Exporting files

[Mary]

Hi Damien,

i have been working on layers and masks and learning lots, thank you. I am a Lightroom user and am not sold on bridge, sorry. I know it has not been 30 days... Anyhow, please explain to me why it is disastrous to work on an image in PS  then return to Lightroom for the export. I must be missing something. This is my work flow

open in LR 

basic edit

if anything needs fixing go to PS work on it, flatten layers and return to LR

export as JPEG 

this may seem a ridiculous question, but when you use your actions to save files in PS, where are the images saved ? I can only get a choice if I use save as.

Thanks

[Damien Symonds]

17 minutes ago, Mary said:

if anything needs fixing go to PS work on it, flatten layers and return to LR

THIS is the disastrous part!  Flattening the layers.  You MUST NOT DO THAT.

[Christina Keddie]

It's not at all disastrous to return to LR for the final export.  In fact, that's highly recommended.   But like Damien said, DON'T FLATTEN THE FILE IN PS!!!!

If you're going to use LR for your workflow management, you should USE it, for both the front end workflow (sorting, culling, etc.) and the back end (batch exporting to rename and save, etc.).  What you DON'T want to do is export JPGs out of LR prior to working on them in PS -- you want to use the "edit in" function instead to send files between LR and PS, in order to maintain that workflow and not litter your hard drive with unnecessary extra JPG files.

So here's my personal workflow:

- Import files into LR.  Use LR to manage my file folders (e.g., rename folders, move files or folders, etc.).

- Raw processing in LR.

- For files that need PS work (almost all files for a portrait session; much much fewer for a wedding), use "edit in" to send the file to PS.  Do PS edits.  DO NOT FLATTEN THE FILE.

- Do a simple save in PS (not a "save as").  Your master PSD, with all its precious layers still intact, will now be saved right next to the original raw file on your hard drive, and will pop up in your LR filmstrip right next to the original raw.

- Give the master file a 3-star rating.  I do this with all my final files (the master PSD if I've done some PS work, or the raw file if I've decided just to do the raw processing on it).

- When done with editing the entire set, filter to show just the 3-star files, select all of them, then batch export.  This is when I rename my files so they're all in sequential order (important, so clients won't ask for "missing" files) and create a new subfolder for this set of disposable JPGs.

[Mary]

Thank you so much, that is in fact what I was doing before I started the layers and masks class, just got confused about how to move between LR and PS. This makes perfect sense. 

[Damien Symonds]

Then, when you're ready to output for print or web, re-open the file from LR to PS, and flatten and crop/resize and sharpen appropriately, then save as a jpeg.

[Mary]

Just when I thought I had it. Why do I have to do that step ? Can I not just crop, sharpen and export from LR ?

[Damien Symonds]

You can do it in LR if you like, but only if you're happy to settle for mediocre quality.  If you want genuine quality for your prints or web files, the sharpening step must be done in Photoshop.

[Mary]

Could I sharpen in PS, ( but not flatten )go back to LR , crop and export  ? 

[Damien Symonds]

No, because sharpening can only happen after flattening.