P: Photoshop "Export As" resets Lightroom Classic edits/metadata.

[Kris_45]

Ran into this issue for the first time this week, although I've had the same workflow for years.

Edit RAW images in Lightroom Classic > select photo and "Edit in Photoshop" > make edits as needed > Export from Photoshop as JPG or PNG

Now as soon as I export the photo from Photoshop, it will immediately affect the photo in the Lightroom catalog. It removes the rating (1-5 stars) and removes ALL edit settings, but the +/- icon on the bottom right of the thumbnail remains as if there are changes made. I can go back on the photo, look at the edit history, select the most recent change and the photo will go back to the edited version that I moved into Photoshop with, but this shouldn't be happening in the first place. This also happens when I save the file from Photoshop (to my computer or the cloud).

I've checked export settings on both softwares and can't find anything. 

Using MacBook Pro 2020 M1 MacOS Tahoe 26.1
Photoshop 27.1
Lightroom Classic 15.0.1

[JohanElzenga]

Have you tried resetting the preferences? Corrupted preferences can cause all kinds of strange problems. 

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/how-do-i-reset-lightrooms-preferences/

[Dillion36675559aucb]

finally someone else who has this problem been dealing with it for a few months. even had an adobe staff take control of my computer and walk throught the steps and they have no idea what the issue is.   ive been using older versions of lr and ps but they are starting to not work well so i tried the newest update and still the same issues.  if you figure out whats wrong please let me know 

[Liquid Lightning]

Hi,

I have the exact same issue, and it's downright infuriating. This has just started happening with me, I've never had it before.

Windows 11 Pro

Lightroom Classic 15.0.1

Adobe Photoshop 27.1.0

[drtonyb]

Not enough information; detailed steps to reproduce or screen recording would help.

I cannot replicate this issue and find it very difficult to believe that Photoshop can change anything in the LRC catalog to cause edits to disappear.

As @JohanElzenga suggested, it could be corrupted Preferences and a reset would confirm that.

[Liquid Lightning]

Hi,

Unfortunatley it's really happening, but apparently it's not happening with everyone. And like I said, it wasn't happening earlier with me, neither, so it must be due to some recent update by Adobe. FYI, I had already reset the preferences but to no avail.

The steps are exactly as described by the OP there. But don't just take my/our word for it, I created a screen recording as well as requested. As you can see there, the 'Adaptive Color' development setting applied for reference is gone after having exported the file in Photoshop. Seeing is believeing, huh?

Next stop, Adobe bug report, I guess.

[drtonyb]

@Liquid Lightning 

You have the History panel collapsed, so I can't see any of the histrory steps, which is important.

[Olaf Sp�llmink]

If, after developing a RAW file, I transfer an image to Photoshop and export it from there, for example as a JPEG, and then close the image without saving it in Photoshop, all the settings I previously made to the image are reset upon returning to Lightroom. Even the rating is gone. If I transfer the image from Lightroom to Photoshop and then discard it again without exporting, the Lightroom settings remain unchanged. If I save an image in Photoshop as a TIFF file alongside the RAW file in Lightroom, the settings are also retained. 

Does anyone have a solution or is anyone else familiar with this problem?

current MacOS

current LR/PS

[Srishti Bali]

Hi @Olaf Sp�llmink

Thanks for reporting this. To help us investigate further, could you please share a few more details?

• Are you using Lightroom Classic or Lightroom (cloud-based)?

• Exact version numbers of Lightroom and Photoshop (not just “current”).

• Your macOS version.

• How are you sending the file to Photoshop (Right-click → Edit in Photoshop, Edit a Copy, Edit Original, etc.)?

• When exporting from Photoshop, which export method are you using (File > Export > Export As, Save a Copy, Quick Export)?

• Is the RAW file stored locally or in the cloud, and are you using XMP sidecar files?

If possible, a short screen recording showing the workflow would also be very helpful. Once we have these details, we can try to reproduce the issue and advise on next steps.

Regards,

Srishti

[Francesco Della Peruta]

Hi, have you tried to resetting preferences in both apps?
And then take a look here:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/images-lose-all-settings-in-lr-after-be...

