Editing · For photographers
How to convert RAW to JPG (CR2, NEF, ARW and more)
By the bckendIQ team6 min read
The short answer
Open the RAW in a program that reads your camera, then export a full-size JPEG in sRGB. On a Mac, Preview does it free: File > Export, then JPEG.
“I shoot around 50 weddings a year, and do all of the shooting/editing/emailing/scheduling myself,” one photographer wrote. You know that week. Then a bride asks for “all the files”, so you send the RAWs. A day later she writes back: none of them will open.
What is a RAW file, and why can’t clients open it?
A RAW file is what your camera’s sensor recorded, before it becomes a finished picture. Each camera maker has its own kind. Canon uses CR2 and CR3, Nikon uses NEF, and Sony uses ARW.
To read one, a computer needs software that knows that camera. Nikon’s help suggests saving a copy as JPEG, HEIF or TIFF when other software needs to open it.
Windows needs Microsoft’s free Raw Image Extension just to show RAW photos. Apple keeps a list of supported cameras for each version of macOS. A JPEG skips all that and opens on almost anything.
How do I convert RAW to JPEG on a Mac for free?
Use Preview, the app that comes with every Mac. These are Apple’s own steps.
- Open the RAW file in Preview.
- Choose File > Export.
- Click the Format menu and choose JPEG.
- Slide Quality up to the top for client files.
- Name the file, pick a folder, and click Save.
To do a whole set, open the files in one Preview window. Select them all in the sidebar, then follow the same steps.
How do I convert CR2, NEF or ARW to JPG on Windows?
First, install Microsoft’s free Raw Image Extension from the Microsoft Store. It lets File Explorer and the Photos app show many RAW files.
To make JPEGs, use your camera maker’s own software. All three below run on Windows and Mac.
- CR2 (Canon): Digital Photo Professional. Open the photo, then choose File > Convert and save. Set Save as type to Exif-JPEG, then click Save.
- NEF (Nikon): NX Studio. It’s a free download from Nikon. Select your photos, click Export in the toolbar, and choose JPEG.
- ARW (Sony): Imaging Edge Desktop. Open the photo in Edit and click Output. Pick JPEG as the file type, then click Save.
What settings keep full size and true colour?
Edit the RAW first, then export. The converter bakes your edits into the JPEG, so the client sees your finished look.
Editing is the big job. In ShootProof’s 2026 survey of 4,916 photographers, about 70% spend 26–75% of their time editing. Don’t lose that work at the export step.
- Full size. Don’t resize. A couple may want a canvas for the wall years from now.
- High quality. Set JPEG quality at or near the top. Make smaller copies later if you need them.
- sRGB colour. It’s the colour setting Adobe’s own full-size JPEG preset uses.
In Lightroom Classic, choose File > Export. Under File Settings, pick JPEG and sRGB. Leave Resize to Fit unticked, then click Export.
Should I give clients the RAW files?
It’s your call, but decide before the wedding, not when the email arrives. Then put your answer in your contract.
- A RAW is not your finished work. Opened in someone else’s app, it won’t look like your edit.
- It may not open on their phone or laptop without extra software.
- If you do sell RAWs, set a price and write it into the contract.
When a couple asks for “everything”, ask what they plan to do with it. Full-size edited JPEGs may cover it. If the deal changes after signing, here is how to amend a signed contract.
Sharing previews before the final set? Read how to watermark photos first.
How bckendIQ handles it
In bckendIQ you can drop RAWs straight into a gallery and skip the export step. Watermarked galleries never hand out the clean file.
- 1
Drop in your RAWs
On Galleries or Guest Gallery, add RAW files like any photo. Each is converted on your own computer into a full-size JPEG, matched to the camera’s own look. The RAW itself never leaves your machine.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 2
Keep adding while it uploads
Found a second card? Pick more photos mid-upload and they go up beside the first batch, under one bar. New photos arrive with their shape and thumbnails straight away.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 3
Watch the file count, not just the percent
Every upload bar reads like “47% · 12 of 340 files”. A wedding’s worth of frames never looks the same as one clip.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 4
Keep the clean file locked
On a proof set, or a gallery with your logo or smaller downloads, clients receive only the stamped preview. The clean full-size file is never sent to their browser.
Open it in bckendIQ →
Getting RAWs to a client: the usual way and with bckendIQ
| Task | The usual way | With bckendIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Turning RAWs into JPEGs | Export JPEG copies in Preview, Lightroom or your camera app | Drop the RAWs into a gallery. Each becomes a full-size JPEG |
| The look of the JPEG | Set by your converter and your edits | Matched to the camera’s own look |
| Where your RAW goes | It stays on your drive | It stays on your drive. It never leaves your machine |
| Adding a forgotten card | Start another upload | Pick more mid-upload. They join the first batch under one bar |
| Sharing previews only | Make watermarked copies yourself | Clients get only the stamped preview, never the clean file |
Questions people ask
- How do I convert CR2 to JPG?
- On a Mac, open it in Preview and choose File > Export, then JPEG. On Windows, use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional: File > Convert and save, then Exif-JPEG.
- Does converting RAW to JPEG lose quality?
- A JPEG is compressed, so it holds less data than the RAW. Export at full size and top quality to keep as much as you can.
- How do I edit RAW files?
- Open them in an editor that reads your camera, like Lightroom Classic or your camera maker’s software. Make your changes, then export a JPEG.
- Why won’t my RAW files open on Windows?
- Windows needs Microsoft’s free Raw Image Extension to show them. Install it from the Microsoft Store, then use File Explorer or Photos.
- Should I give clients RAW files?
- Only if you want to and your contract says so. A RAW is not your finished work, and it may not open on their computer.
Sources
- Apple: Convert image file types using Preview on Mac
- Apple: Digital camera RAW formats supported by macOS 26
- Microsoft Store: Raw Image Extension
- Canon: Converting RAW images to JPEG or TIFF (Digital Photo Professional 4)
- Nikon NX Studio help: Saving pictures in other formats
- Nikon NX Studio help: Save
- Nikon USA: NX Studio is a free download for Windows and Mac
- Sony Imaging Edge: Exporting images into the JPEG or TIFF format
- Adobe: How to export photos from Lightroom Classic
- Adobe: Export presets, settings, and plug-ins in Lightroom Classic
- ShootProof: State of the Photography Industry 2026
- SLR Lounge: avoiding wedding photography burnout
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