.cr2 files
.cr2 file
Canon Raw Version 2
The raw photo format Canon DSLRs used from 2004 until CR3 replaced it.
What opens a .cr2 file
- Windows
- Photos (with the free Raw Image Extension), Canon Digital Photo Professional, Adobe Lightroom, RawTherapee
- macOS
- Photos (built in), Preview (built in), Canon Digital Photo Professional, Adobe Lightroom
- Linux
- darktable, RawTherapee, GIMP (via darktable plugin)
What a .cr2 file is
CR2 is Canon's TIFF-based raw format, used across the EOS line from the 20D era until roughly 2018, when newer bodies moved to the smaller CR3. It holds the untouched sensor readout plus a JPEG preview, so a file viewer may show a thumbnail even when it cannot decode the real image. Canon ships Digital Photo Professional free with its cameras, and Lightroom, darktable and RawTherapee all read CR2.
Converting it
A .cr2 file is commonly converted to .jpg, .dng, .tiff or .png. It is a binary format, so a text editor will show unreadable characters rather than its contents.
Details
- Extension
- .cr2
- Full name
- Canon Raw Version 2
- Category
- Images
- MIME type
- image/x-canon-cr2
- Created by
- Canon
- Format
- Binary
Common questions
- How do I open a .cr2 file?
- On Windows use Photos (with the free Raw Image Extension); on macOS use Photos (built in); on Linux use darktable. The raw photo format Canon DSLRs used from 2004 until CR3 replaced it.
- What is a .cr2 file?
- Canon Raw Version 2. CR2 is Canon's TIFF-based raw format, used across the EOS line from the 20D era until roughly 2018, when newer bodies moved to the smaller CR3. It holds the untouched sensor readout plus a JPEG preview, so a file viewer may show a thumbnail even when it cannot decode the real image.
- Can I convert a .cr2 file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .jpg, .dng, .tiff or .png, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .jpg — JPEG Image The lossy photo format that every camera, phone and website has used since the 1
- .png — Portable Network Graphics Lossless image format with transparency, made for screenshots, logos and web gra
- .jpeg — JPEG Image (four-letter form) The same format as .jpg — the longer spelling, kept alive by Macs and Unix syste
- .heic — High Efficiency Image Container The format an iPhone saves photos in — about half the size of a JPEG at the same
- .webp — WebP Image Google's web image format — smaller than JPEG or PNG, and now supported everywhe
- .gif — Graphics Interchange Format The 256-colour animation format from 1987 that refuses to die.
- .psd — Adobe Photoshop Document Photoshop's working file, keeping layers, masks and text editable.
- .svg — Scalable Vector Graphics An XML text format describing shapes rather than pixels, so it stays sharp at an
- .ai — Adobe Illustrator Artwork Illustrator's vector working file, used for logos, icons and print artwork.
- .avif — AV1 Image File Format A royalty-free image format built on the AV1 video codec, smaller than JPEG or W
- .tiff — Tagged Image File Format The lossless, multi-page image format used in printing, scanning and archiving.
- .raw — Camera Raw Image Unprocessed sensor data from a camera — and, confusingly, a literal extension us
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place