Question about "Save" verses "Save As"

[tsinsf]

Lightroom Version

12.0.1

Operating System

1. macOS 12 Monterey

I think I have a basic misunderstanding about the "Save" function in Photoshop/Lightroom. After importing new RAW photos into LR, my workflow has been to open the photo as a Smart Object in Photoshop, make my edits, then "Save As". I prefer to keep my edited photos separate from the original RAW photos. I am trying to understand the "Save" option in Photoshop. Normally after editing in PS I use Save As and create a pixel based photo that goes into a separate file folder (my choice). Instead, if I opened a photo in Photoshop via Lightroom, and after editing chose "Save" instead of "Save As", I know that a PSD or Tiff will appear in Lightroom next to the original RAW photo. What I don't understand is what kind of file this new Tiff or PSD is. Does it only exist in the Lightroom Catalogue? Please help me understand. Thanks!!

 

[Califdan]

What I don't understand is what kind of file this new Tiff or PSD is. Does it only exist in the Lightroom Catalogue? Please help me understand.

It is a phyical file in your folder on your disk drive that is also known to LrC. The same as if you had gone directly into PS (without LrC), created a new file (PSD or Tiff), saved it to disk and then imported it into LrC.

If you want the PS edited file to be in a different folder than the original RAW....

1. In Lrc, use "Edit in" photoshop
2. When done in PS, just close the image window and let it "save" (not save as).
3. Back in LrC, the returned image will be in the same folder as the original RAW image. Grab the returned PSD or Tiff that came back from PS and just drag it to the desired folder using the Folders Panel in LrC.

 

[tsinsf]

Thank you. I think I understand now. So, if I want to keep my edited PSD/Tiff files in a separate folder, there is no real reason to use Save instead of Save As, since using Save As avoids having to drag and drop an image to get it where you want.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

’Save’ will save the file with its current name. In case of sending a raw file from Lightroom to Photoshop, you will see that the extension changes because what is saved is not a raw file, but the file name remains as you defined it in the External editor preferences. ‘Save as’ gives you a dialog where you can change the file name to anything else and can also change the file type (and so the extension). You should not do that when saving a file that was sent from Lightroom and should come back into the Lightroom catalog.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Thank you. I think I understand now. So, if I want to keep my edited PSD/Tiff files in a separate folder, there is no real reason to use Save instead of Save As, since using Save As avoids having to drag and drop an image to get it where you want.

In practice ‘Save as’ indeed allows you to save in a different folder, but Lightroom does not expect that and this workflow was not meant to work. It works today, but in the past it did not work, so it’s possible that Adobe considers this a bug and will change it again one day…

 

[tsinsf]

Thanks to all. I understand it now. I'll keep my present workflow: Camera-LR-open in PS as Smart Object-edit-Save As. Any revisits to the photo with new changes, "Save" which will keep the same name and location.