Photoshop cannot open Camera RAW – Fix this annoying issue Now

What is Camera Raw?

Camera Raw is an image editor that is non-destructive. Nothing in the original RAW file is ever modified permanently. Instead, all modifications are saved to a sidecar file (or, if the file is a DNG, they can be embedded). Saving photographs from Camera Raw might be puzzling.

Almost all DSLRs including some of the latest basic cameras come with an option to shoot Raw images instead of just JPEG. It’s always better to shoot images in Raw format instead of JPEG. Even in JPEG, there are different types like low, medium, and high-quality JPEG images, but all of these JPEG images are compressed images, and not all image information is saved. Whereas images captured in Raw format can be used to recover some of the lost content when compared to JPEG images using tools like Lightroom, Photoshop, or any other photo editing tools.

www.ravindrajoisa.com

Is Camera Raw free?

It was a free Photoshop plug-in designed to make picture processing and development as easy and straightforward as possible. As of this writing, it is not for free. This is included with Photoshop as part of the subscription. Photoshop and Lightroom have a monthly membership fee of $10 USD. Adobe Bridge, a file manager, has support.

Photoshop cannot open this file – Issue

I recently purchased a full-frame camera and shot photographs in RAW format. To edit these RAW photographs, I utilized a friend’s PC that had Photoshop and Lightroom loaded and was in need of it. I was able to effortlessly upload photographs into Lightroom, but when I attempted to import RAW images (NEF format file for Nikon) into Photoshop, it just would not work. Even when I utilized Bridge, it did not function. As shown above, I received a pop-up notice stating, “Photoshop cannot open this file,” with a link to Adobe Photoshop assistance.

Photoshop raw image import issue
Source: Photoshop

You are seeing this image because you are using an earlier version of Camera RAW import software (plugin) and the image was captured with the most recent camera. When I verified with my buddy, he told me that the Photoshop software was installed before the camera was available to the public and that he had not performed any software updates.

Either upgrade your Photoshop or Lightroom software to the latest version or fix this issue by following the following steps:

  • First, check the version that’s already installed by navigating to Help>> About Plugin >> Camera RAW and a pop-up will appear as shown above with the version number. As you can see, the version is Version 7.0.0.308.
  • Now, go to the Adobe help website for the Camera RAW plugin and look for a compatible camera. Here is a list of cameras that support the this format. The supported version for my Nikon D600/D610 camera is 7.3. (min.). As a result, I must download and upgrade the plugin. This is a free download that can be obtained from the Adobe website.
adobe camera raw version
Source: Adobe
  • Download the latest or the supported version of Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter.
  • Install the software and convert the RAW file into DNG format and try importing the image to Photoshop.
  • The image that you imported will now be opened and all the raw image details will be pulled in.
  • You can now proceed with the post processing.

If you are using a Mac machine, then you can download the right version either directly from Photoshop or from the above link. The above link is for Windows, similarly, you can download it for Mac machines as well.

What is Camera Raw vs Lightroom?

Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw both edit Raw files in a non-destructive manner. This implies that the Raw file remains unchanged, while modifications are stored in a separate file. Lightroom saves modifications by default in a specific LRCAT catalog file. Adobe Camera Raw keeps modifications in a separate folder rather than a cataloging database.

Whats the difference between Camera Raw and Lightroom?

One of the most significant distinctions between Lightroom and Camera Raw is that Lightroom is image manipulation and organizing software, whereas Camera Raw is simply for picture modification. As a result, ACR cannot be used to manage your files (no file management features exist).

What is the difference between Adobe Camera Raw plugin and Photoshop?

Consider Camera Raw to be a picture developer, whereas Photoshop is an image editor. Camera Raw is where we conduct all of our early processing work in a Camera Raw/Photoshop workflow – adjusting the general white balance, exposure, contrast, and color saturation adding some basic sharpening, minimizing noise, and more.

Hope your issue is now fixed and you enjoyed reading this blog post. Buy me a coffee to support my work or you can go to my store to buy some of my images. Also, do not forget to join my FriendZone by signing up for my newsletter. Consider subscribing to my YouTube channel.

Share to support:

2 Replies to “Photoshop cannot open Camera RAW – Fix this annoying issue Now

  1. Toshadacre says:

    Neat blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download
    it from somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog shine.
    Please let me know where you got your design. Bless you

  2. Incredible! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally
    different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Wonderful
    choice of colors!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *