Why use an external editor?

I have done a search on this basic question, but everyone is at least one step ahead of me. I found lots of questions about using external editors, but none on why to use one if the first place.
It's self-evident that the basic answer is to extend Aperture's capabilities. So let me narrow the focus of my question as follows:
1. Just out of curiousity, there must be at least some overlap in things that Aperture does and what the external editor can do, correct?
2. Can you share some guidelines as to when you would stay in Aperture itself and when you would use the external editor through Aperture?
3. An obvious question is why use Aperture when you have an external editor? The most likely answer is that Aperture does some things better, and the external editor does other things better. So does it come down to experience in deciding which program to use for what? As someone whose post processing has, for years, been limited to cropping, that's a pretty daunting reality. Any advice anyone can offer to offset my inexperience would be appreciated. For example, someone on a share-your-image type forum just blasted me when I posted something labled as my first effort at using a RAW file. I made "local" changes here and there in the image. He told me I'm doing things "totally wrong" and I should make global changes, and avoid making local changes. I don't know if he's right or not, but if he is, how was I to know that? So again, any advice for a PP newb would be great.
Thanks!
Ben

Good questions, Ben!
And probably the answers are a matter of taste and personal preferences, and depending on the workflow we are using.
2. Can you share some guidelines as to when you would stay in Aperture itself and when you would use the external editor through Aperture?
For me, the escape to an external editor is an occasionally necessary evil, if I really need to do things well, that Aperture cannot do. The problem is, that using an external editor will break Aperture's lossless workflow; it will create an additional original image file, and Aperture cannot undo the edits done in the external editor. And the additional original files will be gigantic 16bit tiffs or PSD files. So I would never use the external editor without a pressing need.
I use an external editor, if I need to create images with transparency or do advanced retouching that requires the composition of two or more images. That are things that Aperture cannot do.
Or, if I have images that need lens correction or perspective correction.
3. An obvious question is why use Aperture when you have an external editor?
I use Aperture first of all, to keep my images organised - my Aperture library is my database of all photos I have taken during my lifetime.
And I use Aperture to edit the images and to keep track of the edited image versions and how they relate. For 99% of my image processing needs Aperture is sufficient and great.
-- Léonie

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When attempting to use Lightroom external editor program to edit a photo in Photoshop Elements 10, the photo does not open / appear on photoshop elements screen. I don't have any problem with this when using Photoshop Elements 6 or Photoshop CS. I'm usi

When attempting to use Lightroom external editor program to edit a photo in Photoshop Elements 10, the photo does not open / appear on photoshop elements screen. I don't have any problem with this when using Photoshop Elements 6 or Photoshop CS. I'm using a Mac with Mountain Lion OS. Any solutions?

Adobe now hides the editor - what looks like it is not - you want the editor hidden in the support folder - see http://forums.adobe.com/message/3955558#3955558 for details
LN

Sluggish problem with using an external editor

Whenever I use an external editor (CS5 now) and also Nik software, when I return to Lightroom with the edited file, the problem occurs if I want to do further editing on the picture back in Lightroom. The resonse when I click on something (contrast, saturation, or anything) is sluggish. The screen blinks momentarily, as though blacking out, and then comes back on. If I switch ot a new picture, unedited, it's fine. Can anyone offer any solutions? Thanks in advance

There is a Windows based utility that will allow one to change the location of the 'My Music' folder, but you appear to be running a Mac.
You may find more appropriate help in the iTunes for Mac Discussions.
If you are running Windows, post back and some info can be provided.
Best of Luck

