One of the benefits of being able to do all of my post processing in Adobe Lightroom is that I don't need to rely on Photoshop. Photoshop is expensive, especially when you buy one of the bundles. Even with the Creative Cloud's subscription model, you can spend hundreds of dollars a year to keep your tools current. For amateur and semi-professional photographers, that's not always economically feasible. I bought Adobe CS4 Production Premium several years ago and, since it does everything I need it to do, I skipped CS5 and CS6. One of the side effects of forgoing Photoshop upgrades, though, is that as Lightroom and the accompanying Camera Raw gets updated, Adobe doesn't update Camera Raw in older versions of Photoshop. The different versions isn't an issue if you are using a camera that is supported by the older version of Camera Raw, but for newer cameras, you can run in to a situation where Lightroom can open a raw file that Photoshop can't.
That is what happened to me a few years ago when I picked up a new camera. An update to Lightroom added support for my then-new Nikon D7000, so I was able to import and edit my raw files. However, when I tried to have Lightroom send the raw file in to Photoshop, literally nothing happened. It turns out, previous versions of Lightroom weren't as graceful with the camera raw incompatibility, so I devised a workaround that would at least have Lightroom prompt me with the option to render a PSD. While the same camera raw version incompatibility exists today for my D7000, it appears that in Lightroom 5, the workaround is no longer necessary, as Lightroom does a better job with the communicating the issue.
The last version of Camera Raw supported in CS5 was 6.7. So Richard is correct. You will either need to update to CS6 or newer in order to run a more recent version of the ACR plugin, or you will need to use the free DNG Converter utility to convert your files to DNG before importing. You can find the latest DNG Converter downloads here. Adobe Camera Raw Support Provides ability to manipulate still (photographic) images and allows viewing and editing of camera-native format digital negatives. AdobeCameraRaw6.0All AdobeCameraRaw6.0All-48 AdobeCameraRaw6.0All-x64 (Windows) Camera raw plug-in. Required by most CS5.5 applications. Without it, applications cannot read.
If you have a new camera and use Lightroom 5 with an older version of Photoshop, you may have already seen this dialog.
Lightroom Fanatic – Incompatible Camer Raw Versions
This is Lightroom's way of telling you that, while it can handle the raw files from your fancy new camera, your older, ghetto version of Photoshop can't.
Here is a run down of the options available.
If you click on Open Anyway, Photoshop will open if it is not already, but no image will be loaded in to Photoshop. Photoshop doesn't give any indication that it tried and failed to load the raw image. It's as if Lightroom points Photoshop to the file it should open and Photoshop simply stares at the file like some sort of alien creature and refuses to approach it.
I tried also having Lightroom send a TIFF over to Photoshop by creating an additional external editor, selecting Adobe Photoshop CS4 with a File Format of TIFF.
Adobe Camera Raw Download Cs5
Lightroom Fanatic – External Editing Preferences – Photoshop as TIFF and PSD
If you set your Additional External Editor to Photoshop, you will see the following dialog, to which you can just click Use Anyway.
Even with the TIFF option selected, Photoshop would not open up the resulting file.
I suspect that under the hood the raw file is still involved in the handshaking with Photoshop, like Lightroom tells Photoshop to open the underlying raw file as a PSD or a TIFF and, since Photoshop can't read the raw file, it can't create the target PSD or TIFF.
What about DNG?
If you use DNG files instead of the manufacturer raw images in the same situation, you still see the dialog message about the version incompatibility, but at least Photoshop will open up the DNG that it is sent. My guess is that Lightroom is sending the DNG and, even though the embedded raw data might not be readable, it's already converted by Lightroom's Camera Raw to a readably DNG format that even older versions of Photoshop can handle. If you have a need for Photoshop to access the underlying raw files and are stuck in compatibility hell, this might be an option.
The other option, Render using Lightroom, causes Lightroom to render a version of the image and send that to Photoshop, which it happily opens. In this case, Photoshop is not accessing the raw file; it is accessing a Lightroom-rendered copy of the image. This option does work for me and, as a side benefit, the rendered image can also contain any edits made with the raw file in Lightroom. If you need, however, Photoshop to access the raw image, maybe because the Lightroom-rendered version is missing some data or detail, you might want to explore the DNG option.
I hope this post helps. I'll eventually upgrade to Creative Cloud, but because it is possible to continue living with older versions of Photoshop in the modern Lightroom world, I don't have to rush.
Your problem: You can't open your raw files!
Here's the scenario: You just started shooting raw files because you need exposure insurance and white balance flexibility. But you can't get those raw files to open in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or Lightroom! You're ready to give up. This camera raw tutorial will help you.
Here are some solutions for you!
