How to Apply Different .xmp Files in Darktable?

Software darktable
1

Hey everyone,

I’ve been looking at the incredible edits showcased in various threads on this forum. I’m curious about how to apply different .xmp files to an image in Darktable. For instance, in the thread ‘Muddy dull orange with lost details in DT,’ I noticed several edits that significantly enhance the image, each example provides a .xmp file.

I’d like to experiment with different edits, specifically trying out Kofa’s ‘nz6_1370_01-standard.nef.xmp (9.7 KB),’ s7habo’s ‘z6_1370.nef.xmp (7.0 KB),’ and Jean-Marc_Digne’s ‘nz6_1370_03.nef.xmp (16.9 KB).’ Can anyone explain how to switch between these .xmp files in darktable?

Currently, I have three folders where I keep a copy of the original image, and I manually copy and rename the .xmp file before opening it in darktable. Is there a more efficient way to achieve this?

I’m thinking something like this, open the image and then choose which .xmp file to apply.

Thanks for your help!

1 Like
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Great question, I have the same problem - is it possible without copying files around?

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Clearly explained in the manual. Load xmp… Select image from lighttable, load xmp…

https://darktable-org.github.io/dtdocs/en/module-reference/utility-modules/lighttable/history-stack/

3 Likes
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I would add the duplicate function to what g-man posted.

https://darktable-org.github.io/dtdocs/en/module-reference/utility-modules/lighttable/selected-image/

Because:

This allows you to test different edits on the same image.

Sounds like your use case.

grafik

3 Likes
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One small thing too you can append or erase… if you create a duplicate of the original not going to make much difference but if you have some edits and want only to add then append will be what you want…I think its the default… also you can make use of the duplicate feature in DT and some selective cutting and pasting of parts of any history stack…

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Just to clarify, the values of the mode selector, append and overwrite, influence the paste operation, not loading the history file.

mode
This setting defines how the paste actions behave when applied to an image that already has a history stack. In simple terms the “overwrite” mode deletes the previous history stack before pasting, whereas “append” concatenates the two history stacks together.
(https://darktable-org.github.io/dtdocs/en/module-reference/utility-modules/lighttable/history-stack/)

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I just tried the duplicating an image and loading the sidecar file as suggested here. It worked brilliantly. Another DAM great feature in DT that I had never used but will definitely use a lot in the future. Good question @pixman and great answers everyone.

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Thanks I was on my phone and replied too quickly… infact erase was supposed to be replace…not that that impact your correction…need to read what I write next time… :slight_smile: It is interesting and not sure if it is intended… In darkroom if you ctrl C and then Ctrl v to a new or duplicate, ie a strait copy and paste it obeys the append/ overwrite setting… In lighttable view at my current build which is 4,7 something it does an overwrite if you do this… I usually use selective copy and paste so I never noticed this before…

1 Like
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Note: If you use the “copy” button (copy all safe modules) followed by the “paste” button (paste all copied modules), the paste will always be done in overwrite mode, regardless of the setting of this parameter. Similarly when performing the same operation using keyboard shortcuts.

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Not in darkroom that was my point …not the same behaviour…