# NIK Collection HDR Pro 2 not re-importing after Save?



## Chileman (Jan 11, 2015)

Hi,

I've used NIK's HDR Pro for quite a while now with Lightroom, and just recently it has stopped re-importing the finished HDR image back into Lightroom.

I am viewing in Folder view, I've checked the Sort order, checked for Stacking, etc but still not appearing. It's definitely generated the file as I can see it in Finder.

Anyone else experience this?

I'm running 5.7 under Yosemite.

Many thanks!
Gareth


----------



## sizzlingbadger (Jan 11, 2015)

Check you have the latest versions of the Nik Collection, then re-install them and test it again.


----------



## Chileman (Jan 11, 2015)

Yeah, made sure and downloaded and re-installed...no joy. It's also not working as expected for Photomatix either...which I guess points to the issue being with Lightroom itself (or me!!) ?


----------



## clee01l (Jan 11, 2015)

When LR uses the External Editor, on a single image, the intermediate TIFF is created and cataloged by LR before the External Editor is called (unless the ExEditor is PS).  When an HDR image is generated, it is a composite image and does not exist in the LR catalog but is first created by the ExEditor.  Now the HDR image  app save this NEW image in the same folder as the source images but not in the catalog.  After completing any operation where a composite image is created by a external editor, you need to sync the folder in LR  AFTE the HDR process is complete and control returns to LR.  This will identify the images in the folder not in the catalog and these can be imported with the sync process. 

AFAIK. all third party editors work this way. and have always worked this way.  This is not an issue with LR or the third party editor. This is working as designed.


----------



## Chileman (Jan 11, 2015)

Thanks for the reply! Yep I think your correct, possibly up to the point you make about having to sync. In the past, whenever I have saved from the ExEditor, such as HDR Pro, it has returned to Lightroom, and the new composite image has automatically been displayed in the grid in the catalog alongside the contributory images. I've never re-synced a folder for any 3rd party editor. Now they're not appearing at all, which is weird. I have tried the Sync Folder option but this has no effect.

Beginning to wonder if my install of 5.7 has corrupted in some way...


----------



## davidedric (Jan 12, 2015)

I have noticed some odd behaviours when editing in an external editor from a Collection.  I am sure that I have seen instances where the TIFF is returned and is in the Catalogue, but not in the starting Collection.  Current 5,000 miles from my computer and Lightroom, so can't do any tests.

Dave


----------



## LouieSherwin (Jan 12, 2015)

Hi,

HEP2 (HDR Efex Pro 2) is not implemented in Lightroom as an external editor. It uses an export plugin to render all the selected images to a temp workspace be for launching. When it's done it saves the results back into the  same "Folder" of the source images. If your source is not set to the same folder then it appears to disappear. 

What is the image source when you initiate HDR Efex? 

What happens if you switch to the source to the same folder as your input image?.

-louie


----------



## Chileman (Jan 13, 2015)

Thanks guys.

I'm running this on my iMac (Yosemite, LR5.7).

I'm not using Collections for this; all the initiation is done from within the Folders pane. Basically, I select the 3 (RAW) source images and Export to HDR Efex Pro 2. This then launches Efex Pro 2 with the correct images. After creating the HDR image, I select Save. This then closes Efex Pro 2 and takes me back to Lightroom. The 3 images are still highlighted, but the new HDR image is not automatically loaded into the catalog....this has always happened before.

When I check the same folder in Finder, the HDR image is there, it's just not displayed in Lightroom.

As an aside, on my MacBook Pro (running latest HDR Efex Pro 2, Mavericks and Lightroom 5.6) I am not having any issues...the HDR image is ingested into the same source folder within Lightroom as expected.

Could it be an issue with 5.7?

Thanks,
Gareth


----------



## LouieSherwin (Jan 13, 2015)

Hi Gareth,

Have you checked your sort order. I just tried to merge a sequence as and seemed to loose the resulting image only to discover that my sort order had been set to "Custom Order" and the new HDR image was now showing at the end of the grid view for the folder. 

-louie


----------



## Chileman (Jan 13, 2015)

Hi Louie.

Yep, one of the first things I checked...others had thought the same too. It's definitely not there, although it is in the Finder folder upon which it sits.

Been through the settings on both my iMac and my MacBook Pro (for Lightroom and Efex) and they both appear to be the same. No errors appear to be generated either. 

Are any log files generated as a result of this process?

Thanks,
Gareth


----------



## bwallx (Feb 4, 2015)

I have had similar problems for several versions of LR. I am currently on 5.7
I understand the issue faced by Lightroom. Syncing *never* works for me, it always reports nothing to sync to. Changing something such as Sort Order or moving between Library and Develop often works. Sometimes the file appears immediately. This is all when using Photomatix by the way.

Adobe may dismiss our problems as "by design" but that is typical Adobe arrogance for which they are famous. To be user-friendly (look that up Adobe) Lightroom needs a switch the user can click on to get such images to appear instead of being asked by Adobe to jump through hoops.


----------



## Michael D. (Feb 5, 2015)

It sounds to me that some folks are confused about the various 'sync' settings.  Do NOT use the SYNC METADATA or SYNC SETTINGS in the bottom right of the Libaray Panel.

Here's the Synchronize setting you want if you have sent a file to an external editor, saved it, and don't see it in your original folder, try this:

In the Library view you can see the list of your folders on the left.

Right click on the current folder name (it should already be highlighted before you click) and choose "Synchronize Folder".

You should see a box whose top line says Import New Photos (x) in which x means the number of new images that can be imported.  If it says 0, then your image has ended up outside of the folder from which it was started.  Otherwise just hit the button that says SYNCHRONIZE and you will see ONLY the images that your external program saved.   Now right click on the image(s) and select GO TO FOLDER IN LIBRARY.

That's it.  You will now be back in your full library view with your new edited images as part of the folder.

It may sound a bit convoluted, but once you have done it a couple of times it will become an easy part of your workflow.


----------



## bwallx (Feb 5, 2015)

Michael D. said:


> It sounds to me that some folks are confused about the various 'sync' settings.  Do NOT use the SYNC METADATA or SYNC SETTINGS in the bottom right of the Libaray Panel.......


That is exactly what I meant by sync. After returning to LR from Photomatix, I try resynchronising the folder and it says there is nothing. HOWEVER, it IS there because after fiddling about going between Library & Developer modules etc as previously described, the image does then appear.

As I said, whatever the reason and whoever's fault it is, shouldn't Adobe help us out since clearly it IS possible for LR to manage this.


----------



## rhynetc (Feb 5, 2015)

Have you checked the settings for reimport and stacking?


----------

