Import already edited IOS photo to Lightroom Mobile

[binone90]

Operating System

1. iOS

This maybe a very basic question.

I take photos on iPhone that I quickly apply IOS edits to share immediately.

Now, when I import these into LR mobile app, is there a way to import the "original" untouched photo?

I tested by taking a photo, doing a crop in IOS edit and then importing to LR. It appears that LR only sees the cropped image. I am assuming therefore that LR always gets the edited image and all subsequent adjustments in LR will be on top of a previously enhanced image. True?

Thanks,

 

[clee01l]

I think it depends on what the Photos app send it, I use the Auto Import feature in Lightroom to an Album I have assigned to receive images for the iPhone camera I always get the As Shot image file whether it is HEIC or RAW DNG. If you are getting a JPEG when you import to the Lightroom app, then you are getting the processed image

In Camera Settings us the High Efficiency (HEIC) instead of Most Compatible (JPEG) And Set the Photo mode to the max resolution (24mp for iPhone 15 Pro and ProRAW Max (up to 48 mp ) setting) if you have that version of iPhone. When using the Photos camera make sure you set the camera to shoot RAW or RAW Max. If you do not want to use the Photos app, open Lightroom and use the Lightroom Camera instead of the Photos camera and your images will be stored in the Lightroom storage area and not double stored in the Photos storage area of the phone.

 

[binone90]

Thank you for your reply.

I am using an iPhone 15 pro. You are correct that if I use ProRAW then what LR imports is the unprocessed DNG image. However, the regular HEIC image comes through as the processed image. Is this the correct behaviour?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Thank you for your reply.

I am using an iPhone 15 pro. You are correct that if I use ProRAW then what LR imports is the unprocessed DNG image. However, the regular HEIC image comes through as the processed image. Is this the correct behaviour?

I think it is. Apple Photos destructively edits jpg images, and I believe the same applies to HEIC images.

 

[toddcleaver]

I think it is. Apple Photos destructively edits jpg images, and I believe the same applies to HEIC images.

I don't believe that this is accurate (at least for HEIC's). In Apple Photos you always have the option to export the unmodified original (at least I have never come across a case where that option was not available). That would not be possible if the edit was destructive.

Now, when I import these into LR mobile app, is there a way to import the "original" untouched photo?

I have just been through this myself and here is what I have found through advice from some here and a lot of additional testing on my own.

When LR Mobile imports from your iPhone (Auto Import or manually) it will import the original photo if it has not been edited in Apple Photos. If the photo has been edited LR will import the edit. Others here have suggested, and I have no reason to doubt, that once the photo is edited the edit is the only thing available to LR and other outside Apps. so this behavior is a limitation of iOS.

There are at least two easy work arounds:
1. Before you do any edits in Apple Photos open LR and let it upload the original. Once uploaded the original is not effected by your edits in Apple Photos.

2. If the photo has already been edited in Apple Photos then from Apple Photos select the file > Share > Export Unmodified Original > Save to a local folder. Once the original file is saved in a local folder you can import it into LR.

I have tested both methods and they both work fine to get the original file into LR. I prefer the simplicity of method 1. Just remember to get the file into LR before it is edited in Apple Photos.

 

[binone90]

Thank you for your detailed response. I did not realize that option 2 you listed was an option. Good to know that a backup exists since I often do quick edits in apple to see if the photo is worth saving.

 

[toddcleaver]

Thank you for your detailed response. I did not realize that option 2 you listed was an option. Good to know that a backup exists since I often do quick edits in apple to see if the photo is worth saving.

Happy I could help.

One more thing that I find helpful with this: On Apple Photos desktop (not on iPhone) it is very simple to create a Smart Album using the criteria Photo>is>edited. This folder will then populate with all of your edited photos. That gives me a quick check to remind me of any photos that LR may not have the original file.

Here is a link to a thread I started earlier this week looking for an answer to this problem. I did get quite a bit of advice and recommendations with a lot more detail than I gave above. After experimenting myself though my solution boiled down to the two options I posted in my first reply above.

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/community/threads/lr-ios-auto-add-confusion.49830/#post-1330749

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I don't believe that this is accurate (at least for HEIC's). In Apple Photos you always have the option to export the unmodified original (at least I have never come across a case where that option was not available). That would not be possible if the edit was destructive.

You are correct. I should have said that Apple Photos on iOS only gives you the destructively edited photo in the Camera Roll, so as a result of that Lightroom can only import the edited photo from there. However, the original is indeed still available ‘onder the hood’ and can be exported.