CR2 to MPG Converter

Convert CR2 to MPG: What This Tutorial Covers

This page renders a Canon CR2 RAW photo into an MPG (MPEG-1/MPEG-2) video clip that holds the still image on screen for a duration you set — no motion, no slideshow effects, and no sound. MPG is a legacy target, so this walk-through explains when it is actually the right choice, why a 20-megapixel photo gets downscaled into a standard-definition video frame, and what you give up by baking a RAW into a video.

How to Convert CR2 to MPG

1. Upload Your CR2 File: Drag and drop your .cr2 file onto the page or click "+ Add Files" to browse. You can queue several Canon RAW files at once.
2. Set the Image Duration: Under "Image Duration", choose how long the still shows — from a single frame (1/60s, 1/30s, 1/24s) up to 10 seconds per frame, with 5 seconds as the default. This is the length of the resulting clip.
3. Set the Video Resolution and Quality: Leave "Video resolution" on "Keep original" or pick a smaller preset; keep the "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 defaults to MPEG-2 — switch it to MPEG-1 only for the oldest Video CD-era players.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and download your MPG. No sign-up, no watermark.

Walk-through: Why MPG, and What Happens to Your Photo

MPG is a container for MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172, published 1993) and MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818, 1995) video — the codecs behind Video CD, DVD, and older digital-TV broadcast. They predate H.264 by more than a decade, so the only honest reason to pick MPG over a modern format is a target that genuinely cannot read anything newer:

• Pick MPEG-2 (the default) for a DVD-authoring workflow, an institutional player, or a hardware/broadcast system built around the DVD-and-broadcast era.
• Pick MPEG-1 only for a Video CD or a very old player that chokes on MPEG-2 — it is the more constrained, lower-bitrate of the two.
• For anything modern — a phone, a website, a current editing timeline, or just sharing the clip — convert to CR2 to MP4 instead. H.264 MP4 is smaller at the same quality and plays nearly everywhere; MPG is the wrong tool for a modern audience.

Two things change when your RAW becomes an MPG frame. First, resolution drops sharply. MPEG-1 was built around SIF (about 352×240), and MPEG-2 around DVD frames (720×480 NTSC, 720×576 PAL). A 20-megapixel Canon sensor is roughly 5472×3648, so the photo is downscaled by a large factor to fit a standard-definition video frame — the MPG does not preserve your photo's pixel count. Second, the RAW is developed and baked in. A CR2 holds 14-bit sensor data with room to recover highlights and shift white balance; to write a video frame, the converter demosaics it to ordinary 8-bit pixels with the current exposure and white balance fixed. The video frame is a rendered interpretation, not your negative.

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

• "The video looks soft or pixelated" — MPEG-2 targets standard-definition frames and is a dated codec; a high-megapixel photo squeezed into a 720-wide frame will not look sharp. If sharpness matters, use CR2 to MP4 at full resolution, or keep a still via CR2 to JPG.
• "My phone or browser won't play the MPG" — that is expected. MPEG-1/MPEG-2 in an MPG container is built for DVD players and legacy systems, not modern phones or web browsers. Choose MP4 for those targets.
• "The clip is silent" — a photo carries no audio, so image-to-video conversion writes no audio track. The MPG is silent in every case; add music or narration in an editor afterward.
• "Colors or exposure look off" — the RAW was rendered with a default white balance and exposure. Adjust the photo in a RAW editor first, or render to a still with CR2 to TIFF, then bring that into a video tool.

When This Doesn't Work

If your camera is a recent Canon mirrorless body (EOS R or M50 era, roughly 2018 onward), your RAW files likely end in .cr3, not .cr2, and this page will not accept them — use a CR3 converter instead. And if your goal is simply a viewable or print-ready picture rather than a video, skip the MPG wrapper entirely: CR2 to JPG gives you a small, openable image, and CR2 to TIFF gives you a high-fidelity print master. Convert to MPG only when a legacy player or DVD workflow specifically requires that container.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why would I convert a CR2 photo to MPG instead of MP4?

Only when something downstream cannot read modern video. MPG carries MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 — the codecs behind Video CD, DVD, and older broadcast gear — which predate H.264 by more than a decade. If you are feeding a DVD-authoring tool or an old institutional player, MPG (MPEG-2) is the safe match. For a phone, a website, or any current editor, CR2 to MP4 is smaller and far more compatible.

Does the MPG keep my Canon photo's full resolution?

No. MPEG-1 targets roughly 352×240 (SIF) and MPEG-2 targets DVD-era frames like 720×480 or 720×576, so a 20-plus-megapixel CR2 (around 5472×3648) is downscaled by a large factor to fit a standard-definition video frame. You can pick a larger preset under "Video resolution", but MPG is fundamentally a standard-definition-era format — it will not match the detail of the original photo or of an H.264 MP4 at full size.

Do I lose the RAW editing latitude when I convert CR2 to a video?

Yes. A CR2 stores roughly 14-bit sensor data with headroom to recover highlights, lift shadows, and change white balance after the shot. To write a video frame it must be developed into ordinary 8-bit pixels, so the current white balance and exposure get baked in and 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.

Should I pick MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 for the MPG?

MPEG-2 is the default and the right choice for almost every MPG use — it is the DVD and digital-broadcast codec, with better quality at a given bitrate. Choose MPEG-1 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. You set this under "Video Codec" in Advanced Options.

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

It is silent because a photo contains no audio, so image-to-video conversion omits the audio track rather than padding it with silence. The length comes entirely from "Image 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 suitable for a DVD-style timeline; add a soundtrack in your editor if you need audio.

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.