Error -50 when using an external editor

Having finally graduated from iPhoto 2, I found some "interesting" behavior in iPhoto '08...
iPhoto objected when I tried to save an externally edited photo back into its slot in iPhoto -- nothing lost, just an error dialog and the edits were not applied. Since it was repeatable, it made me curious.
When you choose external editor to edit a photo in iPhoto 8, the first thing iPhoto does is stash a copy of the original (and activates the "Revert to Original" menu item for that photo). Just editing in iPhoto 8 doesn't do any of this until you accept the changes -- that's an important distinction, because if you change your mind with the external editor (and make no edits, or cancel them without saving), that stashed copy stays in the "modified" folder.
For all practical purposes, it's "forgotten" unless you happen to choose "Revert to Original", in which case, the extra photo is unceremoniously purged. Now, if you don't think about purging that forgotten copy and later decide that you actually do want to edit that photo in an external editor after all, iPhoto will again stash a copy while your external editor is opening. It gets stashed in the same folder that already has the previously stashed (and forgotten) image file. If the file were overwritten, there would be no big problem, but it does not get overwritten, and you can't have two files with the same name in the same folder. So the finder appends a "_1" to the end of the file name -- and THAT sets up the problem. When you finish editing and save the file back to iPhoto, you will be (unintentionally) trying to add a file to your collection that iPhoto doesn't know about. The filename change to avoid a conflict in the folder is not reflected in the iPhoto 8 database.
Older iPhoto versions would have let that pass (and that's why there were always problems with database corruption), but the newer version catches the attempt and simply doesn't allow the save to take place.
That's the "why it happens", but it's only my second day with iPhoto '08 and I'll need a little more time to work out how to selectively fix the problem without damaging the database -- a database rebuild does not purge those stashed photos (and you wouldn't want it to because most of them are the originals for photos that were actually modified).

Brie Fly:
I tried to replicate that using Photoshop and could not. When starting an edit with PS a file is created and remains is I abort the edit in PS. However, if I edit again with PS and save the original modified file is changed with no other file being created.
What 3rd party editor are you using? The only time I get a _1 file is when I move a file to an event that has the same file name as a file already in that event.
What system are you running and are you at iPhoto 7.1.1, iLife Support 8.1.1 and Quicktime 7.3?
Happy Holidays
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Using an external editor

I jumped from using iPhoto '06 to using iPhoto '11 and now I'm very confused. Before, if I 'Edited in external editor', I would do the changes in Elements, then simply Save there, and my changes were saved back to the Modified folder of my iPhoto Library. Now, I simply don't understand what's happening.
1. When I edit externally, iPhoto seems to create a duplicate of the image. Why? It didn't do this in iPhoto '06.
2. I just edited a picture, and after making changes in Elements, clicked Save. I then clicked back to iPhoto to see the changes, but they didn't show. So I deleted one of the duplicates, quit iPhoto, and relaunched, expecting to see the changes. No, they are still not there. Yet if I go back to Elements and click the most recent file, the changed version loads! Its location is now a folder in iPhoto called - wait for it - b8KWKsN7T22dur56ix0Vvw. Yup. I kid you not.
Can anyone explain
what has happened
why there are unnecessary duplicates
why doesn't iPhoto do the simple 'external editing' thing anymore?

Using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop or Photoshop Elememts as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window
that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
NOTE: With Photoshop Elements the Saving File preferences should be configured as shown:
I also suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always. In PSE’s General preference pane set the Color Picker to Apple as shown:
Note 1: screenshots are from PSE 10
Note: to switch between iPhoto and PS or PSE as the editor of choice Control (right)-click on the thumbnail and select either Edit in iPhoto or Edit in External Editor from the contextual menu. If you use iPhoto to edit more than PSE re-select iPhoto in the iPhoto General preference pane. Then iPhoto will be the default editor and you can use the contextual menu to select PSE for your editor when desired.
OT

Using an external editor with Apple Photos

After upgrading to Os X 10.10.3 today and using the new Apple Photos app for the first time, I was very disappointed not to find a way to edit photos in an external editor, as I could do with iPhoto. Sure, I can export the image file, edit it in another program, save it, and then re-import it, but that is somewhat of a kludge IMO compared to the smooth way this function worked in iPhoto. I'm happy with the expanded editing options available within Apple Photos, but some things simply can't be done within it. Please, Apple, make adding this capability a priority task for the first upgrade to Apple Photos! Or is it available already and I just missed it?
Regards, Jim

