PEF to JPG Converter
Turn Pentax raw files into JPGs you can email, post or send to a lab, without installing Digital Camera Utility or a paid raw editor. Upload the .pef files and download finished JPGs in sRGB.
Image Converter
or drop JPG, JPEG, JPE … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
85 keeps photos visually identical to the original. Lower it only when you need a smaller file.
JPG, BMP and EPS have no transparency. Transparent pixels are filled with this color.
Hex color used behind transparent pixels, e.g. #FFFFFF.
This format holds a single image. Choose GIF or WebP output if you want to keep the animation.
A multi-size icon contains several resolutions in one file; browsers and operating systems pick the one they need.
Keep the original dimensions, or enter one side and the aspect ratio is kept.
Pixels for the side you chose above.
Percentage of the original dimensions.
sRGB is right for screens and the web. Keep the original for print workflows; grayscale discards color.
Metadata only, 0 keeps the original value. Printers and some portals read this number; it does not change pixel dimensions.
How to use this tool
- 1
Upload your PEF files
Copy the .PEF files off the SD card and drop up to 20 of them here. Each can be up to 95 MB, which covers Pentax full-frame raws.
- 2
Choose JPG quality
Quality is set to 92 for prints and archives. Lower it to 80 for web use, or set Resize output image to a longest side such as 2048 px for sharing.
- 3
Convert and download
Press Convert to JPG. The batch comes back as individual JPGs or one ZIP.
How do I open a Pentax PEF as a normal photo?
Convert it to JPG. Upload the .pef files, keep Quality at 92 and press Convert to JPG; the raw data is developed with neutral colors and saved as an sRGB JPEG that any device opens.
Pentax raw files and the software that reads them
Pentax cameras, from the K-1 Mark II full-frame body to the APS-C K-3 Mark III and KP, can save raw images as PEF. Ricoh's free Digital Camera Utility 5 develops them, and Lightroom, Capture One and darktable read them too, but none of that helps when the files are on a work laptop, a borrowed computer or a phone. Windows Photos and the macOS Preview app may show only the low-resolution JPEG preview embedded in the raw.
A batch conversion gets around that. You keep the PEF as the master and send JPGs to anyone who needs to see the pictures: a client choosing frames, a print lab, a family group chat.
PEF
Pentax Electronic File
Pentax Electronic File (PEF) is the raw image format written by Pentax cameras. It is used by Pentax DSLRs, many of which can also record DNG instead. A raw file stores the sensor data before the camera applies white balance, sharpening and compression, which leaves far more room to recover highlights, shadows and colour when editing. Files are large and cannot be shared directly on websites, social networks or most phones. Lightroom, Capture One, darktable and the manufacturer's own software open them, but plain image viewers often show only a small embedded preview or nothing at all.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- No
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- Pentax (Ricoh)
JPG
JPEG image
JPEG (or JPG) is the most widely used photo format, standardised by the Joint Photographic Experts Group in 1992. It uses lossy compression that discards fine detail the eye is unlikely to notice, which keeps photos small enough for the web, email and phone storage. It handles smooth gradients and natural scenes well, but sharp text, line art and flat colours pick up visible blocky or fuzzy artefacts. JPEG has no transparency and no animation, and every re-save loses a little more quality. Every browser, phone, camera and image editor can open it.
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- No
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- 1992 · Joint Photographic Experts Group
Pentax shooters convert PEF to JPG to share or print raw frames from a computer that has no Pentax software, keeping a neutral rendering they can hand over without editing every file.
14-bit PEF to 8-bit JPG: what you give up
16,384brightness levels per channel in a 14-bit Pentax raw, against 256 in a JPG
That gap is why raw shooters keep their PEF files. The JPG holds the same picture you see on screen, but the extra levels that let you rescue a blown sky or lift deep shadows are gone. Do any heavy exposure correction in a raw editor first and convert afterwards; for straight-out-of-camera frames the JPG is all you need.
File size moves the other way. A typical 24 MP PEF of 30 MB or so turns into a JPG of a few megabytes at quality 92. If a portal wants something far smaller, run the result through a size-based compressor; how to reduce image size in KB explains the order of steps.
What the PEF converter does with each file
- Develops the sensor data
- Demosaics the full-resolution raw instead of extracting the small embedded preview.
- Uses the as-shot white balance
- Colors follow the white balance recorded by the camera, converted to sRGB.
- Applies orientation
- Portrait frames are rotated upright using the camera's orientation tag.
- Strips location data by default
- GPS and serial numbers are removed unless you turn off Strip metadata.
Pentax PEF conversion questions
What is a PEF file?
PEF stands for Pentax Electronic File, the raw format written by Pentax DSLRs and mirrorless bodies, today made by Ricoh Imaging. It holds the unprocessed sensor data plus a small embedded JPEG preview, so most image viewers either show nothing or only that preview.
Why does my Pentax let me choose between PEF and DNG?
Pentax is one of the few camera makers that can record Adobe's open DNG format directly. Both hold the same raw data; DNG opens in more software, PEF is the native option. If you shot DNG, use DNG to JPG instead.
Will the JPG keep my Custom Image look such as Bleach Bypass?
No. Custom Image and Digital Filter settings are instructions stored for Pentax software and the camera's own processor. A general raw converter renders the sensor data with neutral colors and the as-shot white balance, so the JPG looks closer to the Natural setting.
Does it work with Pixel Shift Resolution files?
A Pixel Shift PEF stores four exposures that Pentax software merges into one image. This converter renders the file as a normal raw frame, so you get a regular-resolution JPG, not the merged high-detail version.
Can I convert PEF to JPG on the camera instead?
Yes, for a few frames. Pentax bodies have a RAW development option in the playback menu that saves a JPG to the card with your chosen Custom Image. For dozens of files at once, a batch on a computer is faster.
