Photos.app Unsupported RAW Storage

[iStrat]

I'm considering buying a Canon DSLR camera that doesn't yet have RAW support in macOS. I have a few questions.

I have a Mac that doesn't support Sierra and so is stuck on El Capitan. Is there any chance Apple releases RAW support updates for El Capitan at this point?

I also have a Mac with Sierra. Will Photos.app import the RAW images from the camera and store them until support is added? I would deal with the JPEGs, and then when RAW support is added (which should happen soon), will it automatically be able to read the RAW files associated with the JPEGs? I saw a thread online somewhere that seemed to imply that RAW files imported prior to installing the associated RAW support update may require additional steps to get working, but it wasn't very clear.

Thanks in advance.

 

[robgendreau]

You can download some digital camera raw updates separately; https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1882?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US. Not sure if that's as current as possible though.

I think Photos would import the RAW if it recognizes the file extension; have you experimented with one? But using JPEGs as proxies would be in invitation to a huge mess. I'd use something else in the meantime, like the software that came with your camera, an open source option like Dark Table or Digikam that is likely to have support now, or convert to DNG with Adobe's free converter. You can always import into Photos later, and you could save any adjusted images as TIFFs for import.

 

[iStrat]

You can download some digital camera raw updates separately; https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1882?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US. Not sure if that's as current as possible though.

I think Photos would import the RAW if it recognizes the file extension; have you experimented with one? But using JPEGs as proxies would be in invitation to a huge mess. I'd use something else in the meantime, like the software that came with your camera, an open source option like Dark Table or Digikam that is likely to have support now, or convert to DNG with Adobe's free converter. You can always import into Photos later, and you could save any adjusted images as TIFFs for import.

Why would looking at JPEGs until RAW support is added be a huge mess? The JPEGs would remain unedited and would just be used for viewing.

 

[MCAsan]

What MacOS raw converter supports only matters if you are using something like Photos that uses the native OS raw engine. Consider moving to an app like Lightroom or On1 Photo RAW that have their own raw engine and avoid the problem.

 

[iStrat]

What MacOS raw converter supports only matters if you are using something like Photos that uses the native OS raw engine. Consider moving to an app like Lightroom or On1 Photo RAW that have their own raw engine and avoid the problem.

I might consider it, but I'm not sure how much work migrating would be. I have a lot of photos in Photos.app now and it's free.

Has anyone imported RAW photos into Photos.app before RAW support for the camera was added? I imagine it just works once an update adds support, but I'd like to get confirmation.

 

[robgendreau]

Why would looking at JPEGs until RAW support is added be a huge mess? The JPEGs would remain unedited and would just be used for viewing.

My first concern would be that you'd do work on them and none of that would be associated with the RAWs. Photos isn't super batch-friendly, and copying over say time zone changes, keywords, locations, etc would be a chore.

My second concern would be that Photos can't tell the JPEGs and RAWs are the same image content, hence to save space and avoid dupes you'd have to go through and delete all the JPEGs.

Third, what would be the advantage if you aren't doing any work on them? I guess if you just want a folder of JPEGs and RAWS, and then import just the JPEGs, and then toss that whole catalog when RAW support comes and import the RAWS into the next library, you'd be fine. You can just view them, but if that's all you want maybe something that doesn't require an import would be even easier to use, like any image browser, like the free Bridge. Or even the camera software.

 

[iStrat]

My first concern would be that you'd do work on them and none of that would be associated with the RAWs. Photos isn't super batch-friendly, and copying over say time zone changes, keywords, locations, etc would be a chore.

My second concern would be that Photos can't tell the JPEGs and RAWs are the same image content, hence to save space and avoid dupes you'd have to go through and delete all the JPEGs.

Third, what would be the advantage if you aren't doing any work on them? I guess if you just want a folder of JPEGs and RAWS, and then import just the JPEGs, and then toss that whole catalog when RAW support comes and import the RAWS into the next library, you'd be fine. You can just view them, but if that's all you want maybe something that doesn't require an import would be even easier to use, like any image browser, like the free Bridge. Or even the camera software.

I see your point. I was going to make a point of not making any edits until RAW support for the camera was added, which shouldn't take too long. That would allow me to continue using my current library as I have been without dealing with a migration, etc... If there was better free or cheap (non-subscription) photo editing/management software with a good and simple tool for migrating from Photos.app, I'd definitely consider it.