Prepare Camera RAW Photos for JPG Compatibility

A camera RAW file stores image data captured by a camera sensor before the finished photograph has been rendered as a conventional JPEG. Depending on the camera and file type, a RAW file can contain sensor data, exposure and camera metadata, colour information, and sometimes a full-size or reduced JPEG preview created by the camera. Formats and extensions vary by manufacturer: Canon cameras commonly use CR2 or CRW, Nikon uses NEF, Sony uses ARW, and other camera families use formats such as ORF, RW2, PEF, RAF and DNG.

JPG is a finished raster image that is much easier to attach, preview, upload and share. Converting RAW to JPG is not just changing a filename. A converter must decode the camera's RAW structure, interpret the pixel data or extract an embedded preview, then encode a JPEG image. A proper RAW workflow may also need camera-specific handling for white balance, colour profiles, exposure, lens corrections and proprietary compression. The visible JPG is therefore a rendered version of the source, not a copy of all the editable sensor data.

Current TinyImageResizer implementation note: the RAW to JPG page accepts common RAW extensions in its file picker, but the shared conversion component tries to load the selected file as a normal browser image and draw it to a canvas. The app does not currently include a RAW decoder such as LibRaw or a dedicated embedded-preview extractor. Browser image elements do not generally decode proprietary camera RAW files as ordinary web images. A RAW file may therefore be selectable but fail at the image-loading step. Do not treat the current route as a reliable end-to-end RAW converter until a RAW decoding step is added and tested.

The route's picker lists `.cr2`, `.crw`, `.nef`, `.arw`, `.orf`, `.rw2`, `.pef`, `.raf`, `.dng` and `.raw`. These extensions cover several familiar camera workflows, but a filename match is only an input filter. It does not prove that the content can be decoded.

Camera manufacturers also release new formats, variants and compression modes, so compatibility must be tested against real sample files from different camera generations.

The current picker list does not explicitly include every extension a photographer may encounter. For example, some cameras use CR3, NRW, SRW, SR2, SRF or other variants. Even if a browser or file manager displays a thumbnail for a file, that does not mean this page has parsed its RAW sensor data. Avoid renaming an unsupported file to `.dng` or `.raw` as a workaround; changing the extension does not change the internal format.

This is the reliable workflow with the current application version. TinyImageResizer's RAW route should not be advertised as completing these decoding and export steps until RAW support is implemented.

RAW is useful when editing latitude and camera-specific processing matter. JPG is useful when a photograph needs to move quickly between devices and services. Many websites, application forms, office documents, email clients and content platforms accept JPG without requiring a specialist image editor. A JPEG also takes less space than many uncompressed or lightly compressed RAW files, which can make it easier to store, send and review.

A JPG is convenient for a finished photo, but it should not replace the RAW original if you expect to make detailed edits later.

JPEG uses lossy compression and normally stores an 8-bit rendered image rather than the original sensor data. It does not preserve the RAW camera pipeline, adjustable white balance or the full development latitude of the source. Export a copy and retain the RAW file for future editing.

A standard browser converter can often display JPEG, PNG or WebP as pixels and then save those pixels in another format.

RAW is more complicated. Many RAW files contain a mosaic pattern of sensor measurements rather than a ready-to-display RGB image. A RAW processor demosaics that data and applies colour and camera-specific interpretation. A converter that only creates an HTML image element does not perform those operations.

Some RAW formats also contain an embedded JPEG preview. A purpose-built tool can extract that preview when full RAW decoding is unavailable, but the preview may be smaller than the full sensor image or may reflect the camera's processing choices. A trustworthy converter should tell users whether it decoded the RAW data or extracted an embedded image, and should display the output dimensions. TinyImageResizer does not currently implement either method in this route.

The shared conversion component uses browser image decoding and canvas output for formats that the browser can load.

That local processing path does not make a RAW file decodable. Since the current RAW route can fail before rendering, do not describe it as a proven private RAW-development workflow or promise that every RAW file stays in a particular processing state. Review the site's privacy information and use a RAW-aware application you trust for confidential photographs.

Before positioning the route as a working RAW converter, add a tested RAW decoder or an embedded-JPEG extraction module. Test multiple camera manufacturers, common and less common RAW variants, large files, orientation metadata, colour profiles and files with unusual compression. Clearly indicate whether the result is full RAW development or preview extraction. Add a useful error message for unsupported camera models and show the output dimensions and method used.

Until those changes are deployed, use the guidance on this page to understand the RAW-to-JPG workflow and prepare a valid JPEG through a compatible application. Do not delete the RAW original after exporting. The JPG is a convenient sharing copy; the RAW file remains the source for future photo development.