charles brown Loc: Tennesse

I use PS Elements 14 for photo editing. My cameras are set to save photos as RAW plus Jpeg. RAW files created by my Nikon D3300 and D70s would open easily in PSE 14 using Camera Raw 9.5. However, the RAW files created by my new Nikon D7500 would not open and I would get a message saying to make sure I had the latest Camera RAW update. As it turned out I ended up downloading Adobe DNG Converter 10.5 and now find that photographs taken with my Nikon D7500 must first be converted to a DNG file before I can do any photo editing in PSE 14. Is this correct or am I missing something? Also, when I go to save the edited DNG file it wants to save it as a Jpeg. I don't want to save the edited photos as Jpeg but want to save them as RAW files but PSE won't let me. What do you recommend?

Steve DeMott Loc: St. Louis, Missouri (Oakville area)

This might be helpful
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/using/processing-camera-raw-image-files.html

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

When you are in the raw editor section (ACR) of PSE, it doesn't matter if your file is raw or dng. You can close it by clicking "done," or you can open into the regular editing section by clicking "open image." If you close ACR by clicking "done," the dng will remember (just as the raw did) any changes to the sliders that you made while in ACR. There is no save of a raw or dng except as a new file type.

Once in the regular editing section, you aren't required to save as jpg; there are other choices (including tiff, png and psd). They will be in the drop-down menu when you click save (see "save as...type").

Here is the link that lists which cameras are supported by PSE 14's ACR:
https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/kb/camera-raw-plug-supported-cameras.html#Nikon

If your camera isn't listed and you've confirmed you have the most recent update to PSE 14's ACR, then yes you need to first convert to a dng. Or...you can use the Nikon software that came with your camera. I personally found the dng converter simple to use, and preferred it to my camera software. And then I bought PSE 2018 and didn't have to do anything

One more note: if you are worried your dng is inferior to the raw, here is one Google reply:
The DNG file format is, by design, meant to create a universal standard for raw image files, or digital negatives. When raw files from your camera are converted to DNG, they are converted to a universal standard through a process that Adobe has developed to best interpret the data in your CR2 (or NEF, etc.) files

UHH techies can verify this statement's veracity.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

You cannot save a processed files in RAW format. RAW is your negative, which has to be saved as a DNG or TIFF file, or exported as a JPEG.
When you save, do you do save or "save as?"

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Photoshop Elements doesn't have "export" in the ACR section. See my first paragraph earlier. If starting with a dng, like the OP is currently, you just close the file or open in the main editing section.

Also, once a dng or raw is edited in the main section of PSE, you just "save" ('save as' is not needed at that first step). I covered that also, including that there is a drop-down menu for options of file types.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Your version of PS Elements is 4 generations old, is no longer supported by Adobe, and predates the release of the D7500. That is why you can't open your D7500 raw files directly in your version of Elements. The two solutions are either to obtain a more current version of Elements that does support your camera, or use the DNG converter. You downloaded the DNG converter to resolve your issue but seem upset that you have to convert your D7500 images to DNG format first. Again, the only way around that is to purchase a more current version of Elements.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Well, really only two (after 14 came 15 and then they jumped to the name "2018").

To the OP: in the link I provided it shows 9.12 as the ACR version needed for your camera. That version comes with PSE 2018. But I feel your pain as they don't seem to support the changes long enough, which is why I had to go to a dng converter when I had PSE 13 and purchased new cameras.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

You are correct about the number of versions, but the end result is still the same.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

The key word is "lossless". In other words there's no loss of quality incurred in converting to DNG.


The term "raw" implies two things:-

It is your camera company's proprietary format (for example NEF, NRW, CR2 etc). Raw formats are non-standardised - in other words they are all different from each other in fundamental ways, creating incompatibility.

The file contains data straight from your camera and is unaltered in any way. As soon as it receives any kind of processing it's not raw any more.

Feiertag Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Linda, I enjoy your posts. I have learned many thing from you and I thank you for that. Cheers!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

If a topic appears to be sincere and I'm fairly confident I know the answer, I speak up. If it appears to be insincere or a G.O.M. spouting nonsense, I may speak up in a different way

All the best to you!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Why don't you just spend a little to get Elements 2018? Then there would be no need to use DNG converter... PLUS you'd get all the new features added to the 4 years newer version of Elements. It's on sale right now for about $60 (probably because Adobe usually introduces an upgrade each Fall, so Elements 2019 might be announced in the next month or two).

If you instead decide to continue using your older version of Elements and convert your D7500 files to DNG, be sure to save your original un-converted RAW files. The reason for this is that some future software you acmight be able to handle the D7500 RAW files just fine, but not work as well with the DNG files. (Google "DNG problems" and you'll find some users comments about issues they've encountered, usually when trying to use DNG with non-Adobe software.)

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

Thank you everyone for your input on this issue. Looks like the best way to deal with this issue is to just go ahead and get PSE 2018. I know, many would say rent PS and lightroom from Adobe but just don't want to go that route. As a side note, after using ADC I found that I now have three versions of each photograph, DNG, RAW and Jpeg. Inasmuch as storage is cheap will just keep all three versions. Again, thanks to all for your input.

William Hill55 Loc: Roachdale Indiana

Ms Linda that was so nice of you on your answer to explain it all.
You will be blessed in the future.
Also nice links too.

charles brown Loc: Tennesse