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ben_taylor_85993088
ben_taylor_85993088
Known Participant
May 1, 2025
Answered

Non-destructive workflow for mainly using lightroom but sometimes photoshop

  • May 1, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 311 views

What is the best way of using lightroom for most photos (for its import/cloud sharing ability), but non-destructively editing some in photoshop?

I ideally want to combine using lightroom for its cloud sharing ability, and photoshop for its layered editing ability.

I've disliked lightroom in the past but have recently seen the potential of it in terms of importing and cloud-sharing - but it leaves a frustrating gap in the workflow.

Namely the ability to non-destructively edit certain photos in photoshop.

I can choose 'edit in photoshop' or 'open as smart object in photoshop', from lightroom, but that then returns a .tif to lightroom, and I've lost the ability to go back to the layers I had - if I choose edit in photoshop again, all the layers I'd created the first time are lost.

So why don't I just use photoshop? I would - but the only thing it lacks is that it hasn't got the cloud-sharing ability that lightroom has. I really want the ability to 'save all to cloud'. It doesn't seem to be able to do that.

I'm sure many people have their own reasons for wanting to edit on more than one computer. But mine is that I have a mac laptop, which has a small screen but that can read memory cards, and a windows computer that I use for work, that can't read memory cards, but that has big screens. So my workflow typically involves importing them all from my memory card using my mac laptop, but then I want to edit some of them on my windows computer.

My best solution so far is to import them all to photoshop, open as smart objects, use script processor to save them all as .psd files, then upload them all to the cloud using creative cloud desktop. But that's slightly annoying as it can only upload a certain number of files at once (I think 30), and I risk missing some.

So Lightroom is perfect for the import and sharing side, and photoshop is perfect for the editing side.

Any better solutions for combining the best of both?

Correct answer Rob_Cullen

"I've lost the ability to go back to the layers I had - if I choose edit in photoshop again, all the layers I'd created the first time are lost."

I am not experiencing this. I see the layers preserved.

You do need to be careful that you are indeed selecting the Ps TIFF image that you want to return to Ps, and not the 'Original' image file.  Stacking of the Versions that occurs can complicate this.

 

My Example-   The 'Original' (coloured) with a saved Ps TIFF (the monochrome)

Re-opening the TIFF in Ps opens the layers as expected-

 

1 reply

Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Rob_CullenCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
May 1, 2025

"I've lost the ability to go back to the layers I had - if I choose edit in photoshop again, all the layers I'd created the first time are lost."

I am not experiencing this. I see the layers preserved.

You do need to be careful that you are indeed selecting the Ps TIFF image that you want to return to Ps, and not the 'Original' image file.  Stacking of the Versions that occurs can complicate this.

 

My Example-   The 'Original' (coloured) with a saved Ps TIFF (the monochrome)

Re-opening the TIFF in Ps opens the layers as expected-

 

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 .
    ben_taylor_85993088
    ben_taylor_85993088Author
    Known Participant
    May 2, 2025

    Just tried it and yes you're absolutely right!

     

    I think clicking on the correct one in the stack is key (I've tested that clicking on the 'only' one when the 'stack' is collapsed also works)

     

    I think what I was doing wrong was either clicking on the 'wrong' one in the stack (in your case the colour one), OR, more probably, choosing 'open as smart object in photoshop'.

     

    Interestingly, I found that if I choose 'open as smart object in photoshop' the first time, and then 'open as smart object in photoshop' again, my edits from the first time are lost. But if I choose 'open as smart object in photoshop' the first time,  and then 'edit in photoshop' the second time, it does keep the edits, but I did manage to confuse it doing that and ended up with 3 items in the stack, neither of which brought back the edits.

    I think what 'open as smart object' means actually means is 'open as a new smart object in photoshop'

    However, I don't really see a huge need to open as a smart object, as all that's doing is replicating what lightroom can do itself anyway.

    I've tested it using just 'edit in photoshop' multiple times and seems to work.

     

    Thanks very much for the help, much appreciated

     

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