Convert CR2 to JPG and Deduplicate Photos Windows 11

CR2 is a RAW image file format developed by Canon, a company best known for home and commercial printers. CR2 is a lossless type of image format. It can be opened with various freeware applications if you have the appropriate codecs.

Reasons for Converting CR2 Photos to JPG

• Due to the nature of the file format, CR2 files are too large in size. You’ll need adequate storage to save hundreds of thousands of photos in the CR2 format. If you don’t have adequate storage, it’s best to convert the file.
• If you’re planning to publish your images on Internet websites, you will need a lossless file format to avoid bad user experience.
• CR2 are RAW versions of your images. Your friends or loved ones may not be able to view them if they don’t have special software to open them. Additionally, CR2 files require one of the special codecs, namely Canon RAW Codec and Microsoft Camera Codec Pack, to be installed on the user’s machine. Why not choose a file format which is universally compatible?

Benefits of Converting Your CR2 Photos to JPG

• Small file size: JPG files are lossy image format. They are highly compressed and take up a smaller size. They are best to be used on the Internet, blogs, file sharing, etc.
• Universally Compatible: Another crucial benefit of JPG files is they are universally compatible. Almost every computer, operating system, smartphone, tablet, or photo camera will be able to view them without needing to download special software or perform custom hacks.
• Vibrant Colors: Images in the JPG file format are vibrant and colorful. JPG file format supports up to 16 million colors.
• Flexible Compression Levels: If you’re a pro, you get the freedom to adjust the JPG file compression level. This will help you adjust a balance between picture quality and file size.

Converting CR2 to JPG

Using Online Tools

1. Visit the XConvert.com website
2. Click on the Select Images button.
3. Click on the Add Files button.
4. Select the CR2 photos you want to convert and then click on Open.
5. Once your files are uploaded, set the Output Extension (JPG) from the right-hand side panel.
6. In the Reduce Image File Size By section, choose one of the following options:
   • File Size Percentage: Use this option if you wish to set a specific percentage reduction in the file size. The default value is approximately 90%. Please note that setting a lesser file size will also reduce the picture quality.
   • Reducing Quality: Use this option if you wish to set your desired image quality. This is the default selected option, and the default value is approximately 90%.
   • Exact Output Size: This is your best bet if you’re too cautious about the file size or plan to upload your photos online. You can define a maximum output file size limit and XConvert will automatically convert your files appropriately.
7. Click on the Convert button to start converting.

Deduplicate JPG Photos in Windows 11

Duplicate photos can accumulate too quickly if you’re an avid photographer, or take a lot of photos. Since duplicate JPG photos can be found anywhere on your hard disk, it becomes difficult to manually identify them. This is where PictureEcho can come to your aid.

Steps:

1. Download and install PictureEcho.
2. Click on Add Path and select the drive/ folder you wish to scan for duplication.
3. Set the scan setting to Exact Match to only find exact-matching photos. Set the scan setting to Similar Match to find visually-similar photos.
4. Now, start the scan.
5. Once the scan finishes, review and select the dupes using various file selection options available in the Select Duplicates button. For example: You can mark newest/ oldest, most modified/ least modified, largest/ smallest dupes in each group, etc.
6. Once done, click on Select Action and delete the duplicate images.