Lightroom Integration

[nautilus.nemo]

Hello everybody, I´m new to the forum and hope I will find the one or other solution for upcoming problems in using Affinity.

My primary concern is the correct setup for the use of Affinity Photo in a workflow with Adobe Lightroom. 

I only shoot uncompressed raw (nef) Files an store/organize these in LR, tag them, edit them, an print them.

I use other programs like NIK Collection and PS5 (and would like to switch here to Affinity). Now I included Affinity in the  Settings as an "Edit in" tool, an correctly my LR edited NEF is opened in Affinity , and i can edit it there.

My problem is how to get the edited File with all alterations back in LR. 

Finishing other editing tools ends up in returning the files back to LR as .tiff automatically an to include the files in the catalog an store the tiff in the same place as the Original.

Affinity asks mit to Save the File, in a specified location, does it in .afphoto an gives nothing back to LR. How can i manage to make Affinity give back a tiff to LR when closing Affinity, preferred without asking back?.

 

I ´m using LR 6 on 10.10.4, on a macPro with external RAID for the image files. 

 

peter  :unsure:

 

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Hi Peter,

 

Not sure what going on your end but that workflow works for me and it automatically saves it back in Lr for me.

 

Allan

[dot]

Hello Allan

 

Yes you can pass an Image from LR to Affinity as TIFF. But you have to store it as flattened TIFF from Affinity o be written back to LR Catalogue. LR recognizes this. The bad thing is, that all (Adjustment) Layers are flattened and so it's not possible to come back later on and change some Adjustments in an easy manner.

 

I assume this is what Peter meant.

 

cheers, Dot

[Deep Boel]

Hello Peter,

 

I have the same problem. At the moment I export my finished work as a layered tiff. If i choose the same name as the tiff file which was send by Lightroom to Affinity, Lightroom will show the altered file. If it's not the same name you have to synchronise the lightroom folder. 

 

It would be nice if we could see the affinity files in lightroom, with a plugin maybe?

Or else it would be great if we could choose for saving as a tiff instead. Without the necessity of having to go to the export panel.

 

Anyone with better ideas?

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Hello Allan

 

Yes you can pass an Image from LR to Affinity as TIFF. But you have to store it as flattened TIFF from Affinity o be written back to LR Catalogue. LR recognizes this. The bad thing is, that all (Adjustment) Layers are flattened and so it's not possible to come back later on and change some Adjustments in an easy manner.

 

I assume this is what Peter meant.

 

cheers, Dot

 

Hi Dot, of course LR does not have layers so it will always be flattened, even photoshop does that as far as I can see. If someone wanted to come back later and make changes to those adjustments going from you would'nt save it back to LR as it does not work that way, you would also save it as a .afphoto from Photo.

 

 

Allan

[Deep Boel]

Advanced member,

 

If you save from photoshop a layered image in psd format you can see this image in LR. If you edit this image again from LR into photoshop it will be a layered image again if you choose "edit a copy" or "edit original". This way you can work on your layered image the day after if you want. And the images you work on are available in your LR catalog. Unfortunately this option is not readily available in Affinity.  

 

At the moment you can work around this by not saving the image from Affinity but instead export it as a layered tiff. You can import this image again in LR. Lr sees the image and now you can open it from LR to Affinity and it opens like a layered tiff again (as long as you don't choose "edit a copy with lightroom adjustments"). This way you don't have to flatten it and you can work again the day after at your image.

 

The ugly thing with export is that Affinity doesn't remember the location the original image came from. It takes unnecessary time to find the right folder again. 

 

A future request would be to have the option to do this from the save menu instead of the export menu only. 

 

Or it could be nice if you could choose the original folder in the export option.

 

I hope i make myself clear and if somebody has a better idea?

 

Deep Boel

 

Ps I think Affinity is a very good photo editor! 

[nautilus.nemo]

Thank you for your Comments so far.

For the moment,  I would be ok if i could transfer a TIFF to Affinity as tiff and get it automatically back as (flattened) tiff.

But as i wrote, i can transfer the tiff (ProPhotoRGB, 300 dpi, Tiff) into Affinity, but after Editing  can´t get it back to LR.

 

@strawberrymonkey: how do you (successful) return the image to LR? I get asked for a location to Save, and there will be a .afphoto File instead of a tiff, and nothing back in LR.

 

I understand i could use the export to generate a tiff or PSD  in a location and reimport this to LR. But in this Case i loose the connection from the original NEF to the edited tiff.

So in the first place I still do not understand  (even for a flattened tiff) how to setup a functional workflow.

Is there a way to force affinity to give back the files as tiff or psd or jpeg?

 

For later: Will then be the Layers been given back any time soon, too?

peter

 

[My Strawberry Monkey]

@strawberrymonkey: how do you (successful) return the image to LR? I get asked for a location to Save, and there will be a .afphoto File instead of a tiff, and nothing back in LR.

