2 Correct answers
ACR 14.1 works fine with Elements 2022. I suspect the other user did not follow the instructions properly.
but when I open an ARW file in PSE, what I see looks different than the screen shot you posted (see below). Is that because your screenshot was with PSE 2022 (vs. mine being with PSE 2021)?
Notice that I don't get the items on the top like File, Edit, etc. like the screenshot you posted?
By @jimohaya
Hi @jimohaya
Camera Raw is a plugin for Photoshop Elements.
When you open an ARW file (or a Raw file from any camera), it opens in the Camera Raw plugin first for you to edit the Raw file.
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Replies
@jimohaya Technically Adobe Support is correct. They're constrained to say that officially it's not compatible because there is no PSE version of ACR 14.1 available for whatever reason.
But following Adobe's workaround instructions for updating ACR by copying and pasting the ACR 14.1 .8bi file into the PSE 2022 Plugins folder does work.
Refer PSE 2022 screenshot below with ACR 14.1 installed and Raw image from Sony A7 IV open.
Hi John,
Thanks for the explanation! I have a couple of questions:
1) As mentioned earlier, I was able to get PSE 2021 working with ACR 14.1, but when I open an ARW file in PSE, what I see looks different than the screen shot you posted (see below). Is that because your screenshot was with PSE 2022 (vs. mine being with PSE 2021)? This is what I see when I open a Sony A7iv ARW in PSE 2021 now:
Notice that I don't get the items on the top like File, Edit, etc. like the screenshot you posted?
2) One of the things that I found confusing when I updated the ACR to 14.1 in my PSE 2021 was that the steps in the link refer to directory that has something like "Elements<VERSION NUMBER>"
Navigate to the following folder:
- On macOS: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-ins/Elements<Version Number>/File Formats
- On Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\Elements<Version Number>\File Formats
Replace the existing Camera Raw plugin in Elements<Version Number> folder with the plug-in that you copied in step 8.
But, like I said, I have PSE 2021, but the path I see in my system is NOT "Elements 21", but rather I see "Elements 19":
Why is that? Is it because when I upgraded to PSE 2020 and to PSE 2021, I just ran the installers, and it just kept the original directory name "Elements 19"?
3) Also, the snippet above from the instructions is a little confusing when it says:
"Replace the existing Camera Raw plugin in Elements<Version Number> folder with the plug-in that you copied in step 8."
but actually, I had to put the plugin .8bi file into the "...\Elements<Version Number>\File Formats" folder, to get ACR 14.1 working (I did understand the instruction, but it was a little confusing the way that it was worded).
Thanks,
Jim
I have tried it multiple times. Deleted installer then down loaded again. I seem to have creative cloud program on my computer that keeps sending me updates but I have never intentionally wanted that. It shows this with camera raw 14.1 listed and Adobe acrobat DC
I have added some topaz programs to the plugins as well.
The file I am copying from step 7 is dated Dec 1 and not matter how many times I have downloaded new version replaced it it stays same.
In the final location it says updated Dec 26 which is the day of my first attempt. Does not show more recent attempts like multiple today.
Should I delete all the topaz programs from my desktop for the moment. Or delete the new elements 2022 and reinstall . I will try and post this on the Adobe forum as phots from my iPad. .
Sent from my iPad
Barbara - Assuming you are running Windows (and not a Mac), you could try something like the following in order to be able to copy the bigger .8bi file:
1) On keyboard press Ctrl-Alt-Del
2) Select Task Manager
3) Look for the "Adobe Photoshop...." (cirled in red):
Click the End task button at the bottom right (cirled in red)
That should kill the Photoshop Elements, then try copying the larger .8bi file into the Elements 20\File Formats directory.
Jim
Barbara - Here's a 2nd suggestion. I have only had this suggestion work one time, but maybe it will work for you.
1) browse to the "Elements 20\File Formats" directory where the older/smaller .8bi file is in.
2) Right-click on the "Camera Raw.8bi" file, then click on "Rename". The file name will become editable:
3) add something to the file name to rename it, like maybe "bad-", then hit Enter.
If you don't get an error popup then the file will be renamed, so then you can copy in the larger .8bi file into the same location.
but when I open an ARW file in PSE, what I see looks different than the screen shot you posted (see below). Is that because your screenshot was with PSE 2022 (vs. mine being with PSE 2021)?
