RAW images change to Jpegs when moved

Question

When I move a folder of Raw files from iPhoto to Canon Image Browser or to a folder in Finder, they change to Jpegs. Is there a way to keep them as Raw CR2 Files when moved. Thanks for any help

Answer 1

No they don't. However it sounds like you're accessing the Jpeg previews that iphoto creates on import. So, how are you trying to "move a folder" of images? There are a couple of ways, depending on what you are trying to do.
Processing Raw in iPhoto
When you import a Raw to iPhoto it automatically makes a jpeg Preview of the shot. Why? Because you can't do anything with Raw - can't print it, share it online, use it in other apps etc. So to allow you to use the file immediately the Preview is available.
You can, however, also process the Raw in iPhoto simply by editing it. The Raw processing engine in iPhoto the same one used in Aperture, but with less fine control. (Think of the differences between Word and TextEdit, iMovie and Final Cut). The output from the processing then replaces the preview. You can choose to save your output as either jpeg or tiff in the iPhoto Preferences.
When you are processing Raw in iPhoto you will see the Raw badge on the bottom of the iPhoto Window
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Note: After you have processed a Raw, subsequent edits to the photo are carried out on the processed jpeg (or tiff) not the Raw. If you want to go back to the original then you need to use the Photos -> Reprocess Raw command.
Processing Raw in a 3rd Party Application
You can also process your Raw with a 3rd Party app like ACR or Photoshop. *But* iPhoto does not handle this gracefully and it's a bit of a kludge.
First off set your preferred app as an external editor in iPhoto:
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
Note that iPhoto sends a copy+ of the file to Photoshop, so when you save be sure to use the Save command, not Save As... If you use Save As then you're creating a new file and iPhoto has no way of knowing about this new file. iPhoto is preserving your original anyway.
Next: In the iPhoto Preferences -> Advanced, elect to use Raw with your External editor:
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Now when you go to edit the Raw it will be sent to your external editor.
Now for the kludge:
You cannot save a Raw. The work you do must be output to a new file, in a new format (jepg, tiff, whatever). However, as the External Editor is making this new file iPhoto has no knowledge of its existence. Therefore you *must save it to the desktop and then import it back to iPhoto as a new file*.
This means that you will have your Original Raw and the processed version in iPhoto but they will not be recognised as version and original. iPhoto will see them as two separate shots.
ANd, you can always access the Raws simply by exporting with the Kind set to Original