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CR3 converter

A .cr3 file is Canon's current RAW photograph format, introduced alongside its mirrorless push and structurally unrelated to the TIFF-based CR2 it replaced. Built on the same ISO base media architecture as MP4 video, a .cr3 wraps Canon's CRX-coded sensor data together with previews and rich capture metadata.

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Drop CR3 files here

Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.

Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.

Where CR3 comes from

Canon debuted CR3 on the EOS M50 in 2018 and rolled it out across all subsequent EOS R mirrorless and late DSLR bodies. The move to an ISO BMFF container mirrored what Apple had done with HEIF, and it let Canon introduce the compact C-RAW option, which supplanted the older sRAW/mRAW approach.

How CR3 works

  • ISO BMFF (MP4-family) container with a proprietary 'crx' codec for the raw payload
  • Standard mode is losslessly compressed 14-bit Bayer data; the C-RAW option uses lossy compression for files roughly 40% smaller
  • CTMD (Canon Timed Metadata) boxes store exposure, lens, and focus records in a structured track
  • Embeds full-size and thumbnail JPEG previews for fast browsing
  • Dual Pixel RAW variants include phase-detect subimages enabling micro-adjustments in Canon's software

When to use CR3

  • Raw capture on every current Canon EOS R-series body
  • High-volume shoots using C-RAW to stretch card and disk capacity
  • Post-capture focus and bokeh micro-adjustment via Dual Pixel data in Canon DPP

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Modern container design with faster preview extraction than CR2
  • C-RAW option cuts storage significantly with modest quality impact
  • 14-bit lossless mode preserves everything the sensor delivered

Limitations

  • The proprietary CRX codec kept third-party support lagging for months after launch
  • C-RAW's compression is lossy and can show artifacts in extreme shadow pushes
  • Older raw converters and OS codecs that predate 2018 cannot open it at all

Compatibility

Current releases of Lightroom, Capture One, DxO PhotoLab, darktable, and RawTherapee all decode CR3, and recent Windows 10/11 and macOS versions thumbnail it natively. Software frozen before 2018 will not recognize the container, and in browsers the only route is a WebAssembly build of LibRaw, which gained CR3 support in version 0.20.

EXIF and XMP are present alongside Canon's CTMD timed-metadata boxes and MakerNotes, which include autofocus, lens-correction, and roll/pitch orientation data.

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