In my case, I open Photoshop Elements, then choose Open File. I find the photo that I want to work with under "Photos". When I am finished editing, I save the file to "Pictures" giving it a name I can remember. Then I import it into the new version of iPhoto (called Photos) from "Pictures".
The Media Browser in the Media section of the Sidebar is very convenient to use the library in other apps, but it will not always pass the original Master file to the When you are using the Media Browser like this, you will get mixed results, depending on whether the photo already has been edited or not.
When I pass a photo to PSE using the "Photos" icon in the Media section to PSE
For an unedited photo, PSE will receive the original master file, not as copy, but the original in the Masters folder in the library.
For an edited photo it will receive an optimised version and not the original file, stored in "resources > modelressources" in your photos library. As far as I can see, the photos in "modelressources" are the same pixel size, but have a higher JPEG compression than the originals in the Master folder. The file size is slightly less.
So, for edited photos you may be using a lesser quality image file, when you access the library using the Media Browser.
Be careful, when you open unedited photos this way. With "Save as" in PSE you can write your edits directly back to the Masters folder and overwrite the original master file.
I just tried to edit an unedited photo this way in PSE:
That is how the Photo looked in Photos before editing:
After editing a frame in PSE 12 I am seeing this "Save As" dialog in PSE:
It will write back to the Photos library into the Masters folder.
After allowing PSE to overwrite file it received the file, I am seeing this, when I try to edit the version. Photos is now using the replaced original file, that PSE wrote to the Masters folder.
I duplicated the photo in Photos before sending it to PSE, but since the duplicate is sharing the same original file with the first version, now bothe the first image and its unedited duplicate are both showing the frame added in PSE:

How can I best use an external editor with iPhoto?

I want to use Pixelmator or Elements to edit photos in iPhoto, but I really don't want to export/import them every time. Is there an "edit with an external editor" option I haven't found?

Hope this helps:
Using Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
NOTE: With Photoshop Elements 6 the Saving File preferences should be configured: "On First Save: Save Over Current File". Also I suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always.
If you want to use both iPhoto's editing mode and PS without having to go back and forth to the Preference pane, once you've selected PS as your editor of choice, reset the Preferences back to "Open in main window". That will let you either edit in iPhoto (double click on the thumbnail) or in PS (Control-click on the thumbnail and seledt "Edit in external editor" in the Contextual menu). This way you get the best of both worlds
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
Happy Holidays

How to eliminate "Edit in Progress" lock when Photoshop used as external editor?

I have read several responses to questions on this but nothing has worked when I use Photoshop CS5 as the external editor. I am using PSE 10. To get to Photoshop CS5 I select a file and then have to click on the Fix tab where, at the bottom of the popup menu, the "More Options" selection offers to go to Photoshop. If I just click the open dialog arrow for Fix, the only optionsare for editing in PSE. After editing in Photoshop, I "Save," then "Close" as many of the responses have instructed and this puts me back into the PSE Organizer where I had to start by clicking "Fix" and "More Options" to get to Photoshop. Up to this point, the "Edit in Progress" lock is stilll in place. So then I tried to go to edit by clicking the dialog arrow next to "Fix" to get to the Quick or Full edit. Once in the Edit mode, I "Close" the file, but lo and behold, the "Edit in Progress" lock remains.

If you are closing the file in your external editor but are still informed that an Edit is in Progress, there could be a number of reasons for this.
The external editor has failed to fully close the document: try closing the external editor.
The external editor is not correctly reporting the closing of the document: try recreating the prefrence files for the external editor.
Organizer is not picking up the information from the external editor correctly: try recreating the preference files for the Organizer.
The OS is not letting go of the memory correctly: try testing in a new user account.
Another application running in the background is holding on the memory or preventing communication between the external editor and the Organizer: try disabling all background (and foreground) processes.

Customizing filename when using an external editor - can only one filename be used by all editors?

I have a number of external editors defined for my LR 3.3 Win7 application. Within my Preferences, when I customize how an editor, say, Photoshop CS5, handles a file, I can set the name of the edited file - e.g., {Filename}-ed.psd . However, if I change the edited filename for another external editor, say to {Filename}-SilverEfexPro.psd, that filename is used for all externally edited files. What am I doing wrong? Thanks!
Dilip

A side note here; just because it _opens_ the file in your external editor with that name the first time, doesnt' mean that's the name it has
to be saved as. When you go to save it, select save as, instead of save. I beleive I have used this technique before, and LR still "finds" the file.
Sometimes even when I don't *want* it to find the file!
Cheers!

