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04-22-2017, 08:54 AM   #1
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Question about using old version of Photoshop

I just purchased a new Pentax K-1 and have been shooting photos primarily with JPEG but would like to get into working with RAW (this is the first digital camera I've used capable of RAW files).

I'm slow to change with the times, and have been using Photoshop 5.5 and 7.0 on an older machine. That has worked fine for me with 99% of what I do though I do plan to update one of these days $$ permitting (and add me to the Adobe rant group when it comes to Adobe changing over to a subscription service - another thing holding me back).

For the present, however, I would like to continue to use what I have but these versions of Photoshop don't appear to handle the K-1 "RAW" files even though RAW is listed as a file type in their OPEN dialog box. My question is, am I doing something wrong or is it just going to be impossible to use my K-1 RAW files with these older Photoshops? I have selected DNG since others have said that DNG is more compatible with older software. Are there any workarounds for this issue?
Your input?
Thanks

04-22-2017, 09:21 AM   #2
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You need to use a version of Photoshop that supports the version of Camera Raw that supports your camera. Adobe has a support matrix listed on their website.
04-22-2017, 09:22 AM   #3
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You need to update to the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw. This should be still compatible with your version of PS. You will then be able to process the raw DNG files

Apologies, I didnt realise how old the version of PS was you are using. Follow the others asvice.

Last edited by pschlute; 04-22-2017 at 10:11 AM.
04-22-2017, 09:29 AM   #4
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The K-1 needs a minimum version 9.51 of Camera Raw. You need a Photoshop version that supports up to 9.51 or higher.

The highest Photoshop 7 supports is Camera Raw v1.0

I had to update Photoshop 7 to support my K10D.

See the below
Cameras supported by Camera Raw
Camera Raw plug-in and Adobe application compatibility


Last edited by Not a Number; 04-22-2017 at 09:37 AM.
04-22-2017, 09:37 AM   #5
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Hi, I have stopped using Photoshop long time ago, I use Lightroom instead, it has everything I need.
If you are PC user you can download and install free FastStone
FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer ...
simply to use but still powerful
K-1 would definitely be not compatible with PS 5.5 or 7.0
kind regards
jack
04-22-2017, 10:19 AM   #6
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Hi
Adobe have locked out older versions of Photoshop from updated versions of Camera Raw, I fell foul of this when I recently got a K-3 and found my Photoshop wouldn't open the Raw files from it. I have looked around for alternatives because, like you, I don't want to be pulled into Adobe's subscription programme and I have settled onto RawTherapee ( like a lot of people here have, I think). It does pretty much all Lightroom does and is a free download. Once I've saved files as tiff I can go into my old version of Photoshop for editing (if needed).
Hope this is of use.
Andrew.
04-22-2017, 10:21 AM   #7
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You could use the supplied DCU5 software to export the RAW files as TIFF and then process those in your version of Photoshop. Alternatively you could use the free Faststone to process the TIFFs - it's pretty powerful.

04-22-2017, 12:45 PM   #8
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Couldn't he just use the latest version DNG converter?
04-23-2017, 11:52 AM - 1 Like   #9
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Many thanks to those who replied. I will look into FastStone & Raw Therapee ("supplied DCU5"???) - also Contenta converter. Sounds like those will get me back to tif where I can edit with my OLD versions of Photoshop. Some here don't remember that far back before digital cameras were available - that's how old my Photoshop versions are - no DNG available. Ultimately, I will upgrade to Lightroom/PS but that calls for a new desktop computer which I also see in my future, but in the meantime will go with the suggestions given. Thanks again.

PS - Didn't realize but the "RAW" listed in my versions of photoshop is not "Camera RAW" but a filetype which allows specifying the exact size of the raster file for some non-specific sources - lightyears behind "Camera RAW" and entirely different (just in case someone is curious).

Last edited by Bob 256; 04-23-2017 at 12:02 PM.
04-23-2017, 05:22 PM   #10
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Photoshop 7 won't install on Wnidows 7 or higher so if you are using Windows you would have to upgrade regardless. I don't know about the Mac versions.
04-23-2017, 06:28 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Not a Number Quote
Photoshop 7 won't install on Wnidows 7 or higher so if you are using Windows you would have to upgrade regardless. I don't know about the Mac versions.
Actually, it might. I'm running Photoshop 5.5 on Windows 7 Pro 64 bit, and it installed and runs just fine. I might be wrong but if 5.5 works, 7 probably would also. Thing is, Photoshop used to be like any other software - you could buy a version and it would work almost forever (and Adobe even issued upgrades from time to time), but now you have to swallow the Adobe hook (line and sinker) to get Photoshop so it's a lose-lose proposition as far as I'm concerned. There are some new things to be gained (HDR, seamless stitching, and a few others) but most of what I do is right there in the old version so my motivation to bite that hook isn't too great (and there are a lot of non-subscription alternatives that offer those added features which I would consider first).

