PS CS5 XMP file

[Rocket]

Hi. I have asked this question before but some time back and cannot find it...I have had to reboot my system so am trying to sort the below issue..

When processing a raw / nef file, when finished I save in tiff format, I now have a XMP file in the folder, there is away of stopping this from happening, but cannot remember how, its not much use really, Is It ?.
Any help please.

 

[Harlequin565]

Assumption: You're using something like Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) to process the raw file, then opening it in Photoshop to edit, then saving as a tiff? (Photoshop will auto-open ACR if you "file>open" a raw file in Photoshop.)

If that's the case, as soon as you click "open image" in your raw editor to open it in PS (don't know about elements) an xmp file is created. Even if you go on to create a tiff, any edits you made in the raw editor will remain and be recorded in the xmp. Deleting the xmp will remove any history of raw edits you made to the original nef file. If you delete the original raw file, you may as well delete the xmp. If you keep the raw filoe, then keeping the xmp file will allow you to revisit the edits you made in the raw editor (not photoshop)

The only way to avoid the creation of xmps is to convert your raw file to a dng. Camera raw edits are then stored inside the dng file itself rather than as a separate sidecar xmp file. Google "raw vs dng" for the many varied opinions on the subject.

 

[Brian G]

Assumption: You're using something like Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) to process the raw file, then opening it in Photoshop to edit, then saving as a tiff? (Photoshop will auto-open ACR if you "file>open" a raw file in Photoshop.)

If that's the case, as soon as you click "open image" in your raw editor to open it in PS (don't know about elements) an xmp file is created. Even if you go on to create a tiff, any edits you made in the raw editor will remain and be recorded in the xmp. Deleting the xmp will remove any history of raw edits you made to the original nef file. If you delete the original raw file, you may as well delete the xmp. If you keep the raw filoe, then keeping the xmp file will allow you to revisit the edits you made in the raw editor (not photoshop).

Plus, of course, if you delete the xmp file you also lose all your title, caption and keyword information, which severely limits your image search options.
Personally, I can't see anything that's objectionable about having an xmp file attached to the image.

The only way to avoid the creation of xmps is to convert your raw file to a dng. Camera raw edits are then stored inside the dng file itself rather than as a separate sidecar xmp file. Google "raw vs dng" for the many varied opinions on the subject.

I don't use dng, since I think it's an unnecessary extra step, but isn't another difference that dng stores the xmp file within the image file, whereas with anything else it's stored as a sidecar?
Converting to dng doesn't actually avoid creating an xmp file, it just stores it in a different way.

 

[Rocket]

Thanks for the replies.
I can now understand what is happening.
After saving the converted RAW file to a Tiff. Reopening the RAW file I have noticed that the changes made also save, when removing the xmp, the RAW file reverts back with no changes. hope that makes sense ?.

 

[Bebop]

My understanding is that when you open the RAW file, the program reads the changes you've made in the XMP and apply them to the Raw file. It you delete the XMP, it's the same as having made no changes i.e. the RAW file itself has never changed, you have just saved all the instructions for any changes in the XMP.

 

[Bebop]

Also, I don't know if you use Lightroom? If you do, you can choose whether or not to write changes to an XMP file in the catalog settings. If you do write to an XMP, it means other applications like photoshop can read the changes outside of Lightroom. If you don't, then it stores the changes in the catalog.

If you access Photoshop via Lightroom it would see the changes either way.