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Participant
December 28, 2021
Question

Why are some of my RAW photos converting to JPEG when I add to Lightroom on iMAC

  • December 28, 2021
  • 3 replies
  • 3637 views

I'm using a Canon 6D Mark ll and shooting only in RAW. I uploaded my photos to my Apple iMac Photos where all the photos there say they are in a RAW format. I then add these raw photos to Lightroom and some of them convert to JPEG and some of them stay RAW. Now I don't understand why it changes to JPEG on its own. How do I stop this from happening since I want to edit all my photos in RAW? I'm also not sure what is making this happen?

 

I have the latest updates for Lightroom and Apple iMac, is there something that I have to do to my camera?

 

I prefer to upload all my photos to my Apple iMac Photos and then pick which photos I want to add direclty to Lightroom.

 

I'm  also noticing from my pervious lightroom photo edits for RAW, is that there will be around 6-7 RAW images and then 1 JPEG and it repeats a similar pattern, which is weird because all the photos where shot only in RAW?

 

In Lightroom when I click add photos button, the raw image that I took on my camera now saids that its a JPEG. I'm not sure why it is JPEG when I shot in RAW and it saids that its a RAW photo when uploaded to Apple iMac Photos. 

 

Any advice would be greatly appreaciated. 

 

Thank you, 

Jazzmin 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

3 replies

selondon
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 28, 2021

Indeed it seems definitely worth checking Apple Photos' Preferences. There seems to be an option where you can choose the storage location to be on folders on your HD rather than within the Library itself. This may help.

 

https://support.apple.com/sq-al/guide/photos/pht5156cc968/mac

 

Also worth checking the iCloud button isn't switched on.

 

 

selondon
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 28, 2021

Just to confirm, so others may be able to assist, which version of Lightroom are you using? (Assume the cloud based).

 

Also, what file format do you see on impot if you either import direct from the SD Card or from the Mac HD?  This may be able to narrow down the options to see if Apple Photos is the cause.

Participant
December 28, 2021

Yes I am using the Lightroom cloud based. 

 

I import my photos from my camera to iMac Photos and they all say they have a raw file format and then I select the photos that I want, and add them to Lightroom cloud based (While doing this, some of the photos stay raw and some of the photos turn to jpeg). I prefer to add the photos to imac photos because then I don't have to add all the photos that I took from the shoot since I won't need to edit all them. For light room cloud based you can only import once from the SD card and then it auto ejects and then you have to reinsert the SD card again. 

 

 

Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 28, 2021

The Photos App 'locks' the raw files in its own library. You may only be importing the previews (JPGs) that the Photos app produces.

You will need to export "Master" raw files from the Photos App to allow them to be imnported to Lightroom (all versions!)

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/importing-from-photos-on-mac/m-p/9306086#M66459

 

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
selondon
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 28, 2021

I don't use Apple Photos on the Mac, but if you are using iCloud with it, there may an option in the Preferences to keep all Originals locally.

 

If there is, an it's turned off (to save space) I wonder if it's something to do with that, thus only keeping JPEGs locally?

Participant
December 28, 2021

Hi, I'm not using iCloud and my photos are not connected to iCloud. I just find it fustrating that I have shot all my images in raw format and when I tranfered them to lightroom, only some of the images stay in raw format and the other images turn to JPEG.