Is converting RAW to JPG free?

Yes. Canon, Nikon and Sony each offer free software for their own RAW files, Panasonic cameras get the free SILKYPIX Developer Studio SE, and darktable and RawTherapee are free for any supported camera. On a Mac, the Photos app that comes with macOS exports RAW files as JPEG.

What costs money is Adobe: Lightroom Classic and Photoshop are paid plans. And if the JPGs are only for a client, shoots.page makes them for free as part of the delivery, up to 2 GB of RAWs.

The RAW to JPG guide has the steps for each. The free options:

• Canon Digital Photo Professional 4: converts CR2 and CR3, singly or in batches, on Windows 11 and macOS 26, 15 and 14. The catch: it is made for Canon cameras.
• Nikon NX Studio: a free download for NEF and NRW files on Windows and macOS. The catch: you must sign in with a Nikon ID on first launch, and it then works offline for 30 days at a time.
• Sony Imaging Edge Desktop: develops Sony ARW files to JPEG or TIFF, several at once. The catch: it does not support DNG or PNG files.
• SILKYPIX Developer Studio SE: free RAW software made only for Panasonic cameras; it converts RW2 files to JPEG or TIFF. The catch: it covers only the camera models on its maker's list.
• darktable: free and open source, for Windows, Linux and macOS. The catch: macOS builds need macOS 13.5 or later, and there are no official releases for Intel Macs.
• RawTherapee: a free, cross-platform RAW processing program, released as Free Software under GPLv3.
• Photos on a Mac: File > Export > Export [number] Photos, with Photo Kind set to JPEG. The catch: it opens the cameras on Apple's RAW list, plus basic support for DNG.

Fujifilm works differently. Its X RAW STUDIO converts RAF files with the processor of a compatible camera connected by USB; see RAF to JPG.

On Windows, Microsoft's Raw Image Extension is free in the Microsoft Store. Microsoft says it is not an app: it installs a codec so File Explorer and Photos can show RAW images. It doesn't convert them.

Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop both convert RAW files to JPEG in batches, but both come with paid Adobe plans; Adobe offers a free trial.

For Panasonic shooters who want more than the free SE Version, SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro12 for Panasonic costs 6,930 JPY including tax for the Windows download, one purchase with no monthly fee.

Adobe also offers the free Adobe DNG Converter, but it turns camera RAW files into DNG, not JPEG, so it doesn't finish the job. To convert whole folders, see how to batch convert RAW to JPG.

If the JPGs are for a client, you may not need converter software at all. shoots.page is a photo-delivery web app: you upload the RAW files, and it makes a full-size sRGB JPEG at quality 92 of every RAW in the gallery.

Your client gets an unlisted link, browses the set and downloads the full-size JPEGs one by one or as one ZIP. Clients never pay and never need an account.

The Free plan includes 2 GB of storage, about 80 RAW files at an average of 25 MB each. Only the files you upload count; the JPEGs made from them don't. Pro gives you 100 GB for USD 9 a month or USD 90 a year before tax, or EUR 8 a month or EUR 80 a year in Europe with VAT included; see pricing. The gallery size calculator estimates what your shoot needs.

• Your time and your computer: desktop converters run on your own machine, batch by batch.
• Your edits, on shoots.page: it reads no edits, presets or .xmp sidecars from Lightroom or Capture One. It renders the RAW with the camera's white balance, or uses an embedded camera JPEG of at least 90% of full size.
• Export settings, on shoots.page: output is fixed at full size, quality 92 and sRGB.
• Full metadata, on shoots.page: the JPEG keeps camera make, model and capture date and time; GPS, lens and exposure data are removed.
• Every file, on shoots.page: files over 1 GiB or 100 megapixels fail, which rules out Fujifilm GFX100-series RAFs. Nikon High Efficiency NEFs, as shot by the Z 8, can't be decoded yet.

Canon DPP 4 tutorials, Canon Digital Photo Professional, Nikon NX Studio download, Nikon NX Studio (Japan), NX Studio workflow, Sony support (Japan), Imaging Edge Desktop developing, Sony support: PNG and DNG, SILKYPIX Developer Studio SE Version, SILKYPIX SE guide (Japanese), SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro12 for Panasonic, darktable, darktable install, RawTherapee, Apple RAW formats, Apple Photos export, Microsoft Raw Image Extension, Adobe: Digital Negative, Adobe plans, FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO. Checked 29 October 2026.