CRW to MPEG Converter

Convert CRW to MPEG Online

CRW is Canon's first raw format — a single undeveloped photograph from an early-2000s EOS or PowerShot, not a video. Converting it to MPEG develops that still and writes it into an MPEG program stream: a short, silent clip that holds the picture on screen for a duration you choose. That is exactly what you need when a slideshow builder, a DVD-authoring tool or an older editing timeline will only accept video input. If what you actually want is a viewable photograph, CRW to JPG or a lossless CRW to TIFF keeps far more of the capture.

How to Convert CRW to MPEG

1. Upload Your CRW File: Drag your .crw files onto the page or click "Add Files". Add them in the order you want them to appear — upload order is playback order when they are combined.
2. Set Merge strategy and Image Duration: Merge strategy starts on Merge images, so a batch becomes one clip with each photo shown in turn; choose Video per image for a separate .mpeg per file. Image Duration controls how long each still is held and defaults to 5 seconds per frame, with choices from a single frame at 1/60 s up to 10 seconds.
3. Choose Video Codec, resolution and Background Color: Video Codec offers MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 and starts on MPEG-2. Video resolution starts on Keep original — pick a Fixed Resolution such as 1920 x 1080 to match a project. Background Color defaults to White and fills the bars left when a 3:2 photo sits in a wider frame.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert and save the .mpeg. Files upload over an encrypted connection, are processed on our servers, and are deleted automatically after a few hours. No sign-up, no watermark.

MPEG-1 or MPEG-2: Which Codec for a Still Frame?

Both write into the same MPEG program-stream container, defined by MPEG-1 Part 1 (ISO/IEC 11172-1) and MPEG-2 Part 1 (ISO/IEC 13818-1, also published as ITU-T H.222.0). What changes is the video codec inside.

Where CRW to MPEG Fits Against Other CRW Targets

The MPEG output is a silent video clip. For most reasons someone opens a CRW file, an image target is a better fit — here is the honest comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my CRW to MPEG clip silent?

Because a photograph has no sound to encode. The converter detects an image source and writes a video-only program stream — the Audio Codec control is not even shown on this page. That is not a limitation of MPEG, which happily carries MP2 or AC-3 audio; there is simply no audio in a .crw file. Add music or narration afterwards on an editing timeline.

Nothing moves in the video — is that a fault?

No, that is what a single still produces. The developed photograph is held on screen for the Image Duration you set, so the clip is a freeze-frame with no pan, zoom or transition. Internally it is written as a one-frame-per-second stream lasting your chosen duration, which plays correctly everywhere but will show up as 1 fps if you inspect it in an editor. To get something that changes, upload several CRW files with Merge strategy on Merge images.

Can I combine several CRW photos into one MPEG?

Yes, and that is the default. Merge strategy starts on Merge images, so every file you upload is developed and concatenated into a single clip, each shown for the Image Duration in upload order. The joins are hard cuts rather than cross-fades. Switch to Video per image if you would rather receive one .mpeg per photo — useful when you are batch-converting a folder rather than building a sequence.

Will I lose image quality converting CRW to MPEG?

Yes, in two separate ways. First, the raw is developed: a CRW stores undeveloped sensor data with white balance, exposure and tone still adjustable, and encoding forces all three to be decided permanently. Second, MPEG-2 video is 8-bit with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, so three quarters of the colour resolution is discarded — invisible on skin and sky, noticeable on hard saturated edges. For the most detail, convert to TIFF instead and keep the .crw as your master.

What does the .mpeg file actually contain?

An MPEG program stream carrying one MPEG-2 video track and no audio. The program stream is the container used by DVD-Video (there under the .VOB extension), which is why this output drops cleanly into disc-authoring workflows. It plays in VLC, in most desktop media players, and imports into the majority of editing timelines. For phones, browsers and current editors, CRW to MP4 is the more universally accepted target.

How do I control the file size?

Through quality rather than a size target. On an image source the bitrate and target-file-size modes are hidden — they make little sense for a static frame — leaving Quality Preset (the default, on Very High), Constant Quality and Constraint Quality. With an MPEG codec selected, Constant Quality shows a slider running 1 to 31 that starts at 5, where lower numbers mean better quality and a larger file. Reducing Video resolution or shortening the Image Duration usually shrinks the file more effectively than either.

Why are there white bars beside my photo?

Because a Canon still is 3:2 and most video frames are 16:9. When you pick a Fixed Resolution such as 1920 x 1080, the picture is fitted inside it without cropping and the leftover space is filled with your Background Color, which defaults to White. Set it to Black for a conventional neutral pillarbox, or pick any of the other named colours to match a project. Leaving Video resolution on "Keep original" avoids the bars entirely, since the frame then matches the photo.

How large can the source file be, and what happens to it afterwards?

CRW files are small by modern standards — these cameras captured a few megapixels, so individual files run to a few megabytes — which means upload time is the practical constraint rather than anything in the encode. Your file is uploaded over an encrypted connection, developed and encoded on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours, with no sign-up, no watermark, and no sharing or publication of your photos.