10 Best Sony RAW Converters to Turn ARW/SR2/SRF into JPG Files with Ease
Last Updated on August 9, 2023 by Peter Wood
Once you have taken shots with Sony digital cameras, you should get some Sony RAW files, such as ARW, SR2, or SRF files. But you are not able to view or edit the RAW photos directly within the default programs. What are the best Sony RAW converters to turn ARW/SR2/SRF photos into JPG with ease? Just learn more about the 10 best RAW converters for Sony digital cameras from the article.
Part 1: Top 8 Sony RAW Converters on Windows/Mac
For the RAW files are much better in photo quality and contain data for the camera sensors, the Sony RAW files are large. It can use the Sony RAW converters on Windows and Mac to convert many ARW/SR2/SRF files.
Top 1: WidsMob ImageConvert
WidsMob ImageConvert is an all-in-one Sony RAW converter that works with ARW, SR2, SRF, and JPEG from your digital camera with AI features. Besides the basic conversion features, there are multiple editing features to add photo frames, compress images, resize RAW, and even add watermarks to the desired RAW photos. Moreover, you can also set a series of actions into a preset and apply the desired effect in one click. It has the Image AI Upscale feature to enhance the photos to up to 4X the original size without losing quality.
1. Convert all Sony RAW formats to JPG, TIFF, BMP, WebP, AVIF, and other photo formats.
2. Provide editing features to resize, rotate, flip, and add watermarks with multiple settings.
3. Enhance photos to up to 4X the original size with advanced an AI image upscaling feature.
4. Custom presets with a series of editing features and apply them within only one click.
How to Convert Sony RAW Files into JPG
Step 1: Download and install WidsMob ImageConvert. After that, launch the program on your computer. Just import the whole folder or drag-n-drop the SD card into the Sony RAW converter. Besides the basic RAW formats, you can also import the latest HEIC/HEIF photos for conversion within the program.
Step 2: Double-click any ARW file you want to convert, you can resize the photos in different modes, rename images, rotate RAW, add frames, and even add a watermark in both text and image within a batch process within clicks. After that, click the + button under the Presets menu to make a preset accordingly.
Step 3: If you need to enhance the photos, you can select the desired photo and click the AI Super Resolution option to select the desired scale mode, such as 4X. Different from the other online upscale solutions, it supports a maximum of 3000p X 3000p resolution. After that, you can click the Save button to export the upscaled photo.
Step 4: To convert Sony RAW to other formats, such as WebP or AVIF, you can click the Batch Convert button and choose JPG, WebP, or AVIF as the output file format. After that, you can even tweak the photo quality and choose the destination folder before clicking the Convert button to convert Sony RAW files to JPEG/WebP/AVIF in batch.
Top 2: Sony Creative Viewer
Just as the name of the photo viewer, Sony Creative Viewer is more than a Sony RAW converter. It also enables you to view the different RAW files with ease. It is bundled software within the digital camera software kit.
Pros
1. Support all Sony RAW files, such as ARW, SR2, and SRF.
2. Control exposure, color, tone, and more other parameters.
3. Free to view and convert Sony RAW files as desired.
Cons
1. Require a high configuration to convert and view the RAW files.
2. It takes space to install the Sony RAW converter.
Top 3: Adobe Lightroom
Lightroom is the most professional Sony RAW converter and editor released by Adobe for enthusiast photography audiences. It will cost $9.99 per month, which is cheaper than other Adobe programs.
Pros
1. Equip with a user-friendly interface.
2. Provide RAW profiles and filters.
3. Support advanced pro-level image editing tools.
Cons
1. The sharing options and social media channels are limited.
2. Some advanced features need extra payment.
Top 4: ACDSee Photo Studio
ACDSee Photo Studio is a RAW converter for Sony digital cameras and provides some professional photo managers and editors. It has digital asset management, a DAM logo, and more other tools.
Pros
1. Provide a set of RAW editing tools.
2. Correct RAW information, like geometry.
3. Support face recognition and geotagging.
Cons
1. The interface is not intuitive compared to competitors.
2. It lacks some features, like de-noise.
Top 5: CyberLink PhotoDirector
CyberLink PhotoDirector is a choice to edit RAW photos, optimize portrait, layer templates, exclusive AI tools, features, and more pro-level features.
Pros
1. Integrate with AI tools, filters, features, and more.
2. Provide effective noise reduction to optimize the quality.
3. Contain advanced portrait improvement features.
Cons
1. The lens-profile corrections are not enough.
2. Lack the geotag map, cloud service, and more.
Top 6: Luminar
Luminar is another advanced Sony RW converter from Skylum with a full-featured, professional photo workflow solution. It has revolutionary tools and AI technologies and provides superpowers for creative photo editing.
Pros
1. Fix your photos based on raw data automatically.
2. Includes a wide array of filters and effects.
3. Adjust images with brush and gradients.
Cons
1. Many users reported the lag issue on Windows.
2. It lacks advanced technology, like face recognition.
Top 7: RawTherapee
RawTherapee is another excellent Sony RAW converter. It works on most Sony RAW formats and allows you to transcode them to popular photo formats and edit the RAW photos with advanced filters easily.
Pros
1. Let you control every aspect of RAW conversion.
2. Open-source and completely free to use.
3. Oceans of the wiki are available in the community.
Cons
1. It is short of professional tutorials and hard to use.
2. It lags on old computers without high configuration.
Top 8: Affinity Photo
This Sony RAW converter includes many photo editing tools that you can find in Photoshop. However, Affinity Photo is more cost-effective and with a free trial version to touch up and edit the RAW photos for all digital cameras.
Pros
1. Support most RAW camera files, including Sony RAW.
2. Make panorama and HDR with your photos.
3. Edit RAW files on multiple layers within clicks.
Cons
1. The photo management tools are limited.
2. You cannot customize the workspace.
Part 2: Top 2 Sony RAW Converters Online
Of course, if you only have several Sony RAW photos, you can also take advantage of the online Sony RAW converters to transcode the RAW files into the desired photos.
Top 9: Online Converter
Online Converter is a good Sony RAW converter online. It can convert RAW files online with customized photo quality and desired size within clicks from the web browser.
Pros
1. Convert Sony RAW online.
2. Resize or adjust image quality.
3. Support ARW, SRF, CR2, etc.
Cons
1. The max file size is 200MB.
2. It only converts RAW to JPG.
Top 10: FreeConvert
FreeConvert is another option to convert Sony RAW files online. It has the advanced settings to resize the out image and compress the output image with the desired quality online.
Pros
1. Upload RAW files from a computer or URL.
2. Resize your images.
3. Decide to compress images or not.
Cons
1. The output format is limited.
2. It cannot handle images in batches.
Conclusion
The article shares 10 Sony RAW converters to transcode the RAW photos within clicks. It has both professional image converters, like ACDSee Photo Studio. Others are free to use, such as Sony Creative Viewer. Moreover, you can also use the online Sony RAW converters to transcode a few RAW files online. WidsMob ImageConvert is the best option to convert Sony RAW files within a batch process.