Camera Raw ??

[BillandCat]

There has been some discussions on camera raw here on the forum. I do not know any thing about this subject. Should I have it in pse 6 for a Mac? There was an upgrade notice for it but when I tried, it came back-"camera raw can not be found." I went to pref.--plug ins--and it was listed there but---- I clicked on it but of course nothing happened. I really did not know what I was doing but I tried any how. I do not shoot in raw ( ignorant of the whole thing) but I saw a tut to go to raw to fix some problem or another. Do I need camera raw, will I use it, is it supposed to be in pse6??? Still learning, or I should say, still trying to learn---BillandCat

[Jeff Perry]

BillandCat, even if you don't shoot in RAW, you can still get a lot of mileage out of Adobe Camera Raw (ACR for short) working over your JPGs. In fact, it is the best place to start, then load the image into PSE with the ACR adjustments applied.

I'm going to assume that Mac version of PSE implements the ACR plug-in much the same as Windows, so here goes.

Try this...open PSE, go to File>OPEN AS (not Open), and in the drop down field called Open As, click the down arrow and select Camera Raw from the list. Navigate to the folder of choice and select the JPG you want to load into ACR, and click Open.

If it works you should have your JPG image loaded up into ACR. If not, post back. you may have a plug-in update or location problem.

If it did start, play with the sliders to adjust your image, start with "Auto".

When satisfied, click Open Image and you should be sent to PSE with the adjusted image. If you click Cancel instead, you exit ACR back to PSE without the image loading. Click Done, and the adjsutments are saved iwith your origianl JPG (non-destrcutively) but the image is not opened in PSE.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

[Not4wood]

Thats also assuming that she has ACR. For Mac, huh? Let me look around and I or one of the other Raw People can find and post the Links for you. You will have to go thru the Listings and look for the Version Number of your program so you can download the latest version of ACR for the Program your using.

Some versions of ACR wont be able to be used by some programs so you must get this correct.

[ljameso1]

Yes, I have camera raw in PSE6 on my mac. For some reason the auto upgrade can never find it. Go to Adobe's site and follow the directions to download and install the upgrade for the mac directions.

[BillandCat]

Good Morning good folks. Jeff- I couldn't do what you sugested. The mac must be different. As Linda says, the auto-upgrade can not find it. I went the Adobe sight, found the latest upgrade, went to the instructions on how to download to a Mac and got bogged down. I am so computer ignorant I cant follow the inst. I tried this a while ago, when the auto upgrade couldn't find it and I just gave up. It was just when I installed pse6 so I just figured it was something I did wrong and as I don't shoot in raw I just forgot about it. I wish there was a computer "geek" living next door. Boy! would I bother him! Tough trying to learn things by your self. Thanks a lot for your help. Dumb Willie.

[Jeff Perry]

I suggested the steps to see if there was any version of ACR installed on your system, and apparently not. Sorry I can't help with the installation problem as I am a Windows user, but I am sure some friendly MACs will be along soon to point you to where the plug-in file needs to be installed.

At least on Windows, it is really only one small file that get's downloaded, but it MUST go into the right folder on your system otherwise PSE can't find it.

Jeff

[nu2scene]

Hey Bill, I'm pretty new to Elements, and I'm using a mac too. You do have Adobe Camera Raw(ACR), it comes with Elements. Raw is great. I initially shot only in JPG because I was afraid to use RAW. I thought it would be too complicated. It's not at all. And to top it off, your final result images are much better.

When you shoot in JPG the camera decides on it's own what to do with the picture after you snap the shutter. It does it's own corrections, and then deletes the information it thinks it can delete, in order to wind up with a smaller file size. Once it does that, whatever the camera deletes you can never get back.

In RAW you keep most of everything that is there. Your final result will be much better when you are done with it. However, when you first see the picture, it will look worse than a JPG. The reason is that the JPG is optimized by the camera before you see it. The RAW version is just that, still pretty raw. But you now have tons more information to work with, and you can make it look much better than the JPG did.

Now as to ACR, it's great to use too. Even if you shoot JPG you can open the JPG in the RAW converter and process it. In fact that's what I do. I always open a pic in ACR and start there. If your picture is shot in RAW, when you open it in Elements it automatically gets opened in ACR. But when you open a JPG, Elements opens it by default in the Elements editor. If you want to open a JPG in ACR here's what you do.
File>Open>then decide on your pic>

Now here's the tricky part. At this point you'd usually click open. But BEFORE you do that, look towards the bottom left, where it says FORMAT. Click that little box next to it, in the new dialog box, 4th from the top pick CAMERA RAW then click open. That will now open the JPG in ACR.

