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Need help?How to Convert RW2 to MP4 Online
- Upload Your RW2 Files: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to load.rw2 RAW images straight from your Panasonic Lumix SD card or local folder. Batch upload is supported — drop in a whole time-lapse interval shoot and the tool will sort them in upload order, which is normally also shutter order.
- Pick Merge Strategy and Duration: Under Merge Strategy choose "Merge images" to glue every RW2 into one MP4 (the usual choice for slideshows and time-lapses) or "Video per image" to render each RAW as its own short clip. Set Duration per frame — 1/60s, 1/30s, or 1/24s produces a true time-lapse at 60/30/24 fps, while 3–5 seconds gives a viewer time to read each photo in a slideshow.
- Set Resolution, Background Color, and Codec (Optional): Pick a Preset Resolution (2160p for 4K, 1080p for HD, 720p, etc.) or enter custom Width × Height; "Keep original" preserves the native pixel dimensions of your Lumix sensor. Set Background Color (White is the default — useful for portrait-orientation RW2 letterboxed into a 16:9 video) and switch the Video Codec to H.264 for universal playback, H.265 for ~40–50% smaller files, or AV1 if your editor supports it.
- Tune File Size (Optional) and Convert: Choose a Quality Preset (Very High is recommended), or switch to Constant Quality (CRF) — 18 is visually lossless for H.264, 23 is the codec default. Click "Convert" and download each MP4 individually or as a ZIP. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared.
Why Convert RW2 to MP4?
RW2 is Panasonic's proprietary RAW image container, used across the Lumix G (Micro Four Thirds), Lumix S (full-frame L-mount), Lumix FZ bridge, and Lumix LX compact lines. It is TIFF-based, stores 12-bit or 14-bit sensor data, embeds a full-size JPEG preview, and ranges from roughly 15 MB on older 16 MP bodies up to 30 MB+ on the 47 MP Lumix S1R. The files are wonderful to edit but useless for sharing — most browsers, phones, and chat apps can't render a single RW2, let alone a sequence. Wrapping them in MP4 makes them play anywhere a video plays.
- Time-lapses from Lumix interval shooting — Set Duration to 1/24s, 1/30s, or 1/60s and the converter renders one frame per RW2, producing a smooth 24/30/60 fps time-lapse without a desktop NLE. A 600-frame interval sequence becomes a 25-second 4K clip at 24 fps.
- Client proofing reels — A 16:9 1080p slideshow at 3 seconds per photo plays in any browser, on any phone, and inside Slack/Teams previews. Email-friendly when you also pick a 25–50 MB file-size target.
- Social-ready cuts — Use the 1080×1920 preset for Instagram/TikTok Reels or 1080×1080 for square feed posts; Background Color letterboxes landscape RW2 into vertical frames cleanly.
- Archival playback — A 10-year-old Lumix RW2 shoot may need a current RAW developer to view, but an MP4 export plays for the next decade on anything with HEVC or H.264 support.
- Sharing via chat caps — Gmail caps attachments at 25 MB and Discord's free tier rose to 20 MB per file in August 2026; H.265 at CRF 28 routinely lands a 30-second photo reel under both caps.
- Pair with DNG to MP4 if you've already converted RW2 to Adobe DNG in Lightroom, or use CR2 to MP4 for the equivalent Canon workflow.
RW2 vs MP4 — Why You Wrap RAW in Video
| Property | RW2 (Panasonic RAW) | MP4 (H.264/H.265) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Single-image RAW container | Video container |
| Base format | TIFF-based | ISO base media (MPEG-4 Part 14) |
| Color data | 12-bit or 14-bit per channel, sensor-native | 8-bit per channel (10-bit with HEVC Main10) |
| File size | 15–30+ MB per still | A whole reel often smaller than one RW2 |
| Playback | Lightroom, Capture One, RawTherapee, darktable; not browsers or phones | Universal — every browser, phone, smart TV, console |
| Best use | Editing, white-balance and exposure recovery | Sharing, embedding, streaming, social |
| Compression | Lossless (or slightly lossy on newer bodies) | Lossy inter-frame (H.264/265/AV1) |
Codec and Quality Cheat Sheet for RW2 → MP4
| Option | Default | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Video Codec | H.264 | H.264 = universal playback. H.265/HEVC = ~40–50% smaller at the same visual quality; supported by iOS 11+, macOS High Sierra+, Windows 10+ with the HEVC extension, and Chrome/Edge/Safari (Firefox via OS decoder). AV1 = smallest files but slowest to encode and decode. MPEG-4 Part 2/Xvid is legacy compatibility only. |
| Quality Preset | Very High | Preset shortcut for CRF/bitrate. Very High ≈ CRF 20 for H.264, Highest ≈ CRF 17 (visually lossless). |
| Constant Quality (CRF) | 23 (H.264) / 28 (H.265) | Lower = better quality and bigger file. CRF 18 for H.264 is the "visually lossless" sweet spot; CRF 23 is the libx264 default; CRF 28 for H.265 matches CRF 23 for H.264. |
| Resolution | Keep original | Use Preset Resolutions for standard sizes (2160p/1080p/720p). Custom Width × Height respects aspect ratio if "Keep aspect ratio" is checked. |
| Background Color | White | Letterbox/pillarbox fill when the RW2 aspect ratio (often 4:3 on Lumix G bodies, 3:2 on S bodies) doesn't match the chosen output. White reads better for product photography; black for cinematic. |
| Audio Codec | AAC | RW2 has no audio, so AAC is added as a silent track for maximum player compatibility. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Panasonic cameras shoot in RW2?
