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Thread: XMP Files

  1. #1

    XMP Files

    Hi
    My computer seems to be holding a lot of XMP Files which seem to relate to info about some of my Photoshop Elements 8 images.
    When I click on the XMP File they open up Photoshop Elements 8 but not the image.
    Do I need to keep them on my system or can I delete them witout causing any issues with the image they belong to?
    Graham

  2. #2
    dje's Avatar
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    Re: XMP Files

    Graham I believe the xmp file contains a record of the changes made to the settings made in ACR (Photoshop) to the cr2 file. I would keep them

    Cheers Dave

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    Re: XMP Files

    Hi Graham,

    Just to expand a little on Dave's answer ...

    Basically, if you're adjusting RAW files in ACR (the RAW engine used in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom etc) then it won't write those adjustments back to the original file unless it's been converted to Adobe's open DNG RAW format, so they get written to an XMP File of the same name (being the "next best thing it can do" BTW, they're also "affectionately" known as "pasky sidecar files".

    If you delete them then you'll be losing all your edits to the image associated with it. If you want to avoid them in the first place (highly recommended!) then just convert them to DNG format using Adobe's free DNG converter first (that's what I do).

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    Re: XMP Files

    The question I have is, Why delete the "pesky" xmp files? They don't cause any trouble and go along with the RAW file without having to do anything with them.

    Probably the worst thing about them is that people worry about them - and there is no reason to worry about them. They take a miniscule amount of space on the HDD, and in Lightroom (as other programs) they contain the edits you've made to an image.

    Worrying about xmp files is akin to worrying how long the Sun will last - pointless.

    In Lightroom, you can look at the list of edits quite easily - which can be an advantage when you forgot how you did modified an image and want to repeat it. If the information is in the DNG file, can it be looked at?

    Glenn

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    Re: XMP Files

    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn NK View Post
    The question I have is, Why delete the "pesky" xmp files? They don't cause any trouble and go along with the RAW file without having to do anything with them.
    Perhaps a complimentary question might be "when they can be eliminated by using the DNG format, why keep them seperate?". Personally, I found them to be a pain when they're mixed in with PSDs and JPEGs and you're moving files around outside of Bridge; get it wrong and you may well just have lost ALL your edits in that folder (and yes, I've done dumb things like that when I'm tired). In terms of size - although the contents is miniscule, they still get allocated a minimum size on disk (which in my case is 64kb). So with DNG you generally get a smaller RAW file, and no sidecar. A win/win, with no downside.

    In Lightroom, you can look at the list of edits quite easily - which can be an advantage when you forgot how you did modified an image and want to repeat it. If the information is in the DNG file, can it be looked at?
    I can't see why you wouldn't be able to - it's the same information, just written to a different place. You can also save the history from Photoshop to XMP as well by the way (just not from ACR AFAIK).

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    Kris V's Avatar
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    Re: XMP Files

    Quote Originally Posted by Colin Southern View Post
    You can also save the history from Photoshop to XMP as well by the way (just not from ACR AFAIK).
    How would you go about that? I usually export from LR to Photoshop PSD, and do whatever I need (or want) to do in PSCS5. How do you create an xmp file from those edits? That would be extremely hnady when I open the edited PSD file 3 or 4 months later.
    I usually don't remember how it got to a certain result.....even with all the layers intact.

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    Re: XMP Files

    In reply to Colin's post:

    1) I keep my JPEGs, TIFFs, PSDs, DNGs, etc. in sub-folders entitled JPEG, TIFF, PSD, DNG. Since my primary and first stop on is Lightroom, exporting to a different file format simply requires typing in the name of the sub-folder I wish to export to. For example I may export JPEGs as a sub-folder to the same main folder, but the name of the sub-folder would be JPEG. This makes them easy to find - I'd never mix RAW, JPEG, DND, etc files up into the same folder - too messy and I'd lose track of them.

    2) Since I use LR (don't use CSX so I can't comment on it's use) it's very simple to view the history of my edits which are listed chronologically in LR. If I go back weeks or months later and find a result I like and want to repeat it, it's very easy to see what was done. I don't know if this is possible with a DNG in Lightroom - perhaps someone else can chime in.

    Glenn

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    Re: XMP Files

    Does that mean that I save the file as a DNG after modifying, and then open in PS (Elements), in order to finalise adjustments, that I get a CR2, a DNG, and a PSD or Jpeg depending on the file saving option?

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    Re: XMP Files

    Quote Originally Posted by Ken MT View Post
    Does that mean that I save the file as a DNG after modifying, and then open in PS (Elements), in order to finalise adjustments, that I get a CR2, a DNG, and a PSD or Jpeg depending on the file saving option?
    Hi Ken,

    No. You convert as either a stand-alone operation using Adobe's DNG conversion tool, or as part of the import process using Bridge or Lightroom. If you wait until after you've editied, you'll probably loose the edits (although not sure about that).

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    Re: XMP Files

    If you open the RAW file in Elements10 (at least), it opens in ACR. If you then open the file to edit it in the Elements Editor, it saves any changes you make to the RAW in an xmp (unless you press ALT when you click open). If you delete the xmp file, you then have the RAW data just as you loaded it from the camera.....no pp in ACR...(I THINK)

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    Re: XMP Files

    Quote Originally Posted by Kris V View Post
    How would you go about that?
    Edit -> Preferences -> General. Tick "Save History".

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    Re: XMP Files

    When I save the edited CR2 as a DNG - Save image, (NOT open image which opens in PS and changes metdata), then both the CR2 as well as the DNG reflect the changes made in the origional image. Changing either the DNG or the CR2 to "as shot", reverses the changes to the origional.

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    Re: XMP Files

    Quote Originally Posted by Colin Southern View Post
    Edit -> Preferences -> General. Tick "Save History".
    Thanks Colin!

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    Re: XMP Files

    Quote Originally Posted by Kris V View Post
    Thanks Colin!
    No worries Just test it out and make sure it saves what you want - there are also options for amount of detail and location.

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