Process Help CR2+JPG / Sidecar / XMP etc

[creativewombat]

Lightroom Version Number

Lightroom Classic version: 10.4

Operating System

1. macOS 11 Big Sur

I need your help hammering out my process of getting shots through LRC. It's been years, and I'm entirely self-taught, so I apologize ahead of time if some of this is like *&^&^%!!!
I have a problem with some archives. They were shot in Raw ( CR2 ) + JPG and they have separate JPG images that show up in the finder. When I made adjustments to these it would literally rename the file "x" +WithAdjustments. It's quite the memory hog, as the JPGs are half of the original.
Where I get confused is a have quite a few CR2+JPG but they act as one photo ( also attached )
What I'm curious about is how to get them in so I can make adjustments all in one file. Do I just shoot CR2 ? From the screenshot you can see how this is handled - is there a way I can merge the adjustments on the JPG with the original ?

Would also love thoughts on XMP and how how sidecars work in general. Useful ? No ?

Thanks for your thoughts. I'd like to settle on the same process so I don't keep getting tripped up with archiving.

 

[clee01l]

Here are some of my thoughts. When Shooting RAW+JPEG. And the Lightroom Preference “Treat JPEGs next to RAW as a separate file” in NOT checked. The JPEG is copies to the Folder containg the RAW file and Lightroom lists this a a Sidecar file It is not Accessible through the Lightroom Classic app. XMP sidecars are created to hold a copy of the Lightroom metadata changes that are always stored in the catalog file.

There is little benefit setting the Camera to record RAW + JPEG. The RAW file contains a camera processed JPEG. Thumbnail (maybe in several sizes). This RAW JPEG thumbnail is the first image that Lightroom displays in Grid view. My recommendation is to not shoot RAW+JPEG. If you do import both RAW and JPEG into Lightroom Classic, Keep the JPEG as a SOOC reference ans process only the RAW file.

There is no benefit gained by creating and importing derivative (edited) exported JPEGs. Lightroom always shows the RAW file with the edits applied. There is no good reason to keep a copy of that JPEG on you disk drive. You export to publish to a website, send to some one, or make a print using a third party.

The exported file that is named file “x”+With Adjustments is probably being renamed on export. You can fix that by using a different file naming template or not renaming at all.


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[creativewombat]

lot of this makes sense.
thanks for the input.
do you know of any way to take adjustments from the JPG and apply them to the RAW ? I remember back with Aperture you could copy paste adjustments in the finder from pic to pic.

 

[clee01l]

lot of this makes sense.
thanks for the input.
do you know of any way to take adjustments from the JPG and apply them to the RAW ? I remember back with Aperture you could copy paste adjustments in the finder from pic to pic.

You can paste settings from one image to another but JPEGS use different adjustments than the RAW file. The JPEG starts with in camera adjustments to edit the in camera RAW. Then you have applied LrC adjustments on top of the camera adjustments.


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[creativewombat]

yes, that also makes sense. i guess I'll just have to choose JPGs for the Archives ( they have all the adjustments ) and move on. I don't want to keep both becasue of disk space.
Are there any settings in LRC that I need to be awre of in terms of importing. I gather if I set my Cam to RAW they will just come in as CR2, and then I can stack adjustments and be done with it.
Live and learn : >

 

[clee01l]

Setting your camera to shoot RAW only will create only CR2 image files. these will import into Lightroom Classic and can be edited (Adjusted). You only need to create derivative JPEGs (exports) if you want to send an adjusted image to a website, 3rd party printer or email a copy.

 

[creativewombat]

Setting your camera to shoot RAW only will create only CR2 image files. these will import into Lightroom Classic and can be edited (Adjusted). You only need to create derivative JPEGs (exports) if you want to send an adjusted image to a website, 3rd party printer or email a copy.

and what have you found for long-term archiving? i'm wondering if high rez jpgs are sufficient ( i know this is subjective ) Many of these I honestly are archiving for memory, and will more than likely be viewing on a screen. I'm sure when I pass them to my little girls they'll be three dimensional, but I don't think RAW will handle that : >

second related question.
have you heard of folks chopping off catalogues ( exporting full years, ect ) for efficiency in LRC ? WOndering if it even makes any difference, since LRC is just holding catalogue info. I'm approaching 40K photos and looking down the road --

 

[clee01l]

and what have you found for long-term archiving? i'm wondering if high rez jpgs are sufficient ( i know this is subjective ) Many of these I honestly are archiving for memory, and will more than likely be viewing on a screen. I'm sure when I pass them to my little girls they'll be three dimensional, but I don't think RAW will handle that : >

second related question.
have you heard of folks chopping off catalogues ( exporting full years, ect ) for efficiency in LRC ? WOndering if it even makes any difference, since LRC is just holding catalogue info. I'm approaching 40K photos and looking down the road --

My Lightroom Classic is my long term archive. It contains reference paths to the original RAW file and edit adjustment to produce a quality derivative. If you are looking for some legacy photos to pass on to Non Lightroom literate generations then An archive in the cloud (Adobe cloud?) is probably more practical Local storage is not useful unless there is a backup copy stored elsewhere because Hard drives are no reliable or permanent.


Maintain more that one catalog is not efficient or practical. Performance is not based upon the number of records in the catalog file or the number of original source image files. There are reported instance of catalogs with 500,000 images and no performance impact.


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[creativewombat]

Ha - "Non Lightroom literate generation" - We'll call them NLLG's : >
I haven't really thought it through that far, right now I'm just planning for space and efficiency. Ideally, I think you're right - package up the JPGs into the cloud for the kids,
But for now, my catalogue is approaching 50K. My approach had been to go back and thin out collections, but that'll only take me so far.
I keep everything local. I haven't found a service that's affordable and reliable for Terrabytes of data. I keep a weekly Chronosynch between drives, and also keep a Monthly backup off-site.

I guess I could just put a large chunk of photos on another drive, keep it referenced in LRC and just put it away.

 

[clee01l]

…

I guess I could just put a large chunk of photos on another drive, keep it referenced in LRC and just put it away.

That is what I do. I keep my recent files (stored by date) on my primary volume. Periodically, I move date named folders to what I call an “archive” EHD. There they stay forever and are always available in Lightroom Classic should I need to make a print of create an export. I use the Adobe Cloud (Lightroom.adobe.com) for photos that I share or want to preserve a finished version.


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