[Olaf Sp�llmink]

Hy,

Lightroom Classic 15.0.1 / CR 18.0

PS 27.1.0

MacOs Tahe 26.01

This way: Right-click → Edit in Photoshop

This way, File > Export > Export As

the RAW file is stored locally

[MWFotografie]

Ich habe exakt das gleiche Problem. 
Wenn man vor der RAW Entwicklung eine virtuelle Kopie erstellt, dann bleiben die Entwicklungseinstellungen auf der virtuellen Kopie erhalten, allerdings verschwinden die Einstellungen auf dem RAW File trotzdem. 
zunickest konnte ich mir heute so einigermaßen helfen. 
Hoffe das es zu den Problem bald eine Lösung gibt. 

[Kris_45]

Tried this, didn't help unfortunately

[R..M]

I have the exact same issue.

LrC 15.1

PS 27.2

MacOS 26.2

[Jim Wilde]

@drtonyb 

I've just tested that sequence on my Mac system, and can confirm that it happens as described....but only if I use "Export As...." in PS. If I use the "Quick Export as PNG" option, there is no issue back in LrC. Using the "Export As" option, I used the following sequence:

1. In LrC Develop, I added a rating and a colour label to an unedited raw file, then applied the Adaptive Color profile.

2. Then used the Edit in PS option.

3. In PS I used the "Export As" option, selecting Jpg as the export format.

4. After the Export completed, returning to LrC shows the original image with no rating, no colour label, and the default Adobe Color profile.

5. Checking the History panel, there were the two expected entries (Import and Adaptive Color), but neither of them were selected. Clicking on the Adaptive Color history step reverted the image to that edited state, but the rating and color label were still not applied.

There may be variations of that workflow that don't cause the issue, but that specific workflow definitely does and appears repeatable.

[Noel Orridge]

Thank you, everyone, for bringing this up, and @Jim Wilde for helping verify this behavior. Following the steps suggested in the thread, I was able to reproduce the issue on my end as well. I've requested a review from the product team. 

Thanks a bunch! 

[Srishti Bali]

Hi @Olaf Sp�llmink @MWPhotography

Thank you for providing these details. I attempted to replicate this behavior on my Windows machine, but was unsuccessful. However, I was able to reproduce the issue on a Mac machine running macOS Tahoe. I have escalated this matter to the product team for further investigation. We will keep you updated as soon as we have any information.

Regards,

Srishti

[Olaf Sp�llmink]

A friend has the same problem on Windows Systems. Its not a Windows or Mac Problem. 

[drtonyb]

@Jim Wilde,  @Noel Orridge and @Kris_45 

Thanks Jim, I can now replicate using your steps with one proviso: if I use a Virtual Copy rather than the Original, then metadata and edits remain in LrC after saving with Export As... in Ps.

[drtonyb]

Although not the same, this issue has some similarities with a long standing bug with Merge to Panorama and Merge to HDR, where the merged DNG imported back into LrC doesn't have the Import Step in the History properly highlighted. Below is an example Merge to Panorama. Initially, I selected the three photos and used Auto Sync to set the same Edit settings to all photos and applied the same Pick, Color Label and Rating to all of the them. In the Merge Panorama dialog, I didn't enable any settings; no Auto Settings, no Fill to Edges, no Stacking and no Auto Crop.

 

Note that the resulting merged DNG doesn't have the Import step in the History highlighted (background should be bright). The Edit settings are applied from the RAW source files, the AI Edit Status is highlighted, with the Adaptive Color profile needing an update; this is visible in the sky right of the photo's centre. Also note there is no Crop and the DNG gets the Red Color Label and 2-Star Rating, but doesn't get the Pick flag from the source files.

If the AI Edit Status is updated, I get this:

The Edits from the source files remain, the Update AI Settings step added to History is highlighted and the merged photo looks as it should, still with no Crop.

If instead, I first click the Import step in History, it highlights, all the Edits get reset, the AI Edit Status goes off (no Adaptive Profile now) AND the photo is Auto Cropped!

 

The same problem happens with Merge to HDR, except there isn't the Auto Crop problem.

It is caused by a bug where the catalog is not correctly updated (corrupted) when the merged DNG is Imported back into LrC and although having been reported multiple times over at least two years, the issue has never been fixed or even acknowledged.