# Error When Trying to Merge Images to HDR



## Stratokat (Jan 10, 2019)

Hello!  New to Lightroom, have a friend who is experienced.  She was showing me how to merge my bracket photos.  I am getting an error message "Unable to merge the photos.  One or more of the selected photos may lack metadata necessary for merging.  Its not an issue where one or more of the 3 bracket photos is a JPEG.  All three are raw images.  Any suggestions?  I am on a MAC  pro and using Lightroom Classic 8.1 version.  THank you so much. Stratokat


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## Roelof Moorlag (Jan 10, 2019)

My experience is that Lightroom is more 'picky' about images to merge than Photoshop. Did you try it in PS?


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## fmencarini (Jan 10, 2019)

Try selecting the images then: Develop settings > Match Total Exposures then Merge


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk


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## Johan Elzenga (Jan 10, 2019)

fmencarini said:


> Try selecting the images then: Develop settings > Match Total Exposures then Merge


That should definitely not solve it. Merging has nothing to do with the develop settings, and HDR images should not have matched exposures in the first place.


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## Stratokat (Jan 11, 2019)

JohanElzenga said:


> That should definitely not solve it. Merging has nothing to do with the develop settings, and HDR images should not have matched exposures in the first place.





Stratokat said:


> Hello!  New to Lightroom, have a friend who is experienced.  She was showing me how to merge my bracket photos.  I am getting an error message "Unable to merge the photos.  One or more of the selected photos may lack metadata necessary for merging.  Its not an issue where one or more of the 3 bracket photos is a JPEG.  All three are raw images.  Any suggestions?  I am on a MAC  pro and using Lightroom Classic 8.1 version.  THank you so much. Stratokat


THANK YOU FOR REPLIES!  I took the Nikon camera to a PC and downloaded the photos and they merge correctly!  I notice on my MAC book pro they appear as JPEG.  I do NOT have the camera to shoot both jpeg and RAW.  I am afraid there is something on this 2018 MAC pro with the latest operating system that is causing this issue.  ANY Mac users out there that can assist me ??  Thanks to all.


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## Stratokat (Jan 11, 2019)

JohanElzenga said:


> That should definitely not solve it. Merging has nothing to do with the develop settings, and HDR images should not have matched exposures in the first place.


Do you use a MAC?  I was able to download on a PC and they merged without problem.  On my MAC the photos appear in Lightroom as JPEG.  My Nikon D7500 is set to shoot only in RAW file format, not both.


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## Johan Elzenga (Jan 11, 2019)

You probably used Aple Photos to download the images, and then imported the previews that Photos generates into Lightroom rather than the original raw files. That is a common mistake.


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## Stratokat (Jan 11, 2019)

JohanElzenga said:


> You probably used Aple Photos to download the images, and then imported the previews that Photos generates into Lightroom rather than the original raw files. That is a common mistake.


Thank you so much.  That makes a lot of sense.  So do I have to find a way, other than through Apple Photos, to take the photos off my camera?  Sorry I am such a novice!  I am tasked with shooting our business inventory for the new website and I really want to learn and get this right.  I love my MAC but this is frustrating!


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## Stratokat (Jan 11, 2019)

I did go 


Stratokat said:


> Thank you so much.  That makes a lot of sense.  So do I have to find a way, other than through Apple Photos, to take the photos off my camera?  Sorry I am such a novice!  I am tasked with shooting our business inventory for the new website and I really want to learn and get this right.  I love my MAC but this is frustrating!


back into where the photos were imported, and tried to export them using the option "export original file.  It still put them on my desktop as JPEGs/.


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## Johan Elzenga (Jan 11, 2019)

Stratokat said:


> Thank you so much.  That makes a lot of sense.  So do I have to find a way, other than through Apple Photos, to take the photos off my camera?  Sorry I am such a novice!  I am tasked with shooting our business inventory for the new website and I really want to learn and get this right.  I love my MAC but this is frustrating!


When you connect your camera and Apple Photos starts, do not download the photos. In Apple Photos uncheck the option to start when the camera is connected, then quit Apple Photos. Start Lightroom and import the photos directly from the camera in Lightroom.


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## Johan Elzenga (Jan 11, 2019)

Stratokat said:


> I did go
> 
> back into where the photos were imported, and tried to export them using the option "export original file.  It still put them on my desktop as JPEGs/.


Where did you use ‘Export Original File’? In Lightroom or in Apple Photos? Lightroom has imported a jpeg preview, so for Lightroom that jpeg is the original file.


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## Stratokat (Jan 13, 2019)

JohanElzenga said:


> Where did you use ‘Export Original File’? In Lightroom or in Apple Photos? Lightroom has imported a jpeg preview, so for Lightroom that jpeg is the original file.


super helpful.  Thank you VERY much! I really don't want to load everything into Lightroom but at least I can merge the bracketed photos that way


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