How to get raw images to lightroom

Report · Oct 28, 2020

I've edited my RAW images in camera raw, and it seems they've saved to bridge! How do I now get these edited photos from camera raw/ bridge into Lightroom? I have a MAC.

also, how to I then download them as a a file such as jpeg

Report · Oct 28, 2020

To add images to Lightroom it must be done from within Lightroom. If you are using Lightroom Classic then you use the import option. If you are using Lightroom (for the cloud) it is a menu option. You can save JPEG images directly from camera raw, or you can export JPEG images from either version of Lightroom.

Editing in camera raw and then importing to Lightroom is somewhat redundant because Lightroom incorporates the same raw editing capabilities as Camera Raw and utilizes the same raw editing engine. What is it that you expect to accomplish by importing to Lightroom after doing your work in Camera Raw?

Report · Oct 28, 2020

Thanks for replying Jim! When I go to Lightroom, they appear unedited? Am I not saving them properly in RAW?

Report · Oct 28, 2020

Disregard my previous message!! I didn't read your response correctly! I am new to photography, so I have been trying to shoot in raw. When I move the images from my sd card to computer, it will only open them in raw. I have done preliminary editing work on them there, but I want to be able to use the Lightroom brush tools to adjust different parts of the image without adjusting the entire thing.

Report · Oct 28, 2020

It seems to me that it would be difficult to use the brush tools in Lightroom without seeing the other adjustments. If you have made adjustments in camera raw it would be best to apply your brush adjustments while seeing what you have done using Camera Raw. While working with your images in Lightroom, under the Photo menu there is an option to read metadata from file, and that will read from the XMP file that Camera Raw created. But then you will need to remember to either choose the option to write metadata to file or have that option checked automatically in your options or the work you do in Lightroom won't be part of the XMP file. You really are not accomplishing anything by using the two different raw converters because they both have the same tools. I think you would be better off and more effective to become proficient with one or the other. However, the choice is yours.

Report · Oct 28, 2020

I agree with Jim. If you intend to use Lightroom anyway, then just use Lightroom and forget about ACR for now. They have exactly the same processing engine. You only need one of them.

"When I go to Lightroom, they appear unedited? Am I not saving them properly in RAW? "

This is exactly why using both is not a good idea. They can't read each other's edits (without some workarounds that quickly get complicated):

ACR stores all edits in the file header (dng) or a separate xmp file that follows the main file (camera native raw files).
Lightroom stores all edits in a central database: the catalog. This is very efficient for high-speed/high volume workflows, but each file on its own is still virgin with no edits.