CR2 to MPEG-2 Converter

Convert CR2 to MPEG-2 Online

This converter renders a Canon CR2 RAW photo into an MPEG-2 video clip that holds the still on screen for a duration you set — no motion, no slideshow effects, and no sound. Typing the codec name MPEG-2 usually means a DVD-authoring or broadcast-spec target, so this tool defaults to the MPEG-2 video codec that DVD players expect and lets you drop a developed RAW straight onto a DVD-style timeline as a title card or slideshow frame.

How to Convert CR2 to MPEG-2

1. Upload Your CR2 File: Drag and drop your .cr2 onto the page or click "+ Add Files" to browse. You can queue several Canon RAW files at once.
2. Set the Duration: Under "Duration", choose how long the still shows — from a single frame up to 10 seconds per frame, with 5 seconds as the default. This becomes the length of the clip.
3. Set Resolution, Quality, and Background Color: Leave "Video resolution" on "Keep original" or pick a DVD-class preset, keep "Quality Preset" on "Very High (Recommended)", and set a "Background Color" (black by default) to fill any letterbox bars. The "Video Codec" under Advanced Options already defaults to MPEG-2.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and download your MPEG-2 file. No sign-up, no watermark.

DVD-Authoring Targets for an MPEG-2 Still

MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818, 1995 — identical to ITU-T H.262) is the codec behind DVD-Video and older digital broadcast, so the useful resolutions and bitrates are the DVD ones. A high-megapixel Canon photo is downscaled by a large factor to fit a standard-definition frame, so match the target below rather than expecting the photo's full ~5472×3648 detail.

The DVD-Video spec caps video at 9.8 Mbit/s and the combined audio-plus-video stream at about 10.08 Mbit/s; a still image compresses extremely well, so a slideshow frame sits far below that ceiling. For a Video CD-era player that cannot read MPEG-2, switch "Video Codec" to MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172, 1993). For a phone, a website, or any current editor, use CR2 to MP4 instead — H.264 is smaller at the same quality and plays nearly everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which resolution should I pick for a DVD slideshow frame?

Match your disc standard: 720×480 for NTSC (North America, Japan) or 720×576 for PAL (most of Europe and Asia). Set "Video resolution" to a DVD-class preset, or leave it on "Keep original" and let your DVD-authoring software conform the frame. A ~20-megapixel CR2 near 5472×3648 is downscaled by a large factor to reach 720 pixels wide, so MPEG-2 will not preserve the photo's full detail — it produces a standard-definition title card or slideshow frame, which is exactly what a DVD timeline expects.

Why is the MPEG-2 default codec rather than MPEG-1?

Because typing MPEG-2 signals a DVD or broadcast target, and MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818, the same standard as H.262) is the DVD-Video and digital-broadcast codec, with better quality at a given bitrate. The page sets "Video Codec" to MPEG-2 automatically. Switch it to MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172) only for a true Video CD or a very old player that cannot handle MPEG-2 — it is the more constrained, lower-bitrate option and looks worse.

Do I lose the RAW editing latitude when I convert CR2 to MPEG-2?

Yes. A CR2 stores 12- or 14-bit sensor data with headroom to recover highlights, lift shadows, and reset white balance after the shot. To write a video frame, the converter demosaics that data into ordinary 8-bit pixels with the current exposure and white balance baked in, so that latitude is gone in the clip. Keep the original CR2 as your master and set white balance and exposure in a RAW editor first if the look matters; for a high-fidelity still instead of a video, use CR2 to JPG.

Why is my CR2-to-MPEG-2 clip silent, and how long is it?

It is silent because a photo carries no audio, so the image-to-video render omits the audio track rather than padding it with silence — MPEG-2's normal MP2 (MPEG Layer II) audio stream is simply not written. The length comes entirely from "Duration": set it to 5 seconds and the single rendered frame is held for 5 seconds. In our testing, one developed CR2 held for 5 seconds and encoded as MPEG-2 produced a short, silent standard-definition clip that drops straight into a DVD-style timeline; add a soundtrack in your authoring tool if you need audio.

Is .mpeg2 the same file as .mpg or .mpeg?

Yes — .mpeg2, .mpg, and .mpeg all wrap the same MPEG program-stream video, and this page produces the same MPEG-2 clip regardless of which extension a tool expects. The differences are naming conventions: the short .mpg spelling dates from the 8.3-filename era, .mpeg is the spelled-out form, and .mpeg2 names the codec explicitly. If a DVD-authoring tool or upload form wants a different one, our CR2 to MPG and CR2 to MPEG converters output the identical video under those names.

How are my files handled, and how long are they kept?

Your CR2 is uploaded over an encrypted connection, rendered on our servers, and deleted automatically a few hours after conversion — no sign-up, no watermark, and your photos are never shared or made public. If the resulting clip is too large to send, run it through the video compressor first.