Camera RAW conversion
Convert RAW to ICO
Updated Jul 2026
RAW is the unprocessed photo format straight off a camera's sensor, and ICO is the small icon format used for favicons and app icons. To convert RAW to ICO, open the RAW file in a converter and export it as ICO, which shrinks the image down to icon size. Doing this on your own computer means the original photo, and its metadata, never has to leave your machine.
- Extension
- .raw
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Various cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .ico
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Favicons, app icons
- Transparency
- Supported
Convert RAW to ICO on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert RAW to ICO
- Open Morphjet and drag in the RAW photo you want turned into an icon.
- Choose ICO as the output format and pick the icon size you need.
- Convert. The ICO file is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
RAW vs ICO: what actually changes
| RAW | ICO | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Large, often 20 to 60 MB per photo | Tiny, a few KB |
| Resolution | Full sensor resolution, often 20+ megapixels | Small and fixed, typically 16 to 256 pixels square |
| Quality | Highest, unprocessed sensor data | Low by comparison, made for tiny display sizes, not detail |
| Opens everywhere | No, needs photo editing software that supports your camera's format | Yes, recognized natively as an icon by Windows and Mac |
| Transparency | No | Yes |
| Keeps camera metadata (EXIF) | Yes, including camera settings and possibly GPS location | No, icon files don't store photo metadata |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert RAW to ICO when you want to turn a photo straight from your camera into an app icon, a favicon, or a small badge for a folder or shortcut.
Keep the RAW original if you're editing or archiving the photo itself, since converting to ICO shrinks it down to icon size and throws away nearly all the detail and editing room RAW is meant to preserve.
Why not just use an online converter?
RAW files carry the same metadata a finished photo does, including camera settings and, if location services were on when you shot it, the GPS coordinates of where the picture was taken. An online converter that resizes your RAW into an ICO also receives that photo and everything attached to it. Converting on your own computer means the photo, and where it was taken, stay on your machine.
Questions
Does converting RAW to ICO lose quality?
Yes, substantially. ICO icons are usually 16 to 256 pixels square, so a RAW photo with 20 or more megapixels loses almost all of its detail in the conversion. That's expected, icons are meant to be small, not detailed.
Will the ICO keep the photo's metadata?
No. ICO files don't have a place to store EXIF data, so the RAW's camera settings, timestamp, and any location information aren't carried over into the icon.
Can I turn any RAW photo into an icon?
Yes, though it helps to crop the shot to a square first, since ICO icons are square and RAW photos usually aren't. Morphjet can convert straight to ICO, but framing the photo beforehand gives a cleaner result.
Can I convert RAW to ICO without uploading the photo?
Yes. Doing it in a desktop app like Morphjet keeps the file on your own computer the whole time, which matters more for RAW than most formats since it can carry location data from the camera.
Morphjet converts RAW, ICO, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.