How many MB is a photo?

Four things decide how many megabytes a photo takes:

• Pixel count. More megapixels means more data. An uncompressed 24-megapixel image with 8 bits each for red, green and blue is 24 million pixels times 3 bytes, or 72 MB.
• Format. Canon describes RAW images as raw data from the image sensor, so they stay large: 26.1 MB on the 24-megapixel EOS R6 Mark II. JPEG and HEIF are finished, compressed images. A TIFF is bigger still: Nikon lists 134.6 MB for a full-size RGB TIFF from the 45.7-megapixel Z 7.
• Quality setting. The R6 Mark II's Large Fine JPEG is 8.2 MB, about 9 times smaller than those 72 MB. Large Normal cuts it to 4.4 MB.
• The scene. Canon notes that file size varies by shooting conditions such as cropping or aspect ratio, subject, ISO speed, Picture Style and Custom Functions.

There is no single average, because JPEG size scales with resolution and compression. In the Canon and Nikon tables, a fine full-size JPEG takes about 0.3 to 0.42 MB per megapixel: 0.30 on the Canon EOS R5, 0.34 on the EOS R6 Mark II and 0.42 on the Nikon Z6III and Z8.

That puts a 24-megapixel fine JPEG at about 8 to 10 MB (8.2 MB on the Canon, 10.3 MB on the Nikon) and a 45-megapixel one at about 13.5 to 19 MB (13.5 MB on the R5, 19.0 MB on the Z8). At normal quality the 24-megapixel files drop to 4.4 MB and 6.3 MB.

Apple puts a 12 MP ProRAW photo at about 25 MB and a 48 MP ProRAW photo at about 75 MB, and says ProRAW files are 10 to 12 times larger than HEIF or JPEG files. Dividing 25 MB by 10 to 12 puts a regular 12 MP iPhone photo at roughly 2 to 2.5 MB.

An exported JPEG's size depends on its pixel dimensions and the export quality you pick; the Lightroom export guide covers the settings. The gallery size calculator assumes about 8 MB per exported JPEG and 25 MB per RAW file, close to the 24-megapixel figures above.

On shoots.page you upload a finished set, get one gallery link, and your client browses and downloads with no account. The free plan has 2 GB, about 250 photos at 8 MB, and Pro has 100 GB for USD 9 a month, about 12,500. Only the files you upload count: the 2000 px previews and 480 px thumbnails made for every photo are free. A file over 1 GiB or over 100 megapixels fails processing, so export a smaller version if you hit that.

Canon: EOS R6 Mark II specifications, EOS R6 Mark II image quality and EOS R5 specifications. Nikon: Z6III memory card capacity, Z8 memory card capacity and Z 7 and Z 6 memory card capacity. Apple Support: About Apple ProRAW. Checked 29 October 2026.