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Import photos from Photoshop Elements

  1. Lightroom Classic User Guide
  2. Introduction to Lightroom Classic
    1. What's new in Lightroom Classic
    2. Lightroom Classic system requirements
    3. Lightroom Classic | Common Questions
    4. Lightroom Classic Key Concepts
    5. Lightroom Classic tutorials
    6. Set Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
    7. Reset Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
  3. Workspace
    1. Workspace basics
    2. Display the Library on a second monitor
    3. Personalize identity plates and module buttons
    4. Watermark your photos in Lightroom Classic
    5. Color management
  4. Import photos
    1. Specify import options
    2. Set import preferences
    3. Import photos from a camera or card reader
    4. Import photos from a folder on a hard drive
    5. Import photos automatically
    6. Import photos from Photoshop Elements
    7. Import photos from a tethered camera
    8. The Filename Template Editor and Text Template Editor
  5. Organize photos in Lightroom Classic
    1. Face recognition
    2. Work with photo collections
    3. Group photos into stacks
    4. Flag, label, and rate photos
    5. Use keywords
    6. Metadata basics and actions
    7. Find photos in the catalog
    8. Work with video in Lightroom Classic
    9. Advanced metadata actions
    10. Use the Quick Develop panel
  6. Process and develop photos
    1. Develop module basics
    2. Create panoramas and HDR panoramas
    3. Flat-Field Correction
    4. Correct distorted perspective in photos using Upright
    5. Improve image quality using Enhance
    6. Work with image tone and color
    7. Masking
    8. Apply local adjustments
    9. HDR photo merge
    10. Develop module options
    11. Retouch photos
    12. Cure red eye and pet eye effects
    13. Use the Radial Filter tool
    14. Adjustments with Lens Blur
    15. Edit and Export in HDR
    16. Remove Tool
  7. Viewing photos
    1. View photos
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    4. Share photos for comments and feedback
    5. Smart Previews
  8. Export photos
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    3. Publish photos online
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    5. Presets for export, and other settings
  9. Work with external editors
    1. External Editing preferences
    2. Open and edit Lightroom Classic photos in Photoshop
  10. Manage catalogs and files
    1. How Lightroom Classic catalogs work
    2. Create and manage catalogs
    3. Back up a catalog
    4. Locate missing photos
    5. Create and manage folders
    6. Manage photos within folders
  11. Maps
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  12. Photo books
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  13. Slideshows
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    2. Slideshow module panels and tools
    3. Specify the slide layout
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    5. Play and export slideshows
  14. Print photos
    1. Print module basics
    2. Print module layouts and templates
    3. Work with print job options and settings
  15. Web galleries
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    3. Work with web gallery layouts
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    5. Preview, export, and upload web photo galleries
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  17. Content Authenticity 
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  18. Lightroom and Adobe services
    1. Creative Cloud Libraries
    2. Using Adobe Stock in Creative Cloud apps
  19. Troubleshooting 
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    2. Known Issues
  20. Technical Support
    1. Performance Guidelines
      1. Basic troubleshooting steps to fix issues in Lightroom Classic
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      4. Preference file and other file locations | Lightroom Classic
      5. Allow Permissions to Lightroom Classic on macOS
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        1. Troubleshoot graphics processor (GPU) and graphics driver issues | Lightroom Classic
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      3. Rendering Issues
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    3. Workflow Issues
      1. Catalog Issues
        1. Error : Lightroom catalog cannot be opened
        2. Troubleshoot corrupt catalog
        3. Locate missing photos
        4. Recover catalog and images after resetting preferences
        5. Lightroom Classic catalog FAQ
      2. Sync Issues
        1. Lightroom Classic sync FAQ

Automatically import photos from Photoshop Elements to Lightroom Classic

Import photos from Photoshop Elements to Lightroom Classic CC

If you have Lightroom Classic, likely as part of the Creative Cloud Photography plan, you can quickly transfer all your photos from Elements to Lightroom Classic with just a click. In Lightroom Classic , select File > Import a Photoshop Elements Catalog... Information from your Elements catalog; including photo ratings, people tags, and other data; is preserved in Lightroom Classic.

Note:

With the Creative Cloud Photography plan, you can take your digital photography to the next level. Creative Cloud Photography plan gives you access to all the essential photography tools, including Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, that let you quickly create incredible pro-quality digital images. Read more about the Creative Cloud Photography plan.

Import a Photoshop Elements catalog

  1. If you don't already have Lightroom Classic, download and install it on your computer.
  2. In the Library module, choose File > Import a Photoshop Elements Catalog...
Import a Photoshop Elements catalog in Lightroom Classic
Transfer your photos from Elements to Lightroom Classic

  1. In the Import a Photoshop Elements Catalog dialog box that appears, click Browse to choose a catalog to import. Click Import to import the selected Photoshop Elements Catalog.
Lightroom Classic CC Import Photoshop Elements Catalog dialog
The Import a Photoshop Elements Catalog dialog

  1. Click Import to import the Elements catalog into a new Lightroom Classic catalog. Lightroom Classic displays a progress bar indicating the status of the operation.
Lightroom Classic catalog creation
Progress bar: Lightroom Classic catalog creation

Important considerations

  • Any albums you may have created in Elements are now represented as Collections in Lightroom Classic.
  • Information added using the Events feature in Elements Organizer will not
    appear in Lightroom Classic. You can create tags for the events you've identified in Elements Organizer and the tag information will be imported into Lightroom Classic.

Import photos from a different Lightroom Classic catalog

When you import photos from a different Lightroom Classic catalog into the current catalog, you can specify options to handle new photos and photos that already appear in the current catalog.

Note:

Catalogs from earlier versions of Lightroom Classic, including public beta releases, must be opened and updated before they can be imported into another catalog. See Upgrade a catalog from an earlier version of Lightroom Classic.

  1. Choose File > Import From Another Catalog.
  2. Navigate to the catalog you want to import and click Open (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).
  3. Specify the photos to import:
    • Under Catalog Contents, make sure the folders containing the photos to import are selected.

    • To select or deselect individual photos, click Show Preview, and click the box in the upper-left corner of any preview image. You can also choose Check All or Uncheck All.

  4. In the New Photos area, choose an option from the File Handling menu:

    Add New Photos To Catalog Without Moving

    Imports photos at their current location.

    Copy New Photos To A New Location And Import

    Imports photos to a new location. Click Choose and specify the folder.

    Don’t Import New Photos

    Only photos that exist in the current catalog are imported. Lightroom Classic determines a photo is a duplicate (already in the catalog) if it has the same, original filename; the same Exif capture date and time; and the same file size.

  5. In the Changed Existing Photos area, do any of the following:

    • Replace metadata, Develop settings, and negative files to override all the settings in the current catalog. If you choose this option, you can select the Preserve Old Settings As A Virtual Copy option to keep a backup. You can also select the Replace Non-Raw Files Only option to avoid replacing raw negatives. If changes to raw negative files affect only metadata, selecting this option helps save time.

    • Replace metadata and Develop settings only to leave the negative files (the source photos) unchanged. If you choose this option, you can select the Preserve Old Settings As A Virtual Copy option to keep a backup.

    • Replace nothing to import only new photos.

    • If photos in the current catalog are missing and can be found in the imported catalog, indicate whether you want to update the metadata and Develop settings for these files. Select the Preserve Old Settings As A Virtual Copy option to keep a backup. If the photos missing in the current catalog appear in the imported catalog, specify whether the missing files are copied and where they copied to.

  6. Click Import.

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