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Dec 30, 2025 2:21 AM UTC
Answered

Batch apply Lr/ACR .xmp sidecars to large JPG collection, maybe some CLI options?

Hello — I have a large set of unedited .jpg images and a matching .xmp sidecar for each image (each image has a unique corresponding XMP). If I manually import a JPG together with its .xmp into Lightroom or Camera Raw, the .xmp produces the expected color/develop adjustments.

However, the dataset is too large to process manually. I’m looking for reliable ways to apply these .xmp develop settings to all images in batch, ideally in an unattended or command-line workflow.

Any suggestions on this?

ExUSACorrect answer
Legend
Dec 30, 2025 1:44 PM UTC

Just batch import everything into Lightroom. The XMP adjustments should be automatically applied.

3 replies

ExUSACorrect answer
Legend
Dec 30, 2025 1:44 PM UTC

Just batch import everything into Lightroom. The XMP adjustments should be automatically applied.

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Dec 31, 2025 7:05 AM UTC

Thanks, importing into Lightroom works interactively, but I need a fully unattended / command-line workflow. Does Lightroom provide a true CLI for applying XMP sidecars and exporting?Or any suggestions for scriptable or CLI alternatives? Thank you for your help.

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Legend
Jan 6, 2026 2:23 PM UTC

Lightroom Classic is scriptable via Lua. I'd ask in the Lightroom forums, there are a number of developers active there.

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