Adobe Camera Raw 14 as stand alone program

I have been looking for a solution to make ACR work without purchasing a monthly subscription for photoshop or Lightroom but without success.
I don't need photoshop or lightroom. All I need is ACR. So why Adobe doesn't sell ACR as a standalone program ?

As I don't want to make a monthly subscription for something I don't need, I have purchased Photoshop Element 2022 which allows to use ACR. Unfortunately I have discovered that Element's ACR lacks a lot of features in comparison with Photoshop's ACR, eventhough it's the same version (see below). Furthermore Element's ACR is slower.

Any help on how to get full ACR working without purchasing Photoshop or Lightroom or is it impossible ?
If it's impossible I advise Adobe to sell ACR as a stand alone program but not with a monthly subscription but rather with a perpetual licence because it something I use only from time to time and I think there are lot of people who will be interested in ACR alone.

I don't know for sure, but I doubt there's anything like that.

ACR is just a processing engine. It needs to be wrapped in a user interface - like LR or PS or PSE.

A car manufacture might put the same engine in different models, but the models are all different.

And like cars, there are dozens of different companies offering RAW processing software with different features and different prices. All include a proprietary RAW engine plus a UI. ACR is Adobe's engine.

If you're looking for the power of a BMW engine, you have a lot of options. But if you want the power, handling and refinement of a BMW, you have to buy a BMW.

Hmmm... I don't agree
I think your comparison with BMW power is not pertinent, because ACR doeen't represent the power of PS.
It's rather a plugin, so something extra, like an option in your example.
Indeed PS existed before ACR.

ACR has its own UI, so I don't think that it could be technically hard to separate it from PS.
I think that it's rather for commercial reasons.
Else why do you think Adobe removed some functions from ACR in PS Elements ?

PS: it seems it's even possible to open ACR directly from Bridge without openig PS at all.

So why not just download Bridge and use that with ACR? Would that work?

https://helpx.adobe.co​m/bridge/get-started.html

Adobe says ACR works with Bridge, so all should be fine.

https://helpx.adobe.co​m …ng/supported-cameras.html

Answered my own question...seems that Adobe have now nobbled the Bridge/ACR setup. It now checks for a 'qualifying' product to get full functions. Qualifying meaning PS or LR.
Can Darktable or RawTherapee do what you want?

ACR is included in Bridge (which is a free download now) so you can see your images, but AFAIK you cannot actually edit with it. For that you would need a CC subscription.

yb98 wrote in post #19317628
Hmmm... I don't agree
I think your comparison with BMW power is not pertinent, because ACR doeen't represent the power of PS.
It's rather a plugin, so something extra, like an option in your example.
Indeed PS existed before ACR.

ACR has its own UI, so I don't think that it could be technically hard to separate it from PS.
I think that it's rather for commercial reasons.
Else why do you think Adobe removed some functions from ACR in PS Elements ?

PS: it seems it's even possible to open ACR directly from Bridge without openig PS at all.

We can argue about why it should be possible, but unless Adobe releases an API, you're going to have to access ACR through an Adobe product.

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #19317693
ACR is included in Bridge (which is a free download now) so you can see your images, but AFAIK you cannot actually edit with it. For that you would need a CC subscription.

That makes sense. It's pretty easy to render a RAW image file. But the logic necessary to render the adjustments, and more importantly, save the adjustments to the original, lives in the host app.

I still use the last stand-alone version of the suite, CS6. I remember you had to activate ACR in the Bridge by running Photoshop once. So maybe if you were to download and install the free version of Bridge first and then a trial version of the suite (that comes with Bridge too no doubt) then maybe it’ll also activate the free version? Once the trial version expires it will probably also kill ACR for the stand-alone Bridge, but who knows, maybe it won’t.

yb98 wrote in post #19317555
I have been looking for a solution to make ACR work without purchasing a monthly subscription for photoshop or Lightroom but without success.
I don't need photoshop or lightroom. All I need is ACR. So why Adobe doesn't sell ACR as a standalone program ?

As I don't want to make a monthly subscription for something I don't need, I have purchased Photoshop Element 2022 which allows to use ACR. Unfortunately I have discovered that Element's ACR lacks a lot of features in comparison with Photoshop's ACR, eventhough it's the same version (see below). Furthermore Element's ACR is slower.

Any help on how to get full ACR working without purchasing Photoshop or Lightroom or is it impossible ?
If it's impossible I advise Adobe to sell ACR as a stand alone program but not with a monthly subscription but rather with a perpetual licence because it something I use only from time to time and I think there are lot of people who will be interested in ACR alone.

Hosted photo: posted by yb98 in
./showthread.php?p=193​17555&i=i215359902
forum: RAW, Post Processing & Printing

Hosted photo: posted by yb98 in
./showthread.php?p=193​17555&i=i150882665
forum: RAW, Post Processing & Printing

Have you ever considered DXO Photolab 5? They're just down the street from you.

drsilver wrote in post #19317712
We can argue about why it should be possible, but unless Adobe releases an API, you're going to have to access ACR through an Adobe product.

no need to release an API (eventhough this would be great). It's just about why they dont sell it as a standalone program ?
I guess that there is a plenty of people who would buy it if it is sold alone (at a raisonnable price of course) and not buy it if they should go for a monthly subscription for PS or Lightroom.
So Adobe is just priving itself from a lot of potential clients who takes pictures from time to time and don't need a monthly subscription.

I think that their strategy is to make photoshop elements + reduced version of ACR for particular clients and PS + full version of ACR + LR for professional (or more regular) clients.

May be for PS Element and PS this is a good strategy : as a particular client PS Elements seems to satisfy all my needs and I don't need all the power of PS. But concerning ACR, even as a particular client i still need all its functions.

It's just annoying that if you need a radio you must buy a complete HIFI system...

drsilver wrote in post #19317716
That makes sense. It's pretty easy to render a RAW image file. But the logic necessary to render the adjustments, and more importantly, save the adjustments to the original, lives in the host app.

not at all. The algorithm used to render a RAW image is the most important part of the software. The adjusments are just saved in a separate simple XMP file which you can even edit in a text editor (it's an XML file). No need for the host app at all.

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #19317730
I still use the last stand-alone version of the suite, CS6. I remember you had to activate ACR in the Bridge by running Photoshop once. So maybe if you were to download and install the free version of Bridge first and then a trial version of the suite (that comes with Bridge too no doubt) then maybe it’ll also activate the free version? Once the trial version expires it will probably also kill ACR for the stand-alone Bridge, but who knows, maybe it won’t.

Yes you're right. I had the same thought. Unfortunately after downloading trial version of PS and LR it doesn't activate ACR directly in Bridge. I still get the message below.

rrblint wrote in post #19317798
Have you ever considered DXO Photolab 5? They're just down the street from you.

Just download it. I'll have a look at it. Thanks.

Ah. Quel dommage. Still, it was worth a try.

yb98 wrote in post #19317873
Just download it. I'll have a look at it. Thanks.

Photolab 5 has the best camera/lens modules and NR/demosaicing in the field. It is quite different than Adobe products and has something of a learning curve coming from Adobe products. Please give it a real try, you won't be sorry.