LR edit-in-PS results in massive resolution reduction

[TrainWhistful]

I've seen other posts dancing around this issue, but not one that address my bug directly.

Here is my process- using a sample file

After taking the pictures with my camera I

  import them directly into LR

     DSC_2574.nef @ 8256x5504

  I edit as normal (including crop, but this photo had no crop)

  I tap Export -> Edit in PS

  PS opens up with the picture

    DSC_2574-Edit.psd @ 2560 x 1707

  I do my edit (add transparancy, etc, but not important to this bug)

  I send the photo back to LR

    DSC_2574-Edit.psd @ 2560 x1707

I've read some posts abnout having the full res photo in the cloud, and not just the smart preview

The full res file is on the ipad, in the LR catalog

It is in a sync'd collection

The collection is sync'd to LRC

LRC know has the full res photo, as referenced by both LRC and the Windows File exporer.

Also, just for completion, I have "store locally" checked on the collection

On LR, tapping the cloud icon shows

  Local-Smart Preview   Cloud Smart-preview

The edit shows

  Local Original-PSD  cloud Original-PSD

I further tested by removing the large file from the file system and LRC catalog (to remove the smart preview) - the photo disappeared from LR

Reimporting the file (and adding it back to a sync'd collection) the file reappeared in LR

The PS resolution problem remained as described above.

I see nothing in settings as a workaround

Edit to PS works correctly is LRC (via TIFF).

This loss of quality is unaceptable for a final product.  This (as well as few other annoyances) prevent me from editing on the road.

[JohanElzenga]

If the image comes back as 2560 pixels then you have almost certainly sent a smart preview to Photoshop, because 2560 pixels is the size of a smart preview. So look at all your settings to see where this is happening. Did the image get synced up from Lightroom Classic perhaps? That would explain it. I just checked it on my iPad. If I sent a full res image (directly imported on the iPad, not synced to the cloud) from Lightroom mobile to Photoshop mobile, the full res image arrives in Photoshop just like it should.

[TrainWhistful]

I've looked all through the settings.  Can you provide the setting you are refereencing?

Yes, I've tested from LR to LRC and from LRC to LR.  The full image is on the ipad and is able to replicate to LRC.  I have local storage turned on in LR also, so that should pull the full image.

[JohanElzenga]

I'm not referring to a particular setting, but originals are usually off-loaded to the cloud and replaced by a smart preview on the iPad. That is a setting in App settings - Cloud Storage & Sync. I believe that sending such an image to Photoshop should trigger the iPad to download the original again, but if that is not possible (for example because sync is paused) then I assume the smart preview is sent to Photoshop. At least, judging from the size you reported, that seems to have happened in your case.

If the image was first synced up from Lightroom Classic, then that is what will always happen because there won't be an original in the cloud. It is important to understand that you will not always clearly see this. Here's a screenshot that seems to suggest that this is an original raw file. However, this is an image that was synced from Lightroom Classic, so it is not. It's a smart preview. You can reveal that by a two-finger tap on the image.

Lightroom mobile seems to suggest that this is an original

But now you can see it is actually a smart previews!

[TrainWhistful]

The setting “only download reduced resolution” Is unchecked
The setting “download originals when using AI tools” Is checked
The setting “use celluar for sync” is checked and I have good connection
The setting “store locally” is checked on the collection and I watched the
download.

Original files were imported directly to LR


The original is in the cloud because I can verify the file on the other end
and on the web.

I see no settings for the behavior you suggest. This happens to all my
files in the collection - size varies but is always about 25% quality. I
can accept this is the smart preview. Furthermore I this the PS export is
silently using the default export option - smallest dimension / smart
preview. I changed this also to large and it did not resolve my problem.

However from LR to PS for a photographer should ALWAYS be full resolution -
if there if something I can’t do in LR and need PS, it is always for fine
detail in the raster work- these are not vector files. What I don’t
understand is why there is no “force sync” capability that allows more
control over previews. This bug is forcing me to 100ppi when I need
300ppi; I only noticed this later by accident in my workflow - LR is too
silent and too restrictive on this.

