Snapshot is not autmatically written to xmp

[dannereid]

I have found out that on my setup, snapshots are not written to xmp untill I execute the save command. Is that right?

All development settings are written because I have ticked the setting "automatically write changes to xmp"

Why is snapshot excluded?

Cheers Daniel

[DdeGannes]

When you activate "automatically write changes  to xmp" from that time onward the data will be written. Work done previously will not be automatically done for previous files.

You will need to revisit the files and do further edits or select the files and use the save command.

P.S Also remember Lightroom default procedure is to read and write to the Catalog, this continues even if you have the auto write to xmp selected. and that all the data is not written xmp.

[JohanElzenga]

dannereid  wrote

I have found out that on my setup, snapshots are not written to xmp untill I execute the save command. Is that right?

All development settings are written because I have ticked the setting "automatically write changes to xmp"

Why is snapshot excluded?

Cheers Daniel

I think you misunderstand what the XMP file contains. The XMP file only contains the current settings. It does not contain the edit history. A snapshot is a moment in the edit history, so a snapshot will not be written to XMP.

[dannereid]

But all snapshots are found in the xmp file... what do you mean?

[JohanElzenga]

Are they? In that case I’m mistaken.

[GoldingD]

Everything you accomplish in LR on a specific image gets saved in the XMP sidecar.

The Most Important Setting in Lightroom is Set To Off By Default | Fstoppers

[JohanElzenga]

No it’s not everything. Like I said, the edit history is not saved in XMP. For example, if you set Exposure to +0.6 and then you change your mind and set it to +0.3, then both steps will show in history. But the XMP file will only contain that last setting, i.e. +0.3.

[Rob_Cullen]

davidg36166309  wrote

Everything you accomplish in LR on a specific image gets saved in the XMP sidecar.

The Most Important Setting in Lightroom is Set To Off By Default | Fstoppers

Thanks davidg...  the article confirms exactly what JohanEl54​ states in post#2 above.

Quote from the article link-

"Keep in mind though that the history of your edits is not stored in the XMP file which is one of the benefits of the Lightroom catalog."

[johnrellis]

While the edit history is not saved in XMP metadata, snapshots are. The easiest way to verify that is to create two snapshots on a photo, do Metadata > Save Metadata To File, remove the file from the catalog, import the file back into LR. You'll see that the snapshots get imported along with the other develop settings.

In my testing, Automatically Write Settings also writes the snapshot data, just like a manual Metadata > Save Metadata To File.

[Rob_Cullen]

Thanks John. This will be the correct answer. Another piece of useful information from an MVP.

[DdeGannes]

What I said in my initial reply to the OP is accurate all the info is in the Catalog File (this is the default of Lightroom), some info can also be stored in XMP.

See the link below for what is stored and what is not stored in xmp.

What Is Not Included In Lightroom XMP Files | Lightroom Fanatic

The LR Catalog file is your holy grail of your work in Lightroom keep it safe and back up regularly.

The xmp sidecar is needed if you wish to open your files directly with PS / ACR.

[Bob Somrak]

i wouldn’t trust my edits and metadata JUST to catalogs and backups. Several months ago there were several users with bad catalogs and backups probably caused by a programming glitch. At least you won’t lose everything if you have XMP files.

Lightroom Classic CC 7.3.1 Corrupts Catalog | Photoshop Family Customer Community

[DdeGannes]

I agree each individual has to weigh the risks they wish to take, however to often I see individuals advising that if you write to xmp you are good to go and forget to mention that it is always good to secure your catalog.

Many people also complain that they have transferred to another computer and reimported their files and think they are ok because they  have xmp files for their image files only to realise they have lost a lot of other data. Synced collections, publish services which depend on collections etc.

If you loose a catalog due to corruption you may not be able to recover editing data work that was not covered by a backup of the catalog, however if you only have xmp file data you may loose 10 years of other work that has not been saved. e.g Virtual copies of select files.

[Bob Somrak]

I totally agree that the catalog and catalog backups are the way to go.  As far as virtual copies not in XMP, I developed an easy method to have backups of them as described in the above link although I don’t have very many VCs

[DdeGannes]

I have posted a feature request on the PFCC (Photoshop Family Customer Community) to allow Lightroom to create a secondary Lightroom Catalog File at an alternate location i.e. another internal drive on the computer or an attached external drive or flash drive.

This could possibly allow for a easy replacement for the working catalog file.

[richardplondon]

So far as backup, auto writing XMP helps you to fill in the most recent editing work SUBSEQUENT to your most recent Catalog backup (which you still need). You'll get a metadata warning for the images involved, [or can sort the images by date edited going back to the backup date and time, and batch read metadata going forward from that] (does not include virtual copies or newly imported images).

And you can re-import anything you imported subsequent to that latest Catalog backup, into the recovered copy of that, and (though lacking virtual copies and Collection membership plus one or two other matters) those edits return - right up to the very last edit operation you successfully performed before the computer / Catalog had its disaster. So you lose potentially seconds of work, rather than potentially days of work.

[I believe that prompting an XMP write due to making some other kind of edit, ought to refresh the list of snapshots present in the external metadata. But it seems the making of a Snapshot is regarded as a tactic to do with one's working methods rather than an actual change to the image's attributes, hence not sufficient to trigger a write on its own. Just the same as creating a virtual copy, is not an event affecting the photo so far as its external metadata, either.]

[edited]