PDF to ARW Converter

About PDF

PDF (Portable Document Format) was created by Adobe in 1993 and standardised as ISO 32000 in 2008. It is the universal container for documents that must look identical on every device — fonts, layouts, vector graphics, embedded images, and hyperlinks all render consistently regardless of the operating system, application, or screen resolution.

When converting a PDF page to an image format (JPG, PNG, WEBP, or AVIF), the PDF is rasterised: each page is rendered as a grid of pixels at a specified DPI (dots per inch) resolution. This site uses ImageMagick with a Ghostscript backend for PDF rasterisation. At 150 DPI, an A4 page renders to approximately 1240 × 1754 pixels — sufficient for most presentation, social media, and documentation use cases. For print-quality output, higher DPI values produce proportionally larger pixel dimensions.

Transparency in PDFs is handled differently depending on the output format. JPEG has no alpha channel, so transparent areas are composited against a white background before encoding. PNG and WEBP retain the alpha channel, so transparent page regions produce transparent pixels in the output. Only the first page is extracted per conversion — for multi-page extraction, split the PDF first.

About ARW

ARW (Alpha Raw Workflow) is the proprietary RAW file format used by Sony Alpha cameras: the A6x00 series (APS-C mirrorless), the A7 series (full-frame mirrorless, I through IV), A7R, A7S, A7C, A9, A1, and the cinema line (FX3, FX30, ZV-E1). ARW files store uncompressed or losslessly compressed sensor data — typically 12 or 14 bits per channel — before any in-camera processing such as Creative Style profiles, Active D-Range Optimiser (DRO), or sharpening is applied. Like all RAW formats, ARW captures the complete sensor output at full dynamic range, providing maximum latitude for exposure and color correction in post-production.

The compatibility tradeoff is the same as any proprietary RAW format. ARW files require Sony Imaging Edge (formerly PlayMemories), Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, or a compatible RAW editor to open. Browsers, email clients, social platforms, and most general-purpose applications cannot display ARW natively. Converting to JPG produces a universally compatible output.

When ARW to JPG is the right call

Delivering shots to clients, posting to Instagram or X, uploading to a content management system, sending previews by email, or submitting to a stock library that requires JPG — all require a compatible format. This converter provides a fast path from ARW sensor data to a shareable JPG, PNG, or WebP without a full post-processing workflow.

About this conversion

ufraw-batch decodes the ARW sensor data using default auto white balance and a linear tone curve. Imagick handles the output format (JPG, PNG, or WebP). The conversion produces a neutral, flat render without Sony's Creative Style profiles (Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, etc.) or DRO processing. The result does not replicate what the camera's in-camera JPEG engine would produce. For camera-matched output, export from Sony Imaging Edge or Adobe Lightroom with your chosen Creative Style applied.

File size note

Sony ARW files range from 12–50+ MB depending on sensor resolution and in-camera compression setting (uncompressed, lossless compressed, or lossy compressed RAW). Files from high-resolution bodies — the A7R IV (61 MP uncompressed) and A7R V (61 MP) — routinely exceed the 20 MB upload limit. Set the camera to compressed or lossy RAW to reduce file sizes, or export a reduced-resolution JPEG from Imaging Edge, then use this converter for format-only conversion.