Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

If files show up in Explorer, but not in an application, the application is masking the existence of files it will not support. MANY application do that, some have a "Show All files" option.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

I have a 6D II and a PC using Windows 10. I simply download using Canon's EOS Utility (which would have come on a CD with your camera or you can download it from Canon's website), and the photos go directly to my Pictures Folder.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

If your camera were set to record both CR2 and JPEG, then your CR2 files would be on your memory card and easily copied to your computer.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

1. Use the Operating System to drag and drop all files from the memory card to your hard drive.
2. Open DCIM folder, if the CR2 files are not there then perhaps a setting was changed and you are saving only in jpeg.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

To download images, you don't need Windows Photo or anything like it. In fact, you don't even need to install the codec, just to copy the CR2 files from memory card to computer. (You probably should install the codec, though... for other reasons. See below.)

Simply use your computer's operating system.

Click on "computer" in your Windows start menu.

Select the location where you'd like to put the photos and create a folder there to receive them. Name that folder anything that works for you (I use a YYYY_MM_DD naming convention.... other folks use different ones.)

Insert the memory card into a card reader. This should cause a dialog box to open asking you what you want to do, offering several possibilities. Just tell it to open the memory card in Windows Explorer. (You will be given the option tell it to "always do this", any time a card is inserted. Maybe don't do this the first time, until you see how it all works and you're okay with the process. But later this can be enabled as a short cut.)

This gives you view of what's on the memory card, as if it's another drive on your computer. Click to open the folder for your camera. Inside that, click to open the "DCIM" folder. Inside that you will probably see one or more image folder. Click on the first (or only) one of those. Inside you'll see all the images files that are in the folder listed. You can change how you view them... but will not be able to see CR2 images as thumbnails, unless you have the above referenced Fast Picture Viewer codec installed. That doesn't matter.

For now, simply select all the image files ('Ctrl, a' will do that quickly). Then drag and drop them onto the folder you created earlier to receive the files. (Depending upon where you put that folder, you may need to first expand the folder "tree". For this reason, it's usually a good idea not to "bury" the image folder you create too deeply down in that tree. For example, I use a separate hard drive just for photos and create "date" folders on it for images: YYYY_MM_DD. Inside each of those I have a YYYY_MM_DD_RAW folder. You can do whatever you wish.)

Note: If you "left click" the drag and drop of the image files, it will immediately begin copying the files to your computer. If you "right click" drag and drop, it will pop up a menu asking what you want to do. Always choose "copy".... NOT "move". By copying the files, you leave the originals safe on the memory card until later.... Just in case something happens with the process and so that it the "download" be repeated.

Another box will open showing you the progress of the download. Once it's complete, repeat the process with any other image file folders on the memory card. (Your camera creates a new image folder on the card every 9999 images it takes. Whether or not there is more than one folder depends upon how large your memory card is and if you've recently rolled over that magic number. I only use smaller cards and clear them frequently, so I very rarely see a second folder created.)

Later when you have confirmed that the images are successfully stored on your computer.... and maybe have backed them up... format your memory card in-camera to "erase" the old images and prepare it for new ones. (Note: Formatting this way doesn't actually erase anything. It just marks the old files as "okay to overwrite". But, if needed, those old files are still there and can be recovered, until you start writing new images to the card.)

Depending upon the version of Windows and age of your computer, once you've copied all the images off a memory card, in Explorer you may want to right click on the memory card and "eject" it. This is "safer" than simply pulling it out of the card reader. (Note: Technically you don't need a card reader. You can leave the card in the camera, connect the camera via the USB cord that came with it and then "see" the memory card in the same manner described above... HOWEVER, this is not recommended. For a lot of reasons, it's better to remove the memory card from the camera and use a separate card reader that's either built into or attached to your computer.)

All this takes a WHOLE LOT longer to write and read, than it takes in practice. Especially after it's all become second nature, it actually takes less than a minute to create the folder to receive the files and start the download.... And even less time to add files to an existing folder if there are multiple image folders or multiple memory cards. (Personally I find it a LOT more glitchy or difficult to use the complicated "downloaders" built into software I use, such as Lightroom. It's much easier to simply use the computer OS and the "manual" procedure I describe here.... and I avoid a lot of "issues" that the auto downloaders seem to create.)

