With the split between XMP and ACR sidcar files in Lightroom 15, it creates an extreme mess for people that have to rename files after the fact and don't use catalogs. I prefer to just keep my photos in their own directories, then just move them to a NAS for storage since I won't need them at all anytime soon, so there is no need to use the lightroom catalog.
Since I don't use AI in every photo, the few that I do now have an extra sidecar file. When I batch rename all the XMP and RAW files after i'm done editing, now the issue is the few ACR files that are made, and figuring out where do they actually belong since I can't batch rename and include them (I use an external batch rename program to just drag and drop all the files and have it auto number and rename all the files).
So now I have to copy the photos with ACR files in a separate directory, batch rename everything and then manually go through the thumbnails to see which photo matches up and the new name I should rename the ACR file to. It's not too terrible if I have 5 or 6 photos I used AI editing on, but it's a lot of extra steps and work that wasn't needed when everything was in one XMP file.
I would love to see a toggle to force Lightroom to go back to JUST XMP files no matter what, for people like me that would prefer it. Maybe a sub toggle under "Automatically Write Changes Into XMP" that appears when you select it that says "Sidecar Selections" and a menu that defaults to both XMP and ACR and a second option that is just XMP. That way it defaults to the new way, and if people want, they can select the old way.
Only other option I can think of is batch faking some AI edits to every other file; does anyone have good ideas on what to do that's the least destructive? I am thinking maybe Denoise Level 1?
2
Replies
AdChoices