How to view lightroom edits in dng files from window exprorer

[hbbk]

Hi

As the title say, I'm wondering how to view edits I made from withing Lightroom CC from outside Lightroom (Windows explorer preferably). Is there a way to achieve that without exporting jpg versions of my edited photos ?

Thanks for any clues

[dj_paige]

Lightroom Classic edits are not written to the image portion of original DNG files. (Lightroom Classic never writes to the image portion of your original files). So you can't view those Lightroom Classic edits in your operating system, these can only be viewed with the proper Adobe software.

Is there a way to achieve that without exporting jpg versions of my edited photos ?

Other methods are exporting TIF or exporting PSD files.

Which brings up the question, why do you want to do this in Windows Explorer? What is the benefit of doing this, if it did work?

[hbbk]

Thanks for the answer

Yes, I can export to tiff or any non-raw format, I just took jpg as an example.

Regarding your question, the answer is: if I have to stop my Lightroom usage (many reasons: lack of money, change OS to Linux...) so all my edits are lost, isn't it ?

So this brings me to another question, is there a way to automatically export (or at least list) all the Lightroom edited dng files so that I can make a whole list (HUGE) export at once.

[dj_paige]

Regarding your question, the answer is: if I have to stop my Lightroom usage (many reasons: lack of money, change OS to Linux...) so all my edits are lost, isn't it ?

By @hbbk

Absolutly NOT!

When your subscription ends, the entire Library Module works, 100%, so you can organize your edited photos, view your edited photos, export your edited photos, you can print them, upload them to web sites, e-mail them and even import new photos and add metadata to them.

What stops working is the Develop Module (you can't make new edits), the Map Module, and the ability to upload the photos to the Adobe Cloud.

[hbbk]

Ok good 🙂

And the other part of my question, what if I decide to switch to Linux ? This sis an option that I strongly think about, but the use of some software and devices stop me from now : Lightroom and the sustainability of my dng edited files is one of them.

[dj_paige]

Switch to Linux ... then you'd have to export the photos to be viewed on Linux.

[Per Berntsen · Accepted solution]

Windows Explorer cannot display raw files, so it displays the DNG's embedded jpg preview instead.

You can have the preview display your edits by selecting the image in Library, and go to Metadata > Update DNG Preview and Metadata. This command is also available when right clicking the thumbnail.

I don't know where your DNGs come from, but if they are created by the DNG converter, there are three options for Jpg preview – None, Medium and Full size. Medium is only 1024 pixels on the long side.

If you stop paying for Lightroom, the Develop and Map module will stop working, but you can still export.

If you change OS to Linux, I suppose you could keep a Windows computer with Lightroom installed.