For the moment, I have to abandon LR and go outside LRC and open
files directly in PS, and the reimport them into LRC.

[JohanElzenga]

"The original is in the cloud because I can verify the file on the other end and on the web."

What exactly do you mean with 'the other end' and how do you check this on the web? Below is a screenshot of the same photo I showed in my previous message, now seen in Lightroom web. Again, the info seems to suggest that this is an original raw file, but it is not. This image was synced up to the cloud from Lightroom Classic, so there is only a smart preview in the cloud. Lightroom web seems to suggest otherwise however, so it's easy to come to the wrong conclusion.

I'm sorry if I seem to doubt the information your are giving, but you mention Lightroom Classic as well and everything you report suggests that somehow the image was uploaded (perhaps removed and then re-uploaded inadvertently) from Lightroom Classic. Can you post the same screenshot as my second screenshot (the one showing the image details in the upper left corner) of one of your misbehaving images? That should prove without any doubt whether you have an original on your iPad or a smart preview.

[TrainWhistful]

Attached are a few screenshots of what I described.  Yes I see the smart preview.  But also everything set to have full images.

yes, I've had LRC supply a photo to the cloud.  However I started this process on LR.  I just tested another image - imported into LR and sent to PS- correctly.

Regardless, this is a stark deficientcy for the mobile app.  This lack of control /bug prohibits editing in my spare time, and for me, one of two reasons to use LR - the other I can easily migrate to another app.

[JohanElzenga · Accepted solution]

You only have smart previews in the cloud, period. Like I explained and demonstrated already, Lightroom mobile shows the properties of the original files when you tap the "i" button, but that does not mean it's the original image. It simply tells you what the smart preview relates to. What you see in Photoshop is completely as expected. If Lightroom only has a smart preview, then it can only sent a smart preview sized image to Photoshop.

There are two scenerarios that will leave you with only smart previews in the cloud. I think you may have (inadvertently) used one or even both:

1: If you import the images in Lightroom Classic, and then sync them up to the cloud by placing them in a synced collection, they will be synced as smart previews. Lightroom Classic never syncs up originals.

2: If you import images directly into Lightroom on the iPad, by connecting your camera to the iPad or using a card reader on the iPad, then you will initially have originals on the iPad. These originals sync up to the cloud, and then down into Lightroom Classic. Here's where it could then go wrong: if you unsync these images in Lightroom Classic for some reason, they will be deleted from the cloud. If you realise that wasn't what you wanted and enable sync again, then you have changed this scenario to scenario 1: you are syncing up these images again from Lightroom Classic, so they will be synced as smart previews.

Conclusion:

There is no bug, everything is as expected. You only need to be careful with your sync workflow, because if you imported images directly in the iPad, then apparently you have (unintentionally) replaced these full size images in the cloud by smart previews at some point, by resyncing them from Lightroom Classic.

[TrainWhistful]

Ok,  that is ... unfortunate.  Can a "store original in cloud" option be added to LRC for sync'd collections?

Thank you for explanation.  This last post will help countloess others in google searches.

[JohanElzenga]

Ok,  that is ... unfortunate.  Can a "store original in cloud" option be added to LRC for sync'd collections?

Thank you for explanation.  This last post will help countloess others in google searches.

By @TrainWhistful

That is a popular feature request, but it is very unlikely that Adobe will do this. When the Lightroom ecosystem was introduced, Adobe said that while Lightroom Classic would keep its existing sync options, there would not be any new sync options. They have kept this promise for 8 years now, so I think the chance they'll change their minds is zero.

P.S. If you want to import images on your computer rather than your iPad, and still want originals in the cloud, then import them into Lightroom desktop, not Lightroom Classic. Those images will sync the same way as images imported on the iPad.