Exporting Originals yields edited versions

[Owen29940644ype7]

Trying to export finished raw photos when the photos are done exporting they are the original unedited photos. Only when I change them to JPEG format, it exports the edited photos, no matter what I do it will not allow me to download original format

[Sameer K]

Hey, @Owen29940644ype7. Welcome to the Lightroom Community. I'll help you figure this out.

This is as expected when you export as Original. An exact copy of the original image is sent out of Lightroom without any edits.

Lightroom adheres to non-destructive editing, i.e., no changes are applied to the source file. Edits & the work you do can be saved as a sidecar file to the original file in XMP format. You can use Export as DNG to embed the edits & metadata within a single file. Lightroom Classic and other Adobe products will read those settings from within XMP or DNG files.

Please check this to learn more: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/exporting-photos-basic-workflow.html

Thanks!
Sameer K

[richardplondon]

For an imported original camera JPG or camera Raw, or other imported file (PSD or TIFF):

• your edits do not change the imported file's picture content, these only occur as metadata instructions;
• exporting always creates a separate copy - you cannot overwrite the imported file;
• your choice of exported file type includes Original as well as JPG, TIFF and such
• Original duplicates the imported file plus metadata instructions, thus Raw produces a Raw, JPG produces a JPG
• any copy of the imported file exported as Original will show as unedited if you view it in a standard file browser, just the same as when you view the imported file itself - since one is a straight copy of the other
• any copy exported as Original, will however show your edits if opened into Photoshop via ACR, or if re-imported into any kind of Lightroom. That is because in these special cases, the accompanying edit metadata is being read, interpreted and applied onto the JPG / Raw original. The same will happen with the imported file itself, for example importing it into a different Catalog - but only if edit metadata had been written out to the file. Exporting as Original always includes that.
• When opening a Raw from Photoshop, that must always pass through ACR so will always apply accompanying edit metadata. But when opening a JPG from Photoshop, this may or may not pass through ACR depending on settings within PS - so, accompanying edit metadata may or may not get applied.