BMP to SRF

Looking to convert BMP to SRF? Here's the honest answer — and what works instead.

You can't convert BMP to SRF. SRF is a camera's own RAW format — it only ever comes out of the camera.

Why BMP to SRF isn't possible

1

SRF is Sony's in-camera RAW

SRF is the raw sensor data a Sony camera writes at the moment of capture. It's produced by the camera's own hardware and firmware — software can read it, but nothing can manufacture a genuine SRF from a finished BMP.

2

A BMP has already been processed

Your BMP is a developed, final image. The extra sensor information a SRF carries — wider dynamic range, full color depth, untouched highlights — was discarded when the photo was first saved, and can't be put back.

3

It is locked to one camera maker

SRF is proprietary to Sony. Even other RAW formats (NEF, ARW, RAF…) aren't interchangeable with it — there is no universal "save as RAW" that produces a real SRF.

The RAW formats — and where they come from

Every real RAW file is one of these camera-maker-specific formats, written by the camera itself:

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Format details

BMP is an uncompressed raster format that stores pixel data with no quality loss, producing large files. It is common on Windows.

Full nameBitmap Image File
Developed byMicrosoft
Released1990
Extension.bmp
MIME typeimage/bmp
TransparencyNo

BMP opens in most image viewers and editors on Windows and Mac.

SRF is Sony's earliest raw format from Cyber-shot cameras like the DSC-F828, predating the later ARW standard.

Full nameSony Raw (early)
Developed bySony
Released2001
Extension.srf
MIME typeimage/srf
TransparencyNo

SRF opens in Lightroom, RawTherapee and Sony's original software; convert to DNG/JPG for modern use.

Frequently asked questions

No. SRF stores the raw signal a Sony sensor recorded at capture. A BMP is a finished image with that data already baked in and discarded — there's nothing for a converter to reconstruct.

RAW formats like SRF give maximum editing latitude — but only when they come straight from the camera. Converting a BMP to SRF would just wrap a finished image in a RAW container, with none of the benefits.

DNG is an open RAW container. You can convert a camera's own RAW (including SRF) into DNG, but you still can't turn a regular BMP into SRF or any real RAW.

BMP converts cleanly to PNG, JPG, TIFF and WEBP — free, no sign-up, no watermark.