loading edited raw images into PS layers for stacking

[charlese94705004]

I just ran into an issue I've never seen before.  I use Bridge to load groups of raw images into photoshop layers for stacking -- using tools, photoshop, load as layers.  I had to edit a person out of the images this time in ACR (have done so before) and when the layers arrived in photoshop they were the unedited versions.  When I've done this in the past the edited versions loaded.  Naturally the resulting stack included the person I had removed,  Have one of the recent CC upgrades changed this export/handoff process and if so where is the setting that needs to be modified?

[gary_sc]

Hi Charles,

As I read through your question, one phrase stood out to me. It's when you said "when the layers arrived in Photoshop..."

I just want to make sure that what I'm reading is correct as it seems you are expecting "layers" in a raw image. There are no such things as layers in a raw image, only psd and tif images can have layers.

I just did a quick experiment: I took a raw image and removed a feature in that image using the "Spot Removal Tool," which is the only tool I'm aware of that can remove items in an image (such as people, in my case it was a lake). I then took another raw image and used Bridge's Tools -> Photoshop -> Load as layers. In this new PS document, the image that I had removed the lake on looked, well, lakeless.

Perhaps if you can supply a bit of greater detail such as what OS you are on, which version of Bridge & PS and if you are working with native raw images or DNGs.

Oooh, I just thought: if you are using native raw images, did you move the images to a different folder before doing this action? And if so, did you also move the sidecar file (xmp suffix) as well? If so, that explains it. The xmp file carries all of your changes you made in your raw file. If the xmp file is not moved WITH the raw file, none of the changes will show. You either have to move them together OR convert the raw file to a DNG file. Once you do that the xmp data in contained within the DNG file.

Let us know,

[melissapiccone]

How did you edit a person out in ACR? And what Gary said. Show us a screenshot of your files in Bridge.

[gary_sc]

Hi Melissa,

To edit someone out can be done with the Spot Removal Tool. The catch is that this is nowhere near as good as editing within PS but it can be done IF the person is separate from the things around that person. After dragging across the person, or any other object in the image, ACR will "guess" as to where to get the replacement image. You can drag the "guessing" region around to get what you consider is a better source location.

Among the many problems or issues with this approach will include a smearing of colors if something important is too close to what you are trying to replace. As you experiment with this you will quickly see the potential problems. If you have something like a fire hydrant in the middle of a grassy field, that will be as easy as can be.

Try it and enjoy,

[melissapiccone]

Yucky way to do it. I don't like spot removal even for little spots! Spot healing brush in a new, blank layer is much faster and more efficient. I was just wondering what the OP is doing hoping it would give me a clue to his problem.

[charlese94705004]

Hello.  Thank you for your replies.  I'm away from home and so it took a while to try to duplicate the issue on my laptop.  Well....the same result.  I was trying to run a 5 image focus stack for increased depth of field.  All images were in the original .NEF format as produced by my D800.  The images were taken in a popular place and after 30mins of waiting for people to clear, I gave up and moved on having taken a sequence with a photographer crouching in a fairly dark area.  Edits were made in ACR using the spot removal tool as Gary surmised.  After editing each file was saved. .xmp files remained in the same directory as the master files. Viewed in Bridge's slideshow the edits show just as expected.  I opened each file in photoshop from ACR and the edits remained intact.

All 5 images were selected in Bridge and then tools, photoshop, load files into photoshop layers.  Photoshop opens and dutifully 5 layers are created, one for each image, in .NEF format.  However, each of the 5 layers does NOT retain the edits.  And predictably the resulting focus stack contains the deleted material.

I've been doing focus stacking this same way since CS4, perhaps 150-200 times and this one really took me by surprise.

I am running the most recent versions of ACR, Bridge (2017, 7.0.0.93 x64) Photoshop CC 2017 (20161130.r29 x64) on windows 10.  The same was true of my desktop machine at home, except it is faster.

As to Melissa's note.  I perform as many edits as possible in ACR and only use PS for things that can't be done otherwise, like focus stacking.