Today’s Question: I always have automatically write changes in XMP enabled in Adobe Lightroom Classic. My question is if I copy or export a photo will Lightroom also copy the XMP or will Lightroom embed the metadata in the image?
Tim’s Quick Answer: If you enable full metadata during the export process, Lightroom Classic will include standard metadata in the exported image file, or in an XMP sidecar file for proprietary raw captures.
More Detail: When you export a photo from Lightroom Classic, you have the option to choose which metadata you want to save along with your photos. If you choose to include metadata as part of the export for a photo, the selected (and supported) metadata will be included in the actual image file. If you choose the “Original” option from the Image Format popup and are exporting a proprietary raw capture, metadata added in Lightroom will not be embedded in the source raw image file. Instead, the applicable metadata will be included in an XMP sidecar file that will be exported alongside the raw capture.
Which metadata is included depends in part on the options selected in the Metadata section of the Export dialog. The Include popup allows you to choose among several options for the metadata you want to include with (versus exclude from) the images being exported. For example, you could choose the “Copyright & Contact Info Only” option to only export your information as the photographer, without including any of the capture settings or other metadata added to the images.
You can also choose whether or not you want to include person and location information as part of the metadata being included with the photos you’re exporting.
In addition, keep in mind that even if you enable the option to include all metadata with the exported images, that doesn’t mean all information from Lightroom will be included. For example, pick and reject flags, collections, history, and other details that are specific to Lightroom will not be included with the exported images.