Backing up Lightroom

Noobie question about archiving derivative files from LR...
(The working folders will be part of my automatic incremental backups - this is about how to archive the "final" versions of derivative files)
The obvious approach is to save to a "for archive" collection as they are done. Periodically / as needed, that collection is then saved to archive and cleared.
Then there would seem to be a choice - export the images to the archive location.
Or simply copy the LR catalog (the original images are already archived) to the archive.
Is there a best practice? Maybe its to export images AND copy catalog (belt & braces!)?
I presume the catalog really is needed so that if an image is recovered from archive it gets dropped into all the right collections etc?
Metadata & settings would all be exported in the DNG file?
I suspect IN THEORY, with the original image in archive, one only needs to save the catalog? But it makes me nervous somehow!
(The archive will be on an external HD; copied regularly (along with working directory & catalog) to second HD that is swapped offline)

I can only tell you what I do and you can decide if it makes sense for you. I have two external drives that I use to keep my system as well as Lightroom backed up. I use Super Duper! to make a copy of my Lightroom catalog as well as my image files. The first time I did this, I had to perform a full backup. I did this twice; once on each of the drives. I took one of those copies and it is stored in my safe deposit box insuring me against first/flood/theft. The other copy I here at home. After making significant changes, I will run Super Duper! again and, the smart backup function will update the backup with just the changes since the last backup. Now this copy is taken offsite and the other is brought home for update. This way, I always have at least two copies of everything photo related.
The one other thing I do is I set up Super Duper! to also create two additional copies to a NAS (network attached storage) device. This smart backup runs every day to make a local copy as well. The difference here is that one copy is a complete clone of my internal HDD so it includes the OS as well as everything else stored on my Mac and then a second process runs to copy all of my images and Lightroom catalog. The third copy of Lightroom/pictures is really being done out of convenience in order to save me from having to go to my safe deposit box every time I do an import or make some tweaks to my Lightroom settings and/or a photo.
Is this a bit extreme? Probably. I know I can come off heavy handed and I apologize in advance for that but we are all shaped by our experiences. I spent the last twenty-five years of my career working in IT for a very large bank and a few years ago, we were down for three days because a control card in the storage device that contained the OS for seven of our twelve mainframe systems failed and it took nearly seventy-two hours working round the clock to get everything back up and running. Only then did I really understand the value of a good backup strategy. Since then, I had one HDD fail but was back up and running within hours with no data loss. A good backup is worth it's weight in gold!

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I am using Lightroom 5 and am hapy about it, but recently I hav encountered a problem when trying to edit an image in another program, i.e. Elements. I used the clone tool, saved the result and went back to Lightroom to open the image there. I did find a

I am using Lightroom 5 and am hapy about it, but recently I hav encountered a problem when trying to edit an image in another program, i.e. Elements. I used the clone tool, saved the result and went back to Lightroom to open the image there. I did find a second copy, but this is identic with the one I already had in Lightroom, and I can see noe result of the clone process.

At the moment I would say it is uncertain whether Acrobat is completely ignoring the change, or whether the changes you are making aren't affecting the ink density. I have a suggestion for a test you could make to see which is the case.
When editing in Photoshop just add a box or mark on the image, for your tests.
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- If this box does appear in Acrobat, you know the problem is that your tool for changing ink densities is not taking effect.

Lightroom 5 file edited in photoshop cc 2014 does not appear back next to original after save. Is anyone else having this issue? If so what is the fix. The edited image appears back in lightroom in a new folder.

Lightroom 5 file edited in photoshop cc 2014 does not appear back next to original after save. Is anyone else having this issue? If so what is the fix. The edited image appears back in lightroom in a new folder.

I'm performing a normal "Save", not "Save As". Work flow I'm using is as follows: Select photo in Lightroom 5.7 >" Edit In" Photoshop CC 2014 > (after working on photo is PS) > Save > close PS. Photo returns to Lightroom 5.7 in a new folder rather than next to the original. Prior to purchasing the monthly plan and upgrading to PS CC 2014, I performed this same work flow using Lightroom 5.6 and Photoshop CS6 without any issues.
Just for fun... I attempted to move the edited file back into the original folder. I received a prompt that said the file already existed in the original folder, however I can't see it except the new folder that LR created. I tried several different sort orders, etc without any success.
*** Follow up: Was unable to resolve the issue using Photoshop CC 2014. Uninstalled PS CC 2014 and went back to using Photoshop CS6. Return trips from LR 5.7 to Photoshop is now performing as it should: returning edited photo back to the original folder in LR 5 and placing next to the original image.
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Is it possible to edit a DNG file in Photoshop and get back to Lightroom?

