Moving NLP-edited files between computers

Guides and How-Tos
1

Hey all,

Recently started using Negative Lab Pro and love it - huge time saver. My frequent workflow is to edit on my laptop, then copy files over to my desktop for archiving. Typically, I use Lightroom’s “Export as Catalog” feature to move between the two machines.

With Negative Lab Pro, is there anything I need to be aware of when moving photos between computers, assuming it is installed on both of them?

Thanks!

2

Hi @galenweld!

Yep, you’ve got the right idea!

If you want to share photos which have been edited in Negative Lab Pro with another computer which also has Negative Lab Pro, you should use the “File > Export as Catalog” feature.

This will bring over the necessary custom metadata that Negative Lab Pro uses to keep track of your settings and its analysis of the file.

(Note: the custom metadata from Negative Lab Pro is stored inside the Lightroom catalog - NOT in the xmp. So even if you save XMP metadata, if you try to bring that file directly into another computer, it won’t include the necessary metadata. So you MUST use the “Export as Catalog” feature to maintain editability on the new machine).

To export a catalog of Negative Lab Pro edited photos:

  1. Select the photos you want to add to the new catalog.
  2. Choose “File > Export As Catalog”.
  3. Specify the name and location you want to save the catalog.
  4. Select the following: “Export selected photos only”, “Export Negative Files”, and “Include Available Previews”

To import that catalog onto your other computer:

  1. On your second machine, make sure you have access to the catalog folder you exported earlier.
  2. Go to “File > Import From Another Catalog”
  3. Select the catalog file, and follow the prompts to import!
  4. You should then be able to select a newly imported “NLP-edited” file, open NLP, and resume editing where you left off!

Let me know if you run into any snags trying to do this!

-Nate

1 Like
3

Fantastic, thanks so much for the help and the prompt response!

4

Does this require that the NLP plugin is installed on the Lightroom instance you’ve imported the catalog to? or is that only if you want to make further modification to the images?

5

Hi @wholemilklatte - you can import the catalog into any Lightroom instance, but yes, if you want to edit the negative further using Negative Lab Pro, you will need Negative Lab Pro on that machine… you will also need it on the machine if you want to access the custom analog metadata section, or custom export options.