# LRM 4 - External Editors - Lightzone & Smart PhotoEditor



## belladonna (Jul 20, 2012)

Hi -
I have just up-graded to LRM 4 - I am having trouble getting the edited image back *into Lightroom* from the 2 editors mentioned above.  The TIFF is generated OK and both Editors opened up as they did from LRM 3 - alterations are made and then saved in the External editors.  
At this point instead of the adjusted image being save straight back into LRM a 'Save' window opens and the adjusted image is saved back into the original 'Import into Lightroom' Folder.  In LRM a totally unaltered Tiff image appears.

I have also accessed NIK Viveza from LRM4 and this saves back correctly next to the original DNG image.  
I think I have set things up correctly in Preferences > External Editors > saving the current settings as new Preset etc. - so could you please help and tell me what else I have to do to get things working correctly.
Or is there a fault??

Many thanks -

Belladonna


----------



## clee01l (Jul 20, 2012)

LightZone has been discontinued. There are no recent upgrades and no support from LightCraft. 

IIRC, it operates nondestructively like LR. meaning that LightZone will need to create a derivative of any image opened by LightZone. LR will be unaware of any derivative file which is the same as if you had used any external Editor and used SaveAs upon completion. If the derivative file that you create with LightZone  is in the same folder as the source file generated by LR, then using Synchronize Folder should import this new file back into LR. 

I do not know how Smart PhotoEditor works.  If you can save its changes overtop of the initial image file, you canuse it in the Edit-In function like any other external editor.  However if you must create a derivative file to save your changes, then the same solution recommended above should work.


----------



## belladonna (Jul 20, 2012)

Many thanks -
I have never needed to use 'Synchronize folder' before - but it has brought the adjusted images into to LRM OK.
I do realise that Lightzone has been discontinued - but it still does have its uses so wanted it available!
Thanks for your help.

Belladonna


----------