RW2 is the RAW format across the Lumix DMC line (introduced with the GH-series Micro Four Thirds bodies in 2008 — earlier Lumix bodies used.RAW), continuing through the current Lumix G, GH, GF, GX, FZ, LX, and full-frame Lumix S series. Leica's M Monochrom and certain Leica D-Lux/V-Lux models also write RW2 because their imaging pipeline is co-developed with Panasonic. The Sigma fp uses.DNG (an open Adobe format), so its files are not RW2 — convert those via DNG to MP4.
How do I make a true time-lapse from my RW2 interval sequence?
Set Duration to 1/24s, 1/30s, or 1/60s — each RW2 becomes one frame of the output video at that frame rate. A 720-frame Lumix S5 interval shoot at 1/24s = a 30-second 24 fps clip; at 1/30s = 24 seconds at 30 fps. Use Merge Strategy "Merge images" so the whole sequence renders into one MP4. Upload the files in shutter order — file-name sort is normally identical, but check before kicking off a long batch.
Will the converter develop the RAW (white balance, exposure, highlight recovery)?
It applies a baseline demosaic from the RW2's embedded preview and sensor data — enough for a clean slideshow or time-lapse but not equivalent to a Lightroom or Capture One develop. If you've already invested in per-frame edits (graduated filters, exposure ramps, white-balance shifts), export to JPEG/TIFF/PNG from your RAW developer first and feed those into the converter — the timing and codec controls are identical. For deeper RAW work, convert RW2 to JPG at quality 100 first.
My Lumix shoots 4:3 — what happens when I pick 1080p (16:9)?
The image gets letterboxed (or pillarboxed) with the Background Color filling the unused frame area. A 4:3 G9 RAW (5184×3888) inside a 1080p (1920×1080) frame becomes a 1440×1080 image centered with 240px white bars left and right. To avoid bars, pick the 2160×1620 or 1440×1080 custom dimensions, or change Background Color to black for a cinematic look.
Why is my output MP4 huge compared to a typical video?
Because each frame originates from a multi-megabyte RAW with no inter-frame compression help (the codec can't exploit temporal redundancy between unrelated still photos as well as it does for video). Switching the codec to H.265 (HEVC) typically cuts size 40–50% vs H.264 at the same CRF. For aggressive shrink, set Constant Quality (CRF) to 26–28 on H.264 or 30–32 on H.265.
Should I pick H.264 or H.265 for the output?
Pick H.264 if the file will be emailed, embedded on an older CMS, or played on a 2015-era TV — it decodes on every device made in the last decade. Pick H.265/HEVC for archival or upload to a current platform — half the file size at the same quality, and iOS 11+, macOS High Sierra+, Windows 10+ (with the free HEVC extension on older builds), Chrome, Edge, and Safari all decode it natively. AV1 saves another ~20% over HEVC but is slower to encode and isn't yet universal in editors.
Can I add music to the slideshow?
Not in this single step — the converter writes a silent AAC audio track for player compatibility. Export the MP4 here first, then drop it into a video editor (DaVinci Resolve, iMovie, or Shotcut are free) to lay an MP3/AAC track over the top. Match the music length to your slideshow by adjusting Duration per frame here before exporting — total runtime = frame count × duration.
What resolution and frame rate are best for Instagram or TikTok?
For feed posts: 1080×1080 (square) at 30 fps. For Reels/Stories/TikTok: 1080×1920 (vertical) at 30 fps. Set Duration to 1/30s for a true 30 fps time-lapse, or 2–3 seconds per frame for a slideshow that respects the platforms' typical 60-second cap (15–25 photos at 2–3s each). Switching the Background Color to "Black" reads cleanly inside both apps' dark UIs.
My RW2 files won't upload — what's wrong?
Confirm the extension is lowercase .rw2; some older Lumix bodies write .RW2 and a few card readers preserve mixed case (the converter accepts both, but custom upload scripts sometimes don't). If your camera writes paired sidecar .RW2.OUT or .XMP files, upload only the .rw2 — sidecars contain edit metadata the demosaicer does not apply. For very large batches, convert in smaller groups to keep upload times manageable.