3 Ways to Convert CR2 to DNG Files in Lightroom/Bridge/Online

Last Updated on March 22, 2023 by Peter Wood


CR2 is an uncompressed RAW image format. A Canon RAW Version 2 image file is saved with a .cr2 extension. You can use a Canon digital camera to shoot images in CR2 file format. CR2 files are high-quality images with large file sizes.

As for DNG, it is Adobe’s primary image standard format. CR2 and DNG are both RAW image formats. You can convert CR2 to DNG to make the image smaller in lossless quality. Whatever, you can get 3 easy ways to change image format from CR2 to DNG here.

How to Convert CR2 to DNG

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Part 1: How to Convert CR2 to DNG Online

An online CR2 to DNG converter is helpful, especially for iOS and Android users. You can convert a CR2 file to DNG format on your phone or computer without any installation. Just make sure the total file size of CR2 files is not overlarge. By the way, the Wi-Fi or cellular connection is in good condition.

Step 1: Open an online CR2 to DNG converter, such as Inettools.

Step 2: Choose Browse to import your Canon CR2 image file.

Step 3: Wait for a while for CR2 uploading and converting.

Step 4: You can see the converted DNG image link on the top. Or you can choose Download to save the converted CR2 to DNG image.

Pros:

1. Convert CR2 to DNG for free on all platforms.

2. No installation or registration required.

Cons:

1. Maximum file size limit. RAW images are always in large file sizes.

2. If your Internet connection is poor, the CR2 to DNG file conversion will take a lot of time.

Convert CR2 to DNG Online Win Download Mac Download

Part 2: How to Convert CR2 to DNG in Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom allows users to convert RAW files to DNG, as well as CR2 files. Lightroom offers the built-in Convert Photos to DNG option. You can export CR2 files to the Adobe DNG file extension directly.

Step 1: Open CR2 images with Adobe Lightroom. You can press the G key to switch to the library mode.

Step 2: All your CR2 images will display in grid view. Use left-click the mouse to select CR2 files you want to convert to DNG format.

Step 3: Unfold the Library list. Choose Convert Photos to DNG.

Step 4: In the output dialogue, specify details for the CR2 to DNG conversion.

Step 5: Click OK to convert CR2 to DNG file in Lightroom.

Convert CR2 to DNG Lightroom

Pros:

1. Embed fast load data to make images load faster in the Develop module.

2. Delete original files after converting to DNG from CR2.

Cons:

1. Limited sharing and file type conversion in Adobe Lightroom.

2. It is expensive to use Lightroom for converting CR2 to DNG files only.

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Part 3: How to Convert CR2 to DNG in Bridge (Adobe Digital Negative Converter)

There is Adobe DNG Converter Integration with Bridge. You can send files from Bridge to Adobe Digital Negative Converter to convert RAW CR2 files to DNG. As a result, you can convert camera-specific RAW files to DNG format within the Adobe DNG Converter. Let’s see how to convert CR2 files to DNG in Bridge.

Step 1: Run Adobe Bridge on your computer. From the Folders section, add the folder into Bridge that contains CR2 pictures.

Step 2: Choose Convert all files to DNG from the right-click menu. It will call up the DNG Converter.

Step 3: Select names for the converted images by document name, serial number, and more.

Step 4: From the File extension list, select the .dng option.

Step 5: Click Change Preferences to specify compatibility preferences in Adobe DNG Converter under the Preferences section.

Step 6: Click Convert to convert Canon CR2 to DNG in Bridge.

Convert CR2 to DNG Bridge

Pros:

1. Adobe Bridge 2020 and Adobe DNG Converter is free to use.

2. Convert, organize, tag, and manage RAW images.

Cons:

1. It can be slow to use Adobe Bridge because of too many caches.

2. The tagging and rating system needs to be improved.

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Part 4: Best CR2 Converters with Customized Presets

When you need to manage CR2 file formats from Canon digital cameras, WidsMob ImageConvert is the ultimate photo converter to help you out. It not only converts CR2 and DNG to multiple file formats, rotates the photos, resizes them in different modes, adds text/image watermarks, and customizes presets, but also upscales photo resolution with AI algorithms. Besides the RAW file formats, it works with animated GIF, WebP, AVIF, and more.

1. Convert CR2/CR3/CRW of Canon cameras to PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and other file formats in batch.

2. Customize presets to apply a series of photo editing features for all photos in a batch with one click.

3. Provide editing features to rotate/flip, resize photos, add text/image watermark, apply a border, etc.

4. Enhance photo resolution up to 4X of the original images with an advanced AI resolution up-scaler.

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Step 1: Once you have installed WidsMob ImageConvert, you can launch the CR2 converter on your computer and click the Import button to add the desired photos from your digital camera. Moreover, you can also drag-n-drop multiple CR2, JPG, and others to the program.

Import Photos to ImageConvert

Step 2: Double-click the desired CR2 image, you can go to the Resize menu to resize the photos with the desired mode. You can also enable the Text Watermark menu or the Image Watermark menu to add watermarks accordingly. Click the + button under Presets to save the preset.

Edit and Custom Presets ImageConvert

Step 3: It also provides AI Super Resolution, which enables you to upscale the resolution of the photos. If you are satisfied with the photos, you can click the Batch Convert button to choose the desired file format and tweak the photo quality. Clicking the Convert button to export the photos in a batch.

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Part 4: FAQs of Converting CR2 to DNG

1Does converting CR2 to DNG losing quality?
No. Both CR2 and DNG are uncompressed image formats. You can decrease the size of CR2 images by converting them to DNG. But your image quality will not reduce.
2Is DNG better than CR2?
The Canon DNG files are 10% to 15% smaller than the original CR2 files. CR2 RAW has a larger file size than DNG of the same content. CR2 can open by IrfanView, UFRaw, and many free image viewers. Well, you can edit CR2 files with Adobe Photoshop. If you want to convert a CR2 file to DNG, you can use Adobe DNG Converter and other Adobe products.
3Is it possible to convert CR2 to DNG in Photoshop?
No. No option allows users to convert images to DNG in Photoshop. But you can change the image format from CR2 to DNG with other Adobe products, such as Adobe Lightroom, DNG Converter, and more.
4How to find CR2 images from your image library?

Before the CR2 to DNG conversion, you can use a RAW image viewer to open and organize CR2 and other RAW images, such as WidsMob Viewer pro, FastStone Image Viewer, IrfanView, FastRawViewer, and more. It will be easier to manage large amounts of CR2 photos as well as RAW camera images.


All in all, you can convert CR2 to DNG on Windows and Mac with the above 3 solutions. There are also some frequently asked questions about CR2 and DNG formats. This article can help you with CR2 to DNG conversion. Please share this post to help more people. If you still have questions, you can leave comments below or feel free to contact us.

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