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Can't Find System Folders in Lightroom With Mac

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bob chadwick

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Joined
Aug 22, 2016
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I'm trying to install a publish plugin in Lightroom (CC, current version) and I can't find the folders In Lightroom though I can see some of them in Finder. I have used the terminal program to turn on show all files/folders.

For example, I've identified the plugin folder as /applications/adobe lightroom/adobe lightroom.app/contents/plugins/ by looking at the setting for the FB plugin in Preferences. While I can find the applications/adobe ligthroom folder in Finder, there is no adobe lightroom.app folder.

I can also see the user\library folder in Finder, it's not visible when I try to add a Plug-in and navigate to the users folder.

I'm sure it's something simple but I have spent all afternoon playing with it and can't figure it out.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Bob
 
Like Microsoft, Apple hides these from users "for their protection"
Hold the Option key on your keyboard, and click the Go menu at the top of the screen. With the Go menu open, you'll notice that pressing and releasing Option will display or hide the Library choice in this menu. Select Library from the Go menu (while holding down Option) to access the hidden folder.
 
Thanks Cletus. I'll give it a try.

Johan, what you say makes sense. Where do third party plugins go.
 
Thanks Cletus. I'll give it a try.

Johan, what you say makes sense. Where do third party plugins go.
Third party developers do sometimes use the "/Applications/Adobe Lightroom/Adobe Lightroom.app/Contents/PlugIns" folder. There is nothing to prevent them from doing this
In the LR Plug-in Manager, you add a new plugin by clicking the {Add} button and Plugins are afrom the dded by reference to the folder that you choose. As I want to keep my plugins with the catalog and not the app, I have created a Plug-In folder in the "Lightroom Settings" folder where I keep my presets (using the "Store Presets with catalog" function.
 
Thanks Cletus. I'll give it a try.

Johan, what you say makes sense. Where do third party plugins go.

I have to do this from the top of my head. They go into user/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/Modules.
 
Third party developers do sometimes use the "/Applications/Adobe Lightroom/Adobe Lightroom.app/Contents/PlugIns" folder. There is nothing to prevent them from doing this.

True, but unless there is a special need to do this, it's not advisable. Because this a a folder inside the application package itself, your plugin could be deleted by a simple update of Lightroom.
 
That's the folder I was looking for Johan. I'll give Cletus' tip a try tonight and see if I can find it.
 
Cletus,

The Library folder is visible in Finder but it still doesn't show up in Lightroom when I chose Add from the Plug-in Manager. It goes from Dropbox to Movies with nothing in between.

In Finder the The Library Folder is between the two.

How do I make it show up in the Plug-in Manager?

Bob
 
I think you have,been chasing wild geese. For reasons that others have stated you don't want to install plugins in the Application folder OR the Library folder. Create a special folder some where that is public (like inside the folder where your primary catalog file is located and copy any plugins there. You can then use the plugin Manager to install these as references in your catalog file By clicking the {Add} button in the plugin Manager
 
That is indeed a good idea, but your plugin should be installed already. If you place a plugin in the correct folder in the user/Library folder, then you do not need to use the plugin manager at all. Just restart Lightroom and the plugin should be available.
 
Where do third party plugins go.

I prefer plugins to be in a folder away from Lightroom's own system folders - in fact, on Dropbox.

It means I know both my laptop and desktop have the same version of the plugin, updating is only done once, and earlier versions of the plugin are backed up. Unlike with system folders, Apple can't screw up permissions or make it awkward to see the plugin folder's contents or any temporary or option files that may be there. And when I'm away and find a certain plugin isn't installed, I can always get it from Dropbox.

John
 
I think you have,been chasing wild geese. For reasons that others have stated you don't want to install plugins in the Application folder OR the Library folder. Create a special folder some where that is public (like inside the folder where your primary catalog file is located and copy any plugins there. You can then use the plugin Manager to install these as references in your catalog file By clicking the {Add} button in the plugin Manager

I got the part about the system folder but not the Library folder. It's interesting that I was able to install the plugin in the Library folder on my Desktop at some point but now cannot access that folder directly. Something must have changed in this regard in LR over the years.
 
The 'Library folder on your desktop'? There isn't (or shouldn't be) a 'library' folder on your desktop. You obviously can have a folder on your desktop that you call 'library', but that's just another folder.

If you mean the 'Library' folder on the root of your startup disk: that is a system folder and is not the one to use for Lightroom plugins.
 
That still doesn't make it clear what 'Library' folder you are talking about. There is a system 'Library' folder on the root of your hard disk, but you shouldn't touch that unless you know exactly what you're doing and why you are doing this. And then there is a user/Library folder. That is where the default location of your plugins is located. And like I said before: if you place a plugin in the default folder yourself, you do not have to and should not use the plugin manager to install it. It's already installed. All you need to do is restart Lightroom.

BTW, the fact that the user Library folder can be hidden by default is Apple's decision, not Adobe.
 
Yes, that is my preferred method too, but I go a bit further and use symbolic links to place all my Lightroom stuff in Dropbox, not just my plugins.

Exactly the same here, though I don't recommend most people go so far. Only those who can know what they are doing.
 
That still doesn't make it clear what 'Library' folder you are talking about. There is a system 'Library' folder on the root of your hard disk, but you shouldn't touch that unless you know exactly what you're doing and why you are doing this. And then there is a user/Library folder. That is where the default location of your plugins is located. And like I said before: if you place a plugin in the default folder yourself, you do not have to and should not use the plugin manager to install it. It's already installed. All you need to do is restart Lightroom.

BTW, the fact that the user Library folder can be hidden by default is Apple's decision, not Adobe.

I'm looking for the users\library and can't find it. I put the plugin in the plugin folder in the Library folder but did not see it when I tried to add the plugin but honestly wasn't looking that closely to see if it was there. I'll take another shot at it this evening.
 
I'm looking for the users\library and can't find it.

As has been explained, the user/library folder was hidden by default by Apple. How to Show to ~/Library Folder in MacOS Sierra

I put the plugin in the plugin folder in the Library folder but did not see it when I tried to add the plugin

I really don't understand what you are saying here, but it sounds like you put the plugin in the root (system) library and it sounds like you tried to 'add' the plugin somehow after you did that. Both are not correct.
 
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I had watched the video and was aware of all that RC had to say. I've added multiple plugins to my Mac and have never had an issues accessing the \user\Library\... folders (I'm away from my home computer and can't recall the exact structure) through the Plugin Manager. It was not until I tried to add a plugin to my laptop that I had a problem accessing the \user\Library\...folder in the Plugin Manager.

I did go back to my Mac and see that I can no longer access this folder on the Mac through Lightroom's Plugin Manager though it is visible in Finder. I suspect that something has changed in Lightroom as they have issued new versions.

I have made all the hidden files visible in Finder on both machines by going to the terminal mode and entering the appropriate command. The \user\library\... folders are all visible in Finder as are all other folders and files.

I have added the publisher plugin to the appropriate folder in the \user\Library\... and will check to see if it is automatically added to Lightroom.

To be clear, I did nothing to the root Library directory. I've never even been in it.
 
I have added the publisher plugin to the appropriate folder in the \user\Library\... and will check to see if it is automatically added to Lightroom.

Don't keep us in suspense! Restart Lightroom and look in the publishing panel if it's there.
 
I added the plugin LRinstagram.lrplugin to the \users\bobchadwick\library\application support\adobe\lightroom\export presets\user presets. I opened Lightroom and it is not there.
 
That is because it is a plugin. You shouldn't put plugins in preset folders.
 
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