Place embedded/link does not retain Lightroom adjustments

[danl42831687]

Hi,

When I open an image from lightroom using Right click > Edit In >... It opens in PS with all the settings I applid to th DNG file.

When I try to open the same DNG from PS, using File > Place Link/Embedded The ACR pops up but with defualt settings, that is all the adjustments done earlier in LR or gone.

How can I Place Embedded/Link but retain all of LR adjustments?

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

To my great surprise, this actually works (both embedded and linked), it hasn't even occurred to me to do it this way 😉 The standard Edit in > open as smart object has sort of covered it.

The answer to your question is that Lightroom doesn't store adjustments in the file. It's all in the Lightroom catalog. So wen you go straight to the DNG to open it, you just get default settings.

What you need to do is "save metadata to file" from Lightroom. This writes all adjustments into the DNG file header, so it travels with the file.

In a standard "edit in", Lightroom passes the adjustments over to ACR as part of the running script.

[danl42831687]

My lightroom cattalog settings are set to "Automatically write chnages inot XMP". Shouldn't this save teh metadata?

[D Fosse]

It should. Does it keep Lr settings if you open from, say, Windows Explorer?

[D Fosse]

Just tested and it works here if I "save metadata to file". Then the Lightroom settings carry over to the Placed file.

I don't have the auto option enabled (nor do I intend to).

[danl42831687]

For some strange reason it it working now. As it used to be always...
I did not chnage any setting in LR, only opened the catalog settings to verify it was really writing metadata to file.

Perhaps it "rminded" it to do so...

[TheDigitalDog]

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@danl42831687 wrote:

My lightroom cattalog settings are set to "Automatically write chnages inot XMP". Shouldn't this save teh metadata?

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Yes, that option should also write XMP to the DNG. But not the proprietary raws which are treated as read only. 

[Conrad C]

I use the linked raw Smart Object workflow all the time, and it’s a little flaky sometimes, but mostly it works.

To get Lightroom Classic adjustments to Camera Raw, as already said, you do need to use the Save Metadata to File command to get the edits outside of the Lightroom Classic catalog where Camera Raw can see them. Normally, it should automatically update in Photoshop; if it doesn’t try choosing Layer > Smart Object > Update Modified Content.

Going the other way, if you ever make Camera Raw edits to the linked Smart Object and want them to show up back in Lightroom Classic, in the catalog you’ll want to select the raw/DNG file and use the Read Metadata from File command. Sometimes the image preview doesn’t update and you have to toggle back and forth between the two most recent History panel states in Lightroom Classic.