What happens when you convert ORF to JPEG
- The ORF is developed by LibRaw, the open-source camera RAW decoder, on our conversion server: the sensor data is turned into a full-colour picture with the white balance the camera recorded, AHD demosaicing and standard sRGB colour.
- ImageMagick then saves it as a JPEG at 92 percent quality, at the camera's full resolution, 8 bits per channel. The photo is turned the way the camera was held.
- This is a neutral, straight development, much like the camera's own JPG settings switched off: no lens corrections, noise reduction or creative styles are applied, so it can look flatter than an edited version.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert ORF to JPEG online
- Press "Choose ORF files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to JPEG". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each JPEG with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your ORF and the JPEG by then.
Why convert ORF to JPEG?
ORF files usually come from Olympus E, PEN and OM-D cameras and OM System models. People convert them to JPEG because JPEG opens everywhere and keeps photos small, which is why upload forms and email favour it.
In short, ORF is good at what it was made for, and JPEG is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. ORF does not open in browsers; macOS Photos and Preview, Lightroom and OM Workspace open it, while JPEG opens in every browser and image viewer.
How to convert ORF to JPEG on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your ORF files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each JPEG is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the ORF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the JPEG files land in Downloads. Preview can do single images too: open the file, choose File, then Export, and pick JPEG.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose ORF files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted JPEG appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose ORF files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The JPEG is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for ORF to JPEG
There are no settings: camera white balance, sRGB colour and the full sensor resolution, up to 16,384 pixels a side.
For exposure, colour and lens corrections, develop the ORF in Lightroom, darktable or RawTherapee instead; this converter gives a quick, faithful result without edits.
ORF vs JPEG: the differences
| ORF | JPEG | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Olympus Raw Format | Joint Photographic Experts Group image |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | Olympus | the Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| First released | the early 2000s | 1992 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | No | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | raw sensor data, usually 12 or 14 bits per pixel | 24-bit colour, 16.7 million colours |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; macOS Photos and Preview, Lightroom and OM Workspace open it | opens in every browser and image viewer |
| Common uses | Olympus E, PEN and OM-D cameras and OM System models | camera photos, scanned documents and web images |
| MIME type | image/x-olympus-orf | image/jpeg |
About ORF and JPEG files
What is an ORF file?
ORF is the raw format of Olympus cameras, kept by OM System after it took over the brand. Its header starts with IIRO rather than the usual TIFF signature, one reason some older programs refuse it.
What is a JPEG file?
JPEG and JPG are the same format. The three-letter extension dates from old Windows systems that only allowed three characters after the dot, and both names are still in use.
ORF to JPEG not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit, and raw files from high-resolution cameras can pass it. Switch the camera to its compressed raw setting, or develop very large files in a desktop raw editor.
- "This file is not really in ORF format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .orf is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
- "The photo could not be read." The decoder on our server, LibRaw 0.20, knows cameras released up to about 2020. Raw files from newer models, and Canon CR3 and Sigma X3F files, may not open.
- The colours look flat. The photo is developed neutrally, without the contrast and styles a camera adds to its own JPGs. Adjust it in a photo editor.
Convert ORF to JPEG from the command line
LibRaw and ImageMagick do the same on your own computer:
dcraw_emu -w -o 1 -q 3 -T input.orf
magick input.orf.tiff -quality 92 output.jpegConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
ORF to JPEG converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting ORF to JPEG?
The JPEG is 8 bits per channel, while the ORF held 12 or 14 bits of sensor data, so the extra room for adjusting exposure and colour is gone. Keep the ORF for editing.
Why is the JPEG a different size from the ORF?
Usually smaller than the ORF, because JPEG compression is much more compact than raw sensor data.
Are my ORF files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful ORF to JPEG conversion needs LibRaw and ImageMagick, two open-source tools, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the JPEG as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several ORF files to JPEG at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a JPEG file?
JPEG opens in every browser and image viewer. JPEG is common for camera photos, scanned documents and web images.
Is this ORF to JPEG converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert ORF to JPEG on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the JPEG is saved to your Downloads folder.