Photoshop edits do not save to Lightroom

[xlcor]

I installed Lightroom Classic and Photoshop on a new  MacBook Pro, copying over my old catalog.  When I select Photo>Edit in>Photoshop CC 2018, instead of the usual behavior of the photo opening in PS and then saving back to Lightroom:

- Lightroom creates a duplicate of the JPG file with a "-2"

- Even when I select File>Save in PS, the Save As dialog opens and I have to save it manually

- When I then have a have a PSD file in the directory that Lightroom has not added to the catalog and the -2 JPG produced by Lightroom.

I have read other conversations about this tried everything I could find:

- Uninstalling and reinstalling both LR Classic and PS, saving preferences

- Uninstalling and reinstalling both, not saving preferences

- Resetting the preferences in Lightroom

- Setting the file to PSD and TIFF in the prefernce

Anything I miss?  Any advice?

Thanks!

[Sahil.Chawla]

Hi Xlcor,

We're sorry to hear about the edits not being transferred to Lightroom from Photoshop, could you please let us know does it happen with all the images or some specific images?

Also, could you please post a screenshot of the full view of Lightroom library module, so that we can review it at our end?

Regards,
Sahil

[xlcor]

I have tried with 5 different pics around the library so far, so all at this point. You want the whole screen?  Lightroom has my name and photos--I am worried about privacy.

And thank you

[Sahil.Chawla]

I can understand your concern, could you please confirm if you can see ! symbol on any of your images in the library module? If yes, then it means that the images are missing from the catalog and you need to relocate them. Here is a useful article on this topic: How to find missing photos in Photoshop Lightroom Classic CC

[xlcor]

No, I do not have any missing files.  They are all linked (well 99% sure I have 53,000 images and that is many to review).  I am fairly OCD about organizing my photos and maintaining good catalog hygiene.  That is why I dislike having files not in the catalog residing in the photo folders on disk.

Thanks again for your help.

[Just Shoot Me]

xlcor  wrote

Lightroom has my name and photos--I am worried about privacy.

And thank you

You can hide the Identity plate and module picker bar by clicking the little triangle in the top center. Pictures I wouldn't worry about especially if you are in the Grid View

[Just Shoot Me]

xlcor  wrote

I installed Lightroom Classic and Photoshop on a new  MacBook Pro, copying over my old catalog.  When I select Photo>Edit in>Photoshop CC 2018, instead of the usual behavior of the photo opening in PS and then saving back to Lightroom:

- Lightroom creates a duplicate of the JPG file with a "-2"

- Even when I select File>Save in PS, the Save As dialog opens and I have to save it manually

- When I then have a have a PSD file in the directory that Lightroom has not added to the catalog and the -2 JPG produced by Lightroom.

I have read other conversations about this tried everything I could find:

- Uninstalling and reinstalling both LR Classic and PS, saving preferences

- Uninstalling and reinstalling both, not saving preferences

- Resetting the preferences in Lightroom

- Setting the file to PSD and TIFF in the prefernce

Anything I miss?  Any advice?

Thanks!

If you have selected JPG as the file extension, format, and you are sending JPG files LR has to Rename it and it seems you have chosen to add a 2 to the name. LR Never changes the original images, never saves over the top of the original image when sending any file to any external editor, whether PS or some other external editor. So what you are seeing is completely normal in that regard.

My Sent to, Edited In, PS files have the word Edit added to the file name and are saved as TIFF files.

[xlcor]

Actually, I think LR or MacOS is adding the -2.  I never create the duplicate JPG but I an forced to do a Save As in photoshop which proposes the -2.  Also, my album and photos have people's names.

[Theresa J]

When you do a Save As... a new file is created. What option are you choosing in Lightroom when you go to edit the image in Photoshop? If you want to edit the jpeg and re save back over the same file, you need to pick the third option that says Edit original.

[xlcor]

Hello posting here again to refresh and see if anyone has a solution.

[Rob_Cullen]

A tip I picked up was to create additional External Editor Presets for Photoshop.

The default [Edit in Adobe Photoshop CC2018] might be for a PSD or TIFF file, and the "Additional" could be JPG.

