What is a 3FR file?

3FR (Hasselblad 3F RAW) is the compressed RAW format used by Hasselblad H-series cameras (H4D, H5D, H6D-50c, H6D-100c) and the X-series mirrorless medium-format bodies (X1D, X1D II 50C, X2D 100C, 907X 100C). Fashion photographers, fine-art landscape shooters working with the X2D's 100MP sensor, and high-end product teams convert 3FR to HEIC for proofing and portable libraries: a 100MP frame that would weigh 35-55MB as a quality JPG lands around 18-28MB as HEIC with identical on-screen appearance.

Phocus, Hasselblad's free processor, is the only application with full Hasselblad Natural Color Solution (HNCS) support, and the color pipeline is the reason to route conversions through it: develop in Phocus, export 16-bit TIFF for retouching, and generate HEIC for review and archive browsing. HEIC's 10-bit color depth matters more for Hasselblad files than almost any other source - the smooth skin tonality and signature blue rendering that justify the system visibly degrade into banding in 8-bit JPG previews, but survive a 10-bit HEIC export intact.

There's also a neat ecosystem symmetry: Hasselblad's X2D shooters overwhelmingly cull and present on iPads and MacBooks, where HEIC is the native photo format - converted 3FR files AirDrop, sync, and preview instantly with no codec friction. The boundaries: agency deliveries, e-commerce platforms like Net-a-Porter's ingest systems, and PowerPoint decks still want JPG, and Windows review stations need the HEVC extension. Keep HEIC for the Apple-side workflow and derive JPG via HEIC to JPG for everything else.

Reasons to convert 3FR to HEIC usually come down to compatibility, file-size, or specific feature requirements. Common situations:

• An app or platform only accepts HEIC uploads.
• You need a feature unique to HEIC (e.g. transparency, vector scaling, animation, multi-page pages, etc.) that 3FR doesn't provide.
• You're optimising file size — modern formats often produce smaller files than the older format you started with.
• You need a single archival format across a project so files behave consistently in the same viewer.

1. Open the 3FR → HEIC tool on heic.now.
2. Drag your 3FR file onto the drop zone, or click Select files. You can drop a whole folder of files at once.
3. The output is fixed to HEIC. If the format supports extra options (page size, transparency background, quality, EXIF stripping), tweak them in the right-hand panel.
4. Click Convert. The job runs on our server and finishes in a few seconds for typical photos.
5. Download the result. Files stay in storage for 24 hours and are then permanently deleted.

The entire flow is free for the first 10 jobs per day with no signup required. A free account doubles that quota; a premium plan removes the limit entirely.

• Develop in Phocus (free from hasselblad.com) for HNCS color, export TIFF, then convert to HEIC - the two-step preserves the Hasselblad look in the compact copy.
• HEIC's 10-bit depth preserves Hasselblad's smooth skin and sky tonality that 8-bit JPG previews band on - use it for anything a client will zoom into.
• Apply Phocus's lens corrections for the XCD 21mm and 28mm before converting - 100MP magnifies uncorrected aberrations, and the HEIC bakes in the export as-is.
• Export sRGB for HEIC review copies - wide-gamut files display unpredictably outside color-managed apps, and review happens in browsers and Photos apps.
• Strip GPS and serial number from EXIF before client delivery - HEIC preserves full metadata through conversion unless you remove it.