You could have puzzled what’s an XMP file and – extra importantly – the way it works. Generally this may be arduous to grasp, so we’re right here to clear the fog.
An XMP file is a compressed container for metadata supported by apps corresponding to Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and others. However that’s slightly imprecise, so let’s get extra particular!
What’s an XMP File?
XMP stands for Extensible Metadata Platform. An XMP file (additionally known as a sidecar file) preserves any extra metadata utilized to that file. This permits the data to be saved individually and keep intact between units.
To exemplify: in a picture enhancing app, the edits you make are utilized to a RAW file (the picture that comes straight out of your digital camera). These edits are saved in a separate sidecar file or inside a catalog (e.g., Lightroom catalog).
Lightroom can solely retailer enhancing information in a catalog or XML file as a result of it doesn’t have entry to proprietary RAW information.
In a nutshell:
An XMP file is a metadata file that shops the settings you utilized to a photograph in apps like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. This info inside an XMP file contains:
- EXIF info – digital camera settings (publicity information like aperture, iso, and shutter velocity), time, date, and key phrases that describe the file.
- Edit info – changes made to publicity, white steadiness, and colour saturation, in addition to every other adjustments you made to the photograph’s look
XMP information will be edited extra simply – that’s, with out altering the unique file. They’re perfect while you wish to protect your edits, like while you collaborate with different photographers and wish to ship a sidecar file, so that they see the adjustments you made to a picture.
This information is often embedded in sure information, corresponding to open format pictures like JPEG, PNG, GIF, and TIFF.
I Do Not See XMP Recordsdata in My Library
By default, Lightroom embeds XMP info inside Lightroom Catalog with out producing XMP sidecar information. If that’s the case, you want to allow this perform in Catalog Settings.
Easy methods to allow XMP sidecar information in Lightroom:
- Within the high toolbar, you’ll be able to see the tab Edit (“Lightroom Basic” on Mac) – click on on it
- From the dropdown menu, choose the “Catalog Settings” choice
- Click on on the “Metadata” tab
- Verify the “Routinely write adjustments into XMP” field
If you wish to disable this function, return to “Catalog Settings” and uncheck “Routinely write adjustments into XMP.”
Should you’re working with RAW information and have this perform turned on, Lightroom will mechanically write enhancing directions to the .xmp file every time you edit the chosen picture – meaning it is going to do this at each slider you progress in Lightroom.
Utilizing XMP sidecar information is nice if you wish to protect your enhancing information in case your catalog will get corrupted. Additionally, XMP information take up little or no area in your arduous drive. Nonetheless, it slows down Lightroom!
Finally, it’s as much as you to decide on which choice works greatest for you.
XMP Recordsdata and Lightroom Develop Presets
Earlier than, Lightroom had restricted enhancing capability and solely allowed for RAW file managing. The Lightroom Develop Preset aimed to make enhancing as accessible as doable, enabling non-destructive enhancing.
What’s Non-destructive Enhancing?
You’ll see a bunch of RAW and XMP information with the identical title piled collectively in your arduous drive. RAW information are taken out of your digital camera – they don’t have any information connected to them. XMP information are metadata information: the data saved in them contains EXIF information and any enhancing you might need executed in apps like Lightroom.
When enhancing RAW information In Lightroom, all of the adjustments are saved within the XMP file. For instance, in case you transfer a slider in Lightroom, you’ll be able to see the edits you made with that slider within the sidecar file (the XMP file). So in case you learn it in a textual content editor, you’ll see these edits you made introduced as enhancing directions.
As you see, you’ll be able to edit any picture by altering the values contained in the XMP sidecar and with out touching Lightroom sliders. After all, it could not be sensible.
All these edits you make are remodeled right into a JPEG preview with all of the adjustments within the app. The RAW file stays unaltered this complete time.
Sidecar vs Preset
If you wish to save edits utilized to the chosen picture as a preset, Lightroom takes all enhancing directions from sidecar and saves them as Develop Preset utilizing the XMP file format.
In a nutshell, the Lightroom develop preset is similar XMP sidecar file with a special perform.
If you apply the develop preset to the picture, the enhancing directions shall be copied from the preset in XMP format to the sidecar XMP file; Lightroom then reads this file and generates a preview with all these values.
Having a sidecar file permits edits to be shared between apps. For instance, you can begin enhancing a picture in Lightroom, proceed in Photoshop, and ship it over the cloud in Lightroom Cell – with out shedding any enhancing information.
Easy methods to Open XMP Recordsdata in Lightroom?
There isn’t a option to open the XMP file in Lightroom. This system manages all XMP information mechanically with out you having to do something.
However you’ll be able to open the XMP file outdoors Lightroom.
If you wish to see or change the data inside an XMP file, you’ll be able to open it utilizing a textual content editor:
- Go to a textual content editor, like Notepad++
- View or edit the XMP file as a textual content file
*You need to use textual content editors if you wish to duplicate presets, as Lightroom doesn’t have this function. Simply duplicate the preset within the file browser and alter the title contained in the XMP file so Lightroom can see it.
Producing XMP Recordsdata on Demand
If you wish to share a RAW file with all of the edits, you’ll be able to embody a sidecar file subsequent to it. You additionally may not need Lightroom slowing issues down by writing .xmp information each time – possibly you wish to go away this option to you.
Easy methods to create one XMP file:
Edit your photograph and hit the “Ctrl-S” (Command-S on Mac) keyboard shortcut. Lightroom will create a separate .xmp sidecar file with all of your adjustments.
Various to XMP information:
There may be additionally a manner round this. You possibly can create a DNG file, so that you don’t should ship each an XMP and a RAW file – all the data shall be embedded on this one DNG file.
Easy methods to convert a photograph do DNG file format:
- Go to the Library module.
- Beneath the Library menu within the higher toolbar, choose ‘Convert Photograph to DNG.’
Finally, you’ll be able to export a photograph as a DNG picture, and all XMP info shall be embedded contained in the DNG picture.
What’s an XMP File? | Remaining Ideas
At its most simple stage, an XMP file is a sidecar file containing extra details about a picture. However as we’ve seen, there’s way more to XMP information than meets the attention.
Now that you recognize every thing about XMP information, it’s as much as you to determine if you wish to use them repeatedly in your enhancing workflow or simply each every now and then.