Lightroom has many ways to keep track of the edits you make to your images, and the different methods have pros and cons that you should be aware of as your portfolio grows. This helpful video discusses the usefulness of XMP files and why you should consider using them.
Coming to you from Anthony Morganti, this helpful video discusses the usefulness of XMP files. You may have heard these referred to as “sidecar files.” These are essentially small text files that accompany the raw images and encode any tweaks or metadata changes. You don’t need a sidecar file with a non-raw image because any changes are written directly to the image file itself. XMP files are useful for two reasons. First, if you share your raw files, they allow anyone with whom you share them to see any edits to the file; otherwise they will only see the raw files as it looks out of the camera (unless you choose to convert it to DNG). Second, XMP files serve as a useful backup for all your edits in case your Lightroom catalog file gets corrupted and cannot be recovered for some reason. It’s definitely worth considering turning them on for a little extra security. Check out the video above for a full rundown from Morganti.