Thus you can pre-determine the type of file that is created in Photoshop without needing to use the "Save As" option.

[xlcor]

Answering a number of questions:
- I am doing what i always did--edit a copy of the original
- I always edited in psd and would like to continue so I can edit again.
- It used to just save as a psd in my photoshop library.  now lightroom creates a duplicate jpg that gets put in the library. I think photoshop is then editing asking for save as-- not save which used to over right the jpg--and creat a psd not in the library. there is not save option.

[xlcor]

Everyone, thank you for your kind attempts to help, but I give up admitting, what we all know--Lightroom and Photoshop are based on 25-year old spaghetti code and are essentially unmanageable junk.

I would love love to find something else, but there is no competition I can find, so there is no motivation for Adobe to fix.  If someone has another recommendation I can use I will mark this question answered--use something else more modern.

[JP Hess]

That's an interesting perspective. Don't know why things aren't working for you. They work as expected here.

[xlcor]

Thank you.  They did as expected for me for many years.  I am not sure what happened.   A measure of good software is not only getting it right but helping on those occasions when it goes wrong.

[Just Shoot Me]

xlcor  wrote

Answering a number of questions:
- I am doing what i always did--edit a copy of the original
- I always edited in psd and would like to continue so I can edit again.
- It used to just save as a psd in my photoshop library.  now lightroom creates a duplicate jpg that gets put in the library. I think photoshop is then editing asking for save as-- not save which used to over right the jpg--and creat a psd not in the library. there is not save option.

It is the First thing above, Edit a COPY of the Original, that is causing this. If you read below that line that says "Edit a Copy" in the dialog that comes up it state LR adjustments Will NOT be included and a COPY of the original will be sent. You are asking LR to Make a COPY of the Original image and send it to PS. Which will be another JPG image and that is why a -2.jpg is being added.

What you should be selecting is "Edit a Copy "WITH" Lightroom Adjustment", the firsty, Top, option in that dialog box whether you have or have not made any edits on it in LR. Then Lightroom will send a PSD (or whatever file format you have selected in the External editing tab of the LR Preferences) to PS and you will see that PSD back in LR once you Save, Ctrl + s, what is sent to PS.

Same thing happens on my system when Edit a Copy is selected. And I get a TIFF file created, my preferred file format, when I select the Top option, Edit a Copy WITH LR Adjustments.

Neither LR or PS is at fault here. This is User Error.

[tomk8665969 · Accepted solution]

Xlcor,

some workaround help for you in the end of this posting, just scroll down.
But first of all: do not let the aggressiveness of some users here who act like Adobe-bloodhounds doubt your question. I don't know what it is, but some here act as if the Adobe programming code was a religious experience... stuff like "this is user error" is just plain bs...

I do experience the same problems as you AND: before the latest updates, it has actually worked! There are three options to edit LR pictures in PS, and until recently, whatever option you chose, the pictures edited in PS afterwards were automatically added to the LR catalogue. Moreover, if you read the manual, this is exactly what Adobe describes, so if now only pictures that are edited with the "edit a copy with LR adjustments"-option are automatically added to the LR catalogue, Lightroom does not work as Adobe describes it here and also not as before.
Moreover (to bring a bit of logic in): Why would you give three options to edit a picture in Photoshop, when only the worst option (all adjustments in LR are forever written in your PS-copy) transfers the edit back into LR? Makes no sense.
So fanatics: this is not the first mistake that has popped up with a LR update. Will not be the last.

Until Adobe hears us, here is a WORKAROUND:
1. Make a virtual copy of the image you want to edit in PS.

2. Hit the "reset"-button for you virtual copy.

3. Use this reset virtual copy for "Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments"
4. Do your lovely and creative work in Photoshop, then save.

5. Your photoshop edited image will automatically be added to the LR catalogue.

6. You can delete the virtual copy now.

7. If you want to transfer any lightroom adjustments to the photoshopped image, just synchronize them with the original image.

I hope, this will help you to have fun again.

Greetings from Berlin  🙂

[xlcor]

Thank you!  I will try!  And yes it worked before—for years

[shayb68441784]

Same problem here, FYI. Started a new post since this one never got answered with a fix.

