Camera RAW conversion
Convert CR3 to TIFF
Updated Jul 2026
CR3 is the raw file format from newer Canon cameras, and only certain software can open it directly. TIFF is a lossless, widely supported image format used for print, scanning, and archiving. To convert, open the CR3 in a converter and export it as TIFF. Doing this on your own computer keeps the raw file off other people's servers.
- Extension
- .cr3
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Newer Canon cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .tiff
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Scans, print, archival
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert CR3 to TIFF on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert CR3 to TIFF
- Open Morphjet and drag in the CR3 file, or a whole folder of them straight from your memory card.
- Choose TIFF as the output format.
- Convert. The TIFFs are written next to your originals, and nothing leaves your machine.
CR3 vs TIFF: what actually changes
| CR3 | TIFF | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens everywhere | No, needs Canon software or raw support in your editor | Yes, supported by nearly all image and print software |
| File size | Large, compressed raw sensor data | Very large, often bigger than the CR3 since it's uncompressed |
| Quality | Lossless, the full sensor data | Lossless, but locked in as a finished image |
| Editable after the fact | Yes, exposure and white balance can still be changed | No, you're editing finished pixels, not sensor data |
| Keeps date, camera, and location (EXIF) | Yes | Yes, unless you strip it |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert CR3 to TIFF when you need to open, edit, or print the photo in software that doesn't understand Canon's raw format, or when you want a finished, lossless copy to archive alongside the raw original.
Keep the CR3 if you might want to reprocess the shot later, since choices like exposure and white balance are locked in once you export to TIFF.
Why not just use an online converter?
CR3 files carry the camera's metadata, including the date, camera settings, and sometimes GPS location if your camera records it. Sending a raw file to an online converter to get a TIFF hands that photo, and everything embedded in it, to someone else's server. Converting on your own computer keeps the shoot, and any location data attached to it, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting CR3 to TIFF lose quality?
No, TIFF is lossless, so the pixel data comes through exactly. What you do give up is the ability to reprocess the raw sensor data afterward, since a TIFF is a finished image.
Why convert to TIFF instead of JPG?
TIFF keeps every bit of quality with no compression artifacts, which matters for print work and archiving. JPG is smaller and fine for sharing, but it recompresses the image and loses some detail.
Will the TIFF keep my camera's metadata?
Yes. The date, camera model, and settings carry over from the CR3 unless you strip them, and that includes GPS location if your camera recorded it.
Do I need Canon's own software to convert CR3 files?
No. A converter with raw support can read CR3 files directly, no Canon account or camera-maker install required.
Can I convert CR3 to TIFF without uploading my photos anywhere?
Yes. Morphjet converts CR3 to TIFF locally on your Mac or Windows computer, so the raw files never travel over the internet.
Morphjet converts CR3, TIFF, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.