RAW to BMP Converter

Unlike other file formats and extensions, the term RAW is not an acronym or an initialization. Instead, it means exactly what it says. A RAW file is an unprocessed image with all of its original information intact, as captured by the camera’s sensor. Information can include the conditions that were present when the picture was taken, as well as descriptive text. Both open-source and proprietary RAW file types currently exist.

How to open a RAW file?

The best way to open a RAW file is to use the software the camera manufacturer developed specifically for that purpose. Determining the manufacturer is easy because they assign their own extension to RAW files taken using one of their cameras. For example, Canon (CR2), Nikon (NEF), Sony (SR2), Epson (ERF), Kodak (KDC), Panasonic (RW2), and others. 

Alternatively, you may use a universal image viewer, such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, or Zoner Photo Studio (an alternative to Adobe products). After post-processing (editing) RAW files are usually converted to a JPEG (RAW to JPG), PNG, TIFF, or BMP file type. To open RAW on Microsoft Windows or macOS, use the options described above. For Linux/Unix, you can use darktable. For a multi-platform viewer, try XnView MP.

Developed by: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

Initial Release: 2001

Useful links:

https://whatis.techtarget.com/fileformat/RAW-Raw-File-Format-bitmap

Bitmap (BMP) is a pixel-based file format that stores two-dimensional images, generally without any compression. BMP utilizes a dot matrix data structure called raster graphics, which establishes the color depth of the image. BMP is mostly used for digital publishing of photographs. However, due to the lack of compression, BMP files are usually large.

How to open a BMP file?

BMP can be device-dependent or independent. BMP opens readily in the Microsoft Paint application and is often associated with Microsoft operating systems. Despite the association with Microsoft, a device-independent BMP, or DIB, can open on almost any device, operating system, or application. 

In addition to opening BMP files, many applications can be used to create them, such as Adobe Illustrator. Should you need to convert the BMP into a vector-based image, then consider using CorelDRAW. Other applications that can open BMP files include Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Photos, Apple Preview, Apple Photos, and ColorStrokes.

Developed by: Microsoft Corporation

Initial Release: 20 November 1985

Useful links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMP_file_format

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/gdi/bitmaps