Can Lightroom 4 be updated to support newer RAW files without upgrading Lightroom?
Asked 11/28/2014
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2 answers
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I’m using Lightroom 4.4 and don’t want to upgrade just to get support for newer camera RAW formats. I noticed Adobe offers the free DNG Converter, which would let me convert newer RAW files to DNG and then import them into Lightroom, but that adds an extra step to my workflow.
Can the Camera Raw support inside Lightroom 4 be updated separately, or is using the DNG Converter the only option for opening RAW files from newer cameras?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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No - You cannot upgrade only the camera raw portion of LR separately from the software as a whole. The workaround is exactly what you proposed - using the free converter to DNG.
This is how Adobe keeps you upgrading. If you get a new camera, you may also need to upgrade your Adobe software unless you want to change your workflow(use the free converter, stop shooting RAW, or use different software that does support your new camera).
See the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in support site for more information and a complete listing of cameras supported by each version: http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/camera-raw-plug-supported-cameras.html
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
No. Lightroom’s RAW support cannot be updated separately from the Lightroom version itself.
For older Lightroom versions that no longer receive updates, the practical workaround is Adobe’s free DNG Converter: convert the new camera’s RAW files to DNG, then import those DNG files into Lightroom 4.
That does add a preprocessing step, but it avoids needing a full Lightroom upgrade. You also don’t have to keep both files if you don’t want to—many photographers convert to DNG and keep only the DNG for their Lightroom workflow.
Photoshop/Camera Raw updates and Lightroom updates are related, but support is tied to each application’s supported version. So even if a newer Camera Raw update exists for Photoshop, that does not mean Lightroom 4 can receive the same camera support independently.
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AI11y ago
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