X3F to PDF Converter

How to Convert X3F to PDF Online

1. Upload Your X3F Files: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to select Sigma RAW files from your SD9, SD10, SD14, SD15, SD1 Merrill, DP Merrill, dp Quattro, or sd Quattro camera. Batch uploads are supported — drop a whole shoot in one go.
2. Set Combine and Paper size: Choose Single PDF to merge every X3F into one multi-page document (ideal for contact sheets and archives) or Individual PDFs for one file per image. Pick a Paper size preset — A4, A3, Letter, Legal, Tabloid, Ledger, Executive, ISO B4/B5, ARCH A/B, or Same as Image Size to preserve native dimensions.
3. Tune layout (Optional): Switch Page layout between Portrait and Landscape, set Margin (No margin / Narrow 0.5" / Moderate / Normal 1" / Large 2x1"), pick Image placement (Cover fills the page, Contained fits within margins), align Top / Center / Bottom, drag Image Compression quality from 1 to 100, and toggle Image Transparency Unchanged or Removed.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert." Foveon RAW data is decoded server-side, baked into JPEG-compressed pages, and packaged as ISO 32000-compliant PDF. No watermark, no sign-up, no Sigma Photo Pro install.

Why Convert X3F to PDF?

X3F is Sigma's proprietary RAW container for the Foveon X3 direct image sensor — the stacked three-photodiode design first shipped in the SD9 in 2002 and used through the SD1 Merrill (2011), DP Merrill series, dp Quattro (2014), and sd Quattro (2016) lineups. Because X3F encodes Foveon's layered color data in a Sigma-specific structure, it cannot be opened by Preview, Windows Photos, Google Photos, most browsers, Lightroom Classic on older releases, or anything outside Sigma Photo Pro and the Sigma X3F Plug-in for Photoshop. Converting to PDF — standardised as ISO 32000-1:2008 and ISO 32000-2:2020 — turns those locked-up shoots into documents anyone with Acrobat Reader, Preview, or a phone PDF viewer can open.

• Client proofs and contact sheets — Pack 20-40 Foveon frames into one Single-PDF deliverable so clients flip through pages instead of unzipping a folder of unviewable RAWs.
• Long-term archives — PDF is an ISO standard maintained by ISO/TC 171 SC 2 WG 8; X3F is a single-vendor format with no published specification, and as of 2025 no current Sigma body uses it. Wrapping in PDF future-proofs the visual record even if Sigma Photo Pro stops shipping.
• Email and chat distribution — A 100% quality PDF of a Quattro frame typically lands between 2-6 MB per page, sliding comfortably under Gmail's 25 MB attachment limit and most Slack/Discord caps.
• Print prep — Picking Same as Image Size paired with the ARCH A or Tabloid preset hands a printer a press-ready document at the Foveon's native APS-C aspect (3:2) without resampling.
• Submissions and licensing — Stock libraries, photo contests, university portfolios, and grant applications routinely require PDF submissions; X3F is rarely on the accepted list.
• Forensic and chain-of-custody work — A flattened PDF with all frames in order is easier to hash, sign, and attach to a case file than 14-bit Foveon RAWs that need vendor decoders.

X3F vs PDF — Format Comparison

Paper Size and Compression Quick Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I just open my X3F file in Preview or Windows Photos?

X3F uses a Sigma-proprietary container with no published specification, and the Foveon X3 sensor's three-layer color data is encoded differently than the Bayer-pattern RAW formats Apple and Microsoft built their image pipelines around. Apple's RAW support list and Microsoft's Camera Codec Pack cover most Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fujifilm bodies but historically have spotty or absent X3F coverage — especially for Merrill and Quattro generations. PDF sidesteps that entirely: every desktop and mobile OS ships with a PDF reader.

Does the conversion preserve Foveon's full color depth?

No — and that's expected. X3F holds 12-bit (older SD bodies) to 14-bit (dp Quattro) per-channel sensor data, while PDF pages here are JPEG-compressed at the quality you set (1-100). You're trading editable RAW headroom for universal viewability. If you need to keep the 14-bit signal for later developing, export to TIFF first and embed that in the PDF workflow downstream, or keep the X3F originals as the master.

Can I put multiple X3F files into one PDF?

Yes — leave Combine on Single PDF and the converter merges every uploaded X3F into a multi-page document in the upload order. Use Image placement = Cover and Center alignment for a clean contact-sheet look. If you'd rather build the document from existing JPEG/PNG exports, the Merge Image to PDF tool gives you reorder controls.

Which Sigma cameras does this support?

Every Sigma body that wrote .x3f is in scope: SD9 (2002), SD10, SD14, SD15, SD1 / SD1 Merrill (2011), DP1/DP2/DP3 Merrill (2012-2013), dp0/dp1/dp2/dp3 Quattro (2014-2016), and sd Quattro / sd Quattro H (2016). Per Sigma's lineup history, the DP-series compacts were discontinued in 2022 and no current Sigma camera — including the 2025 BF — ships a Foveon sensor, so an X3F-to-PDF batch is increasingly the only path for legacy Sigma libraries.

Why is my output PDF much larger than my X3F file?

X3F is a single compressed RAW blob (typically 30-55 MB for a Quattro frame, ~14-25 MB for older Merrill files). When converted to PDF at quality 100 with Same as Image Size, the engine renders the full Foveon image as a high-quality JPEG and wraps it in a PDF — easily 8-20 MB per page. To shrink the result, drop quality to 80-85, switch paper size to A4/Letter, or run the finished PDF through Compress PDF.

Should I use Cover or Contained for image placement?

Cover fills the page edge-to-edge inside the margins, cropping the image to match the page aspect — best for portfolio pages where you don't want letterboxing. Contained scales the image to fit entirely inside the margins, preserving the Foveon 3:2 aspect and adding white bars where needed — best for proofs where the full frame must be visible without cropping.

What's the difference between Single PDF and Individual PDFs?

Single PDF concatenates all uploaded X3Fs into one downloadable .pdf with one image per page in upload order — useful for contact sheets, portfolios, and submissions that ask for a single file. Individual PDFs writes one PDF per input X3F and bundles the set in a .zip — useful when each frame is a separate deliverable, e.g. licensing individual stock images or sending per-image proofs.

Are my Foveon RAWs safe during conversion?

Files upload over HTTPS, run through the conversion engine, and are deleted from xconvert servers automatically — your X3F stays on your machine, the output PDF downloads to your machine, and the temporary copy is purged. There is no public gallery, no sign-up required to use the tool, and nothing about a converted RAW is indexed or retained.

Can I convert X3F to other formats instead of PDF?

Yes — if PDF isn't the right destination, point Sigma RAW at JPG for the most compatible web/email format, or TIFF for lossless pixels suitable for further editing. If you already have DNG masters from another camera and want to wrap those into a document instead, use DNG to PDF. PDF is the right pick specifically when you need a paginated, viewable-everywhere document.