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Sanpanza
Sanpanza
Known Participant
March 15, 2022
Question

Remote editing with LRC

  • March 15, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 2662 views

Hi folks, I am a still photographer and am wondering if there any way of having a 3rd party edit LRC RAW images so that the images reside on my computer and but the edits are made by somone else?

 

I am running a iMac 5K 27" 2015 machine.

 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

3 replies

J
Community Expert
Jao vdLCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 25, 2022

You can do this all in Lightroom Desktop and indeed invite your editors to "Edit and Contribute". You would need to import your images in Lightroom Desktop as Lightroom Classic only can share small resolution previews to the cloud. This does work but everybody should have a working creative cloud account and clean-up of permissions and files in Lighroom afterwards can be a pain (Lightroom Desktop/Cloudy is not very scalable when you are a high volume photographer). You can't do this from Classic.

 

An alternative way to work this over the internet is to not use Lightroom or Lightroom Classic but to use Adobe Bridge (you'll be able to install this from the creative cloud app) and to place the files on a shared Dropbox or similar service folder. Adobe Bridge is basically a file browser that integrates Camera Raw and that writes all its edits in the xmp sidecar. It's very similar to Lightroom Classic but it is a real file browser instead of a catalog based program so there is no import, it just shows you all files in a folder. This works well in my experience for this sort of collaborative editing and is very robust. You can always import (or sync) the files into Classic at the end. If you are a high volume photographer this sort of workflow is not a bad idea as you don't end up with a gigantic catalog of images and you manage your files and folders simply in the Finder/Explorer instead of in the Classic catalog. 

 

People have largely forgotten about Bridge but it is very capable and very scalable. It can do everything Classic or Desktop can do editing wise (it just integrates the Camera Raw plugin and Photoshop) and it is still regularly updated.

Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 25, 2022

@Jao vdL I thank you for your expertise in suggesting other approaches to the question from @Alter Ego Boudoir 

Far more useful than my suggestions- that are complicated and prone to problems.

And who would think of Bridge (other than you 🙂 ) when we are mostly focussed on Lightroom-Classic?

Your reply in this thred explains the problems well!-

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/error-opening-lightroom-catalog-on-two-synchronised-mac-s/m-p/12837792#M268685

 

 

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .
    Rob_Cullen
    Community Expert
    Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 16, 2022

    The method that preserves 'all' editing information is the 'Export as a Catalog' method.

    See my answer with details in this forum link- (Note: many of the other posts do not apply to your question.)

    https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/i-sent-away-smart-previews-to-an-editor-and-cannot-get-them-to-show-changes-on-my-end/m-p/9824794#M103930

    If you insist that the remote editing person (3rd party)  needs the 'original' full-size files then change the instructions as-

    4. Set the Export options-

         Export Negative Files     (No) (YES)

    Sending the full-size files will, of course, result in a larger folder of files to 'send'. The only benefits of full-size files would be- Better Noise & Detail editing, the ability to [Edit-In] Photoshop with full-size and create derivative images..

     

     

     

    Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .
      A
      Alter Ego Boudoir
      Participant
      March 24, 2022

      Your info here is really insightful. I am a boudoir photographer and trying to work with two off-site editors in this fashion - 

      Photog - Uploads images to Dropbox folder
      Editor 1 - Job is to cull and conduct LR edits
      Editor 2 - Job is to pull images into PS for skin smoothing, body shaping, distraction removal
      Editor 1 - receives these images, looks through for any additional adjustments, converts a copy of all images to BW and sends back to me.

      Editor 1 is in training, so through the training process, I need to review each of the steps that this editor takes. I was trying to use one LR cat in dropbox, but this hasn't been working well. I can open and see Editor 1's culled selections in LR, but not any develop adjustments. So in what I am reading here I think our workflow may work best if:

      Photog uploads images to Dropbox
      Editor 1 - creates LR Cat in Dropbox, culls photos in LR (during training photog can access culled images to ensure editor 1 does this properly, then approve next step)

      Editor 1 - makes all develop adjustments needed, and then exports the LR Catalog, to include negative files, and sends to Editor 2 (during training editor 1 can first send to photog for feedback prior to sending to Editor 2. IF photog adjusts anything a new catalog will need to be exported. This can be sent to either Editor 1, if additional adjustment direction needs to be completed, or directly to editor 2) 
      OR does Editor 2 even need the LR Cat? Can we send over .dng exports of the files to edit?

      Editor 2 - opens images in Photoshop, and saves all images as .dng files, for highest resolution; when complete, Editor 2 exports LR Catalog and sends to Editor 1
      OR can Editor 2 export images and send images only to Editor 1?

      moving from here depends on the above.

      Rob_Cullen
      Community Expert
      Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 25, 2022

      You are pushing the boundaries of Catalog sharing for Lightroom-Classic.

      But here is my take on your situation. Others may disagree or suggest a better workflow.!

      It will all revolve around using the one (and only one) temporary Catalog that you Export.

       

      1.  The Photog (YOU) IMPORTS all your photos to your Master Catalog.

      2.  Photog (YOU) selects Folders/images to be remote edited.

      3.  Photog  (YOU) does [Export as a Catalog].   Call it "For Edits"

      Include BOTH Smart Previews AND Original files with the "For Edits" catalog Export 'bundle'.

      4.  Place the 'bundle' in Dropbox-  Catalog "For Edits", +Originals and +Smart Previews.

       

      5.  This Folder/Bundle of  "For Edits"  Catalog and image files, is now available to both Editor-1 and Editor-2 (BUT NOT at the same time!!) Each will need to use the Catalog and return it to Dropbox BEFORE the other uses it. And it will need to appear as in a 'local' folder -NOT Dropbox online.

      Editor-2 will need to add Photoshop derivatives (in the Catalog) to the folders in Dropbox.

      Editor-1 can then access the "For Edits" catalog from Dropbox once again.

      (No one needs to do further [Exporting as a Catalog]! Only 'Saving' the updated Catalog back to Dropbox.)

       

      6.  Finally, you, the Photog, will open your Master Catalog and [Import from another Catalog] loading in all the work by the Editors in the "For Edits" Catalog along with the new Photoshop derivatives.

       

      Notes:

      Everyone will see all previous Editing work done, and the 'Rejected' images as flagged [X] by Editor-1. You can preview 'Rejected' to agree with the culling process (you then Delete).

      Any Photoshop derivatives will need to be TIF or PSD. You cannot 'Save as DNG'!

      Anyone can make the B&Ws by creating Virtual Copies in the "For Edits" catalog.

       

      So in summary-

      You Export a "For Edits" Catalog & Photos.

      All others edit the same Catalog.  (shared via Dropbox?)

      You Import the "For Edits" Catalog to your master catalog.

       

      Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .
      dj_paige
      dj_paige
      Legend
      March 15, 2022

      Make copies of the RAW images. Send them somehow to the 3rd party. This 3rd party does the editing with "automatically write edits to XMP" turned on, and the 3rd party sends back the XMP, which your Lightroom Classic can use.

      Sanpanza
      SanpanzaAuthor
      Known Participant
      March 15, 2022

      I suppose that could work but I was thinking somethingn like I could send then a link from LR (cloud based) and then they could just do some basic edits to individuals that would propogate on my desktop.

      dj_paige
      dj_paige
      Legend
      March 15, 2022

      But you started the thread as talking about LrC, now you want to discuss Lr (cloud based), you are in the wrong forum.

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