CONVERT
ARW → AVIF
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Fast, secure ARW to AVIF conversion. No registration required.
Situation. ARW is Sony's RAW photo format for Alpha cameras. Solution: a AVIF, produced below. Turn a ARW image into a AVIF in seconds. The two formats share the same raster DNA so the visible quality is very close; what changes is how the file is packaged, which matters for browsers, editors and CMS uploaders. KaijuConverter runs the conversion server-side and deletes both files within two hours. Worth knowing: ARW is Sony's RAW photo format for Alpha cameras. Meanwhile AVIF is the AV1-based next-gen image codec, extremely efficient with full HDR and alpha support.
Sony RAW ARW
Source formatARW is Sony Alpha RAW format for professional and mirrorless cameras.
AVIF Image
Target formatAVIF is a next-generation image format based on the AV1 video codec. It offers significantly better compression than JPEG and WebP while maintaining excellent visual quality, including HDR and wide color gamut support.
Why convert ARW to AVIF
The real reason to move from ARW to AVIF is almost never picture quality — both raster formats store essentially the same pixels. It is about the tools downstream: which editors open the file natively, which CMSes upload it without transcoding, which social platforms accept it. Picking AVIF solves those edge cases at the cost of a short conversion step.
HOW TO CONVERT
ARW → AVIF
Provide the ARW
Click or drag to upload. We accept a single ARW file per job, with an optional queue of additional images for batch mode.
Encode to AVIF
The conversion decodes the ARW, resolves the colour space to sRGB and writes the AVIF container around the pixel data.
Save the AVIF
The download is streamed back over HTTPS. If you uploaded multiple files, a ZIP with all AVIF outputs is produced instead.
Common Use Cases
Share across platforms
Send AVIF files to anyone without worrying about whether they have the right software for ARW.
Embed in documents
Drop AVIF output into Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, Notion or a website without conversion warnings.
Optimize size
AVIF often produces smaller files than ARW for web, email and storage.
Archive & future-proof
Store in a widely-supported format that will still open on future operating systems without legacy plugins.
ARW vs AVIF — Strengths and limitations
What each format does best, and where it falls short.
ARW Strengths
- Full 14-bit sensor data on flagship bodies.
- Rich Sony metadata (Creative Style, DRO, Focus Magnifier).
- Supported by every major raw processor.
- Lossless compression available on modern bodies.
Limitations
- Proprietary — new Sony body launch = Lightroom update required.
- Lossy compression was the only option on many older bodies (visible banding in highlights).
- File sizes are huge on 50+ MP bodies.
AVIF Strengths
- Best-in-class compression efficiency — 30-50% smaller than JPEG for the same quality.
- Royalty-free and patent-unencumbered (unlike HEIC).
- Supports alpha transparency, HDR, wide gamut (BT.2020), and up to 12-bit color.
- Progressive decoding: a blurry preview appears while the file is still downloading.
- Supported in all major browsers since late 2022 — no polyfills needed.
Limitations
- Encoding is CPU-expensive — an AVIF export can take 10-30× longer than JPEG.
- Older software (pre-2022) cannot open AVIF without plugins.
- Email clients still largely ignore it — stick to JPEG for attachments.
ARW vs AVIF — Technical specifications
Side-by-side comparison of the technical details.
ARW
- MIME type
- image/x-sony-arw
- Extension
- .arw
- Container
- TIFF/EP with Sony MakerNote tags
- Bit depth
- 14-bit (flagship); 12-bit (entry)
- Compression
- Uncompressed, Lossless, Lossy
AVIF
- MIME type
- image/avif
- Container
- HEIF (ISOBMFF)
- Codec
- AV1 (intra-only)
- Max dimensions
- 65 536 × 65 536 px
- Color depth
- Up to 12-bit per channel
- Color spaces
- sRGB, Display-P3, BT.2020, arbitrary ICC
| Specification | ARW | AVIF |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/x-sony-arw | image/avif |
| Extension | .arw | — |
| Container | TIFF/EP with Sony MakerNote tags | HEIF (ISOBMFF) |
| Bit depth | 14-bit (flagship); 12-bit (entry) | — |
| Compression | Uncompressed, Lossless, Lossy | — |
| Codec | — | AV1 (intra-only) |
| Max dimensions | — | 65 536 × 65 536 px |
| Color depth | — | Up to 12-bit per channel |
| Color spaces | — | sRGB, Display-P3, BT.2020, arbitrary ICC |
ARW vs AVIF — Typical file sizes
Approximate file sizes for common scenarios.
ARW
- 24 MP ARW (A7 III, A7C) 25-45 MB
- 42 MP ARW (A7R III) 50-90 MB
- 61 MP ARW (A7R IV, A7R V) 75-130 MB
AVIF
- Thumbnail (400px) 10-30 KB
- Web photo (1920px) 80-300 KB
- 4K photo (3840px) 300 KB - 1.2 MB
- Lossless copy of 24MP photo 8-15 MB
Quality & Compatibility
ARW-to-AVIF conversion does not change the visible content. Quality is capped by the ARW decode; re-encoding a lossy source at high quality cannot recover detail that was already discarded. For archival masters, keep the original ARW alongside the AVIF copy.
Tips for Best Results
- Large ARW files may look identical to small AVIF files for photographic content; pick quality based on end use, not headline megapixels.
- For print, export AVIF at 300 DPI minimum and check that the colour profile embedded matches the print shop specification.
- Batch-convert related ARW images in one pass so they share identical encoder settings and look consistent side-by-side.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the codecs involved. If both ARW and AVIF are lossy, the pixels are re-encoded and a small amount of detail is discarded — invisible at default quality settings on photographs. If AVIF is lossless (PNG, TIFF, BMP) the output keeps every pixel of the decoded ARW exactly, but cannot recover detail that ARW had already compressed away.
Often yes, especially when AVIF is lossless. ARW tuned for efficient web delivery will usually produce smaller files than AVIF's default settings. If file size matters, drop the quality in Advanced or pick a more compressed target format instead.
KaijuConverter uploads over HTTPS, processes the image in an isolated container and deletes both the source and the output within two hours. No account is required, file contents are never logged, and we do not use uploads to train any model. For confidential material, the paid plan includes a data-processing agreement.
Related comparisons
See these formats side by side to understand which fits your use case best.
Related Guides
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Read guideSecure & Private Conversion
Your files are encrypted during transfer, processed in isolated containers, and automatically deleted within 60 minutes. We never read, share, or store your data.