El Capitan & Adobe Photo Importer

[genenphoto]

The photo importer callable from Bridge no longer recognizes my cameras since I installed El Capitan.  I've disabled Apple's Phottos.app from importing.  Is there a workaround, or is it bye-bye Photo Importer for me?  I am of course NOT using CC, but PS 12.last update on a Mac Pro.

--Gene

[Brett N]

As stated earlier in this thread, we would make a reply when we had an update to make. Unfortunately, we are NOT announcing a resolution at this time. This issue does not have an easy fix. In fact, we are working on a solution but it will take quite some time. While this is being addressed, we are also working an a short term workaround which works in a similar fashion to what some are using in other applications like Image Capture, but will take place wholly within Bridge. We do not have a release date for either update for Bridge currently.

[msandman]

Thank you.  At least some of us will be patient. 😉

Mike

[Richard Broom]

Thanks for this Brett but even a "work in process" message would be helpful so we all know where we stand.  I think we all know you would be working towards some kind of resolution (why would you not?) but the problems many of us are experiencing with our Adobe and Apple software mean that our productivity and our profitability both take a significant hit. 

You presumably want us to buy your software but when faced with a broad silence from Adobe and Apple, people will begin to look for alternatives (I am taking a close look at Serif's Affinity programs).  So, 'not announcing' something sends out such a negative message to us, the consumers - it also reinforces the "us and them" beliefs that do exist out there.   And, worse, then saying your are working towards a solution compounds and already difficult situation because you don't begin to specify what is going on at the Adobe/Apple end. In effect, if there is light at the end of the tunnel, you are, as far as we on the outside are concerned, keeping it switched off!

Like just about everyone else here, I expect more and better from Adobe and Apple.  After all, I pour money into your two companies.  You do much to promote your products but little, in comparison, to help customers with faulty products.

Modern day companies are quick to pull up the drawbridge when there is trouble. It is an easy strategy that works for companies but it leaves a sour taste in our mouths stranded, as we are, on the wrong side of the moat.

Richard

[tjones0187]

I don't think I could have said it better myself, Richard, thank you!! I tried calling Apple and they blame it on Adobe, I try to call Adobe ... they don't even accept calls for technical questions, but they well let you sit On the phone pressing buttons and wasting time just to hang up on you in the end. I read forum after forum trying to find answers for the sudden interruption with my workflow. These are supposed to be two of the best companies, I am shocked it is taking them over a month to find a solution.

[gdanmitchell]

+1

Whatever the reasons are for this problem, the virtual silence from Adobe and Apple doesn't even give users confirmation that the companies even hear them. We feel like we are shouting in the dark here. And this isn't just some little petulant whining by a few folks — I spent hours last week trying to simply understand that there is a problem, what it is, how in manifests, and how to go on with my work. Eventually, working on my own, I found some very awkward and clumsy ways to continue with my work using Adobe and Apple products, but both companies own users more than that.

A simple public and open acknowledgment of the existence of the problem, its nature, its ramifications, specific and real suggestions on how to work around it, a target date for the fix, and reports on this...

... wouldn't take that much corporate time and would convince customers that you actually do give a damn

[Magnus Lewan]

Has anyone identified the exact conditions for the problem? Just stating those clearly could be helpful. If there is a problem with a particular card type or brand of USB cable or anything, we can look around in the attic to see if there is anything we could swap to make it work for now.

[Robert_Kruzic]

Try using a card reader instead of your camera/camera cord to upload - it worked for me.

Sent from my iPhone

[suz56]

No work around for phones

[msandman]

Among the exact conditions:  64GB or larger SD card; Mac for sure (that's what I use); don;t know about PC's. 

[dazdesigner]

got 64GB card but failed to read by bridge! Oh dear!

Please let hope this will be fix before 2016, then I will send Adobe a xmas card!

[Leaf Drummer]

I would echo others who have posted about perceived or actual lack of communication on the part of Adobe with regard to this issue. With all due respect this should have been resolved by now. If Adobe is capable of rolling out a new suite of software every year or so, a fix for this problem should be in hand within days rather than months. As a user who teaches at a university, and encourages students to pony up the cash for a subscription for Adobe products, I can say for sure that you should do better. It's already difficult enough to maintain compatibility between new cameras and software plugins. Simply having the architecture fail is, frankly, ridiculous. A friendly, but clearly annoyed suggestion, pull some coders off of the next version of the Adobe Suite make the current version work the way it's supposed to work. You will lose customers if this persists. There are alternatives and brand recognition combined with market reach does not last forever.

[Leaf Drummer]

Major update to CC downloaded and no fix. Come on, really...

[Magnus Lewan]

Another workaround: change card. I just removed my 64 G SD card in my camera and replaced it with a 32 G card. Now things work fine.

No excuse for Adobe to be slow with a fix of course.

