Ben Welland
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Q: Mountain Lion doesn't display Finder preview icons for .ARW files? (RAW pictures taken with SONY cameras)

This is something that I find rather ridiculous, and have a hard time believing no-one at Apple has addressed yet.


Basically the problem is that neither Mountain Lion nor Lion show Finder thumbnail preview images for pictures that are taken with SONY digital cameras.

 

Screen Shot 2012-07-25 at 7.27.07 PM.png

This is something that Snow Leopard, as well as multiple earlier iterations of OS X used to do without any problem. The professional photographer community who uses SONY professional DSLR cameras is up in arms about this. And we've all been crossing our fingers that perhaps the Mac OS X 10.7.1, 10.7.2, 10.7.3, 10.7.4, or possibly the 10.8 update would fix this issue for us.


Several of us have filed bug reports over the past year or two. See this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3213982?tstart=0 


This is a flaw in Apple's operating system. Especially considering that there are supposedly 200+ "new features" which were just released in Mountain Lion.


Those of us who work with SONY cameras every day would probably have paid the $19.99 upgrade price for just one "feature". And not even a new one. An old one. The ability to see our pictures in the Finder. Pretty basic stuff.

 

Hopefully someone fixes this for us with the release of Mac OS X 10.8.1

 

Please. And thank you.


Mac Pro, OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 5:42 PM

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Ben Welland

Q: Mountain Lion doesn't display Finder preview icons for .ARW files? (RAW pictures taken with SONY cameras)

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Ben Welland,

    Ben Welland Ben Welland Aug 23, 2012 1:40 PM in response to Ben Welland
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 23, 2012 1:40 PM in response to Ben Welland

    I updated my OS to 10.8.1 today and... Big surprise. Apple still hasn't fixed the bug.

     

    Brutal.

  • by Jorge Recio,

    Jorge Recio Jorge Recio Aug 27, 2012 4:40 PM in response to Ben Welland
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 27, 2012 4:40 PM in response to Ben Welland

    More than a year with this silly problem. It's almost like a little fraud...

  • by William Lloyd,

    William Lloyd William Lloyd Aug 27, 2012 4:53 PM in response to Ben Welland
    Level 7 (21,148 points)
    Aug 27, 2012 4:53 PM in response to Ben Welland

    OS X DOES support displaying RAW files from a number of Sony cameras:

     

    http://www.apple.com/aperture/specs/raw.html

     

    Specifcally these:

     

    Sony

    • DSC-F828
    • DSC-R1*
    • DSC-V3
    • DSLR-A100
    • DSLR-A200*
    • DSLR-A290**
    • DSLR-A300*
    • DSLR-A350*
    • DSLR-A560**
    • DSLR-A580**
    • DSLR-A700*
    • DSLR-A900*
    • SLT-A33**
    • SLT-A35**
    • SLT-A55**
    • Alpha DSLR-A230**
    • Alpha DSLR-A330**
    • Alpha DSLR-A380**
    • Alpha DSLR-A390**
    • Alpha DSLR-A450**
    • Alpha DSLR-A500**
    • Alpha DSLR-A550**
    • Alpha DSLR-A850**
    • Alpha NEX-3**
    • Alpha NEX-5**
    • Alpha NEX-C3**
    • Alpha NEX-5N**
    • Alpha SLT-A37**
    • Alpha SLT-A57**
    • Alpha SLT-A65**
    • Alpha SLT-A77**
    • Alpha NEX-7**
    • NEX-VG20**

     

    Which model Sony camera are you referring to, specifically?  Do note that .ARW is not a "file format" and that RAW files are proprietary.  Each and every Sony camera has a DIFFERENT RAW format, so one camera's .ARW is different to another.

     

    What is the specific camera model?

     

    Maybe Sony could move to DNG and then stuff would be easier, rather than them using a proprietary RAW format

  • by Ben Welland,

    Ben Welland Ben Welland Aug 28, 2012 11:03 AM in response to William Lloyd
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 28, 2012 11:03 AM in response to William Lloyd

    While yes, I agree with you William, it WOULD be great if not just Sony, but instead EVERY camera manufacturer on the planet move towards releasing cameras that can shoot in the DNG format... I've got to point out that you are wrong in pretty much everything else you've posted.

     

    a) that's not the list of supported RAW formats for OS X Mountain Lion, that's the list for Aperture. This is the list for Mountain Lion. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5371

     

    b) the problem outlined ISN'T that Aperture an iPhoto can't open ARW files (they can do that just fine), the problem is that the Finder doesn't display preview images for ARW files. And... Mac OS X version 10.6.8 Snow Leopard used to be able to do that.

     

    c) this isn't an issue with the ARW files from just certain models of Sony cameras. From what I can gather from everyone who I've seen posting on this and other similar threads, the problem is with all files ending in the file extension ARW. I, myself, own the Sony A100, A700, and A850 cameras and none of their ARW files are able to render preview images in the Finder anymore.

     

    You clearly don't shoot with Sony cameras, and this bug isn't affecting you. Please don't try and tell those of us who do that this is not a bug. It is a bug. And it's infuriating.

