How can I import RAW photos onto my computer?

November 23, 2007 5:20 AM

How can I import RAW photos onto my computer? My camera & scanner wizard has disappeared and the two photography software I use both cant manage it.

My scanner and camera wizard has vanished from my Windows XPSP2 computer. I've tried googling and the two ideas I found were downloading something to do with autorun, which didn't work and Some registry changes which had no effect (at least that i could tell).

I use Adobe Lightroom but at the moment there seems to be a bug with it so it doesn't allow you to import directly from a camera. I downloaded Picasa but it seems to have a bug which means it transfers my RAW (.CRW) files and turns them into jpgs.

Can anyone suggest a way of either solving my camera wizard problem, or a piece of software which will happily find my Canon D30 and import the RAW photos?

posted by criticalbill to computers & internet (8 comments total)

I never used D30, but with D20 camera and scanner wizard could not import the raw files on my computer. I ended up using the software that came with the camera and transfered the images with it.
posted by A! at 6:19 AM on November 23, 2007

I hear Google's Picasa can handle file formats from most cameras.

(Fwiw, there is no "RAW" format, only raw like the adjective. It's a memory dump from the camera. It's uppercased because people look at the DOS filename and think it's significant. Since it's a memory dump of a particular kind of camera, it only makes sense to include the model name when talking about the file.)
posted by cmiller at 6:36 AM on November 23, 2007

The dcraw author maintains a list of apps which can import RAW files using his reverse engineered work. Some of them even run on windows...
posted by pharm at 7:43 AM on November 23, 2007

Can't you just use Windows Explorer? Try plugging your memory card into your all-in-one card reader and use Explorer to transfer files. Plugging the camera into the computer is an extra step. Assuming you don't have an all-in-one drive, consider one, they are dirt cheap and offer less wear on your camera.
posted by JJ86 at 8:05 AM on November 23, 2007

Lightroom should be able to handle .cr2 files (D30 raw). Have you tried updating to Lightroom 1.3? Win / Mac.

Alternatively, just reinstall Lightroom.
posted by junesix at 9:14 AM on November 23, 2007

You can get back to the camera wizard by plugging your camera in and going to Start > Control Panel > Cameras and Scanners. Right click your camera, choose properties, Events tab, and reselect the wizard. Unplug, plug back in.

If you still have the discs, the Canon EOS utility was made to copy files to your computer.
posted by cowbellemoo at 10:36 AM on November 23, 2007

Thanks all

a!: i used to use the wizard to import the raw files, until i reinstalled the OS and SP2 and since then the wizard has vanished (in a puff of smoke)

cmiller: picasa changes raw to jpeg

pharm: cheers. havent yet found one suitable in that extensive list

jj86: maybe i need to buy a memory card reader...

junesix: i'll try that, not hopeful though

cowbellemoo: I tried that, and when I r/clicked it offered me two options - imaging, and picasa. When i ticket imaging and reconnected the camera it said it could not find the imaging file
posted by criticalbill at 12:42 PM on November 23, 2007

Junesix: I updated Lightroom and now the import from device is not greyed out anymore, however, when i click it it says "there were no image capture devices to import from" despite my camera being connected
posted by criticalbill at 12:51 PM on November 23, 2007