Previewing .CR2 files

I just "upgraded" from a Canon 6D to a 5D Mk. IV. Its RAW (CR2) files will no longer preview as image thumbnails in either Microsoft Windows Explorer or in Photoshop CC. The only way I can see them is to open them in ACR. This was not a problem with RAW files from the 6D. I have the latest updates to Windows 10 and Photoshop.

 

I'm looking for a quick and easy way to view groups of thumbnails all at once, of reasonable size, so I can quickly decide which to delete and which to open in ACR and PS to edit. How do others do that? (I couldn't find workable solutions on Microsoft or Adobe forums.) Thanks much.

Lightroom will get the job done quickly.

Isn’t it ironic that in the name of progress PS preview after CS5 was disabled and one has to resort all sort of twisted schemes to be able to see what the image looks like.

Yes, LR and Bridge, etc. do it for you, but wouldn’t it be easier to see it directly in PS?

Why not use DPP supplied with your camera's software? I use Lightroom.

What you need is a Camera Codec for the 5D Mk IV for Windows. The last Microsoft Codec pack was published in 2014, well before the Mk IV. I suggest you call Canon Support and ask if they have a Codec for Windows.

I'd start with installing DPP. If you're lucky it installs the proper DLL's so the images become visible in other software as well. Just a wild guess. Or install Faststone Image Viewer or Irfanview (including plugins).

As far as I know, there isn't any codec yet.

 

And as others said, go for Canon's DPP. This is what I use for a first selection.

 

Then I continue with Lightroom.

There is app from Michael Tapes Design called Instant JPEGS From Raw. It's free and can be found here:

 

http://michaeltapesdesign.com/instant-jpeg-from-raw.html

 

It extracts a tiny thumbnail sized file from CR2 files in a flash and puts them in a folder alongside the CR2 files for quick viewing. I have it on my PC.

 

You might want to give it a trys

I use Photo Mechanic. It doesn't try to do any cataloging, unless you ask it to. (LR constantly tries push my files all around).

"(LR constantly tries push my files all around).

 

Then your settings in LR are wrong. On the Import page of LR choose ADD (Add photos to catalog without moving them), and LR will leave them where you put them. I copy my files from cards to HD with a card reader into folders based on project/place/person/event, and then import them into LR, tagging them with project/place/person/event info as appropriate. I then use Smart Collections to further organize my photos.

"(LR constantly tries push my files all around).

 

Then your settings in LR are wrong. On the Import page of LR choose ADD (Add photos to catalog without moving them), and LR will leave them where you put them. I copy my files from cards to HD with a card reader into folders based on project/place/person/event, and then import them into LR, tagging them with project/place/person/event info as appropriate. I then use Smart Collections to further organize my photos.

 

Perhaps I should have explained that I'm a wildlife photographer and probably take around 1,000 images for 50 that I convert from RAW. I don't want LR "Importing" a bunch of useless files. With PhotoMechanic I review the 1,000 images and Copy only the ones that I want to process into a File named, for instance, 03-30-2017. (EXIF and Tags allow me to find any image in seconds, going back years). I know people that use the LR cataloging functions and love it, but it does nothing for me, but use up HD space.

 

I do agree that Tags are essential, but there are lots of places to add tags other than LR. If one chooses to do it there, then great. If you use another RAW converter, as I do with DxO Optics Pro, then you probably don't want LR trying to mess with your files. (I use LR for certain "local" adjustments, occasionally, as needed.