How can I get Jpeg photos into Camera Raw?

Q: I read that you can get Jpeg photos into camera raw to make some adjustments. My Photoshop Elements 8 says it has camera raw version 5.5 but I can't find it anywhere and I can't bring jpeg photos into raw in the way described in the Photoshop Elements 8 Book that I am using. Is there a way to do this and where and how do I find the Camera Raw?


A: You can indeed get JPEG files into Camera Raw. The reason you might want to do this is to take advantage of some of the exclusive Camera Raw editing features.

One thing you should be aware of though is that you are not getting the full benefit from the Raw Converter if you work on a JPEG instead of a true Raw file.

The reason is because when your camera creates a JPEG file on your memory card it discards information that isn't needed for the JPEG. If you shoot in Camera Raw your camera will save all the information that it captures. But many cameras don't give you the option of Camera Raw, only JPEG. So with that knowledge let's proceed.

I wish I knew how your book instructed you to get to the Raw Converter so I could see if something was missing. Maybe your preference file needs to be trashed. But first try this and see if it works for you.

1. In Elements go up to the File menu and choose Open….

2. In the Dialog box navigate to the file you want to open and click on it once to select it. Look for the Format field and click on it to reveal all the different format choices. Choose Camera Raw not Photoshop Raw.

   Make sure you click on the file before you change the format to Camera Raw. One potential problem is if you choose your format first and then click on the JPEG you want to open, the format will switch back to JPEG.

   Click Open and it should open in the Raw Converter.

Let us know if this works for you by posting a new comment to this page with the link below.

Good luck,
Rick