Denoise error message " not compatible with this file format"

[jimbo9058]

This post started out as a question about the error message that I get when I try to use DENOISE on my raw files.  The error message says: "Denoise is not currently compatible with this photo format".  I then attached 2 photos (a CR2 and a DNG) to the post and hit the POST button.

The post won't go through because the 2 photos I attached are flagged as non-raw photos (see the error message below).  What in the world is going on ??

[Keith Reeder]

Are the "RAW" files mRAW or sRAW?

They're not supported by Denoise, because they're already demosaiced.

(And you can't attach RAW or DNG files to this forum, because they aren't web-viewable image formats. You'd need to host them online somewhere and post a link)

[jimbo9058]

The CR2 file is mRAW and was used to create the -HDR.DNG file. Is that
why they're not compatible? Will I run into the same problem using cRAW on
my Canon EOS R?

If so, PLEASE fix this compatability issue PRONTO.

[TheDigitalDog]

At least on my Canon R6 MII, sRAW is supported; it is truly raw. That said, I still never use it. 

If you want this to all work, just set the camera for raws, not variants of a raw, which may not be really raw data (linear DNG isn't):

http://www.barrypearson.co.uk/articles/dng/linear.htm

Edit: that should read C-raw not S-Raw.

[Keith Reeder]

"At least on my Canon R6 MII, sRAW is supported; it is truly raw. "

sRAW on an R6 Mk II? Sure about that? It's got C-RAW (which is a proper compressed but not demosaiced RAW format - I use Denoise on my R5's C-RAW files all the time) - but sRAW?

From Canon.co.uk's R6 Mk II page - no mention of sRAW here:

[TheDigitalDog]

"At least on my Canon R6 MII, sRAW is supported; it is truly raw. "

sRAW on an R6 Mk II? Sure about that? It's got C-RAW (which is a proper compressed but not demosaiced RAW format - I use Denoise on my R5's C-RAW files all the time) - but sRAW?

From Canon.co.uk's R6 Mk II page - no mention of sRAW here:

By @Keith Reeder

Sorry; indeed it should be C-raw. I only made one test last week for another post and that flavor worked. Then I immediately reset back to raw. 

[Keith Reeder]

Great - thanks for clarifying.

Personally, I've yet to find a downside to using C-RAW on my R5 or R7, so it's selected 100% of the time.

[TheDigitalDog]

I'm not finding much data on the differences in the two formats, so I may have to run a test (unlike the video below, a real controlled test*)

My shooting isn't such that I need to capture a massive amount of images on the dual cards, so I was just being conservative and using raw vs. C-Raw, but the latter appears to have some advantages besides just size. The video states one is 12-bit, the other 14-bit, but that shouldn't make a difference with well (optimally) exposed images. 

*:

https://www.photozone.com/community/topic/240-craw-smaller-faster-better-wheres-the-catch-should-we-...

[Keith Reeder]

Yeah, I'm a wildlife/motor sport/aircraft photographer, and I can easily generate a four-figure count of files by the end of a session, so C-RAW has been a Godsend for me.

It's not that I can't carry more cards (I've always got plenty), but if I don't need to, it's a no-brainer not to. 

[John R Ellis]

"Will I run into the same problem using cRAW on my Canon EOS R?"

No, Canon's C-RAW contains mosaic sensor data that Denoise will process.  (I downloaded some sample C-RAWs to verify.)

[Keith Reeder · Accepted solution]

"If so, PLEASE fix this compatability issue PRONTO."

It's not a "compatibility issue" Jimbo, it's by design - Denoise currently needs files it can demosaic, in order to work properly.

Adobe is on record (and note - you're talking to other users here) as being open to expanding the application of Denoise to other formats, but as of  right now:

"Denoise is currently supported only for Bayer and X-Trans mosaic raw files, but we’re looking into ways to support other photo formats in the future."

(https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2023/04/18/denoise-demystified)

[jimbo9058]

Thanks for such a quick and helpful reply,  Jim

[tamarak4345810]

Non-techie here. LR shows all my files as non-compatible with Denoise. My new R5 (so far just used C-RAW, and all my old CR2 files from 5DIV and 7Dii. Help!

[Keith Reeder]

What version of LightRoom Classic are you using, Tamara? 

I can say with confidence that R5 C-RAW files, and full 7D Mk II RAW files, are fine with AI Denoise in LrC 12.4, the current version.

[tamarak4345810]

Hi. LrC 12.4 also. As I recall, since the major update including the AI Denoise I have not been able to use it. Everything else in LrC works fine. When I hit "I" to see the details on an image when in Develop Mode, I see Cr2 or Cr3 depending on the image. Use "Copy" to import images. No other ideas what could be causing file differences.

[John R Ellis]

Select one of the problem files, upload it to Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar, and post the sharing link here. We can then see what's going wrong.

[Keith Reeder]

Just out of interest - what GPU are you using?

[tamarak4345810]

Just figured it out. Duh! I was using Smart Preview files, as my originals are all on externals!  Never had this issue until the big Ai Denoise etc update a year or so ago, and all the other functions work fine, all the masks, etc. so I never suspected Smart PReviews were the issue. Sorry to bother the group, jeezzzz sometimes I wonder about my brain!

[John R Ellis]

@tamarak4345810, "jeezzzz sometimes I wonder about my brain!"

No, in general, LR should produce much more informative error messages.  It's really bad at hiding details of what's going wrong. Please add your vote and constructive comments to this feature request to improve Enhance's error messages:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/p-tell-the-user-why-denoise-and-raw-details-a...

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Additional raw formats were added in the October (Max) release.