Removing LR Development metadata

[MikeNaylor]

I’ve imported thousands of DNG files that were converted in LR. Around 3,000 were LR “developed”. I’m happy to see PSu doesn't attempt to generate a “developed” thumbnail or preview. It show me the RAW content. To see the “developed” version, I’ve also imported TIF versions with the word “Dev” appended to the file names and placed these alongside the DNGs in PSu. I want to prevent external editors from trying to emulate the LR “development” settings when working on the DNGs.

It’s impossible to extract the original RAWs, because I didn’t embed them and at the time.

Does anyone know of a way to remove the LR development metadata from the DNGs? I think that’s the crs metadata seen in Details/XMP Advanced.

[fbungarz]

It’s impossible to extract the original RAWs, because I didn’t embed them and at the time.

No.

Does anyone know of a way to remove the LR development metadata from the DNGs? I think that’s the crs metadata seen in Details/XMP Advanced.

There is probably a way, but I would not dare mess with that kind of data. The result might easily be a file that no Raw converter likely will be able to accurately interpret anymore...

I want to prevent external editors from trying to emulate the LR “development” settings when working on the DNGs.

I think most non-Adobe raw converters don't play all that well with DNG. Adobe has been trying to push it as an open-source raw alternative to proprietary raw, but they have not altogether been quite that successful.
If you are planning to use a raw converter that specifically recommends not using DNGs (like Phase One) you are probably headed for trouble. If you use one that play fairly nicely with DNGs (like DxO) you are probably OK (even though I personally had some problems using DNGs with version 10 that seem to have been resolved in version 11). If you plan to continue using Lightroom or Photoshop, you will probably have to live with the DNGs being displayed in those products according to their adjustments.

In any case - I am not entirely sure, why you consider it a problem that DNGs are displayed with the Lightroom adjustments? Since those files are RAW formats you can always reset these adjustments. The adjustments are non-destructive. That's the advantage of using RAW. And in any case: RAW files are just that - raw data! There is basically no correct way how to display those files, they always have to be rendered. The simple reason why PSu cannot display them exactly the same way Lightroom does is simple: PSu uses DCRaw, a much different open-source raw converter. Lightrooms adjustments are proprietary, they certainly don't simply share it with just anyone. Therefore PSu can only possibly try to emulate any Lightroom settings. How PSu does that BTW depends on your PSu "Preferences - file handling..." (I guess you are an exception: most people would prefer if PSu could do a better job rendering adjustments from external editors).

[ssahm]

I guess you are an exception: most people would prefer if PSu could do a better job rendering adjustments from external editors

I'm one of "most people". For the last nine months the DNG Viewer in PSU is terrible.

One bug displaying DNGs (sizing) was fixed, but I'm recognizing still a strange behavior with DNGs changed in LR4.

I've opened a mantis ticket 0003106 but -maybe my description is not clear enough- there is still no solution prospective.

I'm very disappointed and thinking about leaving PSU after 8 years (IDimager+PSU)

[fbungarz]

Ssham,
I agree this must be frustrating, but you must admit that it may be a real challenge to emulate how RAWs are being displayed after they have been adjusted externally. Of course Lightroom will display the images correctly, else their software would not work. Making PSu understand these adjustments, however, is a challenge. The program must essentially learn to guess proprietary adjustments by some third party software. I agree, fairly simple edits (like in your case changing the f-stop) should probably be "seen" correctly reading the metadata. Still: DCRaw may interpret even these simple values differently from AdobeRaw...
Not saying that PSu couldn't try to do better, just saying even emulating simple adjustments may sometimes be a challenge.

Have you considered possible alternatives, for example developing a JPG from the DNGs and keep it as a version, which would display the adjustments correctly? Perhaps not ideal, more cumbersome, but then, you probably eventually develop the DNGs into JPGs using LR anyway? And even if you do this successively you can always replace an outdated JPG with the newly generated one and in PSu simply update the thumb.

Frank

[ssahm]

I'm 95% sure that with an older version of PSU (about 9-10 months ago) I could not recognize these problems.

When I was working with NEF instead of DNG 2 years ago, I worked the way you describe. I exported a jpeg from LR and switched this xxxx_edit.jpeg to "main version". But even switching for a dozen of pictures the xxxx_edit.jpg s to the new main version manually is not so comfortable. I'm not so familiar writing macros in PSU that I can write such a macro that switch all xxxx_edit.jpg to main version.

Stephan

[fbungarz]

I'm not so familiar writing macros in PSU that I can write such a macro that switch all xxxx_edit.jpg to main version.

Perhaps this script from the resource repository can help:
http://repository.idimager.com/openreso ... DCAD200E58

Of course it would be much easier to have the display issue for DNGs to be fixed. It must be frustrating to experience this now, when apparently it did work well before. Updating PSu to a newer version may be the cause, but perhaps you are using a newer version of Lightroom too? I have experienced serious display issues with DxO, where they insisted for months PSu was corrupting metadata so the DNGs could not be rendered correctly in DxO 10. And then they issue magically went away in DxO 11. They even gave me a free upgrade, admitting that it was their fault, not caused by PSu.

All I am saying: with programs of different vendors interacting so tightly it is a challenge to keep things running smoothly for any programmer. Count yourself lucky that Lightroom is not deleting some of your metadata, as apparently Capture One does (tons of discussion about how to possibly avoid that happened here a few weeks ago)...

[fbungarz]

Hi Mike,
going back to your original topic of how to get rid of the LR development data. It just occurred to me that perhaps using the cascade metadata script from the resource repository could be an option (http://repository.idimager.com/openreso ... 0C56713A28).

Unlike using regular cascading built into PSu the script includes a warning that it will take the metadata from the main version to completely replace the metadata in the subversions, which implies that technical metadata also get overwritten.

So, if your TIFF files do not include the Lightroom development info as part of their metadata, setting them as the main version and using the script might replace and thus delete the LR adjustments. No idea if it will actually work.

BTW - if you are currently using the DNG as the main version, the swap placeholder script may help you to switch:
http://repository.idimager.com/openreso ... DCAD200E58