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External Editing preferences

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Lightroom Classic

Lightroom Classic

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  1. Lightroom Classic User Guide
  2. Introduction to Lightroom Classic
    1. What's new in Lightroom Classic
    2. Lightroom Classic Release Notes
    3. Lightroom Classic technical requirements
    4. Keyboard shortcuts
    5. Lightroom Classic FAQ 
    6. Lightroom Classic Key Concepts
    7. Lightroom Classic tutorials
    8. Set Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
    9. Reset Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
  3. Workspace
    1. Workspace basics
    2. Display the Library on a second monitor
    3. Personalize identity plates and module buttons
    4. Watermark your photos in Lightroom Classic
    5. Color management
  4. Import photos
    1. Specify import options
    2. Set import preferences
    3. Import photos from a camera or card reader
    4. Import photos from a folder on a hard drive
    5. Import photos automatically
    6. Import photos from Photoshop Elements
    7. Import photos from a tethered camera
    8. The Filename Template Editor and Text Template Editor
    9. Set up tethered camera support for Fujifilm cameras
  5. Organize photos in Lightroom Classic
    1. Face recognition
    2. Work with photo collections
    3. Group photos into stacks
    4. Flag, label, and rate photos
    5. Use keywords
    6. Metadata basics and actions
    7. Save metadata to external sidecar files
    8. Find photos in the catalog
    9. Work with video in Lightroom Classic
    10. Advanced metadata actions
    11. Use the Quick Develop panel
    12. Select best photos with Assisted Culling
    13. Group your photos into a stack
  6. Process and develop photos
    1. Develop module basics
    2. Apply Presets
    3. Create panoramas and HDR panoramas
    4. Flat-Field Correction
    5. Correct distorted perspective in photos using Upright
    6. Improve image quality using Enhance
    7. Work with image tone and color
    8. Edit your images with Color Mixer tool
    9. Masking
    10. Apply local adjustments
    11. HDR photo merge
    12. Develop module options
    13. Retouch photos
    14. Cure red eye and pet eye effects
    15. Use the Radial Filter tool
    16. Adjustments with Lens Blur
    17. Edit and Export in HDR
    18. Remove Tool
    19. Remove distracting people
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  7. Viewing photos
    1. View photos
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  8. Export photos
    1. Export files to disk or CD
    2. Export photos from Lightroom Classic
    3. Publish photos online
    4. Export to hard drive using publish services
    5. Presets for export, and other settings
  9. Work with external editors
    1. External Editing preferences
    2. Open and edit Lightroom Classic photos in Photoshop
  10. Manage catalogs and files
    1. How Lightroom Classic catalogs work
    2. Create and manage catalogs
    3. Back up a catalog
    4. Locate missing photos
    5. Create and manage folders
    6. Manage photos within folders
  11. Maps
    1. Work with the Map module
  12. Photo books
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  13. Slideshows
    1. Create slideshows
    2. Slideshow module panels and tools
    3. Specify the slide layout
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  14. Print photos
    1. Print module basics
    2. Print module layouts and templates
    3. Work with print job options and settings
  15. Web galleries
    1. Create web galleries
    2. Use the Web module panels and tools
    3. Work with web gallery layouts
    4. Work with web gallery templates and settings
    5. Preview, export, and upload web photo galleries
  16. Content Authenticity 
    1. Content Authenticity in Lightroom Classic
  17. Lightroom and Adobe services
    1. Creative Cloud Libraries
    2. Using Adobe Stock in Creative Cloud apps
  18. Troubleshooting 
    1. Fixed Issues
    2. Known Issues
  19. Technical Support
    1. Performance Guidelines
      1. Basic troubleshooting steps to fix issues in Lightroom Classic
      2. Optimize performance
      3. Keep Lightroom up to date
      4. Preference file and other file locations | Lightroom Classic
      5. Allow Permissions to Lightroom Classic on macOS
    2.  Technical issues
      1. GPU Issues
        1. Troubleshoot graphics processor (GPU) and graphics driver issues | Lightroom Classic
        2. Lightroom Classic GPU FAQ
      2. Startup Issues
        1. Windows | Lightroom doesn't start
        2. Error: Lightroom catalog cannot be opened
        3. Error: 'Unexpected error opening catalog' occurs in Lightroom after Windows 10 upgrade
        4. "Assertion failed" update error | Windows
        5. Error MSVCR110.dll opening apps in Windows 10
      3. Rendering Issues
        1. Troubleshoot issues with Develop module
      4. Stability Issues
        1. Troubleshoot crash or freeze in Lightroom Classic
      5. Miscellaneous Issues
        1. FAQ | Color in Lightroom Classic
        2. Lightroom desktop and mobile apps unavailable to Education memberships | Kivuto
    3. Workflow Issues
      1. Catalog Issues
        1. Error : Lightroom catalog cannot be opened
        2. Troubleshoot corrupt catalog
        3. Locate missing photos
        4. Recover catalog and images after resetting preferences
        5. Lightroom Classic catalog FAQ
      2. Sync Issues
        1. Lightroom Classic sync FAQ