  • by Ben Welland,

    Ben Welland Ben Welland Sep 20, 2012 7:20 AM in response to Ben Welland
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 20, 2012 7:20 AM in response to Ben Welland

    Thank you, thank you, thank you, to whomever at Apple finally fixed this.

     

    After updating to Mountain Lion 10.8.2, SONY .ARW files (and I'm assuming Pentax .PEF files too) now render proper thumbnail icons in the Finder in list view, icon view, coverflow view, and columns view.

     

    Since this is now a recognized bug, I'm guessing that the free update to Lion (10.7.5) that Apple also just released yesterday (September 19th, 2012) will probably fix this issue too.

     

    Hooray!

  • by PatsyApple,

    PatsyApple PatsyApple Dec 11, 2012 7:20 AM in response to Ben Welland
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 11, 2012 7:20 AM in response to Ben Welland

    Hey Ben,

     

    Wich Sony alpha are you suing? I can see my .arw files for my Alpha 900 but not the ones produced wit my Alpha 99. I'm very upse I have to say;0(

  • by Sixshooter,

    Sixshooter Sixshooter Dec 11, 2012 7:53 AM in response to Ben Welland
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 11, 2012 7:53 AM in response to Ben Welland

    I can see image icons for all my pre-MtLion images.  These are the folder images (Icons), and all the photo images (icons) on all my hard drives.  IE If I have a folder of 300 wedding pictures, they all show the picture image above the file name in the icon view.  So if I want to open a picture of the "Flower Girl" I can see the image (icon) of the Flower Girl.  Without the image showing all I see is the filename...  Smith-212.tif.  Now with Mt. Lion I CAN'T see any IMAGES (ICONS) on any of the 300 photos.  Just the file names in all the different views.... Icon View, List VIew, etc.  If I have a Folder with 23 more folders inside, they don't even show up either.  I saw a step by step process of selecting the file and right clicking on it and opening it in Preview, then doing a copy and then pasting it on the original image in tghe get info window.  WHAT A PURE PAIN TO HAVE TO DO THIS TO 170,375 IMAGES.

     

    The other issue I have is that 93.5 % of the remaining icons that do exist on my system is that those 93.5 % are so pixelated they appear as a hugh checkerboard viewed through two inch thick glasses..... not for drinking, but the kinda glasses used by a blind man.  IE the remaining icons are so PIXELATED it is almost impossible to tell what they  are.

     

    BEN WELLAND...... What did you do to get this point? 

     

    Thank you, thank you, thank you, to whomever at Apple finally fixed this.

     

    After updating to Mountain Lion 10.8.2, SONY .ARW files (and I'm assuming Pentax .PEF files too) now render proper thumbnail icons in the Finder in list view, icon view, coverflow view, and columns view.

     

    Since this is now a recognized bug, I'm guessing that the free update to Lion (10.7.5) that Apple also just released yesterday (September 19th, 2012) will probably fix this issue too.

     

    Hooray!

     

     

    I have OS 10.8.2  and nothing has changed as far as being able to see photos / folders as image icons...

    rendered  proper thumbnail icons.

     

    I have thousands of photo files that show nothing other that the file names.

     

    The only way I can even see the file is to open it in Photoshop, or open the folder in Bridge. Even then after I open it in PS CS6, and save it again. It still is a "Empty" file...... no render proper thumbnail.

    icons 

     

    Any help will be appreciated.

  • by Sixshooter,

    Sixshooter Sixshooter Dec 18, 2012 7:49 PM in response to Ben Welland
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 18, 2012 7:49 PM in response to Ben Welland

    I can put one hard drive on my MacBook Pro 17" and I can see the image icons for the various folders in the hard drive, and the photographs all show image previews for NEF, Jpeg, Tiff, and PSD files. they do show the NEF icon view on the MacPro, but do not show me anything for Jpeg, Tiff, or PSD files.   I open a folder with 223 files and see nothing but Words.  You get the idea of what a folder with a couple of hundred images will look like. 

     

    Which file is the one by the waterfall?  To see the images I have to put the folders in my 17" MacBook Pro or ope the folders in Adobe bridge.  Or maybe open each one in Preview. 

     

    Can anyone from Apple discuss this issue.  I have talked with so many Apple tech people and today one of themtold me he doubts if  this will be fixrd.   He suggested I install Snow Leopard and open it when I want to see my photo files. I have thousands of photographic files and Iopen a folder with 300 images and see nothing but words.... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc all the way to three hundred.  How can I select the files of the 37 Panda Bear

    images and drag them to another folder named "Panda Bear"?  I can only see numbers from 1 to 300.  How can I copy and paste image icon of a Panda bear onto the folder for all my Panda Bear Pictures?

     

    Why does the 17" MacBook Pro show some of the icon images but the macPro won't?

     

    Steve would not allow this to happen.

  • by William Lloyd,

    William Lloyd William Lloyd Dec 18, 2012 8:30 PM in response to PatsyApple
    Level 7 (21,148 points)
    Dec 18, 2012 8:30 PM in response to PatsyApple

    Is the Alpha A-99 a brand new camera?  Given the RAW files are proprietary, it takes "everyone-but-Sony" some time to develop the RAW support.

     

    Such are the perils of buying a brand new camera.  I guess you can use the Sony-provided software for now.