Inspiring

Question

No longer getting dialogue when I try to "edit in Photoshop"

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
May 15, 2021
3 replies
2070 views

Hello

Until today I used to get the option to either “Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments,” “Edit a Copy” or “Edit Original” after editing an NEF file in lightroom. I have read quite a bit about the issue and do not see a solution. To be clear, I have been editing raw (NEF) files and editing them in Lightroom and then editing them in Photoshop. I have been doing this for months. I have done it many times and I always had the dialogue open. I have gone into preferences and reset warning dialogues and that didn't change anything.
Perhaps related. Since the dialogue no longer opens I noticed that when I edit an image in photoshop that was first edited in lightroom, when I try to save it I can only save it as a PSD, PDD, PSDT, PSB or Tiff. I can no longer save it as a PNG, JPG etc.
I don't understand what has changed. I did update Photoshop yesterday. I am using the latest versions of Lightroom Classic and PhotoShop. I am on Win 10.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Problem or error

This topic has been closed for replies.

Michael J. Hoffman

Community Expert

Hi Grace,

One last thought - I created a video to demonstrate all these concepts awhile back (2014). The versions are older but the process works the same way. I hope the video will be helpful in explaining better than I can here in this space:

https://youtu.be/sdywaVX3G8g

GraceUnfoldingAuthor

Inspiring

Thanks Michael,

I understand so much more now. I can see through your comments that I haven't been using Lightroom and Photoshop in the most usful way. I suppose it was because I was not yet commited to using them so I would just "save as" in photoshop. Now that photoshop has changed how "save as" works, I think it is time to start round-tripping my files.

Again, I appreciate your time and insight.

Warren (Grace is just part of my username)

H

Haressh

Participant

Hey Warren,

I'm facing the same issue with *.NEF or *.CR3 files edit dialogue box not popping up in LrC when you want to edit in PS. Instead the file opens in PS directly but while closing it, a Save as dialogue box pops up. This never show the correct folder in which it came from and if you manually navigate to put in where the original file is kept coming from LrC, I don't see it in back in LrC. It is frustrating and don't know why it's doing this. If you've found a solution, please let me know. I don't have this issue while sending *.tiff or *.jpeg files from LrC to PS. It comes back straright to LrC with all the PS edits.

Haressh Vibhakkar.

Michael J. Hoffman

Community Expert

Also, to be clear about your first question:

If you edit in Photoshop a raw file, Lightroom renders (by default) a PSD and passes it directly to Photoshop for editing without any dialog.

If you choose to Edit in Photoshop on a non-raw file (JPG, TIFF or PSD) then and only then, Lightroom will ask for your choice of:

1. Editing a new copy with Lightroom adjustments (a copy is created, rendered with any develop module adjustments you may have added to the non-raw file). This creates a new file in your Library.

2. Editing a copy (a copy is created of the original non-raw file, but no adjustments are applied). This creates a new file in your Library.

3. Editing the original (no copy is made, instead the original non-raw file is passed directly to Photoshop). This does not create a new file, and any adjustments you may have made in Lightroom aren't visible in Photoshop, but remain visible and applied in Lightroom once you save your changes to the original and return to Lightroom.

GraceUnfoldingAuthor

Inspiring

Thank you Michael for your detailed responses. I appreciate it.

I see that you are talking about non-raw files. But for the last few months when I opened a new raw file in lighroom, then edited it lightroom and then chose to "edit in photoshop" I would get the dialogue. I know for certain they were raw files as I only shoot raw on my camera. I have seen the dialogue hundreds of times when I chose to edit a NEF file in photoshop for lightroom. For the life of me I don't know what has changed.

Michael J. Hoffman

Community Expert

Hi Grace,

Lightroom's behavior in editing raw files vs rendered pixel files hasn't changed since the beginning. There's no way to "edit original" on a raw file, for example. To pass a raw file to Photoshop, it has to be rendered as a pixel file, and so there are no options in that case.

The only way to pass a raw file to Photoshop is by using the "Open as Smart Object in Photoshop," which still always passes the adjustments as XMP data to be handled by camera raw in Lightroom.

Other than "open as smart object..." there's only one path to PS, and it always involves making a copy with adjustments- that's why you'd never get that dialog with a raw file. I'm not saying you weren't getting that dialog, just that if you saw it, it was always a copy that had previously gone to Photoshop and been returned as a PSD.

GraceUnfoldingAuthor

Inspiring

One more note. When trying to save these files in photoshop I have to "save a copy" in order to save it as png or jpg. I only have to do this if I altered the image that was edited in lightroom. If I leave it as is I can save as many different file types. I have no idea why this is. It only starting happening after I could no longer choose from the dialogue that opened when I would choose "Edit in Photoshop".

Michael J. Hoffman

Community Expert

Hi Grace,

When you "Edit in Photoshop," the correct workflow is (once done in Photoshop) to close the file in Photoshop, answer "yes" to "Do you want to save..." and then the fully edited PSD is returned as a separate file to Lightroom. If you need a JPG or PNG, export it from Lightroom using the new file with the saved edits.

If you break this workflow by saving copies, or trying to use Save As, Lightroom loses track of the file and the round trip edit feature will fail.

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