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using lightroom cc or photoshop cc as external editor for iPhoto

Lightroom cc "imports" photos without changing their location but Finder or iPhoto doesn't seem to allow that as the choice "iPhoto default library" is grayed out.

Photoshop CC sees a non-grayed out listing for "iPhoto default library" but "can't read that type of file". Adobe's website is unrevealing. Any thoughts? I was hoping to use adobe CC because my photos look soft in iPhoto. I can copy an iPhoto image to, say, Desktop and then import it to Lightroom or Photoshop CC, then back to iPhoto.

iPad, iOS 6.1.3, iPad mini

Posted on Jul 26, 2015 5:10 PM

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7 replies

Jul 26, 2015 5:16 PM in response to chasjas

LR is not a photos editor - it is a photo manager that does the same job as iPhoto in a totally different way - you can not use both LR and iPhoto on the same library - each has to have their own separate library - basically you need to pick one or the other and use it - you can not use both without two databases


You can set PS as the external editor for iPhoto and use it to edit - after editing save (not save as) to return the photos to Iphoto


In neither case do you directly access the contents of the iPhoto library - that is not supported and will give undefined results


LN

Jul 27, 2015 8:37 AM in response to LarryHN

Thanks for taking time to help. When I go to iPhoto>preferences>advanced and select "edit photos in" > I only get two choices: iPhoto or (Canon) Digital Photo Professional. I.e., my second choice after "in iPhoto" is not a list of available applications. The iPhoto Help suggests it should offer a choice of other applications.


(I was hoping Photoshop, Adobe Bridge or Lightroom could access the masters in iPhoto without duplicating them, just as Picasa seems to do when finding faces.)

Jul 27, 2015 9:38 AM in response to chasjas

Using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.


1 - select Photoshop or Photoshop Elememts as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.


User uploaded file


2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.


3 - however, if you get the navigation window

User uploaded file


that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.


This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..


With Photoshop Elements the Saving File preferences should be configured as shown:

User uploaded file


I also suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always. In PSE’s General preference pane set the Color Picker to Apple as shown:

User uploaded file


Screenshots are from PSE 10


Note 1: to switch between iPhoto and PS or PSE as the editor of choice Control (right)-click on the thumbnail and select either Edit in iPhoto or Edit in External Editor from the contextual menu. If you use iPhoto to edit more than PSE re-select iPhoto in the iPhoto General preference pane. Then iPhoto will be the default editor and you can use the contextual menu to select PSE for your editor when desired.


Note 2: editing a RAW file with either PSE or PS creates a new file which must be saved outside of iPhoto, i.e. the Desktop, and imported as a new photo into the iPhoto Library.


User uploaded file

Jul 27, 2015 1:50 PM in response to Old Toad

Thank you so much for your time and thoroughness. I had stumbled across some of the "save/save as" info, but you clarified it.


(On another matter, one would think that two directories (i.e., iPhoto and Lightroom) could use the same data set (iPhoto masters), much as I get 3 different White Pages for the same town without having to make pod-people copies of the people listed, but I'm content now that I can edit with PS from iPhoto.)

Jul 27, 2015 2:53 PM in response to chasjas

one would think that two directories (i.e., iPhoto and Lightroom) could use the same data set (iPhoto masters),


They can, but to what end? You have tow photo managers managing the same files - there's confusion already - two non-destructive processors working from the same file so you get your results in two quite different ways, and end up with multiple versions of the same photograph that are unaware of each other. Rather like drafting your novel in Pages and Word at the same time. Write a paragraph in Pages, copy it to Word, redraft it then write the next in Word, but copy it back to Pages and so on.


The bottom line is that LR is the more expensive and also the (far) more powerful app. The question is why you would consider using iPhoto if that app us available to you.

using lightroom cc or photoshop cc as external editor for iPhoto

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