 

 

 

 

Hi, its done automatically when I save. If you just save then yes that will be what you get. 

[Deep Boel]

mystrawberrymonkey

 

My way of working for the moment:

I always work from LR. In LR i choose "edit with Affinity". The image opens in Affinity. 

 

When i DO NOT ADD layers: I choose save and the image will be returned to LR.

 

When i DO ADD layers:  I can either choose for save image/ flatten image or if i want to keep my layers: I choose export. I choose the PSD option. The image is saved as a layered psd image. In LR i choose Library/ synchronise folder (you have to select the right folder first). The image is now visible in LR. When you choose edit in Affinity again, choose the option "edit a copy" or "edit original" and NOT "edit a copy with lightroom adjustment" and the image opens again with layers intact.

 

I hope this helps, Deep

[Deep Boel]

Ps: I usually put (like in photoshop) all my adjustment on layers. This way it's easy to continue working or completely change things without having to start all over again even if i want to do something different one year from now. 

 

In the few days I own Affinity on my new computer (no PS on this system) I really enjoy the program. I don't like it i always have to export my images instead of saving if i want to keep my adjustment layers intact and use LR at the same time. But the program is new. I' m sure the developers will find a solution for this ;-)

 

Deep

[JimGoshorn]

The reason LR can read a layered PSD is because the user has checked maximum compatibility checkbox. This creates a layer in the file which is a flattened version of the file. If maximum capability is not checked for PSD and PSB, the file will show preview not available in LR.

[nautilus.nemo]

mystrawberrymonkey

 

My way of working for the moment:

I always work from LR. In LR i choose "edit with Affinity". The image opens in Affinity. 

 

When i DO NOT ADD layers: I choose save and the image will be returned to LR.

 

When i DO ADD layers:  I can either choose for save image/ flatten image or if i want to keep my layers: I choose export. I choose the PSD option. The image is saved as a layered psd image. In LR i choose Library/ synchronise folder (you have to select the right folder first). The image is now visible in LR. When you choose edit in Affinity again, choose the option "edit a copy" or "edit original" and NOT "edit a copy with lightroom adjustment" and the image opens again with layers intact.

 

I hope this helps, Deep

 

When i do not add layers: i do choose save , get asked for a location and will have a .afphoto file outside LR

When i do add layers : i cannot choose save/flattened but will have only the save option, get asked for a location and will have a .afphoto file outside LR

[macmaniac]

Hi Guys,

I read through the previous comments but not sure what I was doing wrong in my workflow. I had set Affinity Photo als my Photoeditor for Lightroom. I click on "Edit with Affinity Photo" and the picture is opened as expected. ATM I don't care at all for preserving adjustments, I just want to click "save" within Affinity, go back to LR and see my altered File. This apparently doesn't work for me; even if I chose flattened Image i do not see the changed Image in LR. Still can't figure out what I'm doing wrong here?  :(

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Hi Guys,

I read through the previous comments but not sure what I was doing wrong in my workflow. I had set Affinity Photo als my Photoeditor for Lightroom. I click on "Edit with Affinity Photo" and the picture is opened as expected. ATM I don't care at all for preserving adjustments, I just want to click "save" within Affinity, go back to LR and see my altered File. This apparently doesn't work for me; even if I chose flattened Image i do not see the changed Image in LR. Still can't figure out what I'm doing wrong here?  :(

 

Hi MacManiac,

 

Have you resolved this yet? When you choose edit in LR, LR duplicates the file and the changes in Affinity Photo are saved to this duplicate.

 

 

Allan

[Madame]

Hi, MacManiac.

In Lightroom, are you working on the actual file or on a smart preview?

 

When I'm working on a smart preview, I (of course) have to export the file first, and it won't show up in Lightroom after I have edited in AP.

I have to synchronize the folder first.

[nicoppc]

Hi!

 

I would really need Affinity to store files (including Layers) in tiff-compatible way, such like PS does. Sure, this "affinity" tiff could only be display flatten in PS... but it could be display by Lr and CaptureOne!

 

If it is so "complicated" or a not-wished feature, would it be possible that Affinity hang on with Lr's crew and PhaseOne to include .afp support in popular photography software ?

 

Thanks for listening.

Have a nice day

[vieuxjeux]

Hi!

 

There seems to be a lot of confusion about file handling between LR and AP and with all reason! And also with terminology.

 

First of all Save serves to purposes:

1) In the case of jpg files opened from Lightroom, Saving it will create a copy of the original and it will appear in LR Library as Filename-Edit. So no problem there.

 

2) If the file containes layers and any Affinity Photo specific edits (that's what we are using the software for), Saving the file creates an .afphot file (100% compatibility for future edits).

 

3) If one wants to "save" a file as PSD, it must be Exported

 

All this is would not be over complicated if AP took into count the path of the opened file. But unfortunately this is NOT the case!