Please read all the way down to the bottom of this page before trying anything, or before emailing me for answers. The answers are here – really. Capturing images in RAW file format is far more flexible than capturing jpgs. However, sometimes your camera and the software on your computer don't quite sync up. This is true if you have a brand new camera and an older version of Photoshop, or new Photoshop that hasn't been updated. If that is the case, you may have to update your Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) plugin for Photoshop. Follow the directions in Step One below.Now, if that doesn't work, you'll have to download the free Adobe DNG Converter utility, which will convert files from over 200 digital camera Raw files to a more universal RAW file format, DNG (which stands for digital negative), which can then be opened in an older version of Photoshop. (Older being CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS6.) Photoshop Elements can also open RAW files, and you may have to follow the same process if you have a newer camera and an older version of Elements. See Step Two and Three below.
Before you start – Check to see if your camera is supported.
Adobe's list of supported cameras is here. If your camera is brand new on the market, it may not be supported for a couple of months after it's release.
READ the following if you can't open your RAW files in Photoshop
Step One: Update Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)
- Update and install the latest version of ACR (for CS6 use v7.1 – and just note it will only work for CS6 – For earlier versions or Creative Cloud see below.)
- Use the Adobe updater (if it's installed on your computer). That way all the updates will be automatic and much simpler than the manual method.
- Windows users: Download Adobe Application Manager and update from there.
- Detailed instructions are included on the download page of the Adobe site.
- If you are using Photoshop CS2 – the latest version of ACR is 3.7
- If you are using Photoshop CS3 – the latest version of ACR is 4.6
- If you are using Photoshop CS4 – the latest version of ACR is 5.7
- If you are using Photoshop CS5 – the latest version of ACR is 6.7
- If you are using Photoshop CS6 – the latest version of ACR is 7.1 (DNG converter goes to versions 9.2 and beyond)
- Photoshop Creative Cloud only lists the DNG converter and no longer lists ACR
- Once you have installed the latest version (according to your software version), try again to open your camera RAW files
- Easiest way is to navigate to the folder where your RAW files are using Adobe Bridge
- If this doesn't work, go to Step Two.
Adobe Camera Raw Download Cs5
Lightroom Fanatic – External Editing Preferences – Photoshop as TIFF and PSD
If you set your Additional External Editor to Photoshop, you will see the following dialog, to which you can just click Use Anyway.
Even with the TIFF option selected, Photoshop would not open up the resulting file.
I suspect that under the hood the raw file is still involved in the handshaking with Photoshop, like Lightroom tells Photoshop to open the underlying raw file as a PSD or a TIFF and, since Photoshop can't read the raw file, it can't create the target PSD or TIFF.
What about DNG?
If you use DNG files instead of the manufacturer raw images in the same situation, you still see the dialog message about the version incompatibility, but at least Photoshop will open up the DNG that it is sent. My guess is that Lightroom is sending the DNG and, even though the embedded raw data might not be readable, it's already converted by Lightroom's Camera Raw to a readably DNG format that even older versions of Photoshop can handle. If you have a need for Photoshop to access the underlying raw files and are stuck in compatibility hell, this might be an option.
The other option, Render using Lightroom, causes Lightroom to render a version of the image and send that to Photoshop, which it happily opens. In this case, Photoshop is not accessing the raw file; it is accessing a Lightroom-rendered copy of the image. This option does work for me and, as a side benefit, the rendered image can also contain any edits made with the raw file in Lightroom. If you need, however, Photoshop to access the raw image, maybe because the Lightroom-rendered version is missing some data or detail, you might want to explore the DNG option.
I hope this post helps. I'll eventually upgrade to Creative Cloud, but because it is possible to continue living with older versions of Photoshop in the modern Lightroom world, I don't have to rush.
Your problem: You can't open your raw files!
Here's the scenario: You just started shooting raw files because you need exposure insurance and white balance flexibility. But you can't get those raw files to open in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or Lightroom! You're ready to give up. This camera raw tutorial will help you.
Here are some solutions for you!
Please read all the way down to the bottom of this page before trying anything, or before emailing me for answers. The answers are here – really. Capturing images in RAW file format is far more flexible than capturing jpgs. However, sometimes your camera and the software on your computer don't quite sync up. This is true if you have a brand new camera and an older version of Photoshop, or new Photoshop that hasn't been updated. If that is the case, you may have to update your Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) plugin for Photoshop. Follow the directions in Step One below.Now, if that doesn't work, you'll have to download the free Adobe DNG Converter utility, which will convert files from over 200 digital camera Raw files to a more universal RAW file format, DNG (which stands for digital negative), which can then be opened in an older version of Photoshop. (Older being CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS6.) Photoshop Elements can also open RAW files, and you may have to follow the same process if you have a newer camera and an older version of Elements. See Step Two and Three below.
Before you start – Check to see if your camera is supported.
Adobe's list of supported cameras is here. If your camera is brand new on the market, it may not be supported for a couple of months after it's release.
