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You’re viewing help for Photoshop Lightroom Classic CC (formerly Lightroom CC).
Not your version? View help for Photoshop Lightroom CC.
You can perform additional editing to your photos using Photoshop Elements from within Lightroom Classic CC. You must have Photoshop Elements installed on your computer for this feature to be available.
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Edit A Copy With Lightroom Classic CC Adjustments
Applies any Lightroom Classic CC adjustments you’ve made to a copy of the file and sends that file to Photoshop Elements for editing.
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To stack the edited photo with the original in the containing folder, select Edit (Win)/Lightroom Classic CC (macOS) > Preferences > External Editing > Stack With Original. If you edit a photo while viewing a collection, two stacks will be created, one in the folder and one in the collection.
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Edited camera raw and DNG files are automatically added to the Lightroom Classic CC catalog with Join up appended to the filename. The file format is either TIFF or PSD, depending on what is specified in External Editing preferences.
JPEG, TIFF, and PSD files edited as copies with adjustments are also saved according to the format specified in External Editing preferences.
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When saving changes to JPEG, TIFF, and PSD images in Photoshop Elements, make sure the filename and format are the same as the copy or the original in Lightroom Classic CC if you want the photo to be updated in the catalog.
You can perform additional editing to your photos using Photoshop from within Lightroom Classic CC. You must have Photoshop installed on your computer for this feature to be available.
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Edit A Copy With Lightroom Classic CC Adjustments
Applies any Lightroom Classic CC adjustments you’ve made to a copy of the file and sends that file to Photoshop for editing.
Edit A Copy
Edits a copy of the original file without Lightroom Classic CC adjustments. This option is applicable for JPEG, TIFF, and PSD files only; not for camera raw or DNG files.
Edit Original
Edits the original file without Lightroom Classic CC adjustments. This option is applicable for JPEG, TIFF, and PSD files only; not for camera raw or DNG files.
Note:
To stack the edited photo with the original in the containing folder, select Edit (Win)/Lightroom Classic CC (macOS) > Preferences > External Editing > Stack With Original. If you edit a photo while viewing a collection, two stacks will be created, one in the folder and one in the collection.
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When opening a raw image from Lightroom Classic CC in Photoshop, if the Adobe Camera Raw versions in both Lightroom Classic CC and Photoshop are not the same, Lightroom Classic CC displays a message prompting you to update the Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in for full compatibility.
For details about updating Photoshop and Adobe Camera Raw to the latest version, see Keep Photoshop up to date.
Don't show again
Select this option if you don't want to see this dialog in the future. The raw image from Lightroom Classic CC opens directly in Photoshop. However, some of your Lightroom Classic CC edits may not appear in Photoshop if the Camera Raw versions are incompatible.
Render using Lightroom Classic CC
Lightroom Classic CC processes your raw file to render a new TIFF or PSD file, which automatically opens in Photoshop. The file format of the rendered file — TIFF or PSD — is based on the File Format preference that you've specified for external editing (Edit > Preferences > External Editing). All the edits that you've made in Lightroom Classic CC appear in Photoshop when you render using Lightroom Classic CC.
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If you edit a copy of the photo, Lightroom Classic CC automatically adds the copy, with -Edit appended to the filename, to the catalog as you open it in Photoshop.
Edited camera raw and DNG files are automatically added to the Lightroom Classic CC catalog with -Edit appended to the filename. The file format is either TIFF or PSD, depending on what is specified in External Editing preferences.
JPEG, TIFF, and PSD files edited as copies with adjustments are also saved according to the format specified in External Editing preferences.
Note:
When saving changes to JPEG, TIFF, and PSD images in Photoshop, make sure the filename and format are the same as the copy or the original in Lightroom Classic CC if you want the photo to be updated in the catalog.
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When saving from Photoshop, be sure to turn on the Maximize Compatibility option so that Lightroom Classic CC can read the images. Photoshop CS3 and later automatically save PSD files from Lightroom Classic CC with maximum compatibility.
The primary external editor feature of Lightroom Classic CC has functions designed to work specifically with Photoshop. While Photoshop Elements has limited support for some of these functions, it does not meet the requirements for the intended use.
- Open as Smart Object - Photoshop Elements does not allow for the creation of Smart Objects.
- Merge to Panorama - Make sure that you're in the Expert edit mode in Photoshop Elements to create Panoramas.
- Merge to HDR - Photoshop Elements does not support 32-bit images or have a Merge to HDR function.
- Open as Layers - Make sure that you're in the Expert edit mode in Photoshop Elements to work with layers.
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You must have Photoshop CS3 10.0.1 or later installed on your computer for this feature to be available. Instructions are for Photoshop CS5.
Note:
You must have Photoshop CS3 10.0.1 or later installed on your computer for this feature to be available. Instructions are for Photoshop CS5.
Note:
You must have Photoshop CS3 10.0.1 or later installed on your computer for this feature to be available. Instructions are for Photoshop CS5.
You can also learn how to assemble individual frames into a seamless photograph with a tutorial on creating composite panoramic images in Photoshop.
High dynamic range (HDR) images combine multiple photos captured at different exposures. HDR images allow you to represent a wider and more realistic range of dark and bright regions of a scene in a single photo.
Learn how to assemble the individual frames of an HDR (high dynamic range) composition with a tutorial on creating HDR images using Photoshop and Lightroom Classic CC.
The merge-to-HDR feature in Lightroom Classic CC requires that you have one of the following combinations of Photoshop and Camera Raw installed on your computer:
Photoshop CS3 10.0.1 and Camera Raw 4.6 or later
Photoshop CS4 and Camera Raw 5.7 or later
Photoshop CS5 and Camera Raw 6.2
Photoshop CS6 and Camera Raw 7.1
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The following instructions are for Photoshop CS5 and CS6.
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In the Library module or Develop module, select the photos you want to edit and then do one of the following:
Choose Photo > Edit In > Edit In [Name of Application].
If you have created an external editor preset, choose Photo > Edit In > Edit In [Name of Preset].
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If you’re editing using another application for the first time, choose Photo > Edit In > Edit In Other Application. Navigate to and choose the application you want to use. Once you choose the application for editing photos, the name of the application is added to the Edit In command. You can always choose a different editing application in the External Editing preferences.
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