There, navigate to Database > Import > Lightroom Database, which is located at the very bottom of the Import submenu. While in Manage Mode, select the Tools menu at the very top of the screen. Find the Adobe Lightroom Database Import tool The process of importing this data is very easy to initiate and requires minimal effort. Photo Studio has the functionality to import ratings, color labels, keywords, and collections from any Lightroom Catalog, thus preserving the major image organizing-structure of your portfolio. It is an enormous relief that this is something ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate can greatly help you with. Having to assign ratings and keywords all over again for images that have been organized in Lightroom would be insufferable. I am sure I am not the only one who just wants to get on with post-processing. Importing Lightroom Catalog DataĪs I have mentioned in the previous article, culling and adding metadata information is an enormous pain for me. Now that the bandage is off, let’s go through what can be achieved with Photo Studio Ultimate.
It is my hope that, over time, software developers such as ACD Systems will work out a way to read Adobe’s (and other) databases and interpret adjustments in an equivalent manner so that none of the edits – at least not those most prominent – would be lost when switching. Still, it is something that you will need to accept as an unavoidable result of having been part of such a closed system. Mind you, this caveat is only really valid for two or three years at the most, since there is a good chance that after a couple of years your taste in post-processing – as well as your skill – will have changed noticeably. But should you ever need to tweak a setting or two, you will either have to go back to Lightroom, or start from zero using ACDSee or an alternative tool. One solution you are left with is exporting full-size JPEG images from your Lightroom Catalog for any future needs (uploads to social media or websites, for example). It may not be possible to transfer edits from LR to ACDSee, but Photo Studio sure has a lot of tools to cover most post-processing tasks.īut if you are here, I am guessing you have decided to push through the process now rather than become even more tied-in with the system Adobe is sticking to, and have even more to deal with at a later date. For all the convenience catalog systems provide, this is one of the downsides – switching to a new RAW converter can really be a hassle. So, the progress you have made with Lightroom is bound to remain accessible via Lightroom only, at least as far as RAW files themselves are concerned. It’s the result of closed-standard tools and database format that each software developer uses – not even sharpening is equivalent, let alone tonal adjustments. As of today, there is absolutely no way to transfer editing data from Lightroom to any other post-processing software or vice versa. I am afraid I will have to start with some disappointment, so I will try to rip off the bandage as quickly as possible. More than that, ACD Systems never implied they expect anything but integrity. My words are always my own, as are your reasons for switching or otherwise. Having said that, even though ACD Systems has asked me to write this article, it has not been dictated by the company in the slightest.
If it is, I will try to help make the transition as painless as possible.Īn important disclaimer: as before, the license for this copy of ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate has been provided by ACD Systems. Hopefully, the last article I wrote on ACDSee Photo Studio has helped you make up your mind whether or not this software is suitable for your needs. Specifically, for those, who have decided to switch from Lightroom to ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate. This article is meant for those who chose the second option. Thus, we are not here to discuss Adobe’s brilliant decisions or lack thereof. Or to put off the decision for as long as the already-purchased version of Lightroom supports RAW files from your camera.To start the fairly painful process of moving on to a different piece of software.There’s also a good chance that you have made up your mind regarding the change to do one of the following: Articles have been written, disappointment expressed in some volume, silver linings spotted where there seemed to be none. Let’s be honest – over the past couple of months, more than enough has been said about Adobe’s recent change in policy regarding how the latest versions (yes, all two of them) of Lightroom are to be purchased and used.