Notice that I don't get the items on the top like File, Edit, etc. like the screenshot you posted?
By @jimohaya
Hi @jimohaya
Camera Raw is a plugin for Photoshop Elements.
When you open an ARW file (or a Raw file from any camera), it opens in the Camera Raw plugin first for you to edit the Raw file. That's what you're seeing in the screenshot you posted. You don't need to do any editing in Camera Raw but the option is there.
Then, in the Camera Raw window, click Open or Done and the image will open in the Photoshop Elements Editor. That's what you're seeing in the screenshot I posted. Mine opened in Camera Raw first. I then clicked Open and took the screenshot from the PSE 2022 Editor window.
But, like I said, I have PSE 2021, but the path I see in my system is NOT "Elements 21", but rather I see "Elements 19":
By @jimohaya
Yes, that's Adobe marketing version numbering versus Adobe engineering version numbering. That has always been confusing for end users. Unfortunately, both (!) conventions are used by the files and folders on your hard drive, but not at the same time. Sometimes it's "Elements 2021", other times it's "Elements 19". In this case, the workaround instructions use the engineering version number.
In short,
PSE 2019 (marketing) = version 17 (engineering)
PSE 2020 = version 18
PSE 2021 = version 19
PSE 2022 = version 20
3) Also, the snippet above from the instructions is a little confusing when it says:
"Replace the existing Camera Raw plugin in Elements<Version Number> folder with the plug-in that you copied in step 8."
but actually, I had to put the plugin .8bi file into the "...\Elements<Version Number>\File Formats" folder, to get ACR 14.1 working (I did understand the instruction, but it was a little confusing the way that it was worded).
By @jimohaya
Yes, agreed.
Steps 7 and 9 are accurate but Step 10 would perhaps be more precise if it said:
.
"Replace the existing Camera Raw plugin in the Elements<Version Number>\File formats folder with the plug-in that you copied in step 8."
I know you've seen this..... how are things one year in the future?
One of the users over at another forum was asking about PSE 2022 and Sony A7iv RAW/ARW files, and I had pointed them to that thread that I linked above, but they tried that, and it didn't work. They have apparently been told that that didn't work because ACR 14.1 is not compatible with PSE 2022.
Does anyone know if that is correct?
By @jimohaya
It's not mainly a 'compatibility' issue, it's that the Photoshop and the Elements ACR modules are different, even if they have the same version number. So, the only way to have the 'latest' ACR version available to Elements was to include it in the installation file for Elements, not only updating the plugin. Since PSE2020 if I remember well, Adobe has published a workaround which you have used yourself to update the list of supported cameras, NOT the ACR module itself.
From what we can see in this and other forums, perhaps a quarter of the users attempting the workaround are not able to follow the correct steps.
Now, back to ACR 14.1 a PSE update has been released a few days ago wich also updated the ACR Elements plugin to 14.1. You should have been notified for this automatically. I don't see any reason why you can't update to 14.2 with the workaround, but the vast majority of Elements users don't get any advantage from more recent versions than 13.3 which was installed with PSE 2022. It's only for support for new cameras. I can't say anything for the ACR updates for versions bought from Mac/Wijndows stores.
Also, if ACR 14.1 is not compatible with PSE 2022, is the expectation that a later ACR version (e.g., ACR 14.2 or greater) WILL be compatible with PSE 2022?
Or is there NO intention to have an ACR that will work with PSE 2022, and if that case, does that mean that PSE 2022 will never be able to work with the Sony A7iv RAW/ARW files directly?
Thanks!
Jim
By @jimohaya
As mentioned in my other answer, everbody should have received the notice of the 14.1 update for both PSE and its ACR module.
Except for the last few years, there was no safe workaround to update the list of supported cameras. Elements was limited to the available version (PSE specific) when the PSE version was launched. Very often, a new free ACR update was offered during the first year. That did not mean that users with new cameras could not use them. Adobe has always offered the free DNGconverter which can batch convert a whole folder of your proprietary raw files to the universal DNG format recognized by nearly all editing softwares. An additional batch step, but free with the same quality. Note that some camera manufacturers are smart enough to use DNG natively instead in their own limited raw formats. For those, no need to wait for the creation of a converter for each and every new camera model.
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