Can I use Lightroom RAW conversion only?

I have PS CS5. It does the job I want so I see no need to change.

However, CS5 comes with the ACR 2010 engine. I have read the 2012 engine is better, but CS5 cannot be upgraded to it. I prefer ACR over DPP, C1, or others.

So my question about Lightroom is simple: Does buying and installing it create a separate, stand-alone ACR that I can use to convert then open in CS5 without needing to mess with other Lightroom features? Or is RAW conversion in Lightroom only reachable by opening and using Lightroom?

You have to import the images in to LR in order to edit them, and then export form LR afterwards, which could simply be by Opening in PS. Usually when using concurrent versions of LR and PS, the default action for this is that LR passes the image and edits data to ACR and ACR renders the image directly into the PS editor. When you do it this way the PSD/TIFF file, whichever is the chose file format in your LR options, is only created when you hit save in PS. When using an older version of PS LR has to change the way it operates, and it will create the file first, then it will open it in the PS editor.

So no you cannot get LR and effectively use it a an updated version of ACR with PS. You will have to use LR to do the RAW processing. It really depends on what sort of photography it is that you do. You may well find that the move to PV2012 and the many additional tools, especially the local brush tools as well as dehaze might actually do pretty much all that you need so that you no longer need to routinely need to take every image into the main PS editor and you can then stick with a mainly RAW only workflow. In that situation using the LR organisation tools, which allow you to keep organising your images in a folder structure of your choice, if that is what you want to do, as well as using any of the other options that they provide. many end up finding that well under 5% of images actually really need to end up in PS. I know that I am one of them. Before LR everything went Bridge->ACR->PS.

Alan

Thanks, Alan, for taking the time to type out a very helpful answer.

I don't do LR so I don't know how it works and whether or not I can effectively do it all there as opposed to using PS.

I do only fine art work which involves lots of layering, brushing, plugins, effects, hdr and so forth. So I don't know.

As said, I've read many good things about the 2012 RAW conversion engine but cannot access it with PS CS5. 2010 does an excellent job for me, but still... I would like to look at 2012.

I am reluctant to subscribe to CC but just may be forced to.

Again, thanks.

Picture North Carolina wrote in post #17869484
Thanks, Alan, for taking the time to type out a very helpful answer.

I don't do LR so I don't know how it works and whether or not I can effectively do it all there as opposed to using PS.

I do only fine art work which involves lots of layering, brushing, plugins, effects, hdr and so forth. So I don't know.

As said, I've read many good things about the 2012 RAW conversion engine but cannot access it with PS CS5. 2010 does an excellent job for me, but still... I would like to look at 2012.

I am reluctant to subscribe to CC but just may be forced to.

Again, thanks.

Do a 30 day free trial, either of LR6 or PSCS6 (which I believe can still be purchased).
And read this:
http://mulita.com/blog​/?p=3945

Here's a trick you can try. Used to work some versions back, don't know if it still works.

Install a new Photoshop trial version. Let it expire. Photoshop will stop working. But Bridge will keep working (maybe). Apparently Bridge does not have license controls.

New Bridge gets you new ACR without using new Photoshop. But a new Bridge probably won't invoke an old Photoshop. So, from inside new ACR in new Bridge, just save as tif. Then open tif in any old version of Photoshop.

Redcrown wrote in post #17869544
Here's a trick you can try. Used to work some versions back, don't know if it still works.

Install a new Photoshop trial version. Let it expire. Photoshop will stop working. But Bridge will keep working (maybe). Apparently Bridge does not have license controls.

New Bridge gets you new ACR without using new Photoshop. But a new Bridge probably won't invoke an old Photoshop. So, from inside new ACR in new Bridge, just save as tif. Then open tif in any old version of Photoshop.

This doesn't work with the CC install. I just tried with my expired trial install and it went straight to the your trial has expired notice. I specifically have CC14 on the computer.

Alan

Redcrown wrote in post #17869544
Here's a trick you can try. Used to work some versions back, don't know if it still works.

Install a new Photoshop trial version. Let it expire. Photoshop will stop working. But Bridge will keep working (maybe). Apparently Bridge does not have license controls.

New Bridge gets you new ACR without using new Photoshop. But a new Bridge probably won't invoke an old Photoshop. So, from inside new ACR in new Bridge, just save as tif. Then open tif in any old version of Photoshop.