[NassabAB]

I am having the same problem in bridge

[almarson]

I'm having the same problem with the Adobe Photo Importer. It will not recognize my SD card. I'm running an iMac 5K with El Capitan. I know that the blame-game is in play between Adobe and Apple, but Apple's Photo app autolaunch feature works and recognizes my SD card. I'm just saying. Paying $50 a month, is it really outrage to expect better quality. Greatly improve testing before releasing products to your customers. It hard to believe that this issue was not uncovered before release. I hope this issue can be resolved soon.

[Brett N]

The solution to this is being worked on, but it is not an easy fix. While some repairs only take a quick code change, others must be re-engineered from the ground up. Information on changes in new releases is often only available to us a short time before release. Even months after an update, we may still be attempting to reverse-engineer what was done and waiting for more information from Apple on how to make adjustments.

[jotapebernal]

Even though the Mac OS X 10.11.2 Update (released yesterday) says it fixes a problem with USB devices, after updating, the problem still remains.

And still no response from Adobe...

[Leaf Drummer]

Everyone, I have found a work around. It is called Capture One. I've used it for years in tandem with Adobe products. I have always worked back and forth between ACR and Capture One as there are situations where each of the two applications work better. That said, the Capture One interface is miles better than Lightroom and the results are often better than ACR in many respects – and due to the situation with Bridge I figured out that I can easily accomplish the same folder and image naming conventions in Capture One that I could using Bridge. The import is a bit slower but it's way less tedious than using Apple's Image Capture. If Adobe ever gets it's act together on this problem that will be great, but for now I'm done with hoping for any diligence on their part.

[Additus]

Three months and the Adobe engineers still have not got to a solution of this issue!

[Atropicbird]

Nothing new here.  Just want to add my voice of frustration at the lack of urgency displayed by these companies.  You pay for products and they work for a while, then they stop working...too bad, customers...

I agree that perhaps the work-around should be finding company whose products do work!

[Ari Ståhlman]

Problem solved. Bye Bye Apple and El Capitan, welcome Windows 10!!! And everything is working with Bridge and Photoshop!

[Brett N]

Yes, this issue is very specific to the Mac OS 10.11. As stated previously, this issue has arisen due to Apple changing the way imaging devices communicate with the computer. Since the Photo Downloader uses the original method, it simply does not see these devices unless you manually change the OS to also use the original method. We are currently in the process of re-writting the Photo Downloader from scratch to use this new method, but it takes time to code. In the mean time, we are also working on a Bridge update that will by-pass the Photo Downloader until that re-write can be completed. This will be a separate workaround to this OS change, not solution. Bridge and the Photo Downloader continue to work correctly on every other OS except for 10.11 (previous versions of Mac OS X and all Windows versions).

[AnnShelbourne]

Thank you for clarifying the current position and for letting us know that plans are already in the works to provide both a temporary work-around and then follow that up with a long-term solution.

Meanwhile, I have not yet heard of a single compelling reason to "Upgrade" an existing Mac from Yosemite to El Cap (although anyone with a new Mac is likely to be stuck with a pre-loaded and non-downgradeable installation of El Cap).

[Leaf Drummer]

Thank you for the concise update. Your post suggests that it is possible to make the OS access devices using the "original" communication method. If that is the case, it would be useful if you could post clear, complete, reliable steps for changing those parameters in the OS and any ramifications of doing so. Providing such information in a complete manner would be very useful. Yes, Apple changed the OS, but Adobe clearly didn't test their product before release. You are both big companies with lots of staff...

[Brett N]

I don't know all the ins and outs of why things aren't working under the new Mac OS, but it has to do with the use of MTP/PTP protocols. Here are some links on information about what these are:

Picture Transfer Protocol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Media Transfer Protocol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia‌

USB mass storage device class - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Android USB Connections Explained: MTP, PTP, and USB Mass Storage

How I understand it is that PTP and MTP were designed to make parts of your device invisible. They should be compatible with the Mac OS but Apple also has their own technology to do the same thing. The changes that Apple made in the new version of the Mac OS seem to make entire device invisible, not just the folder structure and support files. So now, when you plug your device in, you no longer see a drive appear on your desktop or within Finder. And it is precisely this that the Photo Downloader is looking for.

How to get the OS to treat your device like it is a drive (i.e. treating it the same way it would an external hard drive or flash drive) largely depends on the device in question.

Looking into things further, it would seem that newer cameras have removed USB Mass Storage as a protocol: USB "mass storage" mode on D3s? - Photo.net Nikon Forum or USB Mass Storage on D300s: Nikon Pro DX SLR (D300, D200, D100) Talk Forum: Digital Photography Revie.... And here is some info from Nikon directly: MTP, PTP, and MSC Transfer protocols and Nikon digital cameras. | Nikon Knowledgebase

I'm not sure why the size of your card makes a difference in this matter, but it could be due to limitations in the different protocols and how the Mac OS deals with them. It could be manually switching things around when you have a different sized storage device.