Using an external editor (e.g., photoshop) with photos for mac

Hi,
I'm just trying out photos for mac. So far it seems to make life a lot easier in terms of syncing libraries. However, I have been using Lightroom 4 and photoshop before and I am missing out on some of their combined functionality (not much I have to confess). What I want to know is this - is there an easy way to open files with an external editor e.g., photoshop so I can use it (photoshop) to stitch together panoramas or merge HDRs?
I'm surprised this functionality isn't included in photos from the beginning. I can see there is talk of plugins but can't find ANY online at the moment.
Thanks.

Mr Ben,
I am having similar difficulty finding programs that offer 'extensions' within the Photos App.
I think that gone are the days when we could perform an 'Edit with...'
My understanding is that Apple has only opened 'Extensions for Photos editing' for IOS. It hasn't yet made it available as an option for OS X.
I hope this changes, as many serious photographers migrating from Aperture and now using Photos on OS X will want to perform additional edits with third party software without having to export and then re-import images - as seems to be the only solution at the moment.
Hopefully, behind the scenes there is a mad flurry of activity by App producers to create extensions for OS X that will eventually be switched on by Apple.
I would love to know. Can anyone from Apple please advise?

I would like to only occasionally use a external editor

If iPhoto won't do the job I would occasional like to click on external editor. When I do, I get adobe. How can I change it to a different external editor. I know I can change it in Preferences but then I get the external editor every time.
I have an iMac with Leopard and iPhoto 11.

Old Toad,
Thanks. That worked. I had to select Adobe, then click repeatedly on the up and down arrows next to the selection and then find my other app and list it. Then you put it back on iPhoto and it will go to the new app when you select "edit with external." Who could have guessed it. Apple must be hiring from Microsoft these days.
Thanks again.
Ron

Saving to Aperture after using Photoshop as an External Editor

I'd be grateful for guidance please. I use Aperture but sometimes use the external editor (Photoshop in my case). When I have finished editing in Photoshop what is the best way to get the finished photograph back into Aperture? Do I have to do another import or is there a way to get the saved photo as another version next to the original but including the work I did in Photoshop. If it is possible I would expect this to be a flattened image (ie not preserving Photoshop layers). Thoughts and guidance would be much appreciated.

The following series of events occurs without fail in aperture 3 and CSPS4:
I place a single JPG image on desktop. Then, in aperture, I create a new project named TEST. I then import this single JPG into aperture, making the choice to store the master on the desktop, rather than in the aperture library.
The JPG image now is in aperture in the PROJECT "TEST". I then select this single image in aperture and send it to CSPS4 to edit.
I can see aperture write a new image to the project with the same name as the JPG but the suffix is now TIFF (note two "f" in this suffix). This happens as photoshop is opening and i can briefly see the TIFF file in the aperture browser before photoshop completes opening.
I then edit the "TIFF" image in photoshop (which is by now completely opened) and SAVE (not save as...) it. Since I have previously chosen 16bit TIFF in the preferences I expect to get this file with the photoshop edits in the aperture project TEST. HOWEVER, the file is written with the suffix "TIF". Note that there is only one "f" in this suffix.
Now, on my desktop I have THREE files, a JPG, a TIFF, and a TIF. Aperture shows only 2 images in the TEST project, the original JPG and the TIFF. This TIFF was written by aperture before i edited it in photoshop. Apparently my edits in photoshop are in the file IMAGE.TIF, which is not in my aperture TEST project.
This has to be a bug regarding the suffexes "TIFF" and "TIF" This would explain why my "edited" file in my aperture project TEST shows no evidence of having been edited.
This has been difficult to explain clearly but perhaps someone has noticed.
imac i7,8GB Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Using Lightroom as my external editor - worked, now broken