You use External Editing preferences to specify the file format and other options for editing camera raw and DNG files in Photoshop and external image-editing applications that cannot read the mosaic sensor data in camera raw files. The options that you specify in External Editing preferences are also used by Photoshop when you save camera raw and DNG files from Lightroom Classic in Photoshop. Finally, you also use External Editing preferences to select external image-editing applications.

  1. Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Lightroom Classic > Preferences (Mac OS).

  2. Select External Editing.

Set preferences for working with camera raw files in external editors

Lightroom Classic opens camera raw and DNG files directly in Photoshop CS3 (10.0.1) or later. However, Lightroom Classic must send either TIFF or PSD copies of camera raw and DNG files to Photoshop Elements and to other external editors that cannot read raw data. In the External Editing preferences, you specify the file format, color space, bit depth, and compression for the TIFF and PSD files that Lightroom Classic sends to these editors. To best preserve color details in photos sent from Lightroom Classic, 16-bit ProPhoto RGB is recommended. If you open camera raw files from Lightroom Classic directly into Photoshop and save them there, Photoshop uses the settings you specify in Lightroom Classic External Editing preferences for the files that it saves.

Note

You can now edit SDR and HDR images using external editors in Lightroom Classic.

  1. In the External Editing preferences dialog box, choose options from the following menus:

    Photoshop version

    Lets you select a specific version of Photoshop while using an external editor to edit your photos. 

    File Format

    Saves camera raw images in either TIFF or PSD format. See Supported file formats.

    Color Space

    Converts SDR photos to the sRGB, AdobeRGB, ProPhoto RGB, Display P3, Rec. 2020, or Others to choose from the custom ICC profiles, HDR photos to HDR sRGB (Rec 709), HDR P3, and HDR Rec. 2020, and tags them with the color profile. See How Lightroom Classic manages color.

    Bit Depth

    Saves SDR photos with a bit depth of 8 bits or 16 bits per color channel (red, green, and blue) and HDR photos with a bit depth of 32 bits/component. 8-bit files are smaller and more compatible with various applications, but they do not preserve the fine tonal detail of 16-bit files.

    Resolution

    Controls the level of detail in an image, defined by its pixel dimensions. A higher Resolution value produces sharper prints. 

    Compression

    (TIFF only) Applies either ZIP compression or no compression to photos. ZIP is a lossless compression method that is most effective for images that contain large areas of single color.

    Template

    Uses the template you specify to name the file. Select a template and specify custom text or the start number of the filenames. See The Filename Template Editor and Text Template Editor.

Choose an additional external editor

You can designate an application to be used as an additional external editor in the External Editing preferences dialog box. After you choose an application, you can always use Preferences to change to a different application.

  1. In the External Editing preferences, select Choose in the Additional External Editor area.

  2. Navigate to and select the application to use, and then select Open (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).

    Note

    You can also select an external editor by choosing Photo > Edit In Other Application from the Library or Develop module. You'll be prompted to navigate to and select the application to use. After you choose an external editor, the name of the application appears as Edit In [Name of Application] in the Photo menu.

Create an additional external editor preset

You can create presets for additional external editors in the External Editing preferences dialog box. External editor presets allow you to specify multiple applications as external editors and create different photo-handling options for multiple uses with one or more external editors.

  1. In the External Editing preferences, choose an application and specify camera raw file options.
  2. Choose Preset > Save Current Settings As New Preset.

  3. Type a name for the preset and select Create.

    Lightroom Classic adds the new preset to the Preset menu.

Edit an additional external editor preset

  1. In the External Editing preferences, choose an additional external editor preset from the Preset menu.

  2. Change the application or camera raw file options.

    Lightroom Classic appends "(edited)" to the end of the preset name.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Choose Preset > Save Current Settings As A New Preset to create a new preset. Type a name for the new preset and click Create.

    • Choose Preset > Update Preset "[preset name]" to overwrite the existing preset with your changes.

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