Right now, getting the camera RAW files into my existing versions is my goal and I think Contenta will address that issue (through conversion to tifs) at less than $40US. It will also convert PEF files (wu hu!).

ADDENDA: After purchasing the Contenta converter software, I found its interface to be simplistic. It does convert camera RAW DNG files for me, but when I open the TIF in my older Photoshop, they open as 8 bit files. I have to investigate this with Contenta and will report back - also will try some PEF conversions and see how it fares there.

Last edited by Bob 256; 05-08-2017 at 08:16 AM.
05-06-2017, 06:07 AM   #12
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Recommendations for editing software

My situation is similar to the OP, only I have been using Photoshop 5 LE that came with my printer years ago. I also have the original Elements. My PC is dual boot XP/Win7 so I can continue using several older programs that I like.

DCU5 works fine for me and I also have Raw Therapee for basic Raw processing and conversion. I have been opening the TIF files in PS5LE for editing and now want a suitable upgrade. From what I have read I might lose some features with Elements or Lightroom. I need layers, but also the ability to add text or do special effects, resizing etc.

Batch processing and file organization are not important to me and in fact I don't want a program that tries to interfere with my way of organizing things. The full Photoshop CS6 is out of my price range and probably more than I need for editing and printing my images. Are there any suggestions for software around $150 or less that are Win7 compatible?
05-08-2017, 03:37 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by DSLRnovice Quote
I need layers, but also the ability to add text or do special effects, resizing etc.

Batch processing and file organization are not important to me and in fact I don't want a program that tries to interfere with my way of organizing things. The full Photoshop CS6 is out of my price range and probably more than I need for editing and printing my images. Are there any suggestions for software around $150 or less that are Win7 compatible?
Photoshop Elements supports layers, and you can do a fair amount with it, though perhaps not as much as you can in Photoshop. Certain features are crippled in Elements 9 ( which is what I'm using ), or they're implemented slightly differently. In particular, you can't work in the CMYK colour space, and you are limited in what you can do in 16bit mode ( many functions are grayed out until you convert to 8 bit mode ).

FastStone, which is free, is very good, especially on older computers, because it is not very resource intensive. It supports most of the basic editing functions you would want to do on a day to day basis, in a very intuitive way ( at least, I find it to be ). It is my go-to editor. I do a lot of work where I need to quickly prepare low resolution images that I'm going to attach to emails, often with simple text captions, arrows pointing to things in the image, etc. Faststone is FANTASTIC for this, as the draw board allows you to add those sorts of simple annotations very easily. Yes, it is limited in what it can do, but I find it is a "less is more" kind of trade-off. It doesn't support layers, and it doesn't do any kind of non-destructive editing. FastStone can convert a RAW file, but as far as I know, it doesn't allow you to adjust any parameters like exposure or white balance, so there's not much point in using it that way. By default, FastStone will display the embedded JPEG in the RAW file ( which can be a huge advantage ).

I have a number of RAW converters. Often, I just work with the camera JPGs. If I need to convert a single image ( say, because I want to correct an exposure problem or white balance ), I will usually use DCU5. The interface isn't great, but for a one-off conversion, it's fine. It launches from FastStone seamlessly, which is nice ( ie. you can configure FastStone so that while you're looking at the RAW file in it, hitting the 'E' key will launch DCU with the raw file loaded ). I also have DxO, which I like because of the camera/lens profiles, but I don't use it as often unless I am converting a large number of photos ( say, from a trip ).

I shoot RAW+ on my K30. My workflow looks something like this:

1) I do all my file browsing using FastStone - the full screen image comparator feature is great for culling ( you can compare up to 4 images )
2) I do all my simple editing using FastStone
3) If I feel I need to go back to the RAW file, I launch whichever RAW converter I want to use directly from FastStone ( DCU, DxO, Silkypix, or even ACR via Elements )\
4) If I need more complex editing functions like layers/masking, I use either Elements or GIMP

I hope this helps.
05-08-2017, 08:19 AM   #14
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Great information arkav. I'll look into some of your suggestions. It's always a plus to be able to edit all those files more easily. It seems it's always too easy to trip the shutter just one more time and lots of extra files result. Good quick review of the products and work flows you mentioned.
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