Using ACR gives you a lot more flexibility and control, and your results will look great. Good luck with it.

[Codebreaker]

I'm a advocate of RAW - I use nothing else - but you need to be aware that you may find yourself sitting in front of your screen more since each image needs to be assessed and processed if necessary. This can be time consuming especially if you shoot large batches.

If you are shooting large batches of RAW then I think you'll begin to find that using Elements is a little cumbersome. I know its more expense but Adobe Photoshop Lightroom does a far better job and allows for a much more efficient workflow.

You can download a 30 day trial of Lightroom and see for your elf - but be warned - its usage is very different from Elements and you need to play with it each and every day to make a fair trial.

BTW: Not all RAW images need processing. The default Camera Profiles within ACR and LR can do a very good job without adjustment if you have a well exposed image. Also within LR 2.1 there are Camera Profiles that mimic the in camera processing to give you something like you'd get with the camera JPEG.

Colin

[ljameso1]

Bill, You probably followed the wrong library path. In the finder window click on the icon for the macintosh hard drive and follow that library's path.

[Not4wood]

BTW, first I've never heard of the update finding ACR. Its on its own and not part of the Windows/Microsoft system. Its separate and you have to do it manually.

Next up, ACR. Each version will include more Camera Profiles so ACR can and does work better with each Camera manufacturer than previous versions.

I also agree that I work 99% of the time in Raw. Now, I also found out that the best way to shoot in B&W is also shooting in Raw (Color) and then make the conversion from there. So we now add another reason to work in Raw... :D

I don't remember what camera you said you are using. I am in the Nikon D80 and my JPG's are 8 bit per pixel for information. When I shoot Raw my images have 12 bits per pixel of information. Its that much more information of detail that the camera's sensor can capture. Now depending on what camera this can go up very fast. Keeping in mind what Colin had mentioned about a more of a work load but the final products will show this and give you something to really be proud of.

[BillandCat]

Lindaj---I followed your directions- Clicked on Mac hd, went to library, acr is not there. So I dragged the camera raw that I had downloaded to my desk top , into the internet plug ins folder. tried to open it and a message says " can not complete your request. Photoshop does not recognize this type of file." I am just digging myself into a hole. Then I went to "help" and I get "could not find adobe app, you may need to reinstall the application and the help component." Yeah-sure! Thanks every one but as of this minute, I quit until some day I'll some one that will tell me what all this is about and how to get on with what I was doing. Years ago I did have photography as a hobby. I lost interest when I got a Nikon 35mm and started taking slides. That ended my darkroom days until I got pse 2.. I am up to pse 6, having fun learning but then camera raw! So that's off my chest--thanks again for your kindness but I will forget it for now. BillandCat

[Jeff Perry]

I just let the Adobe Updater install ACR 4.6 after being notified when I started PSE6 that the new version was available. The installation appeared to go normally, however, it did not update ACR for Elements. It did updtae the copy of Camera Raw that is accessed by CS3, and it worked fine, but in PSE6, 4.5 still shows up. I simply copied the version of Camera Raw.8bi from the CS folder to the proper PSE folder, and all is now right.

Adobe obviously has some work to do with their auto-update installation routines.

Jeff

[ljameso1]

Bill they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is a screen shot of the path. Note in the directions it says to drag the camera raw(circled in red) file out to desk top, then copy and paste the new one in with PSE AND bridge closed, then restart. After verifying install took. ok to trash old camera raw.

To install with Adobe Photoshop Elements:

1. Exit Photoshop Elements and Adobe Bridge.
2. Open the Finder.
3. Navigate to the root of the local disk (not the user's home folder).
4. Navigate to location designated by your version of Photoshop Elements: (Please read directory carefully)

b. Photoshop Elements 6: Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CS3/File Formats

5. Move the existing plug-in to another location (for example, a new folder on your desktop). Ensure you keep this version in case you need to revert back.
6. Copy the Camera Raw plug-in, Camera Raw, from the download into the same folder as in Step 4.
7. Launch Photoshop Elements or Adobe Bridge.

