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Participant
September 20, 2023
Answered

Export or save cropped RAW file to new RAW file

  • September 20, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 1408 views

I have a RAW file (CR2) that I have cropped, and now I would like to save that to a new RAW file. Not a virtual copy. I want the cropped image as a new RAW file so that I can import it into another editor.

I tried exporting to a DNG file, but that takes the whole image, not the cropped image.

It seems that this process should be possible? I can't see how to do it, if it is.

Thanks.           

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Keith Reeder

"It seems that this process should be possible?"

 

Absolutely not. As DJ points out, the RAW file is the fundamental source of everything that comes after - the whole point of which is that it remains unaltered under any and all circtumstances.

 

You gain precisely nothing, in the scenario you describe, from being able to edit your RAW file into something it wasn't: if you want to hand-off  to another convertor/editor, either do all the work in that editor; or give it a (say) tiff file with the Lr edits. 

2 replies

Keith Reeder
Keith ReederCorrect answer
Participating Frequently
September 20, 2023

"It seems that this process should be possible?"

 

Absolutely not. As DJ points out, the RAW file is the fundamental source of everything that comes after - the whole point of which is that it remains unaltered under any and all circtumstances.

 

You gain precisely nothing, in the scenario you describe, from being able to edit your RAW file into something it wasn't: if you want to hand-off  to another convertor/editor, either do all the work in that editor; or give it a (say) tiff file with the Lr edits. 

JDaveyJrAuthor
Participant
September 20, 2023

Yes, I can see that now. I went with a Plan B. Thanks for jumping in.

dj_paige
Legend
September 20, 2023

RAW files are always the entire collection of pixels that was created by the camera. There is no such thing as a cropped RAW or cropped DNG where pixels are eliminated from the exported file. (Cropped images from RAW photos are because LrC includes cropping information in its database, or in the XMP in an exported DNG, but all pixels are still in the file.)

JDaveyJrAuthor
Participant
September 20, 2023

Got it. Makes sense now. Thanks for the reply.