Creating XMP with Lightroom

[Alessandro de Leo]

Hi everybody,

I worked for years with Bridge + Camera Raw + Photoshop to edit my photos, and I'm learning Lightroom Classic CC (7.2) for job reasons.

When I edit a raw file in CR a .xmp file is created, but it seems that LR isn't doing that. I edit a raw in LR, but if I open the directory in Windows I can't find any xmp, there is just the CR2 file.

“Automatically write changes into XMP” is turned on, so I can't figure out what the problem is!

I manage to create an xmp only if I click on "Metadata - Save metadata to file" (CTRL + S).

Do I have to do this everytime?

Hope you can help me!

[dj_paige]

When I edit a raw file in CR a .xmp file is created

If that's a typo and should say LR instead of CR, then this is an incorrect statement. The default operation of LR does not create XMP files. You can do Ctrl-S on multiple selected photos, or turn on the option to automatically write changes to XMP.

If you're not seeing the xmp file, then my ​guess​ is that you imported the photo into LR using the COPY option and not the ADD option, and so you need to find the photo and its xmp file in the folder you copied it into.

[JP Hess]

It's not an incorrect statement. The OP indicated that when editing in CR (Camera Raw) an XMP file is created. That's true, at least it is in my case.

[Alessandro de Leo]

dj_paige  ha scritto

When I edit a raw file in CR a .xmp file is created

If that's a typo and should say LR instead of CR, then this is an incorrect statement. The default operation of LR does not create XMP files. You can do Ctrl-S on multiple selected photos, or turn on the option to automatically write changes to XMP.

If you're not seeing the xmp file, then my guess is that you imported the photo into LR using the COPY option and not the ADD option, and so you need to find the photo and its xmp file in the folder you copied it into.

There was no mistake, I was speaking of Camera Raw, not Lightroom.
I'm not sure if I imported my photos (they're on an external hard disk permanently connected via usb to my PC) using ADD or COPY, but I think I choosed ADD.

As I wrote, "automatically write changes to XMP" is already turned on. Do I have to press CTRL + S everytime to create an xmp?

[dj_paige]

If you turned on the automatic writing to XMP, you don't have to do Ctrl-S. If the XMP files are not in the folder, then you most likely imported them using COPY and the photos (and xmp files) are in some other folder, as I explained.

[Alessandro de Leo]

Maybe I'm missing something.

Now I've imported 3 photos from USB flash drive and I was forced to click on COPY.

I know the folder in which my files have been imported (the default "Pictures" folder in Windows). I tried to do some edit to a photo but no XMP is created. I tried to press CTRL+S and now I see the xmp just created.

As I said, the option "Automatically write changes into XMP" was turned on.

I'm feeling dumb!

[Jim Wilde]

No, you're not missing anything. What you've done SHOULD work, but the auto-write to XMP is a background activity I believe, so it may be taking time to "catch up". How many images are in the LR catalog?

[Jim Wilde]

Just adding to what I wrote earlier, one difference between using "Auto write to XMP" and Ctrl+S is that the auto method only creates an XMP sidecar when the image has been changed in Lightroom, whereas using Ctrl+S will always create an XMP sidecar (if none already exists) regardless of the "changed" status of the image in the catalog.

But that does not explain why the XMP sidecar is not being created when you edit an image and the "Auto write to XMP" option is enabled. Just make sure you are using a proprietary Raw file for your testing, as XMP sidecar files are only created for that file format. All other file formats (e.g. Jpg, DNG, Tiff, PSD) would have the XMP data written directly into the XMP section of the file header.

[DdeGannes]

Some important things to be aware off.

Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw function differently.

Lightroom by default reads and writes to the Lightroom Catalog file, this continues even if you have "Automatically write changes into XMP".

When you import a image into Lightroom  if there is an .xmp file present, which has been created by ACR, Lightroom will read and apply the info.

When you turn on the Auto write to XMP in Lightroom info will be written to any future work. So image files that were worked on previously will only get updated the next time you work with them.

If you make further changes to an image file which you have opened directly in PS/ ACR you will get a mismatch message when you go to that image in Lightroom offering an option to update the xmp. If you choose to update the xmp then there is potential to alter prior edits you did in Lightroom.

[Just Shoot Me]

To have LR create a XMP file you have to turn on the option in the Catalog Settings of LR to do that.

The option is "Automatically write changes into XMP".

By default LR only stores the edits you make in the Catalog file. With that option checked it saves the edits to both the catalog file and into a XMP sidecar file.

[keithm17485684]

Thanks for the graphics, made it very easy for me to turn the Lightroom .XMP function on and now they are beside the .CR2 files just like in Photoshop. Very happy with this answer.

[Alessandro de Leo]

I created just one catalog to import all my photos, so it contains 8600 files (6200 Raw and PSD, 2400 Jpeg). Is this the problem? My catalog is too big?

Anyway, all my attempts were made on Canon .CR2 files, so it should have worked.

[Jim Wilde]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Alessandro+de+Leo  wrote

I created just one catalog to import all my photos, so it contains 8600 files (6200 Raw and PSD, 2400 Jpeg). Is this the problem? My catalog is too big?

Not really, in fact in Lightroom terms that's very small. No matter, it was just an idle thought that maybe you had a huge catalog of newly updated pictures which LR was slowly working it's way through. But that now seems very unlikely.

Which leaves us with the problem of trying to figure out why the automatic XMP writing isn't happening as it should. If you are certain that "Auto write to XMP" is correctly enabled in the Catalog Settings, and after making changes to a Raw file you do not see the XMP sidecar being created (it's pretty well instant on my systems), all I can suggest is a Preferences reset (which can clear up otherwise unexplained problems). See here: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/how-do-i-reset-lightrooms-preferences/

[Alessandro de Leo]

I've tried again and now everything works fine, XMP are created in a second. I've done nothing, but the problem seems solved.

I've no idea what's going on, but if it works it's ok for me!

EDIT:
Everything works fine if I edit a file located on my PC, but no XMP is created if the file is on an external hard disk (unless I press CTRL+S).

[richardplondon]

Just on one point of clarification, turning on the “automatically write XMP” option will not immediately create XMP files for all your photos. Just, that will happen hereafter, as you work on individual photos.

Another important point: XMP does not reflect all of LR’s picture organisation nor show its editing History on a given photo. And in particular, Virtual Copy versions are not seen at all, except within the Catalog.