PEF to MPEG Converter
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Supports: PEF
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Need help?PEF to MPEG Converter
A PEF file is a single Pentax RAW photo, and .mpeg is a video container — so this is a still-to-video conversion. The output is a short, silent MPEG clip that holds your one PEF frame on screen for a few seconds, useful for slideshows, video timelines, or any editor that wants a video clip instead of a photo. If you just want a normal viewable picture, convert to PEF to JPG, PEF to TIFF, or PEF to PNG instead — those keep the image as an image and preserve far more of the RAW's tonal range.
PEF Format at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Pentax Electronic Format (Pentax RAW) |
| Vendor | Pentax (Ricoh Imaging) |
| Type | Still image — camera RAW |
| Payload | Minimally processed sensor data + EXIF metadata |
| Bit depth | Typically 12- or 14-bit per channel (not officially published by Pentax) |
| Cameras | Pentax DSLRs and mirrorless bodies (K-series, *ist, 645) |
| Best for | Editing latitude before export; not a delivery format |
| Common alternative | DNG, the open RAW standard, via Adobe DNG Converter |
MPEG Format at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard | ISO/IEC 11172 (MPEG-1) and 13818 (MPEG-2), Program Stream container |
| Released | MPEG-1 in 1993, MPEG-2 in 1995 |
| Video codec here | MPEG-2 video (xconvert's default for .mpeg) |
| Audio | MP2 by default — but this conversion is silent, so no audio track is written |
| Type | Video container (.mpeg / .mpg) |
| Native playback | VLC, Windows Media Player, MPC-HC; the DVD-Video video standard |
| Best for | Wide-compatibility playback, DVD authoring, legacy editors |
How to Convert PEF to MPEG
- Upload Your PEF File: Drag and drop your
.peffile onto the page or click "+ Add Files." You can add several PEF photos at once. - Set Image Duration and Background Color: Under Advanced Options, choose how many seconds the frame stays on screen ("5 seconds per frame" by default) and the letterbox Background Color (Black by default) used when the photo's aspect ratio doesn't match the video frame.
- Pick Video Codec, Quality Preset, and Resolution: Keep MPEG-2 for the standard
.mpeg, or switch to MPEG-1 / MPEG-4; set the Quality Preset (Very High is recommended) and either keep the original resolution or choose a Preset Resolution. - Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and download the MPEG clip. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the MPEG have any sound?
No. A PEF is a photograph with no audio, so the MPEG is a silent video clip — only the image track is written. If you need music or narration, add it afterward in a video editor.
How long will the output video be?
As long as the Image Duration you set. The default is 5 seconds per frame, so a single PEF becomes a 5-second clip. Upload several PEF photos and choose "Merge images" to chain them into one longer slideshow.
Will I lose image quality converting PEF to MPEG?
Yes, meaningfully. A PEF carries roughly 12- to 14-bit RAW latitude, while MPEG-2 video is 8-bit and lossy, so highlight and shadow recovery is baked away and color is compressed. For a viewable still that keeps more of the original data, convert to PEF to TIFF or PEF to JPG instead.
Why would I convert a photo to MPEG at all?
The usual reason is a video pipeline that needs a clip rather than a photo — a DVD slideshow, a timeline in an older editor, or a digital signage player that only accepts video. In our testing, a single 24-megapixel PEF at the default 5-second duration produced a short MPEG-2 clip a video editor imports without any extra still-to-clip step.
Which players open the resulting .mpeg file?
The default output is an MPEG-2 program stream, which plays in VLC, Windows Media Player, and MPC-HC, and matches the DVD-Video standard. Standards-compliant MPEG-2 decoders also play MPEG-1 if you switch the codec.
Do my files stay private?
Yes. Your PEF is uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours. Files are never shared, made public, or used for anything other than your conversion — and there is no sign-up or watermark.
Can I convert several PEF photos into one video?
Yes. Add multiple .pef files and choose "Merge images" to combine them into a single MPEG, or "Video per image" to get one clip per photo. Each frame uses the Image Duration you set.