You will have puzzled what’s an XMP file and – extra importantly – the way it works. Generally this may be arduous to know, 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 obscure, so let’s get extra particular!
What’s an XMP File?
XMP stands for Extensible Metadata Platform. An XMP file (additionally referred to as a sidecar file) preserves any further metadata utilized to that file. This enables the data to be saved individually and keep intact between gadgets.
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 stability, and shade saturation, in addition to every other modifications you made to the photograph’s look
XMP information could be edited extra simply – that’s, with out altering the unique file. They’re preferrred once you need to protect your edits, like once you collaborate with different photographers and need to ship a sidecar file, so that they see the modifications you made to a picture.
This knowledge 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, it is advisable allow this perform in Catalog Settings.
Easy methods to allow XMP sidecar information in Lightroom:
- Within the prime toolbar, you possibly can see the tab Edit (“Lightroom Traditional” 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 modifications into XMP” field
If you wish to disable this characteristic, return to “Catalog Settings” and uncheck “Mechanically write modifications into XMP.”
When you’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 should 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 area in your arduous drive. Nonetheless, it slows down Lightroom!
In the end, 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 Modifying?
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 haven’t any knowledge connected to them. XMP information are metadata information: the data saved in them contains EXIF knowledge and any enhancing you may need finished in apps like Lightroom.
When enhancing RAW information In Lightroom, all of the modifications are saved within the XMP file. For instance, if you happen to transfer a slider in Lightroom, you possibly can see the edits you made with that slider within the sidecar file (the XMP file). So if you happen to learn it in a textual content editor, you’ll see these edits you made offered as enhancing directions.
As you see, you possibly can 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 modifications within the app. The RAW file stays unaltered this entire time.
Sidecar vs Preset
While you need 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.
While you apply the develop preset to the picture, the enhancing directions will likely 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 knowledge.
Easy methods to Open XMP Recordsdata in Lightroom?
There is no such thing as a approach to open the XMP file in Lightroom. This system manages all XMP information routinely with out you having to do something.
However you possibly can open the XMP file exterior Lightroom.
If you wish to see or change the data inside an XMP file, you possibly can 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 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 possibly can embody a sidecar file subsequent to it. You additionally won’t need Lightroom slowing issues down by writing .xmp information each time – perhaps you need 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 modifications.
Various to XMP information:
There’s additionally a manner round this. You’ll be able to create a DNG file, so that you don’t need to ship each an XMP and a RAW file – all the data will likely be embedded on this one DNG file.
Easy methods 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.’
In the end, you possibly can export a photograph as a DNG picture, and all XMP info will likely be embedded contained in the DNG picture.
What’s an XMP File? | Closing Ideas
At its most simple stage, an XMP file is a sidecar file containing further details about a picture. However as we’ve seen, there’s way more to XMP information than meets the attention.
Now that you already know all the things about XMP information, it’s as much as you to resolve if you wish to use them repeatedly in your enhancing workflow or simply each now and again.