Cool idea. As a matter of fact, they are now giving away Bridge for nothing -
http://prodesigntools.​com/free-adobe-bridge-cc.html
so it should keep working. Question is whether ACR will continue, but its worth a try.

Edit: I didn't see Alan's post. Guess it won't work.

Picture North Carolina wrote in post #17869484
I do only fine art work which involves lots of layering, brushing, plugins, effects, hdr and so forth. So I don't know.

LR = Bridge + ACR but not PS Editor.

Like bridge it organises your images (Digital Asset Management) and like ACR is does all the RAW development. It has features that Bridge doesn't, like the ability to create Virtual Copies (literally a virtual copy of a RAW so it takes up minimal disk space but can be edited as if it is a different image). - It can also do HDR from your RAW files in V6.

However for layers and all that jazz you will still need to open the RAW file in Photoshop editor, just as you would have done when using ACR to process your RAWs.

Picture North Carolina wrote in post #17869391
So my question about Lightroom is simple: Does buying and installing it create a separate, stand-alone ACR that I can use to convert then open in CS5 without needing to mess with other Lightroom features?

Yes; but which features of Lightroom don't you want to use?

Hmmm, confusing. Alan's link implies Bridge can be had for free. But you have to use Creative Cloud to get it, and I think you have to login to the Creative Cloud app to use it, and you have to have a subscription to something to login?

I only have one computer and the CC license so I can't test.

Not surprised they plugged this hole with CC. Otherwise you would have a free equivalent of Lightroom without all the DAM hassle.

Pretty sure it worked thru CS6.

Ok I must apologise, I have ME and today has not been a good day. I could not differentiate the Bridge and Ps icons! So was trying to open the wrong program. After reading Elie's link above I tried again, and Bridge did open fine. So I tried opening a RAW file in ACR, and hit a snag. It says I have to open a qualifying product at least once to enable this feature, which I think you used to get back in the old days trying to open Bridge initially. Although I have opened the corresponding version of PS in the past during the trial period, I did not use ACR, as I was also using the LR CC trial. So I cannot see if ACR would or would not keep working after the trial period.

Alan

No, all you need is a free Adobe account to log in to, the same as you need if you want to post on one of the Adobe Community Forums or register your product's serial number in order to have a backup record of it, etc. And once you have downloaded Bridge, it will run without needing you to be logged in, as a portal for whatever Adobe software you have installed (except Lightroom).

I initially downloaded it in November when it became free and at that time I had already installed LR6 (Perpetual License) and Elements 12. I had hoped that it might use my scanner's Twain driver to input scans and send them to PSE's ACR, but it wouldn't. Still it was simply a convenient way (better than Explorer or PSE's Organizer) to review saved images before opening them in PSE, so I left it installed. Then at the beginning of the year I started a CC Photography Package subscription, so PSCC 2015 and ACR 9.3 became Bridge's default go-to programs but PSE 12 remained an option. However, if, for instance, my subscription were to expire, I don't know if whatever ACR was installed at that time would continue to be available to Bridge. I would guess, probably not.

Picture North Carolina wrote in post #17869391
...without needing to mess with other Lightroom features?

john crossley wrote in post #17869892
Yes; but which features of Lightroom don't you want to use?

As I said in the OP, I don't want ANY features other than RAW conversion.

Dan Marchant wrote in post #17869708
However for layers and all that jazz you will still need to open the RAW file in Photoshop edito

If I understand this correctly, (LR doesn't do layers or does not do them well), then that's the end for me. I may employ layers extensively.

I am not booting LR. I can see it has it's place of great value - for production photogs such as wedding, portrait, event and so forth. The ability to easily edit large numbers of images would be mandatory. It appears it's just not of much benefit for the fine art person who might tinker with a single image.

But at only $10 per month. CC is still a strong consideration.

A couple questions:

When installing PS CC, do you still get a separate ACR that can be opened to convert RAW?

Will it interfere with my old CS5 install and the installed plugins in any way?

Does CC still have the ability to save to older PSD files so one created in CC can continue to be processed when opened in CS5?

Thanks all for your help.

Picture North Carolina wrote in post #17870692
As I said in the OP, I don't want ANY features other than RAW conversion.
.

Well then just use the RAW convertor features.