# RAW workflow with LR and PS



## lightroomer (Sep 9, 2013)

Hi, I just downloaded the PS trial and it is really amazing what I can do now with my images. Nevertheless, my current flow in LR is completely done with RAW (non-destructive). I am able to pass a RAW file to PS by handing over the smart object. But how do I get to LR again with the corrections done in PS? If I store the file PS creates a tiff which is finally handed over to LR. It's not only done a conversion on my image but also PS created a second really large file of that image. 

Is there a better workflow?


----------



## Denis de Gannes (Sep 9, 2013)

Lightroom/ ACR in PS never make changes to an original file if you use the edit in function from Lightroom to PS when edits are finished in PS you need to save those changes. Since Photoshop is not a nondestructive editor like Lightroom it must create a second non raw file to save the edits done there.
 (previous edit removed)


----------



## Kiwigeoff (Sep 9, 2013)

That's the workflow that I use ans I think most do. If you want to manipulate pixels there is no option but to create a new file.


----------



## Bill Guy (Sep 9, 2013)

Lightroom is a Procedural Editor while Photoshop is Processed Editor meaning while Lightroom stores your changes while not really affecting the original image Photoshop is pushing pixels around and making new layers right on the image. When you Save (not Save As) image in PS then it is saved as new Tiff or PSD file in the same folder and shows up as a second image in the Lightroom Catalog right next to the original (that is what the Little 2 is in the image). If you ever want to go back and do more work with Layers or Filters in PS you click on this second image and you will get a pop up menu asking if you want work on the Original (PS image with Layers) or a copy with any Lightroom changes you have made to it.


----------



## lightroomer (Sep 9, 2013)

OK, I understand. What do you think about the following:

1. From LR: Open the RAW file as smart object in PS
2. In PS: Store the file as PSD file

This flow has the following advantages:
- The resulting PSD files are slightly smaller than tiff files
- If one edits the original RAW file in LR he es able to update the underlying smart object in PS with these changes
- Back in LR: The changes which someone performs in LR on the PSD files (if there is some small rework to do anyway) is also securly stored in LR, so if the smart object in PS is updated and (as a consequence) the PSD file changes then LR applies the changes which are done on the psd file before again to the newly stored psd file.

Update: As I wrote this posting I realized that also the tiff format is able to store the information that smart objects are inside the tiff file. Therefore the first advantage does not apply.


----------



## thany (Sep 16, 2013)

Good thing I bumped into this topic. I have a very much related question: what if I need to do both an edit in Lightroom *and* another edit in Photoshop? Say, I need to adjust some lighting and do some lens corrections and whatnot, but I also want to do some advanced retouching. What is better: edit in Lightroom first, and then open the picture in Photoshop and do the editing? Or the other way around: edit in Photoshop first, save to a Lightroom-readable format, and then apply adjustments in Lightroom?

The first workflow feels more "correct", because lighting adjustments need to be done on the thing that comes out of the camera, not the thing that comes out of editing (say, I add a border, then the adjustments shouldn't go on the border).
The second workflow is not completely wrong either. It allows for adjustments in Lightroom to be done long after the file has been edited...

Do you have a specific preference?


----------



## Jim Wilde (Sep 16, 2013)

Definitely the former for me....I do as much as I can in Lightroom, and only then if necessary I'll take the file into PS.


----------