LR Not Adding Edited Image - YouTube

[charles tauber]

I experienced exactly the same problem. After reading through various articles, none of which helped, I opened the Preferences in Photoshop and, from the General tab, selected Reset Preferences on Quit, then restarted Photoshop. It worked as it used to and as the Adobe manuals state. Problem solved, at least for me.

[Clarityphotodesign]

I have this very same problem. If I choose to edit a photo in PS it no longer gives me the choice of opening a copy, or a copy with lightroom adjustments, or any option at all. PS just begins to open up my raw file, once I edit it, then attempt to save and close it saves as though I am performing a "save as" function. I am faced with a choice of folders that are only shown by date and very hard to match up to my lightroom folders that are organized by names/description. Even if I find the correct folder and perform the save function, I then have to go into the import process and import my edited files ( which I always save as TIFFS). I then have to move the photos manually in Lightroom as they go to a different folder under the date. I have been a lightroom user for YEARS I am by no means an expert but I have experience with it, FOR YEARS I was able to edit in PS and save and close and then go back to lightroom to see my TIFF file directly beside my original raw. I have tried calling adobe support but after an hour on hold I gave up. As a note I also tried to Reset Preferences upon quitting in PS as suggested by Charles Tauber but it didn't change things for me. This is not the first issue with Adobe software for me, just the final one to push me into reaching out anywhere I can in a desperate plea for some help! besides leaving the products behind. I have a full subscription to the adobe products and I would hope I can get this solved when I pay $50 or 60$ per month or whatever it is now! I have updated both LR and PS I have searched settings and preferences for both, I have searched these forums, I have called, what can I do so I can just go back to editing and putting work out quickly instead of pulling at my last nerve every time I sit down to edit a shoot. Thanks for any help and sorry for the rant but come on

[Just Shoot Me]

You only get that dialog box if the ACR version is different from LR and PS OR if you are sending a TIFF, PSD, JPG or PNG file to PS.

If you are sending a RAW file and the ACR version is the same for both LR and PS then you never get that dialog box.

[Rob_Cullen]

+1 for the post by Just Shoot Me​

For a Flow Diagram, see- https://www.lightroomqueen.com/whats-the-difference-between-render-using-lightroom-and-open-anyway-i...

If I choose to edit a photo in PS

How do you do this?  by [Ctrl+E]  or do you 'Export' to Photoshop?

('Export' will not bring the new image back to Lr unless you check [Add to Catalog] in the Export dialog.)

I also tried to Reset Preferences

When you searched in the reset Lr Preferences did you re-check the External Editing options set for Photoshop-TIFF?

You may already be aware that some Lr settings can make you think the image is not returning to Lr:

1: The sort order of your grid is set to 'added order'. That means that the image is all the way at the end of the grid.

2: You are in a smart collection and the new image does not match the criteria for that smart collection.

3: With a Filter active that is excluding the new image.

Strange that something in your system has changed as you were previously able to "Save" successfully.

Have you noticed odd Catalog problems? or Duplicated folders in the Folder Panel?

[Clarityphotodesign]

WobertC thank you and just shoot me for the reply, In response to yourself and Just shoot me, I have my external editing preference set to tiff in LR, I use command E to open it in photoshop. However when it lands in PS it is still in the .NEF or raw file, after editing it is saved as a TIFF. I have seen where the files would save to the end of the grid but this is not happening in this case, I checked. I have had this same process to edit and save from LR to PS and back again, it has always brought my file back into LR right alongside the original just in TIFF format. I never had to use the export or import procedure to bring it back into LR, it automatically would when I hit save. I have only updated my versions of both LR and PS and transferred a portion of my catalog and backs to larger hard drive. I can only recall "odd catalog" problems as some of my presets mysteriously disappearing, slow performance( which seems better since updating and increasing my storage) Still struggling although I can deal with using "save as" and then importing it from the hard drive into the catalog, it is not ideal. Thank you

[Just Shoot Me]

Yes it stays in the RAW format until you SAVE it, Ctrl + s or File Save. It then changes to your specified file format in the External editing section of LR preferences. TIFF/PSD.

Are you in a Collection when you send the file to PS?