For nearly two years, I used Lightroom as my external editor for iPhoto using the following process:
1. Select 'Edit in External Editor'
2. Select Add to Library (not Copy or Move) when the Lightroom import dialogue comes up so that LR is simply pointing to the file my iPhoto library
3. Make all my edits in Lightroom (my original is left untouched at this point, and LR stores data about how to process the original)
4. Export the photo from Lightroom into the same folder as the original using the same filename
At this point, I would get a prompt saying:
"The following files already exist:
[path/to/file]
Do you wish to overwrite the existing files, skip the existing files, or rename the exported files to avoid collision?"
I could simply choose 'Overwrite' and my file in iPhoto would be updated with the changes from LR.
This worked until right after Christmas. Then, in January, the process mysteriously stopped working for any new photos. Now, if I use the same process, I get the following warning:
"You can not choose to overwrite the existing files since some of them are the source files"
Interestingly enough, I can still go back to any of the pre-January images in my LR library and export them back into iPhoto, overwriting the original. I have not updated Lightroom at all, but I suspect I did download an update to iPhoto. Still, I can't figure out what is materially different, and what I might be able to do to get my old workflow back!
Any ideas? And no, I don't need a lecture about the fact that iPhoto and LR are both image library managers, and that I should just switch to LR or use Aperture. I like the way iPhoto organizes my files (Events, Places, etc) and I only end up needing to edit 20% of the photos in an external editor. LR is definitely the editor I prefer and I'm not crazy about Aperture.
Thanks dudes!

Larry you fail to mention that using an external editor with iPhoto will not allow you to save your changes back into the iPhoto library.
Unfortunate you simply are ignorant of how iPhoto works - when you use an external editor with iPhoto and save the edited photo it is returned to the iPhoto database and the iPhoto database is updated correctly.
There are many Apple apologists on these forums
No - but since these forums are for iPhoto support the users here are very experienced iPhoto users and do use iPhoto a lot - no apologies - just CORRECT information on how to use iPhoto (and if it will not doe what you want sometimes suggestions on where to go to do what yo want)
and they will either try to convince you that other software is not as good
I certainly have NEVER seen this - every piece of software has good and bad points - and again remember *this is an iPhoto support forum*.
or totally ignore newbie users whom want to know how they can do something in iPhoto when it is not possible due to it's limitations.
Once again this is simply incorrect - unfortunately you have no idea how iPhoto works or how to use it
Rather, in my opinion I prefer to be honest
Honest maybe - but very unknowledgeable
and if another application does a function that iPhoto doesn't then I would personally point that out.
Good plan - the problem is that you simply are ignorant of how iPhoto works and what it can do so con are posting erroneous information making false claims
Your totally incorrect posts are unnecessary and could be confusing to users who want information - as the TOU state please TEST your assumptions before you post them here - totally incorrect posts like yours are not the least bit helpful
LN
Message was edited by: LarryHN

Using elements 9 as external editor

Hi, I bought elements 9 today. I have all my pictures organized in aperture 3. I want to use elements as an external editor. I selected elements as the external editor in aperture 3, but when I try to edit a picture using the external editor via aperture 3, the image will not load into elements.
I get the welcome screen in elements, when I choose edit, the editor opens but no picture is loaded. I also tried to edit via elements used as external editor from aperture when I had elements open. What happens then is the exact same thing only difference is that elements opens again (so that I have to elements apps running at the same time)
Anyone have an idea what I am doing wrong.

You chose the wrong file in the PSE folder. This is about iphoto, but the problem is the same with aperture, lightroom, or any other external editor. See step 2 for directions to the right file:
http://barbarabrundage.com/?p=141

Huge file size grow when using external editor

Hello,
I want to use an external editor such as Photoshop or Pixelmator. When I set one of the applications to be the external editor everytime I open a file for editing a version is created with a file size of approx. 57 Mb.
Any ideas what is going on here?

Lt, it's also worth seeing if you have the setting for the TIFF so that it best suits you. If you don't require a 16 bit TIFF make sure the it's set to create an 8 bit TIFF instead. The 57 meg size sounds like a 16 bit image. An 8 bit one will be half that
. Before Aperture I used to stay16 bit right up until I passed the image off to whoever it was going to, at which point I'd make them an 8 bit version because that would usually be what they wanted. But now so much of whatever advantage that brought me (exposure and tonal changes, especially in solid areas) is being done in Aperture, even before creating a TIFF, so it can be argued that for many people the advantage of exporting 16 bit to the external editor isn't gaining them that much. If it's going to a consumer printer (that is not 16 bit aware) even more so. 16 bit is better, but if size is an issue and Aperture is doing 90% of the global tweaking, I don't think sending the editor an 8 bit TIFF is a crime : )

Why use an external editor?

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