# Plugins and External Editors keep disappearing



## Droolcool (Jun 9, 2017)

Hello Forum, my first time being here and thanks in advance for your help. I have a Lr 6 perpetual and a bunch of other programs I dabble in off and on. I also have Photoshop, Luminar, Aurora HDR, PortraitPRO, a couple of Topaz plugins. I like to use Lr for cataloging pics and some basic editing and jump into other programs for a quick win. Although familiar with most Lr adjustments, I find it takes too long for me to edit there and it doesn't help much with visualization. So I jump to Luminar and play around with their presets to get a head start. My workflow is not defined at this point and I'm still in that trial and error phase.
Here is my problem - Every time I go into Lr, some of my plugins/ external editors keep disappearing. So when I right click on a pic to Edit In...I don't see my editor. In the past I'll read some online tips and it will temporarily get the one I need to work but then some other will disappear.

Also not sure what is the difference between a plugin vs. an external editor. Can somebody please help explain the difference and what locations these are supposed to be in so I don't keep losing them. Photoshop is the only consistent one I haven't lost ever when I do edit in....

It would be a wonderful day when I click edit in and I see all of them at the same time 

Thanks again!
Drool


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## Johan Elzenga (Jun 10, 2017)

Originally, a plugin was an application that could only run from within Lightroom, an external editor is a standalone application that can also open and save files by itself and doesn't need Lightroom to run. This difference has become diluted however, because some authors of stand-alone software add a Lightroom plugin so that their application can be used as plugin rather than external editor. That is probably because Lightroom can have as many plugins as you like, but only one extra external editor. To make things even more complicated, you can also save a preset from an external editor. Then you can add another external editor (replacing the first one) and save a preset for that one too. By using these presets, you can let Lightroom switch external editors 'on the go'. That is also why you can seem to 'lose' an external editor: Lightroom switched to another one because you used its preset last.


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## clee01l (Jun 10, 2017)

JohanElzenga said:


> That is probably because Lightroom can have... only one extra external editor.


This is not correct.  You can have many external editors 
Here is a list of those I have defined in the Export Editor Presets folder:





What I think has confused you is that the Secondary editor defined with the shortcut {Alt/Optn}{Cntl/Cmd}{E} is always the last selected secondary editor.  Choosing {Edit-In} from the context menu lists the primary and current secondary editor along with all of the other defined secondary editors.


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## clee01l (Jun 10, 2017)

Droolcool said:


> It would be a wonderful day when I click edit in and I see all of them at the same time


You can define any existing app as a external editor. (It does not need to be an image editor to be defined although is it not practical to define non image editing apps.)  In my list of external editors 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



I have Zerene Stacker defined as an external editor.  The Zerene image stacker also comes with a plugin.   Either way you begin this Editing function by selecting multiple images to focus stack.   If I use the Edit In function, LR will create and catalog intermediate TIFF files for each image selected and calls the Zerene App and passes all of these intermediate files to the app.  The Focus stacking app then creates a composite TIFF file and saves it where I then need to import it into LR.   
If I use the Zerene plugin, the same intermediate TIFF files are created but not cataloged in my LR catalog. Instead they are created in working storage and the Zerene app is called and pointed to these intermediate TIFF files now in working storage. The Focus stacking app then creates a composite TIFF file and saves it where I then need to import it into LR.  The temporary TIFF files in working storage are then discarded.
You can create multiple Edit In  entries in LR preferences. In the section marked "Additional External Editor" Define the fields for a new external editor.  The in the dropDownListBox labeled "Presets:", choose {Save Settings a a new Preset} giving it a unique Preset name.  
You can then invoke any of your defined presets via the Library menu {Photo}{Edit In} or thru the {Edit In item on the context menu when you right click on an image.


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## Johan Elzenga (Jun 10, 2017)

That is what I meant. All the entries you see in this list are either plugins (.lrplugin) or templates (.lrtemplate). If you choose the 'Edit in' menu, you only see one secondary editor, that's the second 'Edit in .....' menu with shortcut cmd-option-e. In the Lightroom preferences - External Editing you can also clearly see only one Addition External Editor. But by saving this as a preset, you can effectively have more. That can be a bit confusing and explains why the OP says she keeps losing the secondary editor.


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## Droolcool (Jun 12, 2017)

Thanks Clee and Johan. I think I get it now. I have been setting external editors but not choosing the option to set it as a new preset in the options. This is overwriting my current external editor. Your tips and this adobe forum link helped me.
Configuring multiple external editors |Adobe Community

Although I have not yet tried it, I can see how I was missing that crucial step of setting it up multiple external editors by not choosing the "Create new preset". Lr certainly doesn't make that intuitive. I'll report back in a few days when I try it. Been out travelling a lot and haven't had a chance. Again thanks for helping out.


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