Using Lightroom and InDesign

[st.neri]

I drag and drop from Lightroom directly into InDesign layouts all the time. There are some restrictions, though.

1. The image must be in a file format that InDesign recognizes. If the images are raw, they must be exported to PSD, TIFF, or JPEG before they can be dragged from Lightroom into InDesign.

2. No other applications can read Lightroom image edits, so if you've made any Lightroom edits to a non-raw image you do have to export a copy to include the changes. But if you only cataloged the images with Lightroom and didn't edit them, it's OK to drag them directly to InDesign.

I don't find 1 or 2 to be very limiting. I maintain the master images in Lightroom and have an export preset for InDesign that sends them to a different folder for InDesign. The export preset has "Add to this catalog" selected, so any exported image automatically shows up in the catalog for dragging to InDesign. If I saved the export destination folder or collection in my Favorite Sources (in the Filmstrip), I just have to switch to it and then drag the exported intermediate file to the InDesign layout.

If I'm iterating between InDesign and Lightroom, each time I notice that an InDesign image needs an edit I switch to Lightroom, make the edit, and hit the Export with Previous (Preset) keyboard shortcut. That updates the exported image, and when I switch back to InDesign, the image is automatically marked as modified in the Links panel. Not too much work involved there. (If you use Johan's tip about using a Publishing Service, it will re-export for you.)

3. I do this on a Mac, and I understand that drag-and-drop does not work as well in Windows. But on the Mac, Lightroom appears to be fully compliant with OS drag and drop, so I have no problem dragging directly from the Lightroom Grid to InDesign, Premiere, or any other application that receives drag and drop imports from other applications.

Do you have an update to this thread? I am still trying to find faster ways to move photos from Lightroom to InDesign for Book Creation.

 

[Conrad Chavez]

Do you have an update to this thread? I am still trying to find faster ways to move photos from Lightroom to InDesign for Book Creation.

Nothing has changed in the relationship between InDesign and Lightroom Classic.

But what I described earlier already relatively simple. It can be boiled down to:

• If the files in Lightroom Classic are already in an InDesign-compatible format, such as Photoshop, TIFF, or JPEG, you can drag them directly from the Lightroom Classic Grid and drop them into in InDesign. Either drop them on the layout or in any graphics frame placeholders you’ve already set up.
• If the files in Lightroom are not in an InDesign-compatible format (for example, they’re in raw format), simply export them to an InDesign-compatible format, have the Export dialog box add the exports to the catalog, and drag them from their new folder.

Is there a particular part of the way you’re doing it now that you think should be faster?

 

[johnbeardy]

A caveat...

But what I described earlier already relatively simple. It can be boiled down to:

• If the files in Lightroom Classic are already in an InDesign-compatible format, such as Photoshop, TIFF, or JPEG, and if you are using Mac, you can drag them directly from the Lightroom Classic Grid and drop them into in InDesign. Either drop them on the layout or in any graphics frame placeholders you’ve already set up.

 

[Conrad Chavez]

Sorry…John is correct, I forgot to mention that drag-and-drop between Lightroom Classic and InDesign works on a Mac.

If you’re using Windows and you see an image in Lightroom Classic that you’d like to use in InDesign, and the image is already in an InDesign-compatible format, you can right-click it and choose Show in Explorer to open its containing folder on the Windows desktop. I think you can drag it into InDesign from the desktop on both Windows and Mac.

 

[robert blu]

I'm late here but this is interesting, I did not know it! I'll try soon! Always something to learn thanks you all