Terrible changes to Camera Raw editing

[36erin36]

I absolutely hate the updated Camera Raw editing.    Very user-unfriendly!!!  Please change it back.  I was in the middle of working on wedding pictures when the update happened.   All of a sudden my workflow slowed to a crawl.  To have to figure out where everything is.

PLEASE CHANGE CAMERA RAW EDITING BACK!!!

[bridge cs6]

I could not agree more. It's a total fail

[johnsoneric]

After nearly a full day of researching and experimenting, I found that rolling back to Bridge 10.0.4 combined with ACR 12.2.1 puts this back together again the way it was.  Hope this saves many a lot of time and frustration.  Also hope Adobe is listening,

[SheaWinter971]

Pretty please, elaborate on the exact steps to do this.  I was successful in rolling back Bridge but don't have the option for ACR (at least I can't find the option).  If this works it will be a miracle, thank you!!!!  Adobe should be paying you :)))

[johnsoneric]

You can get ACR 12.2.1 at this link: https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/kb/camera-raw-plug-in-installer.html. Combined with Bridge 10.0.4 you will be back to a safe place.  🙂

[SheaWinter971]

Incredible @JohnSoneric!!!  It worked perfectly.  I'm not sure how to repay you, but considering creating a GoFundMe page!  Or better you just post your routing and bank account number and let the appreciative donate 😂.  Such a weight off my shoulders.  Back to a normal workflow life.  I can crop again like it's pre-covid days!!!  Sincere thanks...  Shea

[Sahil.Chawla]

Thank you for sharing your concerns. Camera RAW has a different forum that is managed by the Camera RAW team. We request you to post this concern there. The link for it is: https://community.adobe.com/t5/camera-raw/bd-p/camera-raw

[helkatward]

Sahil - we are not complaining about Camera RAW - we are complaining about Bridge.  We have all used Bridge for our editing routine, and open in PS to finish it up.  They went and changed the whole feel of it, it is buggy, and has really messed up our workflow!!  We ask that Adobe goes back to the old look and feel of the older Bridge version.  PLEASE PASS THE WORD TO THEM TO READ ALL OF THESE COMPLAINTS!!!

[gary_sc]

Hi Helkatward,

No, actually you are complaining about Adobe Camera Raw. 

Bridge is the application with which you can look at all of your media. When you double-click on a raw file in Bridge, it opens up in Adobe Camera Raw which, in this new release, was dramatically changed to follow the basic design and format of Lightroom-Desktop. This does make sense insofar as the engine of Lightroom and ACR is the same. So Adobe wanted to make the user experience the same. While I will not debate the value of that decision (I am only a volunteer here, I do NOT work for Adobe), at this point I just wanted to let you know which application you are complaining about.

If you wish to continue to complain, please go to this forum: https://community.adobe.com/t5/camera-raw/bd-p/camera-raw?page=1&sort=latest_replies&filter=all

[bridge cs6]

It's a complete mess, who ever approved it shouod get fired from Adobe. 

[SheaWinter971]

It takes less than 5 minutes to switch back to pre-covid ACR.  Just follow the steps above from @JohnSoneric

[stephenv70437356]

I've been struggling to get any meaningful workflow from CC 2020 for months now.  I get looged out and have to enter my email address and password every five minutes or so.  It shuts down.  It won't remember ratings or labels.  When it does run, I can't even use the keyboard in other applications.  My cursor disappears and other apps start shutting down.

However that is not why I am posting.  I know that no-one here has an answer, but I have found a solution that works for me.  I have rolled back Bridge and Photoshop to CC 2018 which was the last version I had no problems with.  I am still able to use ACR 12.3 over the top of those two apps.  In fact I'm currently running 19,240 RAW images through a batch using this setup and not a problem.  In order to roll back to Bridge 8.1.0.383 and Photoshop 2018, you'll need to get onto a download site to get CC2018.  There are sites offering genuine CC 2018 which onbce installed you log in using YOUR Adobe account details.  You need Photoshop CC 2018 to be opened before Bridge 2018 will let you use the RAW editing features as it is the ''qualifying product'' you need.

