# Forcing Raw photos to open in Photoshop Camera RAW from Light Room.



## nworbmit (Jan 31, 2015)

Hi

I'm not looking for advice for alternate workflow then I am describing below.....

I wish for RAW files cataloged in LR5 to open in Photoshop CC2014 Camera Raw, not in Photoshop directly.

I do not like to use LR develop tools.
I don't do bulk retouching and like to do things in Photoshop Camera Raw and then on to Photoshop.
I only use LR for cataloging.

How can I force LR5 to direct a photo to open in Camera Raw?

Again, I am not looking for advice to alternate workflow then what I'm describing.

Thanks


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## johnbeardy (Jan 31, 2015)

You can't. 

Lightroom is designed to combine cataloguing with adjustment. You say twice that you are unwilling to listen to good advice, which would be to learn LR's Develop tools as they are better than those in ACR. So maybe you should just look for another cataloguing program? Good luck.


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## gregDT (Jan 31, 2015)

Assuming you still want to make your life more difficult by using an inferior RAW adjustment tool then ACDSee is a decent alternative to Lightroom for cataloguing.


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## RonBoyd (Jan 31, 2015)

Aren't ACR and LR>Develop identical applications? Just different names for the same product?


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## clee01l (Jan 31, 2015)

RonBoyd said:


> Aren't ACR and LR>Develop identical applications? Just different names for the same product?


Lightroom is the integration of an image management tool and the ACR develop adjustments. So yes, there are the same code, just in a different wrapper. In PSCC, ACR is accessed as a Plugin where in LR the ACR component is more tightly coupled.  Most people prefer the ACR interface in LR to be a more functional approach than the PSCC ACR interface to the same adjustment sliders. 
Having said that, because of the nature of LR being sold as a standalone product, new functionality (new features) have not been implemented in the ACR code that ships with LR 5.x.  Presumably, all of the features present in ACR 8.7.1 will be unlocked and again in sync when there is a LR6 and an ACR9.


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## clee01l (Jan 31, 2015)

nworbmit said:


> Hi
> 
> I'm not looking for advice for alternate workflow then I am describing below.....
> 
> ...


If you use the Edit-in Function in LR to call PSCC, PSCC will apply any ACR changes made in LR and open the image file as a TIFF/PSD in PSCC with the ACR adjustments applied. If you don't make any ACR changes in LR, LR will pass the RGB image extracted by ACR and open that as a TIFF/PSD in PSCC unadjusted by ACR. Is that what you want? 
If you don't want to use LR as an image management tool and an ACR interface, then why not use Bridge as an image organizing tool and simple skip the Image management functionality and the ACR interface in LR completely?


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## nworbmit (Feb 1, 2015)

johnbeardy said:


> You can't.
> 
> Lightroom is designed to combine cataloguing with adjustment. You say twice that you are unwilling to listen to good advice, which would be to learn LR's Develop tools as they are better than those in ACR. So maybe you should just look for another cataloguing program? Good luck.




I am a scientist and we use a program that only interfaces with the handle matrix in the Adobe Camera Raw.
So I'm not making a judgment as the usability of the tools in Lightroom
It's just that they are useless to me.

Bridge seems to be just a sorting tool and not a proper cataloging tool. I like Lightroom's cataloguing.

So I need to get Lightroom to launch ACR.


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## johnbeardy (Feb 1, 2015)

Drag photos to PS icon in Mac's Dock, or use my OpenDirectly plugin. 

Your keywords etc will be in LR, and adjustments recorded in xmp files. Running Cmd S before dragging/OpenDirectly will help, and then allow you to use Read Metadata so LR displays images in their adjusted state.


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## gail smith (Mar 10, 2015)

Hi, I just happened to be browsing through this forum and came across your query. In LR Library grid view, control-click on the image you want to open and choose Edit>open in PS as a Smart Object. Once it's open, double click on your layer, which is a Smart Object, and you will see the CR control panels at your service. I hope you see this!


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## Linwood Ferguson (Mar 13, 2015)

I'm assuming the OP realizes that XMP files from ACR can be synchronized back into Lightroom for display, and the issue is simply invoking ACR from the LR interface, right? 

On windows there's a two step way -- set your windows program for opening the raw file types to photoshop and/or ACR.  Then in Lightroom go to a full screen for the program and right click and SHOW IN EXPLORER, and then in explorer either click the image or just hit ENTER and it will open on that program.

Not pretty, but is that closer? 

Obviously in coming back you may want to synchronize so it reads the XMP files or accidentally writing XMP from lightroom might overwrite your ACR edits.

Another possibility I have not checked in is force an incompatible version of ACR and Lightroom -- does it then offer the "edit original" if it's raw?   (I don't feel like changing my system this much to find out right now).


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