“Why Can’t I Open Raw Files in My Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom?” This is a bit of a complex question as it really depends on a few things.

  • Is the camera fairly new?
  • Do other versions of Photoshop or Lightroom support the camera?
  • How old is your software?

Let’s break down the problems and answers.

newacr

Be Sure to Update & Verify

Always make sure that you have the latest updates for Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop. Here’s the process to update Lightroom. Making sure you have the latest version installed (that’s available for your version) will ensure the broadest compatibility.

Once updated, make sure you look at the official support page. This allows you to check that your camera and model is on the list of supported cameras. If not listed (and you have a newer version of the app) you can always check on Adobe Labs for a release candidates.

labs

Really New Cameras

The average turnaround time for a new camera is 90 days. Meaning that a new camera typically takes 90 days to be added to the supported list. Sometimes this is faster if the manufacturer provides a testing camera to Adobe early (or if the camera is just a minor update). However I have seen it take more and less time than this. Adobe’s testing process is very thorough. If you want to request a specific camera you can do that here on the Adobe Feedback Site.

Older Apps

dng_tmMany people complain that Adobe doesn’t support newer cameras in older software. This is untrue… but there is an extra step. If your version of the application is too old, you can download and use the free Adobe DNG Converter.

Download it here:

Win: Adobe DNG Converter 8.4
Mac: Adobe DNG Converter 8.4

This will convert the proprietary raw files to new digital negatives. These can be opened up by any version of Photoshop or Lightroom. In fact this is even a workaround for Apple Aperture users (as Apple is often much slower at adding camera support than Adobe).

There are other benefits to use the DNG format as well:

  • All metadata, keywords and raw adjustments are stored in the file.
  • A processed preview of the image is also stored inside.
  • Files are more portable and metadata travels more easily as you don’t need to manage sidecar files.
  • DNG files can be smaller than the original raw filet save disk space.
  • The DNG format is an open standard which means it is future proof.
  • Julieanne Kost has created a video on Adobe TV outlining the benefits of DNG in your everyday workflow and how to use the Adobe DNG Converter:

Before you complain, here’s the hard truth. It’s too expensive to keep updating Adobe Camera Raw for every version of Photoshop and Lightroom. Current customers get profile updates for new lenses and cameras (this means Lightroom 5, CS6 and CC customers as long as CS6 continues to be sold). Older applications get support through updates to the DNG converter app. That’s 4 pieces of software to update…. not 20+. Want more features? Then update your software.

New Features

When Adobe adds new features to an application (like the recently updated Adobe Camera Raw) these are only available to customers on the current version. This gets a little murky with both Photoshop CC and CS6 being sold.

Adobe has committed that CS6 customers will “continue to receive updated camera raw file format compatibility via Adobe Camera Raw 8.” This also includes lens support.

However, “No new features or functionality will be available in ACR to Photoshop CS6 customers as part of those updates.” This means that options like Upright, the advanced healing brush, and the radial filter are strictly for Photoshop CC or Lightroom 5 (or newer versions that come after).

More information: