Opening files into Lightroom from Explorer

[Karen]

HI,

I recently installed Lightroom and was able to open files into Lightroom from Explorer with a problem. I then installed Nikon Capture NX and the latest Lightroom update (1.4.1) and can no longer do this. I have tried right clicking on the photo and going to 'Open With' and then browsing for Lightroom. The problem is the file I select looks to be the Lightroom program file but is actually the Lightroom Setup Launcher. I can not find another program file apart from this one with the Lightroom logo called 'lightroom' (small 'L') which is actually the Lightroom Setup Launcher. This should be a simple process but for some reason is proving tricky.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

For the record - I get the same problem with JPEGs and NEFs.

Karen

 

[ernie]

Here is a set of instructions I made myself some time back. You can put Lightroom into your "send to" folder so that when you right clickon a pic then click send to and Lightroom will be within those choices. I also have PS Elements editor in mine so I can send it to either place. HOWEVER- you have to use the .exe file. Not the launcher file as you noted. You can scroll down through explorer and find the file. I can't remember the exact path, but it's not that hard. Same with PS editor .exe file too.
Send to –how to add items
Make sure &#822';show hidden files and folders” is checked from control panel>folder options

C-drive>documents and settings>your user name> send to folder
Right click in the open folder, select new>shortcut ,wizard will open, browse to the item or place you want added, then click appropriate thing. (ok or whatever)

 

[Brad Snyder]

Karen,

That executable file should be:

x:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.4\lightroom.exe

where 'x' is probably c:, but if not enter the drive where you keep Program Files.

I experimented with this for a while, and wasn't able to get LR 1.4.1 to work with the "Open With" dialog. You'll have to use the "Send To" method that Ernie descibes. That'll work just as well.

Elaborating a little more, it works just like Open With, you right click on the
target file, and instead of Open With >, choose Send To >. You can add almost any program to the Send To drop down by putting a shortcut to the executable in the Windows "Send To" folder.

Ernie describes how to do that in his reply.

 

[James_N]

I see you've already gotten solutions to your question but I'd like to elaborate futher. I don't shoot Nikons but on the forums I browse there are frequent reports of conflicts between Nikon Capture NX and Adobe Camera Raw so I guess its fair to speculate that Capture NX takes over the File Associations.

To specifically answer your question; I assume you're a Windows User and you also have a standard installation of Lightroom, i.e. you installed Lightroom in the default location as prompted by the installation routine.

Right-click on any image file and select "Open With" from the pop-up context menu. In all likelihood Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is not listed so click on "Choose Program...." and see if its listed in the "Open With" dialog box.

If Lightroom isn't listed there, click the "Browse..." button to drill down further and double-click to open the Adobe folder, then again to open the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.4 folder. Select the "lightroom.exe" file... Click the "Open" button; then the "OK" button and you'll be all set.

Now "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom" will appear in the context menu when you right-click on an image file.

However, your question set me to thinking so I whipped up a quick Windows Registry hack that inserts a "Browse with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom" entry into the Explorer context menu and allows you to open any folder, regardless of hierarchy, in Lightroom.

Here it is:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.''

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom]
@=Browse with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom\Command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Adobe\\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.4\\lightroom.exe\" \"%1\""
​

To use this hack, copy all the indented text starting with "Windows" and paste it into a text editor (Notepad works well for this). Save the file with a descriptive name (Browse with Lightroom Registry Hack is one such name), make sure you insert the .txt filename extension, and note the location where you saved it.

Now go to the file location and change the filename extension to .reg and double-click on the file to add it to your Windows Registry. The result is that when you right-click on any folder the "Browse with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom" line will be listed in the pop-up context menu and clicking on it will open the Lightroom application with the Import Photos dialog box active.

Note that when Lightroom is updated you will have to edit the "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.4" portion of the last line to reflect the new version number and location. But that's a trivial exercise using the Windows Registry editor. Simply click Start, Run, type "regedit" to invoke the editor, navigate to the registry entry and change "1.4" to whatever the new version is numbered.

Hope this is helpful.

James

HI,

I recently installed Lightroom and was able to open files into Lightroom from Explorer with a problem. I then installed Nikon Capture NX and the latest Lightroom update (1.4.1) and can no longer do this. I have tried right clicking on the photo and going to 'Open With' and then browsing for Lightroom. The problem is the file I select looks to be the Lightroom program file but is actually the Lightroom Setup Launcher. I can not find another program file apart from this one with the Lightroom logo called 'lightroom' (small 'L') which is actually the Lightroom Setup Launcher. This should be a simple process but for some reason is proving tricky.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

For the record - I get the same problem with JPEGs and NEFs.

Karen

 

[Brad Snyder]

James,

Question, did you get the "Open With" method to actually work?

I started documenting that method that last night to explain to Karen how to set it up. While writing it up, I tested every step of the way, just to make sure I got the dialog box names and options right, etc. And everything worked perfectly right up to the point that Windows ignored everything I had told it, and refused to add LR to the Open With drop down. (My test case case was a DNG file, haven't tried it with other types). I disabled PSCS3 from being the default DNG app.

I finally gave up on it, and just added a couple of clarifying details to Ernie's "Send To" suggestion.

I do like the registry hack idea tho'. Personally, I don't need any of this functionality. If I need to use LR, it's already open.

 

[James_N]

Hi Brad,

Yes, I did get the Open With method to work with both JPEGs and DNG files.

 

[Brad Snyder]

Hmmm, well I'll revisit it when I get a second. It sure oughta work, but no joy on my machine. Thanks

 

[Denis Pagé]

To use this hack, copy all the indented text starting with "Windows" and paste it into a text editor (Notepad works well for this). Save the file with a descriptive name (Browse with Lightroom Registry Hack is one such name), make sure you insert the .txt filename extension, and note the location where you saved it.

Now go to the file location and change the filename extension to .reg and ...

James, save yourself a step and in Notepad just save the file with a .reg extention there. The trick to avoid notepad to automatically add .txt is to enclose your filename between quotes "". Like this:
"Browse with Lightroom Registry Hack.reg"

Nicely explained James