Editing Lightroom Photos with Affinity Photo

[thetasig]

Oh My Gosh. All this time, I did not realize that it is possible to add Affinity Photo to the list of external editors provided in Lightroom (LR). I'm using LR 6, so this likely would apply to Lightroom Classic (sorry can't vouch for HOW to do it in the LR Classic version, but it might be similarly done).

In LIghtroom 6, simply go to "File / Preferences / External Editing" - On that dialogue, look under "Additional External Editor / Application:" - then click the "Choose" button on the right of the dialogue.

Navigate to the pixel editing application you want (Affinity Photo in this case) and choose it.

Configure the setting (file type, color space, dpi, etc.) and then drop down the "Preset" under the Additional External Editor heading and choose to "Save Current Settings as New Preset"

All the previous external editors are still available plus the new one(s) you add. The configuration information is stored in "lrtemplate" files and you can see those templates through "Preferences / Presets / Show LIghtroom Presets Folder". In my case, I have the NIK Collection of editors also available. Now I have my favored Affinity Photo in there.

The reason this is so powerful is twofold - first, it's quick to enter the external editor (two clicks), second, while your photo is edited in Affinity Photo (or other external editor), when you save your editing work, that edited photo is placed into the LR catalogue automatically.

It is my understanding that additional photo editors can also be added to flesh out the editors arsenal at your disposal. Just about any "pixel" editor could be added to LR in this manner.

Now here is my request for additional features - please include more editing features into Affinity Photo (to name one, "Luminosity Mask" similar to the feature in LR Classic), but also other really helpful features found in other company's editors and suggestions in this forum. And here is one I would really love to see - a scratch and dust removal dialogue similar to one Polaroid provided years ago that saved hours of one-by-one dust speck removal from scanned old prints, slides, and negatives.

[Joachim_L]

From the help files:

To create a luminosity mask:

1. On the Layers panel, click on the layer's thumbnail with Ctrl and Alt pressed.
2. From the Layers panel, click Mask Layer.

And for dust and scratches removal: Filters >> Noise >> Dust & Scratches

Maybe not enough, because I don't know the dust removal dialogue from Polaroid.