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berliner_ffm
berliner_ffm
Inspiring
May 3, 2023
Open for Voting

P: Allow for overwrite in Multi-Batch-Exporting

  • May 3, 2023
  • 7 replies
  • 924 views

Currently in each export template there is a setting, that existing files should be overwritten without warning.

This works fine. 

However, if multiple export templates are selected, this option is ignored and instead copies with a suffix are saved. 

Please allow for an option to also allow overwriting existing files in Multi-Batch-Export.

    7 replies

    E
    ebkhuner
    Participant
    August 1, 2025

    The missing Overwrite option is a problem.  The work-arounds are cumbersome and error prone.  On the other hand, overwriting (deleting) existing files could be even worse. 

     

    However, the team has left in a "worst case" scenario: Spot Removal on one image is applied to all selected files.  (either in real time or when copying settings)

    E
    ebkhuner
    Participant
    August 1, 2025

    Library/Export/Batch:

     

    Idea: Allow presets to have the options:  overwrite / skip / rename

     

    I had no idea that export was going to rename (dupicate) files.   So, when I saw the oddly named files, I deleted them thinking they were created by mistake.  This means that when I uploaded "new" files to my website, I was actually the OLD files.

     

    The current workaround is to Batch Export; delete all the duplicate old files; rename the newly exported files. Very time consuming, Very easy to delete new file or rename to wrong filename.

     

    Another clumsy workaround is to export them to a utilty folder, then move newly exported files to the desired location, allowing REPLACE.  

    M
    MyoDest
    Participating Frequently
    April 4, 2025

    Even if the Overwrite part of this "bug" is by design, which is wrong because you are giving user a choice in step 1 of a process and then ignoring it in step 2, there is the second part where the custom naming scheme gets duplicated. Should I create a new Bug report just for the naming scheme to be taken into consideration?

    Also I would set up an Idea for the Overwrite WITHOUT WARNING setting to be elevated to the second part of the Multi Preset Export Process where you can set custom text for each preset before runing the export. This could be the user selected confirmation that they are aware files are going to be overwritten without warning.

    M
    MyoDest
    Participating Frequently
    April 3, 2025

    I found a rather inconsistent behaviour when exporting photos with multiple presets at once and expect them to be overwritten as per preset settings.

    The scenario: You have a set of photos with individual Copy Name filled out. You want to export them with multiple presets at once. Each preset has its own target folder and own file naming scheme that is based on Copy Name and additional custom text based on preset. Each preset has OVERWRITE WITHOUT WARNING set.

    If you use each preset by itself (not using the checkbox by the preset name) multiple times on the same set of photos, they will be overwritten correctly each time.

    If you use multiple presets (or even a single preset) by selecting them with checkboxes and run them multiple times on the same set of photos, then the files won't be overwritten, but each new export would stack their respective Copy Name and Custom Text and add it to the new file.

    Example: 
    File Name - IMG001.cr3
    Copy Name - test
    Custom Text (in Export Preset) - preset
    Naming scheme - {File Name}{Copy Name}{Custom Text}

    Single preset export result: IMG001-test-preset.jpg
    Multi preset export result after 2nd run: IMG001-test-preset-test preset-2.jpg
    Multi preset export result after 3rd run: IMG001-test-preset-test preset-3.jpg
    (notice there is a missing dash between second iteration of Copy Name and Custom test in 2nd and 3rd multi preset export)

    This is a major problem when exporting large sets of photos that need to be tweeked multiple times to achieve a certain effect and exported each time with multiple presets.

    M
    MyoDest
    Participating Frequently
    April 3, 2025

    Sorry, forgot to include OS and LR versions

    Lightroom Classic 14.2
    Windows 11 24H2

    johnrellis
    johnrellis
    Legend
    April 3, 2025

    This was previously reported as a bug, and the product team inexplicably declared the current behavior "as-designed" (not a bug), without providing any rationale why Overwrite Without Warning is ignored. Without such a rationale, I'm skeptical that this behavior was intended by the original product manager.

     

    I haven't seen any workaround posted, unfortunately, other than to run each preset's export separately.

    Rikk Flohr_Photography
    Community Manager
    Rikk Flohr_PhotographyCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    May 4, 2023

    I agree, this feels more like a bug to me. I've filed it with the team. Thanks for the report!

     

    The team has reviewed this and determined the current behavior is as-designed. I am moving this from Bugs back to Discussions.  

    Comments from the team: "This was deliberately decided this way to avoid unwarranted overwriting of exported files by LrC."

    Rikk Flohr: Adobe Photography Org
      berliner_ffm
      berliner_ffmAuthor
      Inspiring
      June 19, 2023

      @Rikk Flohr: Photography Would you mind putting this back into ideas then?

      As a user I would prefer to decide myself if files are overwritten or not. Right now this decision is taken away from me, once a want to use the batch export whereas it is possible in normal export.

        johnrellis
        johnrellis
        Legend
        May 3, 2023

        @Rikk Flohr: Photography, please consider moving this into Bugs -- see the recipe above.

        johnrellis
        johnrellis
        Legend
        May 3, 2023

        I see the same behavior. Seems like a bug to me.  To reproduce:

         

        1. Create two export presets, Test 1 and Test 2, with these settings:

         

        2. Select a single photo.

         

        3. Do File > Export, select presets Test 1 and Test, and click Batch Export.

         

        4. Observe that <file>.jpg and <file>-Test 2.jpg are created in Desktop, rather than just <file>.jpg, even though both presets have the option Overwrite WITHOUT WARNING.

         

        S
        sheldong26810370
        Known Participant
        June 18, 2025

        Version 14.4

        I just noticed that if I export in the batch mode and some of the files are already in the destnation folder it ignores "Existing File" setting.  For both presets it's set to "Ask What To Do".   It ignores this setting and just add "-2" to the file name.  In non-batch mode it works as expected.  Never noticed this prior to the upgrade to 14.4.  Is this normal or?

        johnrellis
        johnrellis
        Legend
        June 18, 2025

        Adobe has said this is "by design", though they haven't provided a sensible explanation of the design rationale:

        https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/p-allow-for-overwrite-in-multi-batch-exporting/idc-p/13769635

         

         

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