Outsourcing Edits, Smart Previews, and Originals

[BLP2017]

I outsource my editing; after importing the RAW files into lightroom and creating smart previews, I choose the ones I want edited, export those as their own catalog, & send that catalog to my editor. She edits and sends back the edited catalog. When I open these catalogs, they are the smart previews, so low res. I want the high res files to send to my clients, but lightroom doesn't automatically find the originals. The file names are different, so I'm thinking that may be the problem, but I have tried merging the edited catalog with the non-edited catalog to no avail... the edited photos stay smart previews. What are we doing wrong?!

[JohanElzenga]

When you get the catalog back from your editor, then do the following. Start Lightroom Classic with your main catalog, choose 'File - Import from Another Catalog' and select the returned catalog. That will merge your main catalog with the edits and so 'reconnect' the edits to the original images.

[BLP2017]

I've done that; it does not merge the photos. They stay as edits and as originals, but they do not reconnect to each other.

[JohanElzenga]

When you exported as catalog, did you make sure to only include smart previews and not the 'negatives'? If you include the negatives (originals) then the exported catalog is no longer connected to the originals in the main catalog, but to these new originals.

[BLP2017]

Correct. Catalog exported without checking include negatives...

[JohanElzenga]

Then it should work. Please post a screenshot of what you see when you import the catalog again.

[Rob_Cullen]

If I can intrude in the conversation and pick up on a couple of points in your post.

"and creating smart previews,"  You do NOT have to create Smart Previews yourself, neither when you import photos, nor prior to using the [Export as a Catalog] function. [Export as a Catalog] will automatically create the SPs it needs for the catalog you send to the editor.

"The file names are different".  What filenames? That should not occur, so something being done is upsetting the workflow. The smart Previews created by the Catalog export will have cryptic filenames like {4819548A-D567-4CB5-8E93-981C3EF79CD4.dng} that near no relationship to the original image filenames.

"When I open these catalogs, they are the smart previews, so low res.", As advised in other posts, you do not Open the shared catalog- You must [Import from another Catalog] to merge the editor's 'edits' back into your catalog (from which you made the Exported Catalog.)

See my notes on Client out-sourcing attached.