Why Your Photographer Sent You Files You Can't Open (RAW Photos Explained)

Your photographer delivered the photos — but they're .CR2, .NEF, or .ARW files and nothing on your computer opens them. Here's what RAW files are, why photographers use them, and how to convert them to JPG.

You Got the Photos. You Can't Open Them.

The photoshoot is done. The photographer sends over a Google Drive link or hands you a USB stick. You download the files, double-click — and nothing happens. Or your computer opens a weird preview app that takes 10 seconds per image. Or you get an error message saying the file type isn't supported.

You look at the file names: IMG_4231.CR2. DSC_0847.NEF. _MG_1190.ARW.

These aren't broken files. They're RAW photos — and your photographer probably sent them to you on purpose. Here's what's going on and what to do about it.

What Are RAW Files?

When a camera takes a photo, the sensor captures a huge amount of data — every detail of light, color, and shadow that hit the sensor. A RAW file is that complete, unprocessed data dump. It's the digital equivalent of a film negative.

A JPG, by contrast, is a processed and compressed version of that data. When your phone takes a photo and saves it as JPG, it's making thousands of decisions in a split second: how bright to make the shadows, how saturated to make the colors, how much detail to keep, how much to throw away to shrink the file.

RAW skips all of that. It keeps everything and decides nothing. That's why photographers love it.

Why Photographers Shoot in RAW

More editing flexibility. A RAW file contains 12-14 bits of color data per channel, compared to JPG's 8 bits. That means a RAW file captures roughly 16,000 shades per color channel versus JPG's 256. In practical terms: if a photo is slightly overexposed or the white balance is off, a RAW file can be corrected with zero quality loss. Try the same edit on a JPG and you'll get ugly banding and color artifacts.

Shadow and highlight recovery. Blown-out skies and crushed shadows are fixable in RAW. The data is there — it's just not visible until you adjust the exposure in editing software. With JPG, that data was thrown away during compression. Once a highlight is white in a JPG, it's gone forever.

Non-destructive editing. Every edit to a RAW file is saved as a set of instructions, not permanent changes. The photographer can try 50 different edits and always revert to the original. JPG editing is destructive — every save degrades the image slightly.

Professional standard. Any professional photographer shoots RAW. It's not optional — clients and agencies expect it because it gives the most flexibility for retouching, color grading, and print preparation.

Why You Can't Open Them

RAW isn't a single format. Every camera manufacturer has their own proprietary RAW format:

Canon: .CR2, .CR3

Nikon: .NEF, .NRW

Sony: .ARW, .SRF

Fujifilm: .RAF

Panasonic: .RW2

Olympus: .ORF

Pentax: .PEF

Adobe: .DNG (the universal RAW format, but not everyone uses it)

Your computer doesn't know how to decode these formats natively. Windows and Mac have added basic RAW support over the years, but it's inconsistent — newer camera models often produce RAW files that older operating systems can't read at all.

The software that opens RAW files reliably — Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, DxO PhotoLab — costs money and has a learning curve. If you're not a photographer, you don't need any of that. You just need your photos in a format you can actually use.

How to Convert RAW to JPG

Go to FluidConvert's RAW to JPG converter
Upload your RAW file (.CR2, .NEF, .ARW, or any RAW format)
Click Convert Now
Download your JPG

The converter reads the RAW data and produces a high-quality JPG that opens on any device, uploads to any website, and prints at any shop. No software to install, no account to create.

If you have Canon files specifically, you can also use the dedicated CR2 to JPG converter. For Nikon files: NEF to JPG.

What You Lose in the Conversion

Let's be honest about what changes when you go from RAW to JPG:

Color depth drops. From 14-bit (16,384 shades per channel) to 8-bit (256 shades per channel). For viewing, sharing, and printing at normal sizes, this is invisible. For professional retouching, it matters.

Editing flexibility decreases. A JPG can still be edited, but you can't recover blown highlights or pull detail from deep shadows the way you can with RAW. The "edit later" safety net is gone.

File size shrinks dramatically. A single RAW file is typically 25-50MB. The equivalent JPG at high quality is 3-8MB. If your photographer sent you 500 RAW files, that's 12-25GB of data. The JPGs would be 1.5-4GB.

What's preserved: Resolution, sharpness, color accuracy (for normal viewing), and all EXIF metadata (camera settings, date, GPS if recorded).

For 99% of people receiving photos from a photographer — sharing on social media, putting on a website, printing for the house, sending to family — JPG is exactly what you need.

Should You Keep the RAW Files?

Yes, if:

You might hire a different editor or retoucher later

The photos are for a business or brand that might need re-edits for different campaigns

They're irreplaceable (wedding, once-in-a-lifetime event)

You have the storage space (an external hard drive or cloud storage)

No, if:

They're casual event photos and you already have the edited JPGs from your photographer

Storage is tight and you've confirmed the photographer keeps their own archive

You'll never open Lightroom or Capture One

A good compromise: convert to JPG for everyday use, but keep the RAW files archived on a cheap external drive. Storage is inexpensive insurance.

What to Ask Your Photographer Next Time

Most of the confusion around RAW files comes from unclear deliverables. Before your next shoot, ask:

"Will I receive edited JPGs, RAW files, or both?" Most photographers deliver edited JPGs as the final product. RAW files are the working files — some photographers include them, others charge extra, and some don't provide them at all.

"What format will the RAW files be in?" Not critical, but useful if you want to plan ahead for conversion.

"Can you also export a set of full-resolution JPGs?" If you know you can't deal with RAW files, just ask upfront. Any photographer can batch-export JPGs from their editing software in minutes.

Common Questions

Are RAW files higher quality than JPG?

Yes, technically — they contain more data and more color information. But for viewing on screens and printing at normal sizes (up to about 20x30 inches), a high-quality JPG is visually identical to the RAW original. The extra quality in RAW only matters during professional editing.

Can I open RAW files on my phone?

iPhones can open some RAW formats natively (especially Apple's own .DNG files). Android support varies by manufacturer and OS version. For reliable viewing, convert to JPG first.

Why didn't my photographer just send JPGs?

They might assume you want the RAW files for maximum flexibility. Or they delivered their working files alongside (or instead of) final edits. If you only wanted JPGs, let them know — this is a common miscommunication.

Can I post RAW files on Instagram or Facebook?

No. Social media platforms only accept JPG, PNG, and WebP for images. You must convert to JPG (or another supported format) before uploading.

Will converting to JPG ruin the photos?

No. Converting at high quality (90-95%) produces JPGs that are visually indistinguishable from the RAW originals on any screen or print. You're not "ruining" them — you're making them usable.

Convert Your RAW Photos

RAW to JPG — works with any RAW format from any camera

CR2 to JPG — for Canon cameras

NEF to JPG — for Nikon cameras

All free, all instant. Upload, convert, download — your photos in a format that actually works everywhere.