CR2 Format Guide

Available Conversions

About CR2 Format

CR2 (Canon Raw 2) is Canon's proprietary RAW image format used in Canon EOS digital cameras, both DSLRs and mirrorless models. As a RAW format, CR2 files contain minimally processed data captured directly from the camera's CMOS or CCD sensor, preserving every detail recorded at the moment of exposure. Unlike compressed formats like JPEG that apply in-camera processing and discard information through lossy compression, CR2 files store complete, uncompressed sensor data along with extensive metadata about camera settings, lens information, white balance, picture style settings, and shooting conditions. This gives photographers maximum post-processing flexibility to adjust exposure, white balance, color grading, contrast, and other parameters without any quality degradation. CR2 files are based on the TIFF 6.0 specification with Canon-specific extensions, using lossless compression that typically results in file sizes ranging from 20 to 35 MB per image, depending on the camera's megapixel count and settings. Canon cameras often create both a CR2 file and a JPEG preview simultaneously when set to RAW+JPEG mode, allowing photographers to quickly review images while preserving the RAW data for serious editing.

History of CR2

Canon introduced the CR2 format in 2004 as the successor to the original CRW (Canon Raw) format used in earlier digital cameras. The transition from CRW to CR2 coincided with the launch of the Canon EOS-1D Mark II and EOS 20D, representing a significant advancement in Canon's RAW file structure. CR2 was designed around the TIFF 6.0 standard, making it more compatible with third-party software than the proprietary CRW format. This standardization allowed software developers like Adobe (Lightroom and Photoshop), Phase One (Capture One), and DxO Labs to more easily support Canon RAW files. The CR2 format evolved alongside Canon's digital camera technology, supporting increasingly higher resolutions from the 8-megapixel cameras of 2004 through to the 50.6-megapixel EOS 5DS R in 2015 and beyond. Canon implemented various enhancements to CR2 over the years, including sRAW and mRAW variants (smaller RAW files with reduced resolution), improved compression algorithms, and support for advanced features like Dual Pixel RAW and HDR Mode RAW. The format became the standard across Canon's entire EOS digital camera lineup, from entry-level Rebel/Kiss models through professional 1D-series bodies. In 2018, Canon introduced the CR3 format with the EOS M50 and full-frame mirrorless EOS R, representing the next generation of Canon RAW based on the ISO Base Media File Format. However, CR2 continues to be used by millions of photographers with existing Canon DSLR cameras, and Canon maintains backward compatibility and support for the format in all their software.

Key Features and Uses

CR2 files store unprocessed, linear sensor data in 12-bit or 14-bit depth (depending on camera model), preserving significantly more tonal information than 8-bit JPEG files—14-bit CR2 files capture 16,384 tonal levels per color channel compared to JPEG's 256 levels. The format captures the full dynamic range of Canon's sensors, which in modern cameras can record 13-15 stops of latitude from deep shadows to bright highlights. CR2 files include comprehensive EXIF metadata containing all camera settings: shutter speed, aperture, ISO sensitivity, focal length, lens identification, autofocus points used, metering mode, Picture Style settings, and much more. The format stores the Bayer array color filter data from the sensor, allowing photographers to adjust white balance after capture without penalty, unlike JPEG where white balance is permanently applied. CR2 supports Canon's sRAW (small RAW) and mRAW (medium RAW) variants, which reduce resolution to save storage space while maintaining RAW editing flexibility—useful for photographers who need RAW processing but don't require full resolution. The format preserves lens correction data, allowing Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software and other RAW processors to automatically correct for distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberration, and diffraction specific to the lens used. CR2 files can be processed multiple times with different settings without any degradation, unlike repeatedly editing and saving a JPEG which causes cumulative quality loss. Canon's DIGIC image processors embed preview thumbnails and histograms in CR2 files for quick camera review.

Common Applications

CR2 files are essential for professional photographers using Canon cameras across virtually every photographic discipline. Wedding photographers rely on CR2 to recover details from challenging mixed-lighting situations (fluorescent, tungsten, and flash) and to adjust colors to match their signature style in post-processing. Landscape photographers shoot CR2 to capture the full dynamic range of scenes with bright skies and dark foregrounds, using the RAW data to create perfectly balanced exposures through techniques like exposure blending and HDR processing. Portrait photographers depend on CR2's color accuracy for precise skin tone adjustments and the ability to recover detail in wedding dress highlights and tuxedo shadows. Commercial and product photographers use CR2 files for catalog and advertising work where exact color reproduction is critical and clients may request different color treatments. Architectural and real estate photographers shoot CR2 to correct perspective distortions and to extract maximum detail from both interior and exterior shots with challenging lighting. Sports and wildlife photographers using Canon's professional bodies like the EOS-1D X Mark III capture CR2 files at high frame rates, then process the RAW files to enhance action shots and recover details from difficult lighting conditions. Fashion and editorial photographers for magazines and advertising agencies deliver CR2 files to clients who will further process images to match publication requirements. Stock photographers submit CR2 files to maintain maximum quality for buyers who will edit the images for their specific needs. Fine art photographers print from processed CR2 files to achieve gallery-quality output with exceptional tonal range and color accuracy. The format is used extensively throughout professional photography where Canon cameras dominate, particularly in photojournalism, event photography, studio work, and any situation where image quality and editing flexibility cannot be compromised.

Advantages and Disadvantages