If you are a fan of Sony cameras, you probably came across this question while trying to see or send your digital photos. For a new owner of a Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX100, such as myself, handling ARW files turned out to be a tricky business. After taking the first series of photos with my brand new camera, I was quite excited to download and view them on my computer. However, I quickly started asking myself what type of files are these “ARWs” downloaded from my camera and why aren’t my regular image viewers able to open them?

ARW is the extension used by most Sony cameras to create RAW images. Or in other words, uncompressed images that can later on be adjusted and edited using computer software. Photographers generally like RAW images, because they allow you to customize the image any way you want. However, their downside is that they can be up to 6 times larger than JPEGs and are not supported by most regular software used for viewing images. After doing a bit of research about how to handle these files, I found that there are mainly two ways to manage your ARW files — the “hard” way and the “easy” way. Naturally, I recommend the second option. But here is a quick review of both.

• The “hard” way of viewing and editing ARW files is to use a sophisticated graphics editing software, such Adobe Photoshop or Corel Draw. The disadvantages of this option are not only related to the difficulty of using such programs – which are mostly targeted toward professionals and, hence, require some serious training, but also to their price and availability. To put it simply, such programs are expensive, difficult to use, and they take a lot of space on your computer.
   
• The “easy” way to handle your ARW files involves converting them to a more accessible format, such as JPEG, PNG or TIFF. And if you use a quality piece of software for doing this, such as reaConverter, you will also be able to apply all the editing you want on your photos, while avoiding the hassle of using a graphics editing program. The only things you need to do are the following:
  1. Download reaConverter from www.reaconverter.com and try it for free. The software is small, quick to install and you don’t need to be an expert in graphics design in order to start your conversions in a few minutes.
     
     
     Install reaConverter
  2. Load all the ARW files you need to convert, since reaConverter supports batch conversion.
      
     
      
  3. Choose among the large variety of options available for customizing your image. Here you can adjust the brightness and contrast of your photo, add borders and shadows, rotate or resize. You can also apply several image effects or add watermarking in order to protect the copyright of your image.
      
     
      

     
      

  4. Choose the format of your output file. JPEG, TIFF and PNG are considered to be the most popular and easy to handle by regular image viewers, but other options are also available. Then just start the conversion and quickly enjoy all your photos in an accessible format!

      
     

Download and try reaConverter

Advanced users can do the same using command line converter in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

Online ARW converter:

ReaConverter is a great solution for efficiently managing a large amount of photos, on a frequent basis. However, if you are planning to convert only a few ARW files and only once in a while, then you can also try IMVERTER – free online photo converter.

“I have a bunch of CR2 images downloaded from my camera and I can’t open them with any of the image viewers I have installed! Can reaConverter help?”

One of our website visitors sent us this question by e-mail a few days ago. She had just downloaded the photos she made with her brand new Canon Powershot and was excited to view them on her computer. However, she soon realized this was impossible to do with any of the regular software she had for viewing photos.

Why? As you might have guessed, the reason is related to the extension of the image files: CR2. This is the regular format used by Canon cameras to create RAW images. While generally preferred by amateur and professional photographers because they allow them to apply a large variety of computer editing options to the image, RAW files have a few disadvantages. On the one hand, they are not supported by most regular image viewers. To open them, you probably need Adobe Photoshop or a similar graphics editing program, which is not always easy to use. On the other hand, RAW images are usually huge (up to 6 times larger than a JPEG) so they might prove difficult to store and transfer.

The fastest and simplest way to view and handle your CR2 images is to convert them into a more accessible image format, such as JPEG. And yes, reaConverter will be able to help! All you need to do is download and install the software, which can be tested for free at www.reaconverter.com.

Install reaConverter

Then you probably won’t need more than a minute or two to get acquainted to its user-friendly menu, which will allow you to:

• Easily select the file you intend to convert or drag & drop it. In case you have more than one file, reaConverter also allows you to do batch conversion by simply adding all the desired files on the conversion list.
   
  
   
• Select from the wide-ranging list of image editing options. This converter not only allows you to resize, rotate or crop your image, but also to add image effects or adjust brightness and contrast.
   
  
   
• If you are a professional photographer, you will also like the Watermarking option, which allows you to protect your images from unauthorized use. You can apply text watermarking, by placing the desired letters or numbers on all converted images (date stamps and counter figures are also options), with adjustable opacity level and text parameter. Or image watermarking, by adding an image over your photo, and customizing its transparency level, position and size.
   
  
   
• Choose the extension of the output file. JPG or other accessible image format will help you handle you CR2 files a lot easier. Then just start the conversion and enjoy your images in no time!
   
  

Download and try reaConverter

Advanced users can do the same using command line converter in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

Online CR2 converter:

ReaConverter is a great solution for efficiently managing a large amount of conversions, on a frequent basis. However, if you are planning to convert only a few CR2 photos and only once in a while, then you can also try IMVERTER – free online converter.

The .NEF extension is used for the RAW images created using Nikon digital cameras. Most photographers opt for taking RAW images because they imply minimally processed data, so they allow computer editing and let you customize your image the way you want. But on the other hand, they are difficult to send by e-mail, print or store, due to their enormous size. Moreover, in order to view them, you need an advanced graphics editing program, such as Adobe Photoshop.

So how can you make you .NEF files easier to handle?

Some people think it’s enough to rename them and change the extension to .JPG, for example. But if you have tried this, you surely noticed it doesn’t work. In order to change the extension of your image from .NEF to a more accessible format, such as .JPEG, .PNG or .TIFF, you need to convert your image files.

Here are 3 essential tips for doing this fast and easy:

1. Choose a simple, yet powerful converter, such as ReaConverter Pro. It has a small size, it is quick to download, install and launch, and you don’t need to be an IT specialist in order to understand in a few minutes how it operates. You can try it for free from: http://www.reaconverter.com/download.html
    
2. Load one or more .NEF files and then choose from the large variety of editing tools available. ReaConverter provides you with basically all the image processing options you might need. For example, you can create a reflection of your image, either horizontally or vertically, by choosing the Mirror option; you can crop the undesired part of your photo; or you can edit the width and height of your output image by choosing to resize it. ReaConverter also allows you to enhance the quality of the output image by removing “noise” or adjusting the color resolution.

    

   

3. Choose an accessible format for your output image.

   

   .JPEG, .TIFF and .PNG are the most popular options, but others are also available. Then simply press the “Start conversion” button and your .NEF images will automatically be transformed into a format you can visualize, store, send and print more easily.

Download and try reaConverter  (~30 MiB)

Advanced users can do the same using command line converter in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

Online NEF converter:

ReaConverter is a great solution for efficiently managing a large amount of conversions, on a frequent basis. However, if you are planning to convert only a few NEF photos and only once in a while, then you can also try free online conversion service at http://www.imverter.com/