smart object not saving black and white setting

[bernardwerner]

PS 19.1.4 / ACR 10.3.0.9.33 running on iMac High Sierra 10.13.4 with 32 gb

I am editing images I created just a month ago with  PS 19.1.3 / ACR 10.3.0.9.33 which still created settings files of about 3kb. The XMP file shows:

   crs:ConvertToGrayscale="True"

   crs:ToneCurveName2012="Linear"

   crs:CameraProfile="Adobe Standard"

In PS when I edit the PSD file smart object and go back into ACR, the black and white image is in color with settings of Color / Adobe Color. When I click on the Black & White radio button the profile changes to Adobe Monochrome which has 4-6 points lighter tonality than the original image which is significant when doing b&w. I have to manually reload the XMP file that I had saved from the initial edit to get the right tonality and the setting Black & White / Adobe Standard B&W.

Why isn't ACR correctly reading the original XMP settings stored in the PSD file's Smart Object?

[bernardwerner]

Correction: the versions of ACR (and corresponding PS) where the XMP settings are not being read are version 10.0 / process version 10.0 and any and all earlier versions.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Could you please post a screenshot taken of the file in Photoshop at View > 100% and with the pertinent Panels (Layers, Channels, Options Bar, …) visible?

[bernardwerner]

This is the saved original from a prior editing session (Version=10.0 / Process Version=10.0) in PS:

When I double click on the smart object to edit it further, the color version and not B&W shows:

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Well, those screenshots are clipped to be fairly close to useless, but according to the Smart Object’s icon in the Photoshop Layers Panel that’s an embedded Smart Object so it has no connection to an external file and what is open in Lightroom I can’t tell.

Edit: Sorry, I had misunderstood the issue … but the screenshots should still include all pertinent elements.

[davescm]

Hi

I've just tried here embedding a smart object containing a Camera Raw file processed to black and white in 2016 using a previous version of camera raw (whatever was current in 2016)

Double clicking the SO opens the current version of camera raw (10.3) with those old settings and profile intact i.e. still B&W

I added smart filters to see if that made any difference - it did not.

I am using PS 19.1.4 and Camera Raw 10.3 on Windows 10 so it would be good if someone using a Mac could replicate the same test.

Dave

[bernardwerner]

Since I'm having problems with the color files as well and the issue is not repeatable by others (so far), It sounds like time to uninstall and reinstall....

Thanks davescm for trying to replicate.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Probably no use but what happens when you use Layer > Smart Objects > Export Contents?

Is the resulting file missing the RAW adjustments, too?

[bernardwerner]

I reinstalled both Bridge and PS (and ACR by default). Unfortunately the same behavior persists. Exporting the contents as c.pfaffenbichler suggested results in what appears to be the original NEF file with raw defaults since there is no associated XMP file.

I changed the Camera Raw Default settings (first 2) and turned off the graphics processor as well without any changes in behavior.

Is there any utility that can look at a PSD file and analyze whether it is damaged and how? I've got a whole bunch of these.... (thousands)

[bernardwerner]

In saving my various presets and actions for another reinstall, this time initializing all settings, I found some strangeness as to how PS was working.

I'm chasing down the possibility that PS got confused during its installation. Using Sierra, I updated to PS 19.1.3 . After doing some testing, a few days later I upgraded to High Sierra in a new partition, keeping the original Sierra partition. I used Time Machine to load the old Sierra system into the new partition and then upgraded there to High Sierra.

New actions that I have created since then were being still saved to the old Sierra partition. Somehow PS is accessing some old stuff.

I plan on deleting my user library Adobe Application Support files in both partitions and reinstalling completely fresh to see what happens.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Just a stab in the dark: Have you tried foregoing the XMP files by changing the »Save image settings in« setting?

[bernardwerner]

The issue is with the old PSD files. Once a current PSD file is saved, it is being interpreted correctly as a B&W.

In any event, Even with a clean install, having deleted all  Adobe products and system and user Library entries along with Plist files the problem did not go away.

However there seems to be an issue apparent with ACR and/or the interface between PS and ACR. I tried a number of install combinations.

Unfortunately when installing older versions of PS (in this case V19.0), the current version of ACR is installed (V10.3.0.933). This combination exhibited the same issue where editing the smart object made the color version available.

However installing the current version of PS (V10.1.4) and an older version of ACR (I had V9.10.1.750) editing the smart object made the correct B&W image available.

As soon as the current ACR was installed, the smart object went back to making the color version available.

I looked at the Camera Raw scripts, but could not discern any issues.

Not sure why others are not able to replicate this issue, but to me it appears there is a problem with the current version of ACR and older PSD files with smart objects.