What is a CR2 File?
A CR2 file is a RAW photo from a Canon digital camera. Instead of a processed JPEG, it stores the sensor data almost exactly as it was captured, together with the camera settings and an embedded JPEG preview, so photographers can adjust exposure, white balance and color later without losing quality. CR2 is based on the TIFF format and compresses the image data losslessly.
Canon used CR2 on its DSLR cameras from 2004 until 2018, when newer models switched to CR3. CR2 files open in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop (Camera Raw), Canon Digital Photo Professional, darktable and RawTherapee, in Preview on a Mac, and in the Windows Photos app with Microsoft’s Raw Image Extension.
Download CR2 Sample Files
The sample below is a full-resolution 20-megapixel RAW photo taken with a Canon EOS 6D, with all of its original camera metadata.
CR2 Sample File Details
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Lens | EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM at 28 mm |
| Resolution | 5472 × 3648 pixels (20 megapixels) |
| Exposure | 0.6 s at f/11, ISO 50 |
| Flash | Did not fire |
| Date taken | 6 October 2016 |
| File size | 22.1 MB (23,187,950 bytes) |
| Format | TIFF-based, little-endian, CR2 version 2.0 |
The long exposure at the camera’s lowest ISO setting gives a clean, detailed image, which makes it a good test file for raw processing.
What You Can Test With This CR2 File
- Raw decoders: LibRaw, Camera Raw, darktable, RawTherapee and other raw converters.
- Metadata: reading camera, lens and exposure data from EXIF.
- Embedded previews: extracting the JPEG preview without decoding the raw data.
- Large uploads: a 22 MB file for size limits and upload progress.
- Thumbnails: generating previews for raw photos in galleries and file managers.
How to Open or Convert a CR2 File
# Show all metadata
exiftool sample.cr2
# Extract the embedded JPEG preview
exiftool -b -PreviewImage sample.cr2 > preview.jpg
# Convert the raw image to JPG with darktable
darktable-cli sample.cr2 sample.jpg
