The xmp stays with the raw file, that is normal. But you also can include the development history in the JPEG when exporting. Then, the jpeg can be used like an xmp.
So try this, it will feel like magic:
Open a raw file in darktable, one thst you haven’t processed yet. On the library screen, select your raw, and on the right side, under “history stack,” click on “load sidecar file…”
In that file dialog, navigate to your jpeg folder. In the bottom right, change the little drop down from “XMP sidecare files” to read “all files.” Directly select the jpeg you previously exported of another raw, and click open.
Darktable will load the xmp data directly from the jpeg, without needing a separate xmp file. The processing history is written directly into the file metadata.
This is one of the reasons that when I export a photo, I add a couple of letters to the end of the filename to show what software I used (e.g. “DT” for darktable, “ART” for Art, etc.), so I don’t try to load from a jpeg that won’t work. Just a personal preference.
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Hey BR, apologies for the delay. I’ve actually just come back from a trip to Norway and Iceland, so this feels a pertinent time to finish off this process. Can I bug you just for final clarification (I should be good to go then!).
So, this is my process:
Filing
- At the end of each day’s shoots, I go into Mac Finder. Each day’s shoot I create a root folder, and two sub folders - RAW and Export. I move all that days RAW files into the RAW folder.
Pre-processing
- Within DK I refresh my main ‘photos’ folder to show the new root+sub folders. I can see my raw files perfectly within the RAW folder.
- I do all my culling, rating and metadata within DK, the filter to show all the images I want to process.
- I select all images, then opt to edit these in DT. They import in DT as a new ‘film roll’, and I can edit as per normal.
- One edited, I select all images, export back to the RAW folder.
Post-Processing
- Back into DK, and refresh the RAW folder. Now I see all my RAW files and JPEGS
- Select all jpegs and move them into the ‘Export’ folder.
- Done!
I know this is ‘teaching granny to suck eggs’, but I wanted to make sure my process was clear. Does it make sense?
The one missing piece of the puzzle, is what to do with all those images in Darktable. Now I have the RAW in the raw folder, my exports in the export folder, but they are also in a film roll in DT. Would you remove them from DT at this point? They remain in the sub folders, and I know I can always retrieve the adjustments from the embedded JPEGs anyway, so remaining in DT feels superfluous.
Am I right in this?
I think it’s really just personal preference to keep or remove them from the library on the darktable side. If they don’t bother you, leaving them doesn’t hurt anything. This is what I used to do. Like I said at one point above, I recently found out the library could be bypassed completely, but I don’t think it’s important.
As a test, I would remove a raw file from darktable that you developed, then re-open it in darktable and see if it loads the edit history the way you expect. After that, I wouldn’t worry too much about the darktable library if it’s not going to be your primary one.
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You wrote
“Lastly, if you lose the xmp or it gets modified, you can open a raw file in darktable, and load the history directly from a previously exported jpeg. The edit history is written right there in the embedded metadata”
How do you do the above?
How do you get the history from the exported jpg file and import it to the raw file?
I’m the person you’re actually quoting. I explain the process step-by-step in one of the above responses. Hope that helps.
Michael, maybe slightly side question, but can you please describe what was painful? I am asking because I am currently thinking about some improvements on DAM in darktable and i would be extremely helpful to understand your perspective (and others too) on what works well and what not well, what DAM features are you missing in darktable.