAW, HEIC, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.