READ the following if you can't open your RAW files in Photoshop
Step One: Update Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)
- Update and install the latest version of ACR (for CS6 use v7.1 – and just note it will only work for CS6 – For earlier versions or Creative Cloud see below.)
- Use the Adobe updater (if it's installed on your computer). That way all the updates will be automatic and much simpler than the manual method.
- Windows users: Download Adobe Application Manager and update from there.
- Detailed instructions are included on the download page of the Adobe site.
- If you are using Photoshop CS2 – the latest version of ACR is 3.7
- If you are using Photoshop CS3 – the latest version of ACR is 4.6
- If you are using Photoshop CS4 – the latest version of ACR is 5.7
- If you are using Photoshop CS5 – the latest version of ACR is 6.7
- If you are using Photoshop CS6 – the latest version of ACR is 7.1 (DNG converter goes to versions 9.2 and beyond)
- Photoshop Creative Cloud only lists the DNG converter and no longer lists ACR
- Once you have installed the latest version (according to your software version), try again to open your camera RAW files
- Easiest way is to navigate to the folder where your RAW files are using Adobe Bridge
- If this doesn't work, go to Step Two.
Camera Raw Not Supported Cs5 Download
Here are the direct links to the latest Adobe Camera Raw updates for Photoshop:
Step Two: Download DNG Converter
- If Step One doesn't work, you will need to convert your files to DNG format, and then use ACR after that to open the converted files
- Once you get your file converted to a DNG, it will open in any recent version of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, and other RAW image converters too.
Links to the latest Adobe DNG Converters:
Step Three: Convert Your Files
Camera Raw Not Supported Cs5 Free
To use the DNG converter, follow these steps: (These are for Mac, but the PC steps are very similar)
- Go to the appropriate link above and download the latest Adobe DNG Converter
- Place it in your Applications folder
- Launch the DNG Converter application
- Select the folder where your raw files are located and click Convert
- You can save the new files to another folder, which I suggest you do, (and perhaps delete the original raw files once you are certain the new DNG files will open)
- You can also re-name your new DNG files, but it might be simpler to keep their original file numbering
- The DNG files are also slightly smaller than your raw files, but don't worry, all the quality is there
Step 4: If all else fails, try another software other than Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
- I use Luminar to open raw files that Adobe products don't open.
- If you don't want to pay monthly subscription fees, check out Luminar.
- Download a trial version for free.
- If you decide to buy, use my coupon code: ImageMaven for $10 off the price.
Suggestion
Try one small folder of images first to test
- The DNG converter converts your raw files to the DNG format which can then be opened using ACR and Photoshop CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS6 or CC
- Very simple and fast. Converting files to DNG is actually considered very beneficial, as it is an archival format and it also uses a loss-less compression which makes the DNG files 15% smaller
- DNG files can be opened by all RAW conversion software and in the future may become the standard file format for all digital cameras
Camera Raw for Photoshop Elements
Follow the same steps as with Photoshop above. Here are the updates to the Adobe Camera Raw plugins for Photoshop Elements MAC & Windows up to v.10. This will make it much easier to open your RAW files as you shouldn't have to go through the DNG conversion process if you are using Version 9 or later. This is great news for Elements users.
Elements Version 11 +
For Elements v.11 and later, follow the camera raw update instructions on this page: Elements version 11 and later
Camera Raw Tutorial for Lightroom
If you are using Photoshop Lightroom for your image editing, keep your software up to date using the same method as in the Elements 11+ link above.
Related posts on working with Camera Raw Files
'Just wanted to say thanks for your page on Camera Raw files. After hunting around I stumbled onto your site and you gave without a doubt the simplest and most accurate information regarding newer raw camera files and older Photoshop programs. Adobe DNG rocks! And you rock even more!' –Timothy P.
Final Words
Many people write to tell me this tutorial helped them open their raw files.Many more people tell me I should charge for this tutorial. But I'd like to help as many people as possible, so I'll keep this information free for all to see.
If this tutorial helped you open your raw files, and you can afford it, please consider buying me a coffee. Just click the button below. Your support is greatly appreciated.
I have walked many people through this procedure in person and over the phone.
I have done it with Mac and Windows and I know it works. So don't give up! Follow the directions carefully and you will succeed. Blizzard warcraft iii. Converting files to DNG format will also allow you to open your RAW files in other software such as Aperture, Lightroom, Capture One, iPhoto, GIMP and many more, especially if your software is a little older – not 5 years older or more though – just if you haven't got the latest and greatest versions yet. There are also instructions for this procedure found on the Adobe site in the same locations as you get the ACR and DNG converter updates. And if NONE of these methods work for you after carefully following all the steps, then you can always use the software that came with your camera. If you're lucky you will be able to convert to DNG files that way, and then open up the DNG files in your preferred raw image editing software.
