Can I recover a darktable edit from XMP metadata stored in an exported JPEG?

Asked 3/28/2023

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2 answers

I lost the sidecar XMP for a RAW file, but I still have the original RAW and a JPEG exported from darktable with the edit applied. A metadata tool shows XMP content inside the JPEG that looks like a darktable history stack. Is it possible to recover that edit and apply it back to the RAW in darktable? If so, what steps should I use?

metadata darktable jpeg raw xmp

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

3y ago

2 Answers

You can extract the XMP information (structured) via command line with exiftool:

exiftool -xmp -b image.jpg >name_of_raw.xmp

(replace name_of_raw with actual RAW file name). In case of need move XMP file in to the location of RAW file.
And then start Darktable.

Originally by user34947. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user34947

3y ago

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes—if the exported JPEG still contains darktable’s XMP metadata, you may be able to restore the edit.

Two approaches were suggested:

In darktable directly:

Open lighttable
Select the RAW file
Open the history stack module in the right sidebar
Choose “load sidecar file…”
Change the file filter so it shows all files, not just XMP sidecars
Select the JPEG that contains the XMP metadata

Extract the XMP first, then load it as a sidecar:

Use exiftool to extract the embedded XMP: exiftool -xmp -b image.jpg > name_of_raw.xmp
Rename the output to match the RAW filename if needed
Place the XMP beside the RAW file
Start darktable and let it read the sidecar

This works only if the JPEG still includes the relevant XMP metadata. If that metadata was stripped during export or later processing, recovery may not be possible.

Can I recover a darktable edit from XMP metadata stored in an exported JPEG?

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