Can't open Nikon D300 Raw files in CS2

saltydog

Hello everybody,

I am the proud owner of a brand spanking new Nikon D300 and you can only imagine my frustration and disappointment when I found out that the latest version of Nikon Raw is not supported in Photoshop CS2. Worse, I called Adobe and they told me flatout that there is no plug-in to fix this, nor do they intend to develop one. They recommended upgrading to CS3, which I do not want nor can I currently afford it!

Has anyone else encountered this problem and found a way around it?

Thanks for any help,
J.

pathfinder

Convert your NEF files to tiffs via Nikon's RAW converter, and open the tiffs in PS.

saltydog

pathfinder wrote:

Convert your NEF files to tiffs via Nikon's RAW converter, and open the tiffs in PS.

I guess that could work, but then the entire benefit of owning a camera with RAW capability is pointless...

I just found this on the Adobe website but as of now it's gibberish to me - could somebody "translate"? What is ACR and what are DNG files? I guess I will have to read it one more times and more slowly:
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--> <hr noshade="noshade" size="1"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> Darlene Aguillard - 9:02am Dec 9, 07 PST (#4 of 21) </td> <td width="5"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td class="size1" align="right" valign="top" width="205">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> I'm shooting with a Nikon D300 and running PhotoShop CS2. I've had no trouble in the past processing RAW files from my Nikon D100 in CS2, but CS2 won't open my D300 RAW files. There's an Adobe DNG Converter and Camera Raw 3.7 update, but it doesn't include the D300 as a supported camera. The D300 IS listed as a supported camera in the DNG Converter and Camera Raw 4.0 and higher updates, but those are only for CS3, which I don't have.

Will there be a CS2 Converter and Camera Raw update that will include the Nikon D300 as a supported camera, or is my only option to upgrade to PhotoShop CS3?

And one more question: Is the DNG conversion process always a manual process, or does any version of Photoshop handle that automatically? In the past I've always just uploaded my RAW files and opened them in PhotoShop. Period. The thought of having to add the additional time-consuming extra step of converting everything I shoot to DNG is not a welcome one. Please help me out with understanding this. Was my D100 already shooting DNG files?<!--end msg-->

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--> Post Reply </td> <td width="20"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td align="right" valign="bottom" width="100"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!--
--> <hr noshade="noshade" size="1"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> Jim Hess - 10:19am Dec 9, 07 PST (#5 of 21) </td> <td width="5"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td class="size1" align="right" valign="top" width="205"> Edited: 09-Dec-2007 at 09:20am </td> </tr> </tbody></table> You can always use the latest version of the DNG converter to create digital negative files that can be opened by any version of ACR clear back to Photoshop CS and ACR 2.4. You are not limited to using the DNG converter 3.7. The DNG files are not Photoshop version specific. Your Nikon D100 was supported natively by ACR 3.7. Your new camera was not. If you are unable to upgrade to Photoshop CS3 then your alternative is to use the latest version of the DNG converter to create digital negative copies of those raw images, and they will open in the version that you have installed.

I have seen comments from several people here on this website who actually prefer converting to DNG so that all of the metadata is stored within the image file rather than in a sidecar file. Yes, it is an extra step. But all I do is insert the card into my card reader, drop the images onto the DNG converter icon, and convert them as they are downloaded to my hard drive. That's just one little extra step. After that my Photoshop or Lightroom workflow it is exactly the same. As far as additional updates to ACR for Photoshop CS2 are concerned, the answer is no.

If you are resisting upgrading just because you don't want to, I must say that the additional functionality in ACR 4.1 and higher is more than enough reason to justify the upgrade. I think you would be astounded to discover how limiting ACR 3.7 is after using the current version.<!--end msg-->

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--> <hr noshade="noshade" size="1"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> Darlene Aguillard - 5:30pm Dec 9, 07 PST (#6 of 21) </td> <td width="5"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td class="size1" align="right" valign="top" width="205">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Thanks jim - I have a knowledge gap here, honestly, and probably started out with a backwards way of doing things that I'm now having trouble overcoming because I never did have a complete understanding of the whole process. Anyway, you were right...I had the wrong converter...I needed 4.2. Everything's working fine now just like you said it would and I agree, it's hardly even an extra step. Plus I understand the whole process a lot better now, so thanks for the explanation.

As for CS3, I guess you're saying that it will work with my D300 much like CS2 worked with my D100....with all the conversion work etc done automatically? I don't think too many of us CHOOSE not to upgrade to the latest greatest versions because we "don't want to " Jim! It's more like limited income + 3 kids sucking pretty much even that down the drain...you know! Hopefully sooner than later tho. Thanks again for your help...you saved me a lot of time and aggravation during this very busy time of the year.

-- darlene<!--end msg-->

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--> Post Reply </td> <td width="20"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td align="right" valign="bottom" width="100"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!--
--> <hr noshade="noshade" size="1"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> Jim Hess - 8:24pm Dec 9, 07 PST (#7 of 21) </td> <td width="5"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td class="size1" align="right" valign="top" width="205"> Edited: 09-Dec-2007 at 07:24pm </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Believe me, I fully understand your situation about not being able to upgrade at this point. It is sometimes difficult to tell from the writing why someone chooses not to upgrade. There are a few people who don't want to upgrade just because they feel that Adobe is being unfair. But Adobe has their marketing strategies and other reasons why ACR 4.x will not work with older versions of Photoshop.

One of the main reasons people look forward to a new version of ACR is that the new version always supports additional cameras. There are sometimes other undocumented changes and bug fixes, but the new cameras are the main reason people want to get the new version. Your new camera is supported in the newest version of ACR. That means that it would work as seamlessly as ACR 3.7 works with your older camera. Whenever a new version of ACR is released there is also a new version of the DNG converter that supports all the same cameras as the new ACR. It is always in your best interest to try to have the latest version of the DNG converter as well as the latest version of ACR that is compatible with your version of Photoshop. Photoshop CS2 is no longer being maintained/supported by Adobe. That means that there will be no more updates to the program itself nor for any of the plug-ins. So until you are in a position to upgrade to a new version of Photoshop the DNG converter is your only alternative for working on the raw files from your camera using Photoshop and ACR. Incidentally, the most of current version of ACR and the DNG converter is 4.3.1, not 4.2.<!--end msg-->

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--> <hr noshade="noshade" size="1"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> Darlene Aguillard - 9:04pm Dec 9, 07 PST (#8 of 21) </td> <td width="5"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td class="size1" align="right" valign="top" width="205">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> yep, that's the one I got...4.3.1. -- thanks again jim.
-- darlene<!--end msg-->

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