LRC to Photoshop .CR3 files opening incorrectly

[Stuart-L]

When opening .CR3 file from within LRC and sending it to Photoshop it bypasses the Raw convertor opening straight into Photoshop. 
I have checked I have latest Raw update, latest LRC and latest PS. 
If I go to the file on the hard drive and open straight to Photoshop it does open the raw convert option.
Any suggestions what I am missing?

[D Fosse]

This is how it's supposed to work.

When opening from LrC, the settings are transferred to ACR which opens it silently into Photoshop. There is no reason to show the ACR interface. The settings are already made in LrC.

Remember that LrC and ACR are identical. They share the same processing engine.

[Stuart-L]

But when sending a photo across how does it know for example what exposure\contrast\White Balance etc. I want to apply to a specific image?

[D Fosse]

You have already made those settings in Lightroom. Those are the settings ACR will use to open the image into Photoshop.

[Stuart-L]

Will have to investigate further in LRC as I am not aware of making any Raw adjustments in LRC, the files imported straight from SD card into LRC then right click image and choose send to Photoshop, I have not made any adjustments to the raw file.

[D Fosse]

You're missing a big part of how this works.

You process your images fully in Lightroom. That's where you do everything you need to do to the raw file, before sending it to Photoshop!

Lightroom and the Camera Raw plugin (ACR) have exactly the same raw processing engine built in. They have exactly the same sliders and controls. So when you have done all that in Lightroom, those settings are passed on to ACR along with the file.

So there is absolutely no need for the ACR interface. It's all done at this point, and the file opens into Photoshop with the settings you made in Lightroom.

(EDIT - I'm assuming you open the file in the standard way, no smart objects. Just plain "Edit in Photoshop". Smart objects add another layer to the process where you can reopen the original raw file back into ACR. Just keeping it simple for now so we don't confuse the issue unnecessarily.)

[Conrad_C]

But when sending a photo across how does it know for example what exposure\contrast\White Balance etc. I want to apply to a specific image?…

…Will have to investigate further in LRC as I am not aware of making any Raw adjustments in LRC, the files imported straight from SD card into LRC then right click image and choose send to Photoshop, I have not made any adjustments to the raw file.

By @Stuart-L

Knowing how this works helps you understand the whole process. When you import raw images into Lightroom Classic, this is what actually happens:

1. On import, Lightroom Classic applies raw defaults. This is important: You haven’t made any manual edits, but, certain settings are always applied on import. If you haven’t changed the defaults, the Adobe defaults are applied. If you chose to customize the raw defaults, Lightroom Classic applies those. So even before you start working on the images, certain settings are applied at import anyway.

2. When you send an image from Lightroom Classic to Photoshop, what happens differs depending on how you send it. Photoshop cannot open a raw file on its own, so something has to convert a raw file to a Photoshop document before Photoshop can accept and open it.

• If you choose the command Photo > Edit In > Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic uses the current Develop module settings to convert the file from raw to RGB (using its own embedded Camera Raw engine), and sends that to Photoshop. So Photoshop receives a document that’s already been converted out of raw using Lightroom Classic edits, and opens it. Because Lightroom Classic already did the raw-to-RGB conversion on the way out, no further conversion is needed, so Camera Raw is skipped and Photoshop accepts and opens the non-raw file. 
• If you open a raw file straight into Photoshop (e.g. from the desktop or from Adobe Bridge), Photoshop can’t take that raw file as it is, so it asks Camera Raw to convert it first. Camera Raw opens, you have an opportunity to change whatever the current settings are, and when you click Open, Camera Raw finishes the conversion, and Photoshop happily receives the converted non-raw Photoshop document. 

If the raw image isn’t accompanied by an XMP sidecar file, Camera Raw opens the image at default raw settings. 

If an XMP sidecar file does exist for the image, Camera Raw picks that up and applies those settings. 

