Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Lightroom Classic > Preferences (Mac OS).
Last updated on
Dec 16, 2025
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.
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 PSB, 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 PSB, 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.
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 PSB, 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.
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.
In the External Editing preferences, select Choose in the Additional External Editor area.
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.
In the External Editing preferences, choose an
application and specify camera raw file options.
Choose Preset > Save Current Settings As
New Preset.
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
In the External Editing preferences, choose an additional external editor preset from the Preset menu.
Change the application or camera raw file options.
Lightroom Classic appends "(edited)" to the end of the preset name.
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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