You’ll have questioned what’s an XMP file and – extra importantly – the way it works. Typically this may be exhausting to grasp, so we’re right here to clear the fog.
An XMP file is a compressed container for metadata supported by apps reminiscent of Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and others. However that’s a little bit 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 enables 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 digicam). 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 data inside an XMP file consists of:
- EXIF data – digicam settings (publicity information like aperture, iso, and shutter pace), time, date, and key phrases that describe the file.
- Edit data – changes made to publicity, white steadiness, and colour saturation, in addition to another adjustments you made to the picture’s look
XMP information may be edited extra simply – that’s, with out altering the unique file. They’re supreme once you wish to protect your edits, like once 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, reminiscent of open format photos like JPEG, PNG, GIF, and TIFF.
I Do Not See XMP Recordsdata in My Library
By default, Lightroom embeds XMP data inside Lightroom Catalog with out producing XMP sidecar information. If that’s the case, you have to allow this perform in Catalog Settings.
Learn how 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 “Mechanically write adjustments into XMP” field
If you wish to disable this characteristic, return to “Catalog Settings” and uncheck “Mechanically write adjustments into XMP.”
For those who’re working with RAW information and have this perform turned on, Lightroom will routinely write enhancing directions to the .xmp file every time you edit the chosen picture – meaning it would try this at each slider you progress in Lightroom.
Utilizing XMP sidecar information is sweet if you wish to protect your enhancing information in case your catalog will get corrupted. Additionally, XMP information take up little or no house in your exhausting drive. Nonetheless, it slows down Lightroom!
Finally, it’s as much as you to decide on which choice works finest 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 potential, enabling non-destructive enhancing.
What’s Non-destructive Modifying?
You’ll see a bunch of RAW and XMP information with the identical identify piled collectively in your exhausting drive. RAW information are taken out of your digicam – they haven’t any information hooked up to them. XMP information are metadata information: the data saved in them consists of EXIF information and any enhancing you may need completed in apps like Lightroom.
When enhancing RAW information In Lightroom, all of the adjustments are saved within the XMP file. For instance, in the event 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 the event you learn it in a textual content editor, you’ll see these edits you made offered 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. In fact, it might not be sensible.
All these edits you make are reworked right into a JPEG preview with all of the adjustments within the app. The RAW file stays unaltered this entire time.
Sidecar vs Preset
Whenever 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 identical XMP sidecar file with a unique perform.
Whenever you apply the develop preset to the picture, the enhancing directions will probably 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 Cellular – with out shedding any enhancing information.
Learn how to Open XMP Recordsdata in Lightroom?
There isn’t a strategy to open the XMP file in Lightroom. This system manages all XMP information routinely 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 should utilize textual content editors if you wish to duplicate presets, as Lightroom doesn’t have this characteristic. Simply duplicate the preset within the file browser and alter the identify 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.
Learn how to create one XMP file:
Edit your picture 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 method round this. You’ll be able to create a DNG file, so that you don’t must ship each an XMP and a RAW file – all the data will probably be embedded on this one DNG file.
Learn how to convert a photograph do DNG file format:
- Go to the Library module.
- Under the Library menu within the higher toolbar, choose ‘Convert Picture to DNG.’
Finally, you’ll be able to export a photograph as a DNG picture, and all XMP data will probably 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 far more to XMP information than meets the attention.
Now that you understand the whole lot about XMP information, it’s as much as you to resolve if you wish to use them constantly in your enhancing workflow or simply each every so often.
