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wavesummit
Inspiring
August 25, 2020
Question

Editing Flow - How to photoshop the original photo

  • August 25, 2020
  • 5 replies
  • 1313 views

Typically I will import my photos in lightroom, then do my retouching in photoshop, and then apply my colour grading in lightroom. However sometimes I like like to apply a preset first, is there way to edit the original photo in photoshop instead of editing the photo with the preset applied?  The only way I know is to create a virtual copy, revert any changes and edit that, there must be a better way. 

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5 replies

D
Dan33506712td9n
Participant
May 16, 2024

So, this post is from 2020, four years ago, but, Adobe STILL has not fixed this issue today!?! WHY??? I am trying to edit images in Photoshop and then I go back to LR and the originals are still untouched, but, LR saves a copy in a different location???? HOW and WHY is this at ALL helpful to anyone for any reason??? I WANT THE ORIGINALS EDITED IN PHOTSHOP AND SAVED IN LIGHTROOM!!!!! WHY will you not allow us to DO this, Adobe????? Good grief!?!?!?!

 

I am using Photoshop 2024  25.7.0 release, and Lightroom 7.2 on a brand new Mac Studio 2023 Apple M2 Ultra.

 

I wanna right click on an image in LR, open it in PS, edit it in PS, and save it, and then go back to LR, and the EXACT SAME IMAGE is changed and updated with PS edits. IS THIS POSSIBLE, OR NOT? And if NOT....then WHYYYYY??????

 

Apple's cheesy little Photos app could always do this, and the originals back in Photos would update themselves with the Photoshop edits, but, now in 2024 Lightroom CANNOT do this????? Seriously???? Such a simple thing....c'mon, Adobe...

 

Also, on a side note....why has Adobe not bought out AutoDesk yet, and finally fixed and improved AutoCAD????? WHAT are they waiting for???? AutoCAD SUCKS and always has, and would be SO awesome if ran and operated by Adobe, right?!

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 16, 2024

You don't seem to understand that a raw file can never be overwitten. What you get out of Photoshop is a new and separate file, a rendered RGB file with all your Lightroom adjustments baked in.

 

Your raw file is still sitting there, unchanged.

    JP Hess
    JP Hess
    Inspiring
    August 25, 2020

    If you are working with raw files then the best option is to open as a smart object. Otherwise there is no other way to revert to the raw data. Photoshop, by itself, cannot edit raw image data. That's why Camera Raw is an integral part of the Lightroom process. It is used during the transfer of the image from Lightroom to Photoshop to convert image from raw data to an RGB image that Photoshop CAN edit. Then, when you are finished using Photoshop on that image, it is necessary to save a new image either as a TIF or PSD file. So if you want to revert to the original raw data, again, open the image as a smart object.

    W
    wavesummitAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 26, 2020

    I'm not really worried about always working on the raw original file, it's just a flow issue. The lightroom devs have a different flow for raws and jpegs it seems, I'd like to see them add option to send the file without any changes to photoshop.

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    August 26, 2020

    Not really.

    No matter what type of file you edit in LrC it is All Non Destructive. The original file, whether a TIF, JPG, PNG, PSD, is NEVER Changed by the edits you do in LrC. The only way to Included, Burn in, Bake in, the edits you do in LrC is to Export the image to a New File.

     

    The reason you get that dialog box with those other file types is because Ps CAN Open them directly. Ps does not need to use any type of RAW converter system to show those file types.

     

    RAW files can NOT be opened in Ps directly. Raw files Always have to go through a RAW converter of some type before Ps can display them.

    J
    Community Expert
    Jao vdLCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 25, 2020

    To be perfectly clear. Edits in Lightroom are all nondestructive. As soon as you go to Photoshop, all edits get baked into the pixels and all edits in Photoshop are destructive. So to enable you to go back on your decisions, you want to completely avoid going into Photoshop. You can retain some editability by using the "open as smart object" method but that severly limits what you can do in Photoshop.

    W
    wavesummitAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 25, 2020

    Right so if I am working on a raw it goes direct to photoshop and I don't get the prompt that Gary is seeing. What you've told me is the problem I am experiencing, which is if I choose a colour grade, I then open it in photoshop and then it's baked in, which is what I don't want. I would prefer to do the colour grading last in lightroom, I was just hoping the devs had a feature to edit original. Right now if I am playing with colour grades first, I'd like the option to edit the original without having to reset it, it would be great that lightroom would send the raw without any adjustments. 

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    August 25, 2020

    The Color Grading can always be changed or completely removed from both, either, the original RAW or the new file created by Ps. It is NOT Baked, Burnt, into the resulting TIF or PSD file that Ps makes. Sure the returned new file has the color grade you had selected for the RAW but all you have to do is Click that Color swatch/button to remove it.

     

     

    If you are talking about some type of Color Graduated Filter then yes it is Baked, Burnt, into the new file that Ps make.

     

    J
    Community Expert
    Jao vdLCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 25, 2020

    This happens when you edit a raw file. If you want to go back to the original in your workflow what you should do is open as a smart object in Photoshop. You can then in Photoshop go back on the raw rendering decisions by double clicking on the raw layer.

     

    Also, I would suggest that a better workflow is to NOT go right away into Photoshop but to do all your grading in Lightroom on the raw file and only to go into Photoshop after that if there are specific things such as retouching you can only do in Photoshop but on the already color graded image.

      gary_sc
      Community Expert
      gary_scCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      August 25, 2020

      Hi James,

       

      When you select "Edit in..." do you see this window?

       

      Select the option I've circled and that should be what you want.

       

      Let me know if this solves the problem

        W
        wavesummitAuthor
        Inspiring
        August 25, 2020

        Hi Gary,
        Unfortunately, I don't get that dialog, I'm currently on photoshop lightroom classic 2020. When I click edit in photoshop it goes straight to photoshop without a prompt. 

        Just Shoot Me
        Just Shoot Me
        Legend
        August 25, 2020

        Right you do not get that dialog box unless you are sending a TIF/PSD/JPG to Ps. Or if the Camera RAW versions between LrC and Ps or different, Mismatched. Which rarely happens now with the subscription system. If LrC is update to a new CR version then so is Ps.

         

        The only way to Edit the original image is to open it in Ps directly. But then if it is a RAW file it will go to ACR first anyway as PS can not open RAW files.

         

        Bottom line is you can not open original RAW images in Ps and save whatever change you do in PS to the RAW file. It will always create a New file, a TIF or PSD.

         

        Same goes when you send an image from LrC to Ps. Once you Save in Ps a new file is created, TIF or PSD depending on what option you have selected in the external editing section of the LrC Preferences.

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