Using AppleScript to open .CR2 raw file: is it possible?
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I am trying to automate the opening of CR2 files (Raw Canon images) from AppleScript, in Camera Raw.
I have not found out how to do that.
I have managed to open CR2 files in Photoshop.
Is opening files of this type with Camera Raw not possible?
I saw some posts stating that Camera Raw is a plugin, not an application and that it therefor not be called with AppleScript. Is this (still) true?
If what I want is possible, is there anybody who knows what commands to use in AppleScript?
All help much appreciated!
Nicky
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This is my understanding-
You cannot 'Open' proprietary raw image files (CR2, NEF, ARW, etc) in Adobe Camera Raw as 'standalone' software.
ACR is a Plugin interpreter that renders raw images into RGB pixel Bitmap image data that Photoshop can 'Open' and edit.
ACR is a Plugin for Photoshop.
Any raw file must go 'through' ACR to be available to Photoshop. (ACR is not needed for JPG, TIF, PSD, etc, Bitmap files)
When you 'Open' a raw file with Photoshop, ACR automatically starts the render process, before it will appear in the Photoshop environment.
"I have managed to open CR2 files in Photoshop."- How? Can you explain? I do not know! They need to be 'rendered' by ACR (or Lightroom) first!
I am not a Mac user, nor Applescript, but I guess you - "Open in Photoshop" and let Ps use ACR if needs be.
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ACR is, indeed, a plugin and cannot be scripted. Images will be opened in PS with whatever metadata that has been previously applied to them via ACR or Lightroom.
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Thanks for your feedback.
I know about Photoshop versus Camera Raw.
My questions has to do with an automated workflow that used to work but has recently stopped working. My instinct is that something changed during recent Adobe updates, because not too long ago it worked perfectly. So I want to switch to another technique and I was told that AppleScript is probably a good choice.
How does AppleScript open a raw file in the regular Photoshop window? I have no idea how it works under the hood, but it does. It is like manually double-clicking a file with a raw extension and, from the Camera Raw interface, and click on the button 'Open Image'.
You can reproduce it, provided you are on a Mac, by writing an AppleScript similar to the below:
tell application "Adobe Photoshop CC 2019"
open file "correctpath/file.CR2"
activate
end tell
It will not open in Camera Raw. It will open in the normal Photoshop interface and when you click to close, you are asked to save it (as psd or jpg or whatever).
The reason why I want the file to open in Camera Raw is that the normal Photoshop interface cannot handle more than maybe 10 files without eventually crashing on my machine, that is good, but not a turbo. If I want to inspect a series of images to choose and edit or use them, the quickest way to do that is to open it in Camera Raw. It is meant to handle batches of files, if only because you are able to do the same edits on more than one pic without exhausting your computer. I hardly ever 'jpg' my captures because experience has taught me that I usually have to make adjustments specific to a customer who needs an image.
The double-click on a file with a raw extension still works, by the way, so it is not as if Camera Raw no longer works.
I hope this makes sense....
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I am not sure what you are saying, Chuck. Please explain.
I know about the sidecar .xmp files that contain edit info and other metadata. Don't see what this has to do with my issue.
When the CR2 files upen with a double-click from Finder (on Mac), it opens in Camera Raw.
How do I get that to happen using AppleScript?
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Since I'm on Windows, I don't use Apple script. So I'm not sure it can do what you want. All I know is with javascript, it will open raw files in PS, without going through ACR. But it will apply the XMP metadata that was created in ACR previously. That's what I meant: it will apply any corrections made in ACR.
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Solved.
Two things happened.
Got confirmation that indeed, RAW files can be opened in PS but no longer in ACR.
Unrelated issue:
Adobe Support fixed my PS via remote desktop support and it made clear there were a lot of files and services that were 'hanging'. I ended up getting access to 2018 again. The next day I decided to upgrade my OS to High Sierra so that I could use 2019. This resulted in a big cleanup by the installers and now everything works better and I am able to use PS 2020 as well.
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