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Edit in Photoshop Elements
If Lightroom doesn't do something that Photoshop Elements can
do, edit the photograph in Photoshop Elements.
Lightroom automatically designates Photoshop Elements as the
default external editing program if it's installed on your
computer.
Set the External Editing Preferences
Before editing in Photoshop Elements, do the following in Lightroom.
1) Go to Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Lightroom >
Preferences (Mac).
Or, press Ctrl + ,.
2) Click the External Editor tab.
3) Set File Format to TIFF or PSD.
The tiff file format is somewhat more universal than the psd
file format.
If you select PSD, read
PSD File Format: Maximize Compatibility below.
4) Set Color Space to sRGB, the closest match to the ProPhoto
RGB color space used in Lightroom.
5) Set Bit Depth to 8 bits/component.
If you select 16 bits, the editing tools are limited in
Photoshop Elements.
6) Set Resolution to the ppi that you typically use, such as
300.
7) By default, Lightroom will append -Edit to the file name.
To change, look for the Edit Externally File Naming section
at the bottom of the window.
Open the Template menu, and select Edit.
Change {Filename}-Edit
to {Filename}-Edit PSE,
for example.
Send to Photoshop Elements
To edit a photograph in Photoshop Elements, do the following.
1) Select a photograph in Lightroom.
2) Go to Photo > Edit In > Edit in Adobe Photoshop Elements,
or press Ctrl + e.
3) There are three choices in the Edit in Adobe Photoshop
Elements window.
You'll probably want to use the first choice.
1st Choice - Edit a Copy
With Lightroom Adjustments
A copy of the Lightroom-edited photograph will open in
Photoshop Elements.
The editing that you've done with Lightroom will be
preserved in Photoshop Elements.
The following two choices are not available with raw files.
2nd Choice - Edit a Copy
A copy of the photograph will open in Photoshop Elements.
The editing that you've done with Lightroom will be
discarded in Photoshop Elements.
3rd Choice - Edit Original
A copy isn't made.
The original file opens in Photoshop Elements.
The editing that you've done with Lightroom will not appear.
Raw Files
You may expect a raw file, coming from Lightroom, to open in
the Raw Converter in
Photoshop Elements.
However, the raw file has already been converted in Lightroom.
Therefore, it opens directly into Photoshop Elements.
Saving in Photoshop Elements
Save the file after it opens in Photoshop Elements.
Do the following.
1) Press Ctrl + s.
The Save As window will open.
2) Click Save.
A window will open:
File DSC_12345-Edit already exists.
Do want to replace it?
DSC_12345-Edit is the file that Lightroom created to be sent to
Photoshop Elements.
3) Click Yes.
The file is saved back to Lightroom.
By default, Lightroom will:
• Append -Edit to the file name.
• Stack the edited file with the original file.
The edited file is placed on the top of the stack.
Save as You Edit
Save periodically as you edit the file.
Just press Ctrl + s.
No windows will open, as the link back to Lightroom has
already been established.
Don't Change the Name or Format
If you use the Save As command, and change the name or format
of the file, the link back to Lightroom is lost.
The file is not saved
back to Lightroom.
The file is saved to where the original file is located in My
Pictures or Pictures.
Lightroom doesn't support layers.
So, when you save a file with layers back to Lightroom, the layers
are temporarily flattened by Lightroom.
Later, if you want to reopen the file with the layers, select
Edit
Original.
The file will then open in Photoshop Elements with its layers intact.
Make sure you select the edited version, DSC_12345-Edit, not
the original raw file, DSC_1234.
Maximize Compatibility
For Lightroom to be able to display Photoshop files (psd), Maximize
Compatibility must be selected.
Maximize Compatibility is the default setting.
Check to see if you've been saving psd files with the
Maximize Compatibility option selected.
This is the default setting.
In Photoshop Elements, go to File > Preferences (Windows) or
Photoshop Elements > Preferences (Mac).
Click, on the left side, Saving Files.
Look for Maximize Compatibility menu in the center of the
screen.
Always should be selected.
