John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

I shoot Nikon and have been using Lightroom since version 4. Never used Bridge or Adobe Camera Raw. Want to progress with layers in Photoshop, but am having difficulty with the overall work flow. Watched a tutorial by Serge Ramelli, who exhibited working from Bridge to ACR, to PS, and provided very little info on file types and moving from one software package to the other. I could use some advice on work flow from those of you more advanced.

Start with my photo in LR, downloaded from card in DNG format.
I can click "Edit in Photoshop", and PS opens with the image.
I can click Open Camera Raw Filter (name which makes no sense to me) and do the basic edits there
When done with the basic stuff, I can save, but that is where I get over my pay grade.

File format, where (how do I get the edited version back in to LR?) color space, etc. When I do use bridge and click Edit in PS, it opens ACR automatically. Maybe I don't have my preferences set correctly?

My Adobe Photoshop book is pretty thin on what I am looking to learn.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I'm not a PS export, but why are you opening Camera RAW at the third step? Or more exactly, why not do the "basic edits" in LR where LR is a RAW editor? When you "save" in step 4 into the DNG, close PS and return to LR, are you saying those changes are not reflected in LR? Do you possibly need to reload the DNG into LR?

As you're discovered, Adobe has overlapping tools (LR, Bridge, ARC, PS) for RAW editing. I'd suggest a workflow based on:

1. Import the RAW into LR, not a DNG.
2. Pass a PSD to PS using ProPhoto RGB as the colorspace
3. When your work in PS is completed, save the updates into the PSD and return to LR.

For step 1, consider using LR as your basic (or complete) RAW editor including: camera and lens calibration, WB, global exposure updates, and cropping. Within LR, see Edit / Preferences / External Editors to set the file attributes when passed from LR to the external target.

REJ Loc: Ontario Canada

A very good outline. REJ.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

I think CHG_CANON has given you a good workflow. Bridge is basically a file management system. If you have LR and use it for your basic processing there is not really a reason to use Bridge. If you prefer to use Camera Raw in PS for your basic editing then all you would need to use is Bridge for the file management. It is a personal preference which way you go. I do sometimes use Camera Raw in PS because it can be used as a smart filter that allows you to go back and edit a layer starting with the last settings you had in Camera Raw as opposed to opening Camera Raw new every time and all your sliders are back in the default position.

When you save a RAW or DNG file in PS CC it saves it as a PSD file. You can open that PSD file in LR but it will not show the layers. It will be a flat file. If you make changes to the PSD file in LR those changes will not show up in PS CC when you reopen the file there. If I want to upload my photos to UHH or to LR when I am finished with all processing I export the file from PS CC as a jpg then upload it to either UHH, LR or both. I still have my PSD file if I want to go back and do more processing later.

You also have the option when you are in LR to choose to edit your file in PS CC by clicking on File/Edit In Photoshop. If it is a RAW file it will open in PS CC as a TIFF file and it will default save it as a TIFF file. The TIFF files are 16 bit and some of the filters will not apply. It has to be converted to an 8 bit. You can choose to save it as PSD file or export it a JPG. If it is a JPG in LR it will open as a PSD file. The nice thing about using this option is it links your PS and LR so that any changes you save in PS will be saved in the LR file as well. The bad thing is that is uses a lot of RAM.

Finally, if you open a RAW file directly in PS directly from your hard drive or where ever you have the file stored, PS CC will automatically open it in Camera Raw. If you don't want to make any changes at that time just click on Open Image. I hope this helps and good luck!

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

You are getting good advice. I may not be adding much. I'm rewording some of what has already been written by Paul and Keni.

1. LR is, repeat, is your raw editor. It has ACR hidden inside. Opening the ACR filter after it is in Photoshop is not exactly the same because the RAW has already been interpreted. Why is it there? If you have developed a favorite technique and want to use it on a JPEG or other existing image file, you can use it as a "filter" in an adjustment layer.

2. When you do a LR "Open in Photoshop" with a RAW, Lightroom makes a TIFF or PSD based on your preferences. It will have the LR RAW adjustments baked in. That new TIFF or PSD is part of the catalog at creation. In other words, as soon as you complete an "Edit in Photoshop" there will be TWO similar files in Lightroom.

3. You have to Save, not Save As in Photoshop. You are saving changes to the new file Lightroom created. In the LR Library the new and finalized TIFF or PSD will sit next to the original RAW. If you are in a Folder view you will see it. If you are working from a Collection, you won't see the new PSD or TIFF until you add it to the Collection.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

John. I found this little book very helpful for just this issue.

https://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Layers-Professional-Strength-Editing-ebook/dp/B015VKN8TS/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=robin+whalley&qid=1551361253&s=gateway&sr=8-3

John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

Thanks CHG_CANON. As I said, I have not been using Bridge or ACR and only tried to go in that direction because of the tutorial I am watching. Your thoughts on DNG, color space and sequence are appreciated.

John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

Thanks Kenievans.

John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

bsprague thanks for the subtle clarifications. Appreciated.

John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

Thanks BruceWells.

AZNikon Loc: Mesa, AZ