F.A.Q.

Q: Is it possible to automatically load the file created in Photoshop Elements (PSE) back into the Lightroom catalog?
A: Not yet. The integration between Photoshop and Lightroom relies upon functionality not present in PSE. We are currently researching ways to work around this limitation. In the meantime the easiest way to load these new files into Lightroom is to navigate to the folder in the Library module, then use the Library —> Synchronise Folders menu item.

Q: Why is the PSE filter I want to use greyed out (unavailable) when I load an image using the plugin?
A: By default the plugin will load images with a 16 bit channel depth to ensure maximum quality in the resultant image. Not all PSE filters and features support 16 bit channel depths so menu items for those that don't appear grey (unavailable) in the PSE menus. To access those filters or features you need to downgrade the image to 8 bit channel depth using the Image —> Mode —> 8 Bits/Channel menu item. Alternatively you can permanently change the default to 8 bit channel depths using the Elemental entry in File —> Plug-In Manager dialog.

Q: Why aren't Lightroom's develop settings visible in PSE?
A: In Lightroom 2 users must save the metadata (Ctrl + S, or Cmd + S) to their image before opening it in PSE for the Lightroom develop settings to take effect. Alternatively they can enable Lightroom's Catalog Setting to Automatically write changes into XMP (and Include Develop settings in metadata inside JPEG, TIFF, and PSD files) to do this for them. Once the metadata has been saved, via either method, PSE should reflect all Lighroom develop settings when opening an image. Lightroom 3 and above automatically saves the image for the user so should not encounter this issue. If you are unsure whether you may need to manually save images, the Image Saving item in the Elemental entry in File —> Plug-In Manager dialog will confirm this for you.

Q: Why didn't my Virtual Copy look the same when opened in PSE?
A: Virtual Copies are not directly supported by the Elemental plugin. Virtual Copies are effectively a secondary set of Lightroom develop settings for an image file, and when Lightroom passes an image to PSE it is passing an image file and the develop settings saved to it. When the plugin detects a Virtual Copy is being passed to PSE it gives you the option of passing the Master associated with the Virtual Copy, or ignoring the Virtual Copy all together.

Q: Why did an "Error 8000"/"Error 8001" message box appear when opening images in PSE?
A: The Elemental plugin makes use of PSE's Camera Raw feature when opening images. Camera Raw is the engine that reads the image, interprets the manufacturer's Raw image format (if this is a Raw image) and applies the Lightroom Develop settings before displaying the image in PSE. If your Lightroom version is more recent than your PSE version, or you are using a recent camera that is not supported by PSE's current version of Camera Raw, an 8000 error message can be returned when trying to open the image. Please upgrade your Camera Raw version, restart PSE then try again. Users of PSE 9 and above can open the Help menu's Updates... menu item to automatically perform the upgrade. Users of older versions can go to the official Adobe Mac or Windows pages to download and install the latest supported Camera Raw update for their version of PSE.

Q: Why didn't PSE allow me to complete a Merge to Panorama or Open as Layers operation?
A: The PSE Editor can operate in Quick, Guided, or Full (PSE 10 and earlier) or Expert (PSE 11) modes. The Merge to Panorama and Open as Layers require the editor to be in Full (PSE 10 and earlier) or Expert (PSE 11) mode to operate correctly. Please change the editor to the appropriate mode, as depicted below, and try again.

Q: Why isn't there a Merge to HDR menu item? Lightroom includes this menu item for Photoshop.
A: PSE hasn't traditionally had a Merge to HDR feature for the plugin to call. PSE 9 and above do have a Photomerge Exposure tool that we are reviewing for inclusion in this plugin.