Hi,
The question title probably doesn't explain much what I'm looking for...
I shot in RAW and then converted to DNG, I like DNG and I can't understand what so many people have against it, anyway that's not the point...
I know have the DNG as my digital negative instead of the original RAW file and I start to do some editing in Lightroom. But then I realized that Lightroom is not enough for something I want to do. For instance, just today I had this picture I needed to remove some people and I had to use heal/clone but as you know, Lightroom's clone and heal features are not as flexible as Photoshop ones.
So now I needed to go into Photoshop, fix the photo and get back to Lightroom and continue my editing. However, I couldn't find a way to do it how I wanted to do... What I did was open the original (unedited) DNG in Photoshop, Adobe Camera Raw pops up and I ignore it, remove the people from the photo and save as TIFF. Then, back in Lightroom I open the new edited TIFF and copy Lightroom's settings from one photo (the DNG) to the other (the edited TIFF).
This workflow sucks and I know there are some options in Lightroom to automate it, but still, I don't think it would solve my problem. At least I couldn't find a way to do it...
What I wanted to do instead was to indeed remove that people from the photo with Photoshop but keep those changes in DNG. But take a note here that those changes could very much be destructive, I'm not talking about ACR or Lightroom's non-destructive editing, the removed people would be gone forever unless I draw some new ones. I really wanted to edit and save some changes on the DNG in Photoshop and keep editing the DNG in Lightroom without using a TIFF in between, do everything in the DNG.
Is this possible or not at all?

Ricardo.Amaral wrote:
What I wanted to do instead was to indeed remove that people from the photo with Photoshop but keep those changes in DNG.
sorry, no can do...ain't gonna happen.
What you've done is hit the wall on is the basic difference between lite duty spot healing and photo level tone and color correction (Lightroom and Camera Raw) and heavy duty pixel retouching in Photoshop.
When you need to substantially manipulate the "pixels" you need Photoshop and you'll be forced to render the raw file into a TIFF or PSD file either through Camera Raw or more better, via Lightroom.
You can do the basic tone and color correction directly in Lightroom and edit in Photoshop from Lightroom. But you will NEED to create and save out a "rendered" image that is no longer raw...then retouch to your heart's desire, save it and it'll be available in Lightroom along side your original raw if you choose.
But no, there's no way to open a raw in Photoshop, manipulate the heck out of it with massive retouching then save that back out as a raw file...ain't gonna happen.

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When editing an image in Photoshop from Lightroom then saving it back to Lightroom, how do i get the image to go back and sit next to the original? Mine is going to the end of the folder. Thanks Karen

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Hi Karen
You may the sort set to Custom. Click the dropdown menu on the toolbar (to the right of the word sort) and change to capture time.
If you can’t see the toolbar above the filmstrip press the T key. Press T again to hide.

I have accidentally deleted a large number of develped images in Lightroom before I did a backup. I reimported the original raw files back into Lightroom hoping the develop settings would be re-established but no luck. Notice system mau have done an auto-

Question?
I have accidentally deleted a large number of develped images in Lightroom before I did a backup. I reimported the original raw files back into Lightroom hoping the develop settings would be re-established but no luck. Notice system mau have done an auto-backup as have an lrcat-journal file. Can I use this to restore my develop settings. I also have jpgs generated from all the deleted images.

Hello,
if you have a backup of your catalog you can do the following:
1. Backup your catalog first
2. Restore your backup catalog to some location
3. Open your current catalog and select "files->import from another catalog".
4. Select your backup catalog and your lost images. LR ask you if you want to overwrite the current settings or save them as a virtual copy.
As an alternativ you can open your backup catalog, select the "lost" images and save the development settings as xmp sidecar fiels (using ctrl-s). Then open your current catalog, seletct the images and use "Metadata->Read Metadata from files".

Problems with image names when exporting - images that have come back into lightroom from photoshop

Can anyone help ? When I need to take an image from lightroom into photoshop then back into lightroom and then I export that image, the original file number disappears and is replaced by dashes. Does anyone know how to solve this ?
Thanks !

The appearance of dashes usually suggests some kind of pre-set e.g.
Wedding-20150106-0001.jpg
The only suggestion I can make is that you check to ensure you are using the correct parameters in the templates manager.
Photoshop Lightroom Reference Guide | Create Your Own Custom Filename Presets | Peachpit

Can PSD files saved back to Lightroom retain their layers?

When a file is edited in Photoshop. you can choose a TIFF or PSD. It would seem the advantage to PSD would be the ability to retain layers when saved back to Lightroom especially in a file which remains a work in progress. I have not been able to achieve this result. If this is currently not possible, what is the advantage, if any, to use the PSD format?

