Exporting from LR to PS issue.

So in LR, you can right click to send a photo to PS for editing... and if I've done any development to the image, it sends this developed image to PS....

I don't like this... I only want to edit the original image.

What I've done then, is I've made a virtual copy of the image, reset the developing on one of them and send THAT to PS. (and then I can copy the developing over to the edited photo when I'm done)

I hope this makes sense... But is there a way to always send the original raw image over with no development? (even if I HAVE tweaked the image?)

Thanks!

Dan Kearley wrote in post #17036297
So in LR, you can right click to send a photo to PS for
But is there a way to always send the original raw image over with no development? (even if I HAVE tweaked the image?)

There is no "Edit ORIGINAL in" that I know of.

There are probably at least a few "not too hard" alternatives though similar to your Virtual Copy work-around. One of the top of my head would be to just hit the reset button and do the Edit In. Then you can come back to the image in LR, move back a step in History and continue to work from you edited version from there.

Thanks Eyeball... that's at least a little better. I'll give it a try.

Maybe as I get better, I'll learn to edit in PS before I develop.

But why would you want to send the image to PS with none of your Adjustments from the RAW processor applied? It makes no sense. Remember that once you have sent the image to PS it is no longer a RAW image, it HAS to be converted to an RGB raster image (even if it has yet to get the actual RGB file created) in order for PS to be able to work on the file. It doesn't really matter which RAW processing program you use they all work pretty much the same way in this regard. First you apply all of your basic processing to the RAW file. Things like Colour (White) Balance, exposure and white/black point correction, curves corrections and the other similar tools. Depending on your RAW processing program you may also do some hue/saturation/luminan​ce corrections then add Noise Reduction and at least some input sharpening. Of course many modern RAW processors now also allow you to add in local corrections with brushes etc, as well as a certain amount of basic cloning work such as spot healing. All of this is done as parametric adjustments to the RAW file and are only applied to the image when it is exported from the RAW processor as an RGB Raster Image. At the point of export the you cease to be working with RAW data and are now working with a standard three colour per pixel image of whatever bit depth you have chosen for your export.

Now when specifically speaking about LR, when you call the Edit in Process what happens is that Photoshop is opened, and so is Adobe Camera Raw although you do not actually see the ACR interface. LR passes both the list of edits that it holds in it's database to ACR and ACR then generates a bitmap image in Photoshop in exactly the same way it would do if you had done the same edits in ACR and then opened it to Photoshop from ACR. So if you are adding no additional editing to the image (or creating a VC that is reset to default) then you simply get a bitmap (raster) image with only the default processing applied. Then when you hit save in Photoshop it then creates the chosen file type according to your preferences and imports it into the LR Catalogue next to the original RAW file.

If you are then trying to add back the corrections you made to the original RAW file to this RGB raster image you will get worse results than exporting it with the corrections, as you are no longer working with the original RAW data.

Alan

BigAl007; I understand your point... but to me, the curve treatments, etc, etc are things that may change down the road. I prefer to be able to revert to original when needed.

Spot healing, etc are very permanent edits on the other hand.

Dan Kearley wrote in post #17036297
But is there a way to always send the original raw image over with no development?

Thanks!

Open it in bridge instead of lightroom. Opens in ACR,dont do any except basic corrections and send it straight to PS.

I could also use a flat import setting with LR and only develop once PS work is done.

Huge +1 to what Big Al said. You should always do as much of your editing on the RAW file before it gets converted to another format. Then open in PS and do things like spot healing on a separate layer.

Everything that can be done in RAW should be done in RAW. There's a lot more data to work with, and you'll get better image quality. Major stuff like exposure, color temperature, etc, should definitely be done - ie the basics. I've never made major changes after I've moved from RAW to PSD. If you do you should probably either rethink your workflow, or just do what won't change in raw before sending to PS.

I could be mistaken but it sounds like 'smart objects' in photoshop will give you what you're after (I just started playing with smart objects a few weeks ago so I'm nowhere near an expert on all of its capabilities yet). When you import an image as a smart object you can go back and do changes (in LR for instance) and the changes will automatically be applied within photoshop. There are restrictions though, you can't use a healing brush or any other pixel manipulation on a smart object until you 'rastorize' it (which will lock in your LR edits).

Maybe I need to rethink my workflow here.

So what if I wanted to experiment with split-toning or curve treatments, etc?

I normally want to leave these types of edits 'live' in LR.

You can do curves and split tones in LR, and you can undo them too. It's much easier than doing it in PS.

But you can't undo them after you've sent the file to PS and back. That's my issue.

You could potentially use the smart object, as described above.

Or, do all your Photoshop work on adjustment layers. When you want to change the original source image (including raw edits), you'll make a Virtual Copy, do all your new edits, export to Photoshop, and drag it over to replace the Background of your first edit. Or to a layer immediately above your first Background. Then all your adjustment layers will affect that fresh copy of the lightroom-raw-edited image.
(been a long day, hope I'm explaining that right)