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Hi, I've been wondering if it were possible to use Bridge CC's camera raw, by merely having PSE 15 installed; or does the Bridge plug-in require a CC version of the full Photoshop to activate?
Thank you,
-Fotis
Thank you both MichelBParis and @R_Kelly! Seems that R_Kelly strictly speaking is right, however @MichelBParis is right too . Forgive me also if I upvote my own answer, but I think it will be useful for others who have the same question.
In short:
One can utilize the Camera Raw bundled with PS Elements,
as if it were near-native to Bridge (read below for the caveats)
allow me to elaborate:
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Yes, Bridge CC requires a photoshop cc version installed in order to use the camera raw plugin.
Since photoshop elements comes with the organizer instead of bridge, bridge doesn't see photoshop elements as a licensed application compatible with bridge.
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R_Kelly wrote:
Yes, Bridge CC requires a photoshop cc version installed in order to use the camera raw plugin.
Since photoshop elements comes with the organizer instead of bridge, bridge doesn't see photoshop elements as a licensed application compatible with bridge.
Yes, it does.
That's why Bridge does only recognize the limited ACR version of Elements if Photoshop CC is not available.
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If you have bridge cc installed with just photoshop elements 15 and try to use Open with Camera Raw in bridge cc, one gets a message that says
Camera Raw editing is not enabled.
Camera Raw editing required that a qualifying product has been launched at least once to enable this feature.
One can open a camera raw file into photoshop elements from bridge cc, but then just the elements version of camera raw is displayed, just the same as using File>Open or File>Open in Camera Raw from within the photoshop elements editor or opening a camera raw file from within the photoshop elements organizer.
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R_Kelly,
As I said in my previous link, I have already CC installed, even if I don't use it normally.
What Andrei Doubrovsky states is true: if I 'Open with' PSE15, I get the limited camera raw dialog.
PeteB had a trial version of CC, that may explain he could open the Bridge ACR in the trial period... only.
I don't want to uninstall CC for trying, but Bridge has the choice to:
- open with: If you choose PSE15 it opens RAW files in the PSE15 ACR module for me, and I suspect it would also without Photoshop CC
- open in camera raw: there it only opens the Bridge ACR module for raws OR jpegs.
If you can test Bridge with only PSE15 installed, can you confirm this?
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Thank you both MichelBParis and @R_Kelly! Seems that R_Kelly strictly speaking is right, however @MichelBParis is right too . Forgive me also if I upvote my own answer, but I think it will be useful for others who have the same question.
In short:
One can utilize the Camera Raw bundled with PS Elements,
as if it were near-native to Bridge (read below for the caveats)
allow me to elaborate:
On the bright side,
Major caveats,
Other minor caveats that I've discovered are
All in all, it's quite usable even though not directly supported.
Background (how I tested it):
on my system I have Bridge CC 2017 and Photoshop CC 2017, but the Photoshop trial has already expired. Since then, whenever I would choose from within Bridge the Open in Camera Raw... option, I'd get the message that @R_Kelly has mentioned.
- After downloading, installing and launching at least once ACR from within PSE 15's trial version, I tested Bridge again but again no luck.
The PSE trial that I downloaded had ACR 9.7 (or was it 9.6?). From within the program I was given the option to download a newer version of PSE and ACR 9.8, which happens to be the same version that Bridge CC 2017 contains; so I thought I could try that too. This hinted that CC and PSE had their own separate copy of ACR that needs separate updating. I installed the update, but no luck with getting Bridge to integrate with that version either.
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Very thorough observations and thanks for posting.
Actually photoshop elements version 4 thru 8 on mac os x came with bridge, but bridge was unfortunately ditched in favor of the organizer starting with version 9.
The mac version of photoshop elements 8 and the included bridge cs4 version was the only pse bridge combination that one could actually use the full acr version. Other versions of pse and bridge just used the elements version of acr.
Windows versions never had bridge, but the organizer starting with photoshop elements 3.
Photoshop elements versions 1 and 2 on both mac and windows had the File Browser, the precursor to adobe bridge.
Photoshop elements 3 included both the File Browser and organizer on windows.
Neither pse 1 or 2 included acr, though it was offered as an extra cost plugin for around $90 for photoshop elements 2.
Starting with photoshop elements 3, acr was included.
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thank you @R_Kelly, very interesting things that I knew nothing about!
I wish one could buy ACR as a stand-alone; the Elements Organizer (that I didn't know existed before you pointed it out) seems rather slow compared to bridge on my mac, and is definitely ugly and cumbersome - so does Photoshop Elements. If I could have ACR without this odd couple - I'd more than happy!
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On the bright side,
- Bridge can without any issue send multiple files to PSE's ACR (which helps a bit with batch editing)
- Bridge seems to be reading the new/updated XMP files just fine as if it were "its own"
- the previews generated are accurate
- there is also the icon indicating that this particular raw file, has applied adjustments on it
- the thumbnail refresh instantly as if they were made with its own version of ACR (the full CC ACR)
- inside ACR you can re-edit edit adjustments that were previously created by the full CC ACR version and
- interestingly enough the adjustments that are not supported here (like spots removed, perspective correction etc) will remain, albeit no longer editable.
- However if you click "reset camera raw defaults", these adjustments will be discarded as well!
The same is true when you open in PSE15 ACR.
- From the editor you can send multiple files to PSE's ACR and the two others remarks are true as well.
One difference is the way jpegs are handled versus raws.
- Neither Bridge PSE15 not the organizer can open jpegs as ACR...
- except if you have already edited a jpeg in ACR in PSE15, it will open in ACR the next time from the organizer, not from Bridge.
Major caveats,
- you can no longer use the Develop Settings -> Camera Raw Defaults/Previous Conversion/Clear Settings from within Bridge, so you have to do it from within ACR which means that for batch editing, there are a few extra steps involved.
That's a non issue for me. Once I have opened a batch of files in ACR, I can work by selecting the files in the filmstrip and apply as many edits as I want.
you loose access to good tools such as the spot removal tool,split toning, perspective correction, dehaze and of course masks (as seen here)
Yes, that's the difference to make the Elements ACR version more limited... but as a matter of fact, nearly all those features are available in the editor and most of the time, the pixel editing in the editor with masks and layers is much more powerful and flexible than with a parametric editor.
What you seem to miss is that the ACR version of Elements allows opening multiple files at the same time and applying batch edits very easily, which Elements organizer or editor alone can't do; process multiple files or export from the organizer are very limited in features. You can mostly work like in Lightroom in a 100% parametric way without any file duplication; that is true for raws and to a large extent for jpegs (provided you open them from the editor and even for the organizer if you have already edited them in ACR...) If you are in my case where 90% of my edits don't require opening the editor, then the ACR module is the prime tool in the trio organizer/editor/ACR.
The debate about Bridge versus Lightroom/Organizer is still there; it's a good thing that users have a workable choice. I much prefer the speed and power of the organizer with a big library but I considered for a moment using Bridge for managing pdf files (their support has been removed from Organizer 15.
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Thank you @MichelBParis! Nice to hear a vote in favor of the Organizer; I'll give it one more try!