RAW files locked themselves when transferred from memory card

[TheAzureJ]

I've seen multiple people have this same issue, and it has never been solved, not once.

When I transferred photos from my sim card that I took using a canon camera, all of the files said they were locked, and came up with a little bar in the bottom of the little preview window for each file, and with a little x button to the side of the photo. I'm not sure why they locked themselves on the transfer, because they weren't like that on the memory card.

This IS NOT an issue of going into info and unchecking the lock tick box.
This IS NOT an issue of permissions and who can view the photos on the mac

My photos no longer have the bar or the x button on them, but they are still locked. Whenever I try to open them with preview, or with lightroom or any software, they are uneditable, they look all glitched so that they cannot be used.

Please tell me someone know why this happens and how to fix it, thanks in advance if you do!

 

[Fishrrman]

More info needed:

Which Canon camera?
What Mac?
Which version of the OS?

When you say "transfer", HOW are you transferring?
Are you using a card reader?
Are you doing it some other way?

What did you DO during the transfer process?
Did you try importing the files directly into an app?
or...
Did you try to move them into a folder using the finder?

If you haven't tried that, try this:
1. Connect card reader with card in it
2. Let the icon mount on the desktop
3. Create a NEW FOLDER on the desktop, with a name that is meaningful to you
4. Now, on the camera card, navigate to the folder in which the files are located.
5. Select the files you wish to transfer, and copy them into the folder you created.
Having done that, can you open the files?

When you say they won't open in any program, have you tried Canon's own "Digital Photo Professional"?

 

[weaztek]

I don't know how your photos got locked. I can help you unlock them though.

1) Select all the files in the folder with command A (so all the .CR2 icons are highlighted in the folder).
2) Click command i with all of the files selected to bring up the get info on every file.
3) Uncheck the locked box on each file as shown in this screenshot I uploaded.
4) Done.

 

[Ray2]

used to be option+comand+i would get you one Info box for all selected files. I’m on the road, no Mac, but it’s a whole lot easier than clicking your way through a ton of Info boxes.

though, does not solve the root problem.

I assume Canon's have a setting to protect images. Have you checked your camera settings to see if this was inadvertently checked? Long shot as I would think there would be a quite noticeable indication in camera you are creating protected files.

 

[weaztek]

used to be option+comand+i would get you one Info box for all selected files.

You're correct. Just tested it. I had forgot that shortcut!

 

[Fishrrman]

OP disappeared...

 

[TheAzureJ]

I don't know how your photos got locked. I can help you unlock them though.

1) Select all the files in the folder with command A (so all the .CR2 icons are highlighted in the folder).
2) Click command i with all of the files selected to bring up the get info on every file.
3) Uncheck the locked box on each file as shown in this screenshot I uploaded.
4) Done.

Unfortunately this isn't the issue, as I can unlock them and they stay all messed up/locked
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OP disappeared...

Yeah sorry, Been away for awhile, back now and would like to try to find the issue. I have some more screen shots to share that could help, I'll post them in another comment
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I have attached screenshots of my mac screen so you can see what I'm talking about properly. This is what happens to the images. It's like they've locked themselves and glitched so they can't be used. The files aren't corrupted I don't think, The glitch patterns change and are just to stop the image being used or something.

These are all Canon Raw Files that have been transferred from a memory card (I Think CF Card) taken with a canon 5D Mkiii, transferred to my Macbook pro running the latest software (catalina?). They are transferred from the CF card to the mac through a USB-C dongle. I have done this many times with other photos but this doesn't usually happen, although it has happened (somewhat randomly) a few times.
All I did was highlight all the files, and then drag them from the memory card folder into a folder on my mac in finder.
Moving them to different folders doesn't do anything.
Selecting "get info" and then unticking the lock box thing does not unlock them.

Let me know if there's any more info I can provide!

 

[robgendreau]

I don't see anything that has to do with locking, but I do see corrupted files. I've never heard of files changing themselves so they can't be used, sorry. Have you checked the integrity of the card? if it's bad, or the files weren't written correctly, then not much you can do but run Disk First Aid assuming you've backed them up. And have you tried other software to view them? perhaps a different raw converter will have a better time with them.

 

[TheAzureJ]

I don't see anything that has to do with locking, but I do see corrupted files. I've never heard of files changing themselves so they can't be used, sorry. Have you checked the integrity of the card? if it's bad, or the files weren't written correctly, then not much you can do but run Disk First Aid assuming you've backed them up. And have you tried other software to view them? perhaps a different raw converter will have a better time with them.

At the top of the image when it's open in preview, you can see it says locked, that's why I think it's been locked in someway.
I don't think the files are corrupted, but I honestly don't know so I could be wrong.
How do you check the integrity of the card? I think I may need to do that.
Also what is Disk First aid?
Unfortunately viewing them in other software doesn't work, and also raw converters haven't worked either.
Sorry for all the questions by the way, and thanks for the help

 

[selflessreflections]

howdy folks.

I recently copied photo files from SD card onto my macbook and they were raw and I couldn't view them. However i created a new folder inside of my photos app, and then hit select all in the raw folder, and then pasted them into the new folder in my photos app and I was able to view them. I hope this helps someone.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

used to be option+comand+i would get you one Info box for all selected files. I’m on the road, no Mac, but it’s a whole lot easier than clicking your way through a ton of Info boxes.

though, does not solve the root problem.

I assume Canon's have a setting to protect images. Have you checked your camera settings to see if this was inadvertently checked? Long shot as I would think there would be a quite noticeable indication in camera you are creating protected files.

Hard to tell by the screen shots, but I don't think that the photos are locked. Yes, there are settings on the Canon cameras to lock all or a few photos. Since he can already see the RAW images on the screen, it means that they aren't locked, just unprocessed (?).

To the OP: hopefully you didn't format the card in-camera. How about this? Download "DNG Converter" and then "convert" the images in the folder to .dng. DNG Converter will leave the CR2 images alone, and make an identical copy, but in Adobe "dng" format. Then you can edit these "DNG" photos and save them to JPEG, TIFF, or whatever you want. If that works for you, it means that for whatever reason the apps you are using are unable to process CR2 images.

 

[weaztek]

I'd try what AlaskaMoose suggested above. If that didn't work I'd try to re-download them to the computer using a different method in case it works.

On the root of my memory cards there is a DCIM folder. Rather than dragging and dropping image files, try right clicking (option click) that DCIM folder and choosing Copy. Then click on your desktop or hard drive (to select it) and right clicking again, this time choosing Paste.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

I wonder what happened to the OP of this thread?

 

[kenoh]

I wonder what happened to the OP of this thread?

Hope they didnt lock themselves out.