need help with understanding xmp
Jul 20, 2015 12:27:40 #
I had been ignoring the funny xmp files LightRoom has been creating.... but then I copied my files from my travel netbook to my working laptop and discovered win 8.1 didn't copy the xmp's. I'm not using LR's catalog system because I like to explore other editors' capabilities. So I hand copy files as I need to. My original NEF files that I copied over seem to have the edits I had made on the netbook, but it looks like I have lost the originals -- I have no way to back out of the edits. So LR doesn't preserve the original raw files? if the xmp files are missing? And then, how do I copy files if windows is unable to deal with xp's?
Jul 20, 2015 12:41:43 #
pelha wrote:
I had been ignoring the funny xmp files LightRoom ... (show quote)
XMP files (Sidecar files) are where editing data is stored in RAW files. If you lose the XMP files you lose all edits to you photos. It does not matter what editor, they place edits in the XMP files, not the original NEF (RAW) files.
Jul 20, 2015 12:43:07 #
pelha wrote:
I had been ignoring the funny xmp files LightRoom ... (show quote)
If you don't want to deal with XMP sidecar files, you can convert your RAW files to Adobe DNG on import. DNG are Adobe RAW files with sidecars embedded into the RAW file, so there are no additional files to worry about.
Jul 20, 2015 12:44:16 #
pelha wrote:
I had been ignoring the funny xmp files LightRoom ... (show quote)
Certain raw formats are proprietary, such as NEF (NIKON), Editors may not be able to write directly to these files, so your edits go into a "sidecar file" with an XMP extension.
Adobe knows to load in the original and then apply the XMP edits to show what you edited the file to be.
To share raw files the workflow is to make your edits and then export the finished raw file as a JPG. The edits will be "baked in" and viewable in any program that can view JPG files.
If you are not using Lightroom's catalog system, then you are not using Lightroom. All the catalog is is a list of where your originals are and the edits that were made. It is required to use Lightroom.
If you use Lightroom properly then it is totally non destructive to originals, including raw files.
I have been using Lightroom for a couple years now, and can go back to any original file I like, or I can re-export any version of the file at any edit point.
Totally non-destructive, and a fantastic digital image asset manager.
Jul 20, 2015 12:46:52 #
Capture48 wrote:
LR does not create XMP files, your camera does. XMP files (Sidecar files) are where editing data is stored in RAW files. If you lose the XMP files you lose all edits to you photos. It does not matter what editor, they place edits in the XMP files, not the original NEF (RAW) files.
Actually, Lightroom DOES create the XMP files, as proprietary raw files are edited. Assuming that you have set Lightroom to write the XMP data immediately.
Have yet to transfer an XMP file from my Nikon.
Jul 20, 2015 12:51:53 #
Dngallagher wrote:
Actually, Lightroom DOES create the XMP files, as proprietary raw files are edited.
Have yet to transfer an XMP file from my Nikon.
Have yet to transfer an XMP file from my Nikon.
Correct, Adobe creates the XMP files to store your edit information, this leaves your original Raw file unaltered.
Jul 20, 2015 12:52:14 #
Dngallagher wrote:
Actually, Lightroom DOES create the XMP files, as proprietary raw files are edited.
Have yet to transfer an XMP file from my Nikon.
Have yet to transfer an XMP file from my Nikon.
yes, I know and edited that response as I typed it to fast
Jul 20, 2015 12:53:02 #
Capture48 wrote:
yes, I know and edited that response as I typed it to fast
I thought you should know ;)
Jul 20, 2015 13:06:23 #
pelha wrote:
I had been ignoring the funny xmp files LightRoom ... (show quote)
If you edit in LR, the edits are not made to the raw (NEF) files. The edits are stored in the xmp files. Not all editors can read xmp files, so when you copy raw files to another computer you may starting afresh with edits. The software you are using on your second machine, also cannot edit the raw file directly, and must either generate another xmp file or you have to export a copy of the image with edits.
In time, you will end up with many duplicate files, each with different edits.
The fact that you have mislaid the original files whilst copying, suggests you are in fact moving files instead of copying. Disassociating the xmp file from the NEF file, and moving the NEF files outside of LR is definitely going to cause problems.
You don't explain your method of copying files, Windows 8.1 will copy files just as previous incarnations of Windows always has done whether they be NEF, jpeg or xmp. Are you using an external drive to transport them, wireless or some other means?
Lets hear about your set up and a solution can be worked out before it becomes a disaster.
Jul 20, 2015 13:11:59 #
Dngallagher wrote:
Have yet to transfer an XMP file from my Nikon.
Have yet to transfer an XMP file from my Nikon.
Under what circumstances would you get an xmp file on your Nikon?
Jul 20, 2015 13:13:19 #
Searcher wrote:
Under what circumstances would you get an xmp file on your Nikon?
This came from a misquote I made, I realized it almost immediately after the post and corrected, but apparently not before someone read it.
Jul 20, 2015 13:13:44 #
Searcher wrote:
Under what circumstances would you get an xmp file on your Nikon?
I was responding to another statement - a mistake that XMP files were created by camera. ;)
XMP files are created by Adobe software to hold metadata that cannot be written into proprietary raw format files.
Jul 20, 2015 13:26:20 #
Searcher wrote:
br The fact that you have mislaid the original fi... (show quote)
i did a copy & paste from the netbook to a thumb drive and then another copy & paste from the thumb drive to my laptop, because that would be much faster than doing a single copy & paste wirelessly. At some point in the process I saw the error msg from windows that it couldn't copy the 'odd' format files (don't remember exactly where along the way I saw the msg.)
i'm still in experimenting mode with all this and discovering that there is sooo much I don't yet understand.
Thanks, all!
Jul 20, 2015 13:45:49 #
pelha wrote:
i did a copy & paste from the netbook to a thu... (show quote)
Your understanding could be made much easier. What software are you using? Do you have LR on both computers or only the netbook?
As DnGallagher has said, if your not using the LR catalogue, the external editing system and losing the xmp files, you are not actually using Lightroom.
Jul 20, 2015 15:37:18 #
Searcher wrote:
Your understanding could be made much easier. What software are you using? Do you have LR on both computers or only the netbook?
As DnGallagher has said, if your not using the LR catalogue, the external editing system and losing the xmp files, you are not actually using Lightroom.
As DnGallagher has said, if your not using the LR catalogue, the external editing system and losing the xmp files, you are not actually using Lightroom.
I used LR 4 on the netbook -- had loaded 6 just before leaving, but it appeared not to be displaying the images so rather than take the time to debug it I switched back to LR 4 (the hardware on the netbook is around 7 years old, so I suspect a graphic incompatibility of some sort.) On my swift new laptop I am now using LR 6. I am using the editing system, more and more as I become familiar with it and with using raw.
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