CR3 Converter
CR3 is Canon's current raw format, introduced with the EOS M50 and now standard across the range. It compresses better than CR2 but is just as unreadable to ordinary software, so the same conversion step stands between the file and anyone you send it to.
CR3 at a glance
| Full name | Canon RAW Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Extension | .cr3 |
| MIME type | image/x-canon-cr3 |
| Compression | Lossless |
| Transparency | No |
| Animation | No |
| Colours | 16.7M+ (14-bit per channel) |
| Browser support | No browser support (requires RAW software) |
| Typical use | Canon EOS R mirrorless cameras |
| Introduced | 2018 |
Convert CR3 to another format
CR3 questions
How do I open a CR3 file?
Canon's Digital Photo Professional reads it, as do current versions of Lightroom, Camera Raw, Capture One and darktable. Older software often cannot: CR3 arrived in 2018 and support took years to spread, which is the usual reason a CR3 will not open when a CR2 does.
Why will my CR3 file not open in older software?
CR3 uses a different container from CR2, so an application that supports Canon raw is not automatically able to read it. Anything released before about 2019 usually cannot. Converting to JPG, PNG or TIFF sidesteps the problem entirely.
Which Canon cameras write CR3 files?
The EOS R mirrorless range — R5, R6, R7, R8, R10 and R50 — plus the EOS M mirrorless bodies from the M50 onward and the last of the DSLRs such as the 90D and 250D.
Does CR3 support Canon's C-RAW compression?
Yes, and roughly halves the file size against uncompressed CR3. C-RAW is lossy, so it discards some editing latitude in exchange, but a C-RAW file still carries far more than the camera JPG does and converts here the same way.