Cannot convert .lrtemplate to .xmp presets. Lightroom 8.1

Apparently I have not been getting enough sleep, some obvious questions and notes have gotten right past me.

First off, You were looking in User presets. Typically those are ones you made, not third party you bought.

Second, the author of the presets will have included code in the package that tells Lightroom how to display them. So, it is quite possible that the one particular preset you are looking for is in PhotSerge-Lights

Now in a bit, I will scroll up and look at your screenshots again. Something like this:

That's the Manage option in the Presets panel.

You will notice that you cannot go one deeper and turn on or off individual presets in any of those third party sets.Now as a test, I tried to import just one preset, one from a third party set , well, it imported, it showed up in another OS folder (Imported Settings instead of Settings) but it never shows up in the presets pane. well, not under User, and not by itself, its back within the third party set (group), exactly where it was before, I just have two copies, one LR opens, one LR ignores.

So, in your presets, make sure the one you are looking for is not within a group

Is this the product??:

https://www.photoserge.com/p/serge-ramelli-signature-light-profiles

Profiles, not presets

or maybe: https://www.photoserge.com/p/lightroom-presets-lights

ones profiles, other is presets

Ok, well sort of not Ok, I was going to make the statements shown below (stuck out) but when I went to test this out (and I would have included screenshots) I found out this was no longer true. BUT, try out one preset by itself just in case as none of my presets I was moving around are the old format.

hmmm, looking again at a few of your earlier screenshots

How many directories down are these templates?

It would look like you have a directory named PhotoSerge-Lights, then directories under that like SergeLights-Big Lights, and probably withing that, the actual files that the preset calls for.

Ok, not sure if they ever altered this. or perhaps altered it in a bad way, Might be one two many deep on those directories.

Instead of copying the main directory PhotoSerge-Lights, with all its sub directories, copy the sub directories to settings. In other words, a preset folder in settings should have in it, immediately in it, all the various files that make up the preset, not another directory.

.

Ok, back on a PC (with my stored links)

In this one the author starts talking profiles, but eventually gets to presets, slightly dated, but take a long look:

Updates in Lightroom Classic: How to Install Presets and Profiles April 2018 - YouTube

The '[new' system for XMP presets has created problems for many!

I have a couple of suggestions-

I have no "User Preset" dropdown menu under the main Preset dropdown on the left column of the main screen.

First- Click on the [ + ] icon on the Preset header bar and choose [Manage Presets...]

in the dialog- check that every box is ticked so that no Preset Groups are hidden from view. In particular the [User Presets] box.

If [User Presets] is already checked, then try creating a preset of your own and see if it appears, because Lightroom will not show 'empty' folders in the Presets panel.

I also can't seem to get my .lrtemplate presets to convert to .XMP. I have moved them from my Lightroom "Develop Presets" folder to my Camera Raw "Settings" folder, as per the tutorials I have watched. I have also tried to drag and drop the .lrtemplate presets into the folder via the Lightroom > Preferences > Presets > Show All other Lightroom Presets route. I have tried having just the"PhotoSerge" folder in the Camera Raw folder, as well as opening the folder and having the actual files in the Camera Raw folder.

I understand there are two common ways to install .lrtemplate Presets-

1. Click on the [ + ] icon, choose [Import Presets...] and search for the {PhotoSerge} folder of presets with Finder.

2. Copy the .lrtemplate files into the 'old' folder in {....Lightroom/Develop Presets }  (Not the 'new' {Settings} folder ). If you "moved" them out of {....Lightroom/Develop Presets } instead of copying, then move them back! Restart Lightroom.

When you restart, Lr should convert and place the new XMP versions in the {Settings} folder automatically, and leave the .lrtemplate files renamed with a tilde prefix.

Note:

-The folder structure in {Settings} may no longer 'mirror' the folder structure in the Presets panel. It is internal data within each Preset file that determines where it installs in the Presets panel folders (Groups). Your {PhotoSerge} presets may all install in the User folder!

-Some Presets have been known to contain "illegal" characters that Lightroom baulks at and will not install.

Some more links to confuse you further!

lrtemplate to xmp preset installation tutorial - new lightroom update - LR CC Classic 2018 - YouTube

Even the [+] menu has changed from v7.3 [Add Presets] since this linked video was made, but most info still applies-

Updates in Lightroom Classic: How to Install Presets and Profiles April 2018 - YouTube

And many found this plugin to be helpful in sorting out Preset chaos!  Fix Presets Lightroom Plugin

Perhaps

https://blog.thomasfitzgeraldphotography.com/blog/2018/4/managing-lightroom-presets-in-lightroom-classic-73-or-later