Editing RAW photos on 2015 iMac running Big Sur

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Editing RAW photos on 2015 iMac running Big Sur

I have an 27 inch iMac (mid 2015), running the most up to date version of Big Sur, which I am apparently unable to go beyond. I have plenty of memory space and aside from photo processing, everything works really well. I do a lot of photography and shoot in RAW format. My iMac will not allow me to edit these files and I have to use a work around by importing via my iPhone, then processing via a 3rd party app, then editing on my iMac once the file has been saved in a non-RAW format. My MacBook Air allows me to edit raw files, but of course is much slower to process than my iMac, and I lose the benefit of editing on my big screen. Is there anyway around this short of buying a new iMac (which I can’t afford - and anyway, I want to keep the 27 inch screen, not drop to a 24)?

Posted on Sep 12, 2023 1:23 AM

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Answer 1

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dialabrain

Level 10

122,813 points

Sep 12, 2023 3:49 AM in response to Gone Sailing

Gone Sailing wrote:

Hi, Canon R7 and Canon7D2. I don’t use cRAW, just ‘normal’ RAW.

Neither is supported in Big Sur…

Digital camera RAW formats supported by iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

208,117 points

Sep 12, 2023 4:06 PM in response to Gone Sailing

Gone Sailing wrote:

and anyway, I want to keep the 27 inch screen, not drop to a 24)?

Get a Mac Mini and a 3rd party 27" or 32" monitor.

As for converting to a version you can use try downloading and running the Adobe DNG Converter: Download The Dng Converter. It will covert RAW files to .DNG files which Photos can manage and edit.

So use Image Capture to download the RAW files from your iPhone or Camera to a folder on the Desktop and use the Adobe converter apps to convert them all to .dng files. Then import into your Photos Library.

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Answer 3

Gone Sailing Author

Level 1

12 points

Sep 12, 2023 1:47 AM in response to WheelieNick

Hi, thanks for your reply. I do use 3rd party software to process (Topaz), but I would like to be able to be able to at least crop and review my images on my iMac before I process them. At the moment I have to process the full image, then crop/adjust in Photos. So sometimes I am processing images I wouldn’t have bothered to keep had I been able to zoom in and look at the area I’m interested in, and also I am spending time processing large amounts of data I then discard. I don’t want to use Lightroom as I don’t like their pricing model and tbh, I find it complicated to use. A combination of Topaz and Photos work really well for me….it’s just a clunky process/workflow on my iMac, compared, say, with the same process on my MacBook.

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Answer 4

Sep 12, 2023 4:05 AM in response to Gone Sailing

For many years now, Apple has tied updates to the built-in Raw compatibility library to updates to macOS. So if you can't update past Big Sur, there won't be any new camera support from Apple.

Some applications use their own Raw compatibility libraries instead of, or in addition to, the Apple ones. E.g., Adobe always uses their own converters, whether in a plug-in (ACR), or hard-wired into Lightroom. One option might be to stay on Big Sur, and try to find photo applications that are compatible with Big Sur, and that also have their own Raw support for the cameras in question. (I'm not saying there will be any, just that it's a possibility.)

Another option might be to use the Adobe .DNG converter to create .DNG versions of your Raw files. If you're lucky, your camera might be on Adobe's current "supported camera" list, and the DNG converter might be able to output files that contain most of the Raw data but that are readable by Apple applications such as Photos.

I would urge you to grab a copy of the Adobe DNG converter right away. It may be a "backwards compatibility" tool, but these days, Adobe doesn't offer it for anything but the last three major versions of macOS. Currently it runs on Big Sur, but as soon as Apple releases Sonoma, the shoe will drop and you won't be able to get the DNG Converter for Big Sur any longer.

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/using/adobe-dng-converter.html

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