Sunday, February 22, 2009

Can't open raw files in Photoshop

The Problem: My friend had a recent version of photoshop (CS3) but couldn't open up raw files from her new Nikon camera.

The Solution: There is no single raw file format. Different manufacturers (Nikon, Canon, Sony etc.) encrypt portions of the file in an attempt to prevent third-party tools from accessing them. Even the same manufacturer will switch their raw file format when they release a newer model of their cameras. So Adobe can't possibly support newer formats without creating raw plugins.

Therefore the solution here is download the latest raw plugins from Adobe's website, found here.

Make sure to download the correct file depending on what version of Photoshop you have. You will have to put the raw camera plugin in the following directory.

Default installation directory
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop CSxx\Plug-Ins\File Formats

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