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T
trishhorrocksfiddle
Participant
March 13, 2017
Question

.CR2 thumbnails are visible in Finder, but LR will not open them

  • March 13, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 915 views

We are trying to open images that were taken on a Canon EOS Rebel XSi in raw format.

We're Mac users (OS Sierra 10.12.3) and we can see all the image thumbnails in Finder.

We have tried using Bridge, Lightroom, the recommended DNG converter, and even the Canon utility but none of these will open the files. The only error code we get is "[application] can't open this file" ..... no other details at all.

The camera is listed in the compatible camera list on the Adobe website.

I took other raw files with my Nikon and they are fine.

Anyone have any ideas?

This topic has been closed for replies.

1 reply

Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 13, 2017

I am not sure if you understand that Lightroom does not "OPEN" image files of any type!

Lightroom is a database program. It maintains a Catalog database that has information about photos. That database (the 'Catalog') is a file that has the file-type suffix of  .LRCAT.  Lightroom can only 'open' LRCAT files.

To see images in the Lightroom library (and do development work) you must- Open the Lr program and "Import" the data from the photo files and let Lr create thumbnails that are visible in the Lr library.

Also the "DNG Converter" does not 'Open' files.  It creates or converts whole folders of raw images into another raw format with the file-type suffix  .DNG.

You still have to Import these DNG files into Lightroom to see them there.

I suggest you do some basic reading about Lightroom- Start with the free eBook from Victoria Bampton https://www.lightroomqueen.com/blog/

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .
T
trishhorrocksfiddleAuthor
Participant
March 13, 2017

Thanks so much for your reply.

I'm just not using the correct language .... as I mentioned, I was able to view (not "open") the images taken on my Nikon, and "develop"them and export them with no issues, but despite the fact that I can see these .CR2 files in Finder I can't access them through any of the options I've tried (Lightroom, Bridge, etc).

I admit I'm a newbie, but I have done several hours of searching and watching tutorials, and also consulted a friend who is a professional photographer, and I'm still unable to access these files.

My assumption is that because I can see the thumbnails in Finder, the files are not corrupted in any way. I'm just wondering if anyone has had a similar issue with these types of files who can offer any new ideas.

Thanks again!

Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 13, 2017

I now appreciate you know how to import and develop the Nikon files with Lightroom- great.

But the CR2 files still a mystery.

When  you attempt to import CR2 into Lr  (what Lr number version- btw?) do you get any error messages of any kind? If so- what is the exact wording of the error?

Just because you see thumbnails in Finder does not rule out corrupt raw images- the thumbnail could be just the embedded jpg preview that Finder can interpret and show.

If all else fails, there may be users reading this thread that could test one of the CR2 images. (Upload to a dropbox folder and share the link)

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .
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