Now this worked for me.  It may or may not work for you.  However as someone once said ''If something is not working for you, try ANYTHING else''.

[mshea49]

Add me to the "I hate it" list. 

[bridge cs6]

It has no merit and we will be going to Capture One or something else if adobe does not bring it back. It's simple as that. 

[Mammal]

Gary,

Can you please describe the "merits" of the new version?

[SheaWinter971]

LMFAO 😂😂😂

[JMlaker]

What are its merits? This new version is practically worthless. Its almost as if Adobe made major changes just for the sake of change and did not add any new useful additional features, but rather drastically changed the interface and omiited some of the useful earlier version features. If this is the way Adobe is going to treat its CC subscribers, I, for one, will most certainly look to send my hard earned money elsewhere!!!!

[math32289564]

Count me as another ACR user who cannot use the new UI.    I did give it the college try, but there's no avoiding it.  This new UI requires significantly MORE clicks, and creates fustration.

Seriously - why was this done ?    Was any real analysis done into the workflow, and clicks required to get work done ?

As a software developer myself, the cynical side of me believes this was done purportedly to reduce Adobe engineering costs - so they don't have to maintain both the (old/better) ACR UI and Lightroom UI.  But how much did it really cost to maintain the ACR interface.  It was perfect, and could have just been left alone.

It also is disturbing to know that at least some portion of my monthly fee is going towards retrograde updates like this one.

And finally - Adobe - shame on you, not only for introducing these issues, but also for doing it in an automatic upgrade with no option to revert.  Do you not respect that many of your customers are pros editing hundreds of images?  A negative and unexpected change to workflow with no option to revert, should never be done by a company that respects their users' time.

[Ryan5C2A]

Yea new raw is almost unusable... errrrrrr

so the crop tool pretty much doesn't work. Anyone else having major issues with it? (Pushing x once or twice helps but still unusable.... so. Ow we basically can't crop in the raw editor... greeeeaaat .. thx adobe

[NKD]

Please revert ACR to the best layout the ever existed.

10 years of workflow that adapted for speedier outputs (until this latest update ~6months old)

There are so many tutorials online & paid for tutorials that reference the old layout.

It was intuitive and buttons & tabs where placed well for 2k & 4k monitors.

ACR > PSD for architectural photography daily edits, just starting back shooting & editing after Melbourne 6 month lockdown.

The new layout, is a gimmick. Please keep new layouts updates to LR, seperate from the ACR users.

Give the old-school layout back to the pros for efficiany.

I work on multiple computers / laptops & on set. 

There needs to be an option to set to olschool layout,

We also need updates to support new camera released & lens data

[michaelgfx]

This update is a TOTAL NIGHTMARE. I deliberately never installed or used lightroom because it is _Vastly_ inferior in workflow speed and logic. Now they force lightroom upon all ACR users. I'm going to switch over to an other raw converter if they don't offer a solution for this. Absolutely 100% absurd. 

This is not an upgrade, this is a DOWNGRADE. Do people at adobe actually use ACR? Or  they just use lightroom?

[SheaWinter971]

Best thing everyone can do is switch to Capture One!  The interface is changeable; you can set it up exactly like Camera Raw 12.2.  And even better, you'll find more leverage when processing RAW images.  I'm using a Canon R5 and it's impossible to edit the files Camera Raw 12.4 without pulling my teeth out.  But I made the switch to Capture One, watched all their tutorials, customized my interface, and love it.  Would highly recommend the same:  https://www.captureone.com/en/explore-features 

[johnsoneric]

I shared this previously, but in case you missed it.  Completely agree with your comments - very disappointed with Adobe.  I found a way to roll-back to the previous version:

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/kb/camera-raw-plug-in-installer.html#12_x

Need to use these two together:

• ACR Version 12_2_1.exe, saved in Software\Programs\Adobe\Camera Raw
• Bridge version 10.1 (available through Creative Cloud)

[Michael5F96]

gary_sc , all due respect, it has zero merits above what we are all used to.  That's a very bold comment from you, fraught with a lack of understanding of what your customers actually want out of Photosop. Adobe has been on this spiral downwards for years and I feel like this is yet another reason why I'm hoping for a cheaper Adobe alternative to break up the monopoly.  I hate your comment, stunning level arrogance and lack of awareness going on here.  Typical Adobe.

