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Participant
November 15, 2018
Question

Can't edit in photoshop from lightroom CC classic

  • November 15, 2018
  • 8 replies
  • 29193 views

The "Edit in Photoshop" operation in Lightroom Classic CC no longer works correctly with the most recent update.  It doesn't matter if I say "Edit in Photoshop" or "Open as a smart object".

Photoshop starts up successfully, and also loads my photo (.CR2 or .DNG, I've tried both).  However, once I'm there nothing works.  All the image editing menu items are grayed out, and I can't actually make any edits.  Other weird things:  if I zoom in, the Ctrl-0 keyboard shortcut no longer works either.  I'm sure there are other wierdnesses as well.

If I open the files directly from photoshop I get the camera raw pop up, and then everything works normally.  It only goes bad when I edit from Lightroom.

My Lightroom build is 1193777.  My Photoshop is 20.0.1.

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    8 replies

    Mohit Goyal
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    July 7, 2023

    Hi all,

     

    We apologize for the challenges you're having trouble sending files from Lightroom Classic to Photoshop for further editing. Please refer to the troubleshooting article below, which offers solutions to address the following problems: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/troubleshoot-edit-in-errors.html?cgen=6JMR79DQ&mv=other

     

    1. The "Edit In" command is grayed out.
    2. The "Edit In Photoshop" command is missing.
    3. The "Edit In" command fails to open photos in Photoshop.

     

    We hope the suggested solutions in the article will assist in resolving the issue.

     

    Thanks,

    Mohit

    TJ Morrissey
    Participant
    August 11, 2023

    In LR-Classic 12.3 and higher I would have to select edit in Photoshop several times.  Several times PS would open and the file would not load. Finally after about 3 tries the file would open in PS.  The only solution I found was to uninstall ANY version of LR-Classic newer than 12.1.  12.1 and older work with all vesion of PS.  I am using the Strawberry Beta build for the Selective AI editing.

    Participating Frequently
    April 24, 2022

    "Edit in Photoshop" from Lightroom stopped working for me BUT when I "Open as Smart Object in Photoshop" the image does open in Photoshop.
    I hope this helps.

    Participating Frequently
    September 19, 2022

    yes same here.....it's annoying, I've tried all sorts to get it to work but to no avail.

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    September 19, 2022

    Be more specific:

    • What are the Photoshop/Lightroom version numbers (not "latest")?
    • Is the menu item grayed out/inaccessible, or is it there, just no response? Does ctrl+E work?
    • Do the files open in ACR, and from there into Photoshop on "open"?
    • Did this start out of the blue, or after an update? Sometimes, the script linking the two apps can break, usually after updating and deleting older versions (this can also break general file associations).

    Sometimes, reinstalling Photoshop then Lightroom can fix the connection.

    Participant
    July 30, 2021

    FEDBACK: Please do not mark a thread as SOLVED if it doesn't have the answers easily available and in lay man's terms and not a nother thread to click into and get lost in a rabbit hole. Also, everyone using Lightroom isn't a hardcore techie.

    SOLUTION that worked for me and might for some others too (I use the latest Windows OS on my laptop and my Adobe Apps are always up to date):

    Check if the drive you are editing off of is currently being read or not.

    If not, reconnect the drive and even if both LR and PS were already open, the menu options should now no longer be greyed out.

    Participant
    February 24, 2021

    Yes, it has helped. I had changed the name of the folder with the photos in Explorer and had to relocate it in LR !

    AZWeddingPhotographer.com
    Participant
    May 15, 2020

    Hello everyone,

    The reason why it will not let you edit it in Photoshop from Lightroom is because you most likely are working with the preview and not the original photo,

    Rightclick on the photo you are trying to edit in Photoshop, and click on "Show in Explorer". If it says that photo cannot be found...Point to the proper location of the photo, and it will load the original location in Lightroom.

    Then you should be able to edit it in Photoshop...hope this helps!

    Known Participant
    March 30, 2021

    No, that's not accurate. I never work on previews so it's not likely at all.

    Known Participant
    March 30, 2021

    And what does the ... More supposed to do on a post? I get a white oval and that's it even with a prolonged hover.

    KR Seals
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    November 18, 2018

    This post in the Photoshop Family forum discusses the issue in detail.

    Ken Seals - Nikon Z 9, Z 8, 14mm-800mm. Computer Win 11 Pro, I7-14700K, 64GB, RTX3070TI. Travel machine: 2021 MacBook Pro M1 MAX 64GB. All Adobe apps.
    donfink
    Participant
    November 19, 2018

    Thank You.

    donfink
    Participant
    November 18, 2018

    I have the same issue running on two Windows machines since the last update.

    I've not tried using a RAW file yet, but opening a JPEG, you have three options for editing in Photoshop:

    • Edit with Lightroom Adjustments
    • Edit a Copy
    • Edit the original.

    In my case, it works if I "Edit a Copy," or "Edit Original," but not "Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments."

    On both machines, Lightroom Classic and Photoshop are current, as is Windows 10.

    The work-around to open Photoshop first seems to work on my Windows machines too. Thanks Martin.

    Participant
    November 16, 2018

    I have the same problem however, if I go to the Adobe folder and launch photoshop.exe first then select photoshop to edit from lightroom then everything works correctly.

    DJMcCradyAuthor
    Participant
    November 16, 2018

    Thank you Martin.  At least that helps me workaround the problem.