Can Lightroom create or update XMP sidecars if I only have a catalog and Smart Previews, not the original RAW files?
Asked 1/9/2016
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2 answers
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A client sent me a Lightroom catalog with about 500 images to edit. I can edit the images, so I assume the catalog includes Smart Previews rather than the original RAW files. The client wants me to send back the XMP files so they can apply my edits to their original RAW files.
If the original RAW files are not present on my system, will Lightroom still create or update XMP sidecar files for those photos? I have “Automatically write changes into XMP” enabled. Or is the better approach to send the updated catalog (and any Smart Preview data) back to the client instead?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
1
Several ifs involved here. If you can see an image to edit I would assume that the originals were saved with smart previews enabled. If so, any edits to the preview will be applied to the original when the xmp's which are created are 'reunited' with the originals. According to Adobe:
"Note: Smart Previews are stored in the [Catalog Name] Smart Previews.lrdata file, located in the same folder as the catalog."
See this Adobe link for more info:
So I'd assume that if you send the catalog folder back to your client the edited previews and xmp files would be sent as well.
Originally by user11772. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11772
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
If you can edit the photos without the original RAW files, you’re most likely working from Smart Previews stored with the catalog. In that case, your edit instructions are being saved in the Lightroom catalog, and those edits can later be applied to the client’s originals when the catalog is reunited with them.
The reliable thing to return is the updated catalog folder, including the Smart Previews data if it was provided. That preserves your edits.
XMP sidecar files normally sit next to the original RAW files, so if those originals are not on your system, Lightroom generally has nowhere to write those sidecars. Simply having “Automatically write changes into XMP” enabled does not change that practical limitation.
So yes: sending the updated catalog back is the safer and more sensible workflow here than expecting standalone XMP files to be created without access to the original RAW files.
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