Reference Formats
CR3
Canon's current RAW format, built on the ISO Base Media File Format (the MP4/HEIF container family) rather than TIFF, adding native lossy C-RAW compression and support for Dual Pixel RAW data.
Extension
.cr3
Full name
Canon Raw Image 3
Introduced
2018, with the EOS M50 and EOS R
Vendor
Canon
What is inside the container
Unlike CR2's TIFF structure, CR3 is an ISO-BMFF/MP4-style container that holds sensor data compressed with Canon's CRX codec (a hybrid of JPEG-LS and JPEG-2000 techniques), an embedded JPEG preview, full Exif/MakerNotes, and, on some models, focus and scene-recognition data alongside optional Dual Pixel autofocus information. The container change was significant enough that third-party raw processors needed genuinely new parsers rather than incremental updates, which produced a well-documented support lag through 2018-2019.
How to open it
For archives
Because CR3's ISO-BMFF container is different enough from older TIFF-based RAW formats that some legacy tools and DAM raw-preview plugins still can't parse it, explicitly verify a DAM's rendering engine supports CR3 rather than assuming generic "Canon RAW" support covers it. Converting to DNG remains the safest long-term archival hedge given the format's relative youth and the compression-codec dependency.
Canon introduced CR3 in 2018 alongside the EOS M50 and EOS R, its first mirrorless bodies built around a genuinely new raw container rather than an update to the CR2/TIFF lineage. CR3 is based on the ISO Base Media File Format — the same family used by MP4 video and HEIF images — and adds Canon’s CRX codec, a mix of JPEG-LS and JPEG-2000 techniques, giving it both lossless RAW and a lossy C-RAW option that shrinks files 30-50% versus CR2 at a similar image.
The container switch mattered in practice: because CR3 isn’t structurally a TIFF file the way CR2 and most other manufacturers’ RAW formats are, third-party software needed to write new parsing code, not just add another camera model to an existing decoder. Adobe added CR3 support to Camera Raw 11.0 and Lightroom Classic 8.0 in late 2018, but other Adobe tools, notably Bridge, lagged into 2019, and community forum threads from that period document real frustration among photographers unable to browse CR3 files in tools they’d relied on for CR2. For a DAM, that history is a caution: don’t assume a raw-preview integration that handles Canon RAW in general actually handles CR3 specifically, especially in older or less actively maintained DAM deployments.
Frequently asked
Why can't some older DAM raw-preview plugins render CR3 files?
CR3 uses an ISO-BMFF/MP4-style container instead of CR2's TIFF structure, a change significant enough that third-party raw processors needed genuinely new parsers, producing a documented support lag through 2018-2019 that some legacy tools never closed.
What compression does CR3 use that CR2 didn't have?
CR3 adds native lossy C-RAW compression, using Canon's CRX codec, a hybrid of JPEG-LS and JPEG-2000 techniques, which CR2 does not offer.
Should a DAM assume generic Canon RAW support covers CR3?
No. Explicitly verify a DAM's rendering engine supports CR3 specifically, since the ISO-BMFF container is different enough from older TIFF-based RAW formats that some tools still cannot parse it.
When did Adobe add CR3 support?
Camera Raw 11.0 and Lightroom Classic 8.0 added CR3 support in late 2018, though other Adobe apps like Bridge lagged into 2019.
What extra data can CR3 carry that older Canon RAW formats don't?
On some models, focus and scene-recognition data alongside optional Dual Pixel autofocus information, in addition to the standard Exif/MakerNotes and embedded JPEG preview.
What is the safest long-term archival hedge for CR3 given the format's youth?
Converting to DNG remains the safest long-term archival hedge given CR3's relative youth and its dependency on Canon's CRX compression codec.
When was CR3 introduced and on what cameras?
2018, with the Canon EOS M50 and EOS R.
What open-source tool added CR3 support after launch?
RawTherapee added CR3 support in releases following the format's 2018 launch, after initially lacking it.
Sources
- Canon introduced the CR3 format in 2018 with the EOS M50, and it is now standard across the EOS R lineup. checked 2026-08-07 — FileInfo.com - CR3 File
- CR3 files are stored using the ISO Base Media File Format (ISO/IEC 14496-12) with custom Canon tags, and include the Canon CRX codec combining JPEG-LS and JPEG-2000 techniques; C-RAW (lossy) can reduce file size 30-50% versus CR2. checked 2026-08-07 — FileFormat.com docs - CR3 File Format
- As of April 2019, Adobe Bridge still did not support CR3 raw files from the Canon EOS R, EOS RP, and EOS M50, despite Camera Raw/Lightroom support arriving earlier. checked 2026-08-07 — Adobe Community forum thread - CR3 not supported in Adobe Bridge 2019