Not and be exported as such from LR. LR adjustments will be done to the flattened composite image. PSDs must be saved with 'Maximum Compatibility' to be used at all in LR.
Don
Don Ricklin, MacBook 2Ghz Duo 2 Core running 10.5.1 & Win XP, Pentax *ist D
See LR Links list at my
Blog for related sites.

I'm on a Mac and I need to know how to go one step back in Lightroom 5. In other words, what is the Lightroom equivalent of Command Z in Photoshop?

I'm on a Mac and I need to know how to go one step back in Lightroom 5. In other words, what is the Lightroom equivalent of Command Z in Photoshop?

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Hi, hope someone can help.
My lightroom isn't broken, just an annoying thing is happening.
When I used to edit in photoshop, I would finish, photoshop would ask if I wanted to save changes, I would, then when I went back to lightroom the edited photo was right there next to the original raw (a tiff).
Now it doesn't show in lightroom.
I can get the tiff into lightroom by going to import, finding in the folder where the original raw file is and importing.
I have checked under settings, and the 'stack with original' is checked.
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Thanks for your help 007.
I got it working, I reinstalled lightroom and it was still the same, no re-imports of edited photo's.
So here's what I did. I changed the file type when editing in photoshop to PSD (in preferences), and that worked. So I changed it back to TIFF and that works now too.
Cheers
Paul

Edits in Lightroom 5-then in Photoshop CC -back to Lightroom

Hi,
Hope you can help.
1) Imported a raw image from camera (converted to dng) into lightroom 5.
2) performed some edits in the "Develop" module.
3) Did some further external edits in Photoshop CC-by switching to Photoshop CC trough Lightroom -"edit in" Lightroom menu item- Lightroom edits preserved in photoshop.
4 "saved" in Photoshop CC
5) Back to Lightroom-- Original edits from lightroom no longer in edited copy from photoshop.
Question-- How to preserve Lightroom edits? Tried doing a copy of the Lightroom settings before going to Photoshop and then pasting back into the edited copy form photoshop. Did not work out-Don't know which setting to save-saving everthing- terrible result.
Thanks.

When you send to PSD with Lightroom changes, it should render one layer in PSD that represents the original image and any changes you made in LR. So if you're seeing all those changes in PS, I'm not sure how that layer could have things undone to it. Are you sure the changes are represented in PS and not simply the PS showing the image differently? Can you try it with a drastic change in LR like a heavy, heavy vignette and make sure that shows up in PS?
Was that the first trip in to PS for that image? I've seen some inconsistencies before with multiple trips in to PS with XMP turned on where Lightroom gets out of sync with the changes that were made in PS. I did a post about it over on my blog that's a bit complicated so I'll link it here: http://bit.ly/14khoR2. Not sure if the same situation can happen with the DNG.
When you get back in to Lightroom, does the film strip have a little icon on the image that looks like three lines and an exclamation mark? That's the "I'm out of sync" with the metadata warning flag.
If you export to Photoshop as TIFF, do you see the same behavior?
Finally, does it do it on every image or just one? Maybe LR got glitched with what it thought were changes for that specific image and needs a kick.

Edit files in Photoshop and going back to Lightroom

When I right click a photo in Lightroom and say edit in Photoshop, I do the edits needed and then click save but it doesn't take the changes back to Lightroom. We are using Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5. I have never had any trouble with this before so was wondering if there is some setting I need to chanage. I keep having to re import them and then it leaves a white box like it lost the photo in the row at the bottom. Please reply!
Thanks,
Jules

In the Library Module go >View >Sort and check <Filename> and <Ascending> or <Descending> whichever you prefer.

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Can I save a dng file from Photoshop6 to import back into Lightroom 4. I don't understand why this is not straight forward.

Hello!
The DNG format's goal is to be an universal file formats for camera raw files: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/extend.displayTab2.html?promoid=DTEHA
You can save a DNG from camera raw without a problem.
Just go the the bottom left hand corner of the interface, and select "save image".
(as explained here in the help files: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/creativesuite/cs/using/WS91C1E0BD-9600-42b2-8EBE-1E012ED61058. html#WSB0DC278F-B3DF-4a60-88BC-B3D6A852C242 )
Or are you trying to save an file edited in Photoshop as a DNG?
For what purpose, exactly? A TIFF, PSD or PSB file can have a raw file, saved as a Smart Object (to allow later reprocessing in Camera Raw) and all the pixel/vector editing layers intact.
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The image will look different in PS than in LR. PS uses the embedded preview and LR uses the actual 32 bit image data. You need to apply the LR Develop module Basic panel Tone settings to the 32 bit HDR TIFF.

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Has the file ever been imported into Lightroom?
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Backing up Lightroom

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