Commit post processing changes made in Lightroom

[bruceo62291541]

Is there a way to make post-processing changes permanent in Lightroom without using the following error prone and complex process? 

This commits changes: export the image, delete the image from the catalog and the image repository using Lightroom's tools, and import the post-processed image.

The reason that I ask is that I lost the catalog and its backups.  Fortunately, the image repository was still intact.  When I recreated the catalog and imported the images, using Lightroom's tools, all the post-processing updates were lost.  I have about 3,600 digital images and 3,200 scanned slides.  I estimate it would take a month to repeat the post-processing on the digital images and 12-18 months to repeat the post-processing on the scanned slides.  The digital images are pretty clean with mostly acceptable, composition,  color, and exposure.  The Kodachrome slides up to 65-70 years old have extremely stable color but composition and exposure need adjustment on some images.  Even with pre-scan cleanup, the real problem is dirt and scratches.  It usually takes 15-30 minutes per slide to clean up the defects.  An hour per slide is not uncommon.  I have spent up to three days on some slides cleaning them up and committing changes with export, delete, and import 3-5 times per day because there were so many corrections that I could't see the image well enough to continue.  Tricks like reducing sharpness in a clear sky helps to hide defects but that isn't useful where image detail matters.

A new feature to commit changes to a single photo or a group of photos selected by the Lightroom user and eliminate the process described in the second paragraph above would be useful.

[Geoff the kiwi]

Good afternoon Bruce,

First, sorry you lost your catalog and backups. Most unfortunate however from her on in you can set the back up to be made on a different location for safety. Plus a back up of the Back Up disk. 
In Catalog Settings you can check the box  Automatically Write changes into XMP under Metadata. This writes most of the Lightroom settings into XMP of the file which will be read if imported to a new catalog. I am sure this would satisfy your need.

[Per Berntsen]

As suggested by @Geoff the kiwi , checking Automatically write changes into XMP will do what you want.

This will create XMP sidecar files for proprietary raw files, and will write XMP settings to the header of DNG files.

For this to happen with rendered files (jpg, tiff, PNG and PSD) you have check the box above as well.

Even with pre-scan cleanup, the real problem is dirt and scratches.  It usually takes 15-30 minutes per slide to clean up the defects.  An hour per slide is not uncommon.  I have spent up to three days on some slides cleaning them up and committing changes with export, delete, and import 3-5 times per day because there were so many corrections that I could't see the image well enough to continue.  Tricks like reducing sharpness in a clear sky helps to hide defects but that isn't useful where image detail matters.

By bruceo62291541

LrC is the wrong tool for retouching dust and scratches in scanned images, this is done much more easily and much faster in Photoshop with the Healing brush tool and the Clone tool.

The Healing brush in LrC is designed to remove the odd sensor dust, and will, as you have found out, be very awkward to use for retouching a large number of dust spots and scratches. It also tends to slow LrC down to a crawl.

There is, however, something you can do in LrC with dust and scratches in skies. It probably works best with clear blue skies, but may also work with clouds, depending on the image, and what you consider to be an acceptable result.

This technique involves selecting the sky and applying negative values to Clarity and Texture.

See this thread for details.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/how-to-clean-thousands-of-blemishes-fro...

[ouiouiphoto]

Hello. Unfortunately If you lose your catalog and backup there is a risk that you will lose your photo next time. It is just that your backup process is not safe. Anyway, if you want the export to be reimported, you can do it during the export. I don't recommend it, but it is possible. In fact you are probably not using LrC has it has been made for and LrC is probably not the good tool for your work. PS is probably more efficient in this case

[Keith Reeder]

"This commits changes: export the image, delete the image from the catalog and the image repository using Lightroom's tools, and import the post-processed image."

In Lr, you "commit" by exporting. That's it. 

What you're asking for explicitly flies in the face of everything to do with a non-destructive RAW workflow, the express point of which is to retain the original file.

Whether or not your "originals" are RAW files, LightRoom is fundamentally not designed for what you want to do - you're using it like a pixel editor, which is not at all it's intended use.

[GoldingD]

This commits changes: export the image, delete the image from the catalog and the image repository using Lightroom's tools, and import the post-processed image.

Why again are you going thru those steps?

When you export a photo, the mods should be baked into the export. The export process is destructive. When looking at the history for the resultant photo in LrC Develop, there should be no edits listed.

[bruceo62291541]

Thanks to everybody who responded.  The comments were helpful.