Photoshop 26.8 doesnt save masks into xml

[domb30487154]

Hello, I think that title itself describes my problem the most - Camera Raw in Adobe PS 2025 on M4 Mac Mini with Mac OS Sequoia 15.3.1 didnt save some of the masks in CR2 RAWs from 5D Mark 4 I was working on. I tried it on different files from different cameras and it hapenned again. I have my PS installed on external SSD, files were located on the internal SSD. There is no bug report or anything like that, masks just dissapear after opening the raw / closing Camera Raw and saving xmls. The xmls are saved, issue isnt xml not being saved, but just random masks dissapearing. The external SSD has about 3000MB/s write and read speed, so speed should not be an issue. 

Thanks. 

[melissapiccone]

I don't why the masks aren't being saved, but you absolutely should NOT have Photoshop saved on an external SSD! You always want to run your apps on your internal drive. 

[domb30487154]

Thanks for the answer. May I ask you what exactly may be the issue? I knew this was think like 15 years ago with Windows computers, I thought that SSD fast enough that people install whole MacOS on it (its faster than internal storage...) should be enough in 2025. Im bit confused why Adobe allows this option if it isnt recommended and optimilased. I also heard about many people doing the same thing without any problems, I even installed many other apps (Rhino, Blender, Cinema etc..) and few games on the external SSD without any issues, so I hoped there is any other solution than using internal SSD, but thanks anyway. In case I install whole MacOS on the external SSD, it should be ok, right? The issue is Photoshop not being on same disk as system? 

[melissapiccone]

Performance issues, cables might not be fast enough. I don't know all the specifics but it's still, definitely a thing. Use your external drive as a scratch disk. I wouldn't install the OS on an external, either - what if something happens to it? You want the main bits local, files can be on the external. 

[domb30487154]

Thanks, I'd ofc run backup OS on internal drive as well, but none of that matters, because the issue isnt probably cause by the external SSD but PS and Camera Raw themselves. I deleted PS from external drive, installed it on internal SSD and ran into same issue, out of 16 photos, all were on internal SSD as well, 4 were missing masks after closing Camera Raw. 

[domb30487154]

Well, the issue is much bigger than I thought. I cant save any masks at all to some files. I tried older versions of Photoshop and nothing helps. Is there anything that can asap solve this issue? I have few deadlines this week, I already lost about 10 hours trying to solve this and I'm basically unable to work... 

[melissapiccone]

I guess I'm not clear on what you are trying to accompish. ACR creates masks and they are in the file - you can only access them in Lightroom or ACR - there is no way to export them or use them in Photoshop. 

[Conrad_C]

Melissa makes a very good point here, so in case this was missed you should be aware that if you make masks in Camera Raw, how you can use them in Photoshop depends on your Camera Raw to Photoshop workflow:

If you Open from Camera Raw to Photoshop, what you see in Photoshop is the result of the mask applied to what Camera Raw hands to Photoshop: Like all other Camera Raw edits, they’re flattened into the document handed to Photoshop. They’re applied, but no longer editable.

If you Open as Object from Camera Raw to Photoshop (or if you place the raw file into Photoshop as a Smart Object), then in Photoshop you can open the Smart Object layer and edit Camera Raw settings, including Camera Raw masks.

In neither case will the Camera Raw masks be visible in the Layers panel of Photoshop. Camera Raw masks can be edited in Camera Raw only.

How are you using the Camera Raw files in Photoshop? As flat layers (where you can’t get at the ACR masks), or as raw Smart Objects (where you can)?

[domb30487154]

I may have been bit unclear with describing my problem - I'm used to call ACR in PS just PS and overall talk about them as one thing. I replied to Conrad's new message where I made it clear. Sry for confusion and thanks for your time:) 

[Conrad_C]

Traditional metadata is saved into the .XMP sidecar files.

How masks are saved depends on what kinds of masks they are. If they’re simpler masks, they might also be recorded in the .XMP sidecar file. But if they’re the newer AI masks, those computed results are stored in the newer .ACR sidecar files.

Either way, the appropriate .XMP and (if needed) .ACR sidecar files should be created or updated when you do any of the following in Camera Raw:

• Click Done
• Click Open or any form of Open (such as Open Copy, Open as Object)
• Click the Image Settings (…) icon, and choose the command Export Settings to XMP

If they don’t, I don’t know why they would fail to save. Except that they certainly won’t be created/updated if you click Cancel.

[domb30487154]

Hello, I'll reply to both of your messages under this one:) I had graduation, so I wasnt able to reply yesterday. I also may have not been clear with describing my problem, sorry - I used term PS while refering to ACR plugin launched in Photoshop. 

My workflow is quite simple, i open CR2 RAWs in ACR in Photoshop, sometimes i use Bridge to sort and open them, sometimes i drag them straight from Finder. I usually edit the RAWs in multiple sessions - open them in ACR in PS, edit them a bit and and click "Done" to save edits to XMP, sometimes I open them in PS to export preview, when I do so, I do it as flat objects, since I only do retouches and small adjustments of perspective etc.. 

The problem with masks isn't that i cant see them as layers or anyhow else in Photoshop, the problem is that I create simple masks in ACR in Photoshop (brushes, gradients, i dont use AI masks that much and the problem is mainly with simple masks), then click on Done or any form of Open as.. in PS, but the masks doesnt save into XMP file. The XMP file itself is updated while i click on Done or Open, I checked the times when it was last saved, but when I open the RAW photo in ACR in PS, some of the masks are missing. If I open the photo in PS as object, the edits done by masks are visible, I can save it with them being visible, but I cant edit the masks in RAW, since they are missing. Basically your last sentence, but without me clicking on Cancel.