Raw SmithBlog
Leaving Lightroom: what you can bring with you, and what you can't
When you leave Lightroom, your RAW files come with you, and so can your ratings, colour labels, keywords and captions, written to XMP sidecars for any app that reads them. Your develop settings, presets and virtual copies don't, because no other editor can reproduce Adobe's processing. Export finished copies of the edits you care about, and take the originals and their metadata.
What transfers, at a glance
| Leaves Lightroom? | Into Raw Smith? | |
|---|---|---|
| Original RAW files | Yes | Yes, if Apple's decoder supports the camera |
| Ratings, labels, flags, keywords, captions | Yes, in XMP sidecars | Not yet: Raw Smith doesn't read XMP on import |
| Develop settings | Written to XMP, but only Adobe apps can use them | No |
| Presets | Only for Lightroom and Camera Raw | No |
| Collections and albums | No, but you can export each one to a folder | No, rebuild as albums |
| Virtual copies | Only as exported images | No |
| Exported JPEG and TIFF | Yes | No: Raw Smith is RAW only |
Why don't develop settings carry over?
A Lightroom edit isn't a picture. It's a list of instructions, such as "Exposure +0.7, Highlights −60", that only mean something to Adobe's processing engine. Another editor has its own demosaic, its own tone curve and its own idea of what "Highlights" does, so the same numbers would give a different photo. That's why most editors don't try.
One partial exception, to be fair: Capture One can import a Lightroom Classic catalogue with collections, crop, rotation, white balance, exposure, saturation and contrast, plus ratings, labels and keywords, but not Lightroom's other adjustments (Capture One support). Raw Smith doesn't import Lightroom catalogues or settings at all.
The practical answer is the same everywhere: for every photo whose edit you'd hate to lose, export a finished full-size JPEG or 16-bit TIFF from Lightroom before you go. A finished image opens in every app forever.
How to get your photos out of Lightroom Classic
Classic is the easy one, because it never moved your files. The originals are already in folders on your disk; the catalogue only points at them.
- Write the metadata to the files. In the Library, select all photos and choose Photo › Save Metadata to File. For RAW files Classic writes an
.xmpsidecar beside each one; for DNG and JPEG it writes into the file. To keep doing it automatically, turn on Automatically write changes into XMP in Catalog Settings › Metadata (Adobe: Save metadata to external sidecar files). - Export your finished edits. Select the edited photos (filter by rating, or make a smart collection with Has Adjustments) and export full-size JPEGs or TIFFs into a separate folder.
- Optionally, export collections as folders. If a collection matters, export its originals into a folder of its own, so the grouping survives as a folder.
- Find the folders. Right-click a folder in the Folders panel and choose Show in Finder.
Lightroom Classic keeps the Library and Export modules working after a membership ends, so you can still do this later (Adobe). It's easier while you can still open Develop to check an edit.
How to get your photos out of Lightroom (the cloud version)
In Lightroom for desktop, mobile and web, the originals live in Adobe's cloud, so download them before you cancel. Two ways:
- Export originals. Select photos or an album and choose Export, then the Original file type, or Original + Settings to get the RAW plus an XMP sidecar with your edit and metadata (Adobe: Export or share your photos). Doing this album by album keeps your grouping as folders.
- Download everything. In Lightroom for desktop's preferences, under Local Storage, turn on Store a copy of all originals at the specified location (Adobe: Set preferences). These copies don't include your edits, and with a big library check the count before you rely on it.
Either way, export finished JPEGs of your best edits as well, for the same reason as above.
Bringing the photos into Raw Smith
Raw Smith imports the RAW files themselves. It's worth knowing exactly what it does with them:
- RAWs and DNGs open if Apple's decoder supports the camera. Check the supported cameras list, including the notes on compression modes. If you converted to DNG in Lightroom, Raw Smith opens the DNG, but not any Lightroom edits stored in it.
- JPEG, HEIC and TIFF are skipped. Raw Smith is RAW only. Phone HEICs from a Lightroom cloud library won't import; keep them in Photos.
- XMP sidecars aren't read. Raw Smith takes the RAW and the camera's own data (camera, lens, ISO, aperture, capture date) but not the ratings, labels or keywords in Lightroom's sidecars. You'll set them again in Raw Smith.
- On the Mac, files stay where they are. Use Import RAWs › From Files… and pick a whole folder; Raw Smith refers to the files in place, including subfolders. On iPhone and iPad, RAWs are copied into Raw Smith's folder in Files.
Some ways to save time while ratings don't come across:
- Import your keepers separately. Export your four- and five-star originals from Lightroom into their own folder, import that folder, and in the sheet that appears after the import put them in an album such as "Lightroom picks".
- Keyword a whole import. The same sheet takes a Caption and comma-separated Keywords for every photo in it, so importing one exported album at a time rebuilds its keywords and album in one step.
- Re-cull quickly. P, X, U and 0–5 work as in Lightroom on Mac and iPad, and Fast Cull swipes on iPhone and iPad. See Cull a shoot fast.
- Rebuild your presets. Recreate your two or three favourite looks, then use Save Preset… and include only the parts you want. See Presets.
If you import Lightroom Classic folders in place on a Mac, Lightroom's own sidecars are safe. Raw Smith's Write XMP Sidecars writes IMG_0001.xmp beside IMG_0001.CR3, the same name Lightroom uses, but it never replaces a sidecar another app wrote: where Lightroom's is already there, with its develop settings, Raw Smith leaves it alone and skips that photo.
Going the other way
Ratings, colour labels, pick and reject flags, keywords and captions also travel out of Raw Smith. Select photos and choose More › Write XMP Sidecars, or turn on Write XMP Sidecars in batch export, and Lightroom, Capture One and Bridge will read them. Develop settings stay in Raw Smith, for the same reasons as above. See Export.
How Raw Smith fits
Raw Smith is a RAW editor and library for iPhone, iPad and Mac with Lightroom's panel order and keys, on-device AI masks, and sync through your own iCloud with no account. It won't bring your Lightroom edits with it, and nothing honestly can. It will give your RAWs a new home where every edit is rendered from the original. For whether it covers what you need, read Lightroom without the subscription.
Raw Smith is a free download with a free tier and a 14-day trial; Pro is a one-time purchase or a yearly plan. It's in public beta on TestFlight now.
Questions
Can I transfer my Lightroom edits to another app?
Generally no. Lightroom's develop settings only mean something to Adobe's own processing. Capture One's Lightroom Classic importer brings over a few basics such as crop, white balance and exposure; other editors, including Raw Smith, start each photo from the original RAW.
How do I export my original RAW files from Lightroom?
In Lightroom Classic the originals are already in folders on your disk; choose Photo › Save Metadata to File to write your ratings and keywords beside them. In Lightroom (the cloud version), export with the Original or Original + Settings file type, or turn on Store a copy of all originals in its preferences.
Do star ratings and keywords transfer out of Lightroom?
To apps that read XMP, yes: ratings, colour labels, keywords and captions are written into XMP sidecars that Capture One, Bridge and others read. Raw Smith doesn't read XMP on import yet, so you'll need to add them again there.
Will my Lightroom presets work in another app?
No. Lightroom presets are Adobe develop settings, so they only work in Lightroom and Camera Raw. Rebuild your favourite looks once in the new editor and save them as presets.
Can Raw Smith import a Lightroom catalogue?
No. Raw Smith imports the RAW files themselves. It can't read a Lightroom catalogue, develop settings, presets or collections.