[gary_sc]

This is long and is a two part message, this is part 1

Hi Michael,

First off THANK YOU  for your politeness. Some people think that rudeness will get you someplace, it's great to see someone who shares my feelings that it never hurts to be polite even when one disagrees. 

Let me first say that I do not work for Adobe. I'm on these forums because I like to help folks with problems. All of the comments below are mine and mine alone. I have used Adobe products for about 25+ years now. I started working with Photoshop v. 5 and I started working with Acrobat around v. 2. Bridge and ACR from their onset. Am I a master of everything Adobe? Far from it but I can hold my own for most basic operations. 

I have to answer your question with comments which I know is not an answer.

I do not know if you use Acrobat but when version X was released, it was a nightmare beyond belief. If you look at the previous ACR and the current ACR, Acro X was vastly vastly more of a change. However, part of the problem was that Acrobat had not changed its general shape and/or dynamics since it was first released. Over the years, new features were added, some features were updated, some were removed. But the only people who were quick and agile with it were the people who had been using it for years. So the Acrobat team pulled the bull by the horns as it were and did a complete redesign. The first version was a disaster on many accounts. Now, several versions later, I love the new design because if I do not know where something is, I can figure it out where to look and most of the time my guess is correct. 

Now, does that mean that subsequent updates of ACR will make things better? 

This is more complicated because the intent of this update was to more match the design and layout of Lightroom (not Lightroom Classic).

[gary_sc]

And now part 2:

Keep in mind that all flavors of Lightroom all have the same internal engine, just different "faces." What's astounding to me is that this attempt to keep the same face has also put the ears and nose in different places: "Crop" is "C" or "R" as one example depending on which application you are using. There is no justifiable reason for that to happen from the same company. It's bad enough to have different commands doing the same thing with Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, but to have different command keys for the same product just different "faces?" Absurd.

Nonetheless, the whole point of merging the ACR interface over to Lightroom-Desktop was to make things simpler for new folks. Who does this hurt? Well, us, folks who've been using ACR since day one. But change is almost never easy. It almost always is. However, one of the things you do see in this version is a tighter organization of the parts. If you want to change the physical look of the image, go to Crop where you can crop, rotate, level, flip. Those were almost all in different locations before. 

Did I like the new layout when I started working with it? Well no, it was different and that was uncomfortable. Am I completely comfortable with the new one now? Well, not completely but it's much better than the first few days, they were rough.

But the reality here is that there is more chance that Covid will go away tomorrow at noon forever than Adobe will return ACR back to the previous layout. You do have choices though:

1. Go back to previous versions that look the way you want them to and use "Convert to DNG" so future cameras can be used and watch out what system updates and/or computer updates do to what you are using
2. Change to one of the many other products that can do what you want with a "look" that is satisfactory to you.
3. Learn to work with the new "look" and see how it works for you or against you and if you feel you must, do #s 1 or 2.

I guarantee you there will be future changes and hopefully some of these will improve the product and other changes will be worse. That's what's going to happen. But when anyone goes on to a forum and says "this is garbage go back to what you had," you will be ignored. On the other hand, if you take something specific and comment on that (e.g., "please make the keyboard shortcut for "Crop" the same in all Lightrooms") and that will be looked at and maybe even considered.

Oh, and one last thought/comment: when you speak of "Adobe," you have to focus on the fact that there are divisions within Adobe: There is management, marketing, engineers, product managers, and all these folks work (sort of) together. And just like in the book 1984, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." My point being that at any given time, someone in one of those groups will make a decision and it will win out regardless of the decision's value or quality. 

The only way you can avoid that is to have a company of one person.

This has been far too long an email and everyone can justifiably find errors and/or omissions contained therein. To each their own.