You're still going to want to install the RAW viewer codec. Without it, CR2 files cannot be directly viewed as thumbnails in Windows Explorer or enlarged in Windows Photos (etc.) The codec actually makes it possible to view many other types of files in Windows.... other camera makers' RAW files, Adobe PSD, even TIFFs and more.

Viewed in the uncalibrated color space of Windows Picture Viewer or Win Photos, etc., a RAW file will look somewhat desaturated and low contrast. Don't worry about that. It will look fine once it's converted to a JPEG or other image file type.

EDIT:



Good point! I forgot about that. Might need to change folder settings in Explorer too, to "show all files". (Actually, I've customized this setting on my computer, to only hide certain types of files, such as the .xmp "sidecar" files that Lightroom creates.)

jwn Loc: SOUTHEAST GEORGIA USA

Canon supplies software to download and process for free, go to Canon site and download...EOS utility and DPP4

jayluber Loc: Phoenix, AZ

I had same problem with my "new" 6D on my MAC. My OS would not recognize the file format. I went to Canon site and downloaded codec for the CR2 file.
Call Canon support and they will walk you thru it.

I used the Canon provided SW utill I found this other file.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Codec, it is CODEC.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

If your CR2 files do not show up in File Explorer, then they are not on your memory card, period. I suggest that you study up on your Windows operating system and your camera's Manual related to shooting in RAW.

Cyberkinesis70 Loc: Northern Colorado

Paintshop Pro will view and edit all raw files. You just need to put them in a file that you can find. I use Nikon so when I download from my cameras I use Nikon Transfer and I'm sure Canon has something similar, it put each download in a numbered folder within the Nikon Transfer 2 file. With Paintshop Pro you can open any of those files and view the raw data. Or you can use Aftershot Pro 3 to view them and edit before you open them in Paintshop Pro. You mostly need to know where you put your raw files. Paintshop Pro will prompt you to find that file.

I totally disagree that Photoshop and Lightroom are easier than Paintshop Pro for viewing and editing raw. Photoshop and Lightroom have more features that are more convenient. But for basic editing Paintshop Pro is adequate and is a bargain. Depends on what you're used to I guess.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

I don't know what you mean by "My OS would not recognize the file format."

The Mac (and Windows and Linux) will "recognize" any file with any filetype including none at all. However, if the file's type or format is not known to the OS then it cannot "open" the file.

For purposes of showing the presence of a file on a storage medium, the Mac and all the others can list them, copy and past them (drag+drop is a form of copy and paste but with additional risks).

As others have already pointed out, but especially in Windows, you have to set your file manager (Windows Explorer or MyComputer) to NOT hide certain kinds of files or their extensions (filetypes). In the Mac, there can be hidden files for a variety of reasons. The quick way to get Finder (Mac's file manager) to show or hide files is a 3 key combo: Command+shift+period.

Although there are many solutions for being able to view the image in a raw file, I recommend FastRawViewer as the most truthful and least likely to be showing you the embedded JPG. I think there is a free trial.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

My Explorer shows all files, even hidden, and the FIRST thing I get rid of on a new system is "hide known file extensions." I MUST see the extensions! No two ways about it! If you hide extensions, how the heck do you know if the file has one or not???

lschiz Loc: Elgin, IL

Adobe Bridge
A Software file management program very similar and look to explore, it’s available for free from Adobe. That program you can see all the raw files you can even see the images and you can manage all of your downloads and files under that. Then when you have your files downloaded to the folders you want on your computer you can go to whatever program you choose to use to process. It’s a great tool for managing RAW images.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

He hasn't commented in a while, so I still don't know if he ever even got the files out of the camera.

The camera should have come with software. If not, it can be downloaded from Canon's website :
https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home Go to support for your model. You will need a camera body S/N

I use the latest version of Canon's "EOS Utility" to download from camera to computer before I do any editing. It recognizes and distinguishes between different EOS models so it can be configured to send files from different models to different folders.

EDIT: After downloading, many older photo editing programs cannot handle the latest RAW files. But the one supplied by the manufacturer (probably DPP4 here) should.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Windows and its Photos app are not capable of dealing with RAW files as is. It requires an added extension from the Windows Store. Or installing a separate app.
See this: https://www.intowindows.com/how-to-open-raw-images-in-windows-10/