When you open a raw file directly into Camera Raw, there are some additional wrinkles if you worked on it in Lightroom Classic. Camera Raw looks for raw edits in XMP sidecar files and not in any Lightroom Classic catalog, so if you want Lightroom Classic edits to appear in Photoshop when you open the raw file into Photoshop directly (not from Lightroom Classic), you must use these steps to have Lightroom Classic write out its edits to an XMP sidecar file: 

1. Open the Lightroom Classic catalog containing the image already edited the way you want it to be handed to Photoshop. 

2. Select the raw image and (Library module) choose Metadata > Save Metadata to File or (Develop module) choose Photo > Save Metadata to File. This writes out the Lightroom Classic edits to an XMP sidecar file. 

Now that the raw image’s XMP sidecar file contains current Lightroom Classic edits, you can now open it directly through Camera Raw into Photoshop and it will have the settings it had in Lightroom Classic. 

It’s kind of crazy and confusing, but once you become familiar with the different ways edits transfer to Photoshop, you can predict and control how you need the image to be passed on to Photoshop.

[D Fosse]

If you choose the command Photo > Edit In > Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic uses the current Develop module settings to convert the file from raw to RGB (using its own embedded Camera Raw engine), and sends that to Photoshop.

By @Conrad_C

Actually, it's always been my understanding that ACR is opening the file into Photoshop silently, using the settings passed on from LrC.

LrC can process the file fully and then send RGB to Photoshop if necessary (e.g. version inconsistency) - but letting ACR do it is faster and more efficient.

Not that any of this matters in practice, this is all invisible to the user and the end result is exactly the same.

[Stuart-L]

I was looking LRC for this option but not in my list as shown here

[Conrad_C]

I was looking LRC for this option but not in my list as shown here

By @Stuart-L

We’ve talked about multiple options, so when you say “this option” which one do you mean is missing? I see the command Edit in Adobe Photoshop on that submenu, and also Open As Smart Object in Photoshop.

[Conrad_C]

If you choose the command Photo > Edit In > Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic uses the current Develop module settings to convert the file from raw to RGB (using its own embedded Camera Raw engine), and sends that to Photoshop.

By @Conrad_C

Actually, it's always been my understanding that ACR is opening the file into Photoshop silently, using the settings passed on from LrC.

By @D Fosse

I took another look at this and I think you’re probably correct.

[Stuart-L]

There is no option to Edit in LRC from the Library. I am assuming that there is somewhere in LRC I can apply some raw edits on all images, However. As a means to avoiding over exposing I usually shoot with 1 stop under and if this was not needed then this preset will not be needed thus I would normally correct in  raw before opening in Photoshop

[D Fosse]

OK, let's take this from the beginning. You need to be in the Lightroom Develop module, you do have that? Not the Library module.

[Stuart-L]

I cannot see a develop module, there is a task panel on the right marked Quick Develop but this has very few options to alter the image as you would have in Photoshop Raw.

[Conrad_C]

I cannot see a develop module, there is a task panel on the right marked Quick Develop but this has very few options to alter the image as you would have in Photoshop Raw.

By @Stuart-L

Here is what it looks like in a normal Lightroom Classic 14 installation. 

You can Edit in Photoshop from the Library or Develop modules. 

Below is what it looks like in the Library module. The command to send to Photoshop is Photo > Edit In > Edit in Photoshop, as shown.

Below is what it looks like in the Develop module. The command is the same as in the Library module. In addition, the Develop module is the same as Adobe Camera Raw, with raw editing controls all the way down the right panel stack.

Does your screen look different than those pictures? If so, some modules or panels might be hidden. You can show or hide any modules using the commands on the Window menu, and you can show or hide any panels using the commands on the View > Panels submenu.

Tip: You can actually send an image to Photoshop when in any module, if the filmstrip or grid is also open. Right-click the image in the filmstrip or grid, and choose Edit In > Edit In Photoshop. If you’re on a Mac and right-click isn’t enabled, Control-click the image instead.

[Stuart-L]

Ah thank you I hadn't noticed that the toolbar with the Develop option was hidden and it is so feint I struggled to notice the drop down arrow to expand this to see the Develop Module as circled in this screenshot.

Now I have found it and can see the raw editing options I feel I can move forward and understand LRC better. Thank you