How to modify a file in photoshop without affecting lightroom settings

[DaBe]

Here is a workflow rundown.
I have a batch of files that I imported into lightroom (straightening), edited in Photoshop (background removal), and made some final adjustments to in Lightroom (colour).
My initial process for background removal included the manual inclusion of a pure white background (as per client request), now the clients wants a transparent background. How do I make a modification in Photoshop without affecting the final lightroom settings?

If I open the original or a copy of the original, I don't get any lightroom adjustments in photoshop and the act of turning off the white layer and saving will automatically revert the lightroom settings to nothing; as you know opening the "copy with lightroom adjustments" flattens the whole image defeating the purpose. I tried saving the lightroom metadata to the file with ctrl+S to no avail.

Does anyone have any idea on how to solve this problem?

I hope I clearly laid out the issue,
Thank you.

[Rob_Cullen · Accepted solution]

Assuming Lightroom-CLASSIC, (we are in the Lightroom forum).

I will try an explanation for Lightroom-CLASSIC-

1) Your camera file is the "Camera Original"

2) You do some editing in Lightroom (Lr-Session #1)

3) When you [Edit-in Photoshop]  (Ps-Session #1) the file that is created is the "Photoshop ORIGINAL" (ie. a new PSD/TIF layered original)

4) Now when you do more editing on this "Photoshop ORIGINAL" in Lightroom  (Lr-Session #2) you are adding more 'text only' data to the editing history in the Lightroom Catalog.

5) If you take this Ps image back to Photoshop (for Ps-Session #2) you must select the [Edit Original] ** in the dialog that appears. (any option to include Lightroom Adjustements will flatten the Ps file and destroy layers, etc)

6) After (Ps-Session #2) you [Save] the Photoshop image, and back in Lightroom you may see the (Lr-Session #2) edits re-appear * on the Photoshop file.

*Note: if the (Lr-Session #2) edits do not automatically re-appear- in the Develop History panel you can click on the very last (top) adjustment in History, and this would restore the (Lr-Session #2) edits. (My desktop DOES automatically. My Laptop does NOT!!!- difference un-explained)

**Note: Selecting [Edit a Copy] does not allow restoring Lr edits. (it has no 'History'!)

So in Summary- Always [Edit Original], and select last History step back in Lr Develop.

[DaBe]

Hi Wobert,
sorry for the late reply. Yes, I am talking about Lightroom Classic.
The workflow that you explained is absolutely the correct one and is the one I was using myself.
Unfortunately, the key modification I was trying to make in Photoshop was to remove a white background and leave the transparency underneath. As it turns out just saving the tiffs does not seem to impart the transparency to the file, I would go back to Lightroom, export the image and I would still see the white background I had removed in Photoshop, hence the confusion.

In addition, the inconsistency in the Lightroom adjustments being visible when I got back into Lightroom from Photoshop aided to the confusion and I thought that the problem resided in the Lightroom side.
If I "Save As" in Photoshop and check the "preserve transparency" box, it transfers to Lightroom and everything is fine.
I would have thought that the transparency would have been saved by default, but unless I have some weird setting, I guess that would be the way to work around it.

Thank you for your reply.