[BillandCat]

Lindaj---Again thanks for your help and yes, a picture etc. etc. I was able to follow the screen shot easily as before I did not understand some of the written instructions such as go to the root of and cs3- still don't know. Well I followed the red road and got to the end. Then, not knowing how to copy the acr, I dragged it from the desk top onto that icon. then when I opened with format I got "could not complete request as photo--does not recognize this file" or words to that effect. This is frustrating to say the least.It sure is an ego deflator. One finds how much one does not know. The step by step, hand in hand, follow me is definitely the type of teaching I need. I hate to say it but my age has a lot to do with it. BillandCat

[ljameso1]

Hey, Bill. Well progress is being made. Root just means your hard drive in Mac speak(I don't think programmers know how to talk plain). When you followed the red line did you drag the camera raw file already there out to desktop? If not do so. Double check to make sure the camera raw file you downloaded was for mac. After it shows up on your desktop as a white box named Camera_Raw_4_5 click on the finder icon on your dock, navigate to it and open in finder. Now you'll see a lego block looking plug in file named Camera Raw.plugin. Single click to select and go to edit>copy camera raw. Navigate the red line path again and edit>paste into the same folder you dragged the other out. Restart elements.

[BillandCat]

Many thanks Linda---Those are the kind of instructions I need. I was able to navigate (I love that word) and was able to copy and paste and every thing worked as it was supposed to---well not everything. I tried to open a jpeg and I got that dreaded message-"not enough memory, ram" But at least you helped me through every step. You should see me race down that red brick road! As my fellow traveler said, "If I only had a brain." Now, about this new problem--- Thanks again Bill

[BillandCat]

Please ignore last post. Don't ask me why but it now opens as it should!! Now I have to learn to use the slides properly. Another new world for this old man. Thanks again. BillandCat

[ranchwife]

BTW, first I've never heard of the update finding ACR. Its on its own and not part of the Windows/Microsoft system. Its separate and you have to do it manually.

Next up, ACR. Each version will include more Camera Profiles so ACR can and does work better with each Camera manufacturer than previous versions.

I also agree that I work 99% of the time in Raw. Now, I also found out that the best way to shoot in B&W is also shooting in Raw (Color) and then make the conversion from there. So we now add another reason to work in Raw... :D

I don't remember what camera you said you are using. I am in the Nikon D80 and my JPG's are 8 bit per pixel for information. When I shoot Raw my images have 12 bits per pixel of information. Its that much more information of detail that the camera's sensor can capture. Now depending on what camera this can go up very fast. Keeping in mind what Colin had mentioned about a more of a work load but the final products will show this and give you something to really be proud of.

Sorry to barge in on the conversation.....not4wood.....do you open nef files with acr? I have tried that (following instructions here) and I get error message saying it is the wrong file. Hmmmmmm. Having troubles.:o

[elwoodsusanm]

QUOTE Sorry to barge in on the conversation.....not4wood.....do you open nef files with acr? I have tried that (following instructions here) and I get error message saying it is the wrong file. Hmmmmmm. Having troubles.:o

I can open NEF files using ACR. Go to File/open as. Then choose camera raw - see thumbnail. HTH :)

[ranchwife]

Thanks elwoodsusanm....I did try that but no luck. I get a "could not complete your request because the file format module cannot parse the file."

It may as well told me that the alien mother ship will return when the waters meet the moon! In Spanish! LOL.

I was so excited reading this thread today and found out my raw images could be opened in PSE6. :( I am still VERY new to PSE6, want to learn it and love this site for that.

[Jeff Perry]

With the proper version of ACR installed (a version that supports your camera), in PSE Editor, go to File Open, and find your NEF file (Nikon's RAW format), and it should open in ACR. If you get an error message the chances are you do not have the right version of ACR or it is not installed in the right place.

You should not have to go to Open As...selecting Camera Raw, as you do for opening JPG files in ACR. ACR should automatically open when you try to load a RAW file form a supported camera.

Jeff

[ljameso1]

Bill, Glad it worked for you. You'll like all those extra sliders. There are Tuts about them in the subscriber area.

[ranchwife]

I think I found a solution to my problem. I found out that there is an update for ACR. I have downloaded the update but then found a newer update. I haven't installed the first update (chicken). Should I just go ahead and install the later update?:confused:

If I would have read a little slower, that was the first thing Jeff mentioned, Thank you

[Jeff Perry]

I think Tony answered this in another thread, yes you can install ACR 5.1 without installing previous version between your current version (e.g., OK to skip 4.6 by going from 4.5 to 5.1 (incidentally there was no version 4.7, 4.8, or 4.9, and 5.0 was only released with CS4.)

Just be aware the certain versions of ACR may not work with a particular version of PSE, for instance 5.1 may work fine with PSE6 and 7 but may not be backward compatible with earlier versions of PSE. You need to check the Adobe site for specifics.

Jeff

[ranchwife]

Thank you sooooo much!:D