Taking your RAW photos along: from Lightroom to Darktable

Lightroom keeps your edits locked up in a catalog. Darktable cannot read that catalog. The bridge between the two is the XMP sidecar file — and it is already there, if you know where to look.

This article explains how to transfer your RAW files with edits and metadata from Adobe Lightroom to darktable, and what you lose along the way.

Requirements

• Adobe Lightroom (any recent version, tested up to Lightroom Classic 13.x)
• darktable 4.6 or newer
• Access to your Lightroom catalog and the associated RAW files
• A folder structure you want to keep

The difference in data storage is the core of the problem. Lightroom writes everything to a central catalog database. Darktable stores a separate XML file for each photo, next to the RAW file, with the extension .xmp. You can copy, version, and rename those files without consulting a database.

Lightroom can create those XMP files too. Darktable can read them. The migration is therefore technically possible — but not without preparation.

Step 1: Write Lightroom metadata to XMP

Open Lightroom and select all the photos you want to transfer. Go to Metadata > Save metadata to image, or use Ctrl+S (Windows) or Cmd+S (macOS). Lightroom now writes an .xmp file for each selected RAW file, containing all edits, tags, ratings, and settings.

Without this step, everything stays in the catalog. Darktable cannot access that, so you would start from scratch. By writing metadata to XMP, you make your data portable — that is the only way darktable can see it.

Step 2: Close Lightroom completely

Darktable should not be running during the import. If darktable already knows the RAW files, it will try to ignore or overwrite the existing XMP files. And if there are already darktable-specific XMP files next to your RAW files, you will get conflicts or lose data.

So close Lightroom completely, check that all XMP files have been written, and only then open darktable. It is a one-time action that saves you from an afternoon of puzzling over lost edits.

Step 3: Organize your folders

Make sure all your RAW files with their XMP files are in a logical folder structure. Many Lightroom users work with folders by year, month, or project. Keep that structure — darktable imports folders directly via Import > Folder, and you do not want to overhaul your entire tree halfway through.

You can choose to copy files or leave them in their current location. For a migration, the latter is usually better: you keep your existing structure and do not have to manage duplicate files. It costs you nothing extra, except leaving the folders where they are.

Step 4: Import into darktable

Start darktable and go to the lighttable mode. Choose Import > Folder and navigate to the main folder with your RAW files. Darktable scans the contents and shows an overview of everything it is about to import.

Then open a file in the darkroom mode. Darktable detects the XMP file next to your RAW file and performs a migration: it reads the edits and converts them to darktable-specific settings. That migration is not perfect — not every Lightroom module has an equivalent in darktable — but most fundamental edits come across.

What transfers — and what does not

Being realistic here is half the work. This survives the switch:

• Exposure adjustments (exposure, highlights, shadows)
• White balance (temperature, tint)
• Color correction (HSL, color saturation)
• Cropping and straightening
• Noise reduction and sharpening
• Metadata: titles, descriptions, keywords, ratings, color labels

This does not transfer, or only partially:

• Local adjustments (graduated filters, brushwork) — the XMP standard does not support them fully, and darktable interprets them differently
• Specific Lightroom presets — unless you reconstruct them manually
• Advanced lens corrections not based on open standards

The advice some sources give — exporting edited images as TIFF or DNG — is only useful if you want to take finished products with you. For edit history, it is worthless. Returning to the original RAW file and redoing the edit in darktable takes time, but gives you a consistent workflow within the darktable ecosystem. You do not have to do it for every photo — only for the images you really want to keep editing.

Export settings for finished images

If you want to take already-edited images along as final products — for a portfolio or publication — exporting is the right way. Use TIFF files with the ProPhoto color space, 16 bits per channel, and ZIP compression. Those settings preserve maximum quality and color depth.

But a TIFF is not a RAW file. If you want to adjust something later, you have to go back to the original. Therefore, always keep your source RAW files and export only for sharing, printing, or publication.

Renaming? Remove from the library first

If you want to rename files — for example, for a consistent naming convention — a fixed order applies. Remove the files from the darktable library first, then rename them at the file-system level, and import them again.

Darktable links an XMP file to a RAW file via the filename and location. If you change those outside of darktable, the program loses the link and you lose the edits. The system is transparent, but not flexible regarding changes outside the app.

Verification

Open an imported file in darkroom mode and check whether the edits are visible. Then check whether the XMP file is next to your RAW file:

ls -la /pad/naar/je/fotos/ | grep .xmp

Each RAW file must have a corresponding .xmp file. If there isn't one, then the metadata was not written out in Lightroom or the import did not go well.

Common problems

Darktable shows no edits after import.

Check whether Lightroom actually wrote the metadata to XMP. Open an .xmp file in a text editor and search for crs: tags — those contain the Lightroom settings. If they are not there, repeat step 1.

Edits disappear after renaming files.

Darktable has lost the link. Remove the files from the library, rename them, and import them again. The XMP files must have the same name as the RAW files.

Local adjustments have disappeared.

That is normal. Gradient filters and brush work are not supported in the XMP standard. You can recreate them in darktable, or re-edit the image from the original.

The switch is not a copy of your workflow, but a bridge. You take your edits and metadata with you, and you leave the rest behind. What remains is a Linux-native workflow with full control over your files — and no subscription that reminds you monthly of the choice you made.