AP remembers the path of the last opened file which might be or might not be of use.

So, it is neccessary to locate the right folder and export the file there. But this is not yet enought. Then back on LR it is still neccessary to go to that particular folder and synchronise it. I usually select the right folder in LR and Mac's Finder to make the procedure easier.

 

When working with a great number of different files from different folders this work flow is really time comsuming and prone to error. So definitely Affinnity developers should do something to make the workflow better.

By erronously saving files one can just create unneccesary .afphoto files which just fill the discs.

 

Hope this helps in sorting out the hassle.

Meanwhile let's hope for improvement...

[conrad2k]

I have similar problems when I hand off images from LightRoom to be edited in AP.  It creates a .TIFF in the Lightroom catalog but when I save, the photo is saved as with .afphot extension.  The only way to get it back into LR seamlessly as a .TIFF is to select "Document->Flatten" first.  Then the changes show up in LR right away.  I appreciate having the .afphot file to allow further edits later, but it would  make a more convenient workflow if Save option in AP offered the opportunity to save a Flattened .TIFF for LR and the .afphot for future editing.  Just a little more LR awareness, please.  At least until Affinity comes out with it's own Digital Asset Management program to replace LR.  

[Travelling Man]

I have PS CC (photography) and have bought Affinity Photo as I do think it will one day become a viable alternative. At the moment however its lack of integration with a DAM reduces significantly AP's ability to compete wth the PS CC suite. For now I am happy to pay the rental. The development of an integrated DAM is for me very desirable but I am not so sure that the devs see it as a priority.

 

This matter is not helped by the fact that AP does not integrate well with Apple Photos either but that, I believe, is Apple's fault.

[indy31]

The guys from affinity just have to give free to change the suffix tiff to tif in the export dialog, then Lightroom (btw also true for Capture One Pro) can import the files without problems. The same thing also works in MacPhuns tonality, where we can change the suffix from tiff to tif

 

Here is a video in my youtube channel explaining what I think is the problem (german language)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipayl3ER1a4

[Travelling Man]

The guys from affinity just have to give free to change the suffix tiff to tif in the export dialog, then Lightroom (btw also true for Capture One Pro) can import the files without problems. The same thing also works in MacPhuns tonality, where we can change the suffix from tiff to tif

 

Here is a video in my youtube channel explaining what I think is the problem (german language)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipayl3ER1a4

Does that mean the file will be returned to LR and placed alongside the original? That would help big time but it will not match (?) Photoshops ability to return a layered PSD to LR, which is a very useful function.

[indy31]

Does that mean the file will be returned to LR and placed alongside the original? That would help big time but it will not match (?) Photoshops ability to return a layered PSD to LR, which is a very useful function.

It will help only for tif files in my opinion, but it would help a lot

[conrad2k]

I have PS CC (photography) and have bought Affinity Photo as I do think it will one day become a viable alternative. At the moment however its lack of integration with a DAM reduces significantly AP's ability to compete wth the PS CC suite. For now I am happy to pay the rental. The development of an integrated DAM is for me very desirable but I am not so sure that the devs see it as a priority.

 

This matter is not helped by the fact that AP does not integrate well with Apple Photos either but that, I believe, is Apple's fault.

 

There is some level integration of AP with Apple Photos, as editor extensions, if you have updated to El Capitan.  It doesn't take you into the full AP program, but you get access to some key tools.  The in-painting brush is far superior to Apple Photo's own retouch tool, Lightrooms similar tools and arguably as good as PS's context aware fill tools.

[Travelling Man]

There is some level integration of AP with Apple Photos, as editor extensions, if you have updated to El Capitan.  It doesn't take you into the full AP program, but you get access to some key tools.  The in-painting brush is far superior to Apple Photo's own retouch tool, Lightrooms similar tools and arguably as good as PS's context aware fill tools.

True, but there is a huge trade off - everything going to jpg is one. That (the Apple Photos/Extensions) workflow is fine for snappers but not so much so for the more serious photographer. Affinity needs that DAM or it needs to be able to work with those DAMs that exist now (LR et al). Basically it needs to be able to act as a plugin to LR, just like the Macphun apps do.

[conrad2k]

True, but there is a huge trade off - everything going to jpg is one. That (the Apple Photos/Extensions) workflow is fine for snappers but not so much so for the more serious photographer. Affinity needs that DAM or it needs to be able to work with those DAMs that exist now (LR et al). Basically it needs to be able to act as a plugin to LR, just like the Macphun apps do.

Very good points, but that's why I use LR6 (the licensed version rather than the subscription), until Affinity or another clever developer comes up with a DAM that does LR's library function well.  If Affinity does it, then we can be pretty much guaranteed tight integration with AP.  Right now AP does almost everything that I need on the develop side of LR, though incremental improvements to the RAW processing engine will be welcome.