Today’s Question: What do they [Adobe] mean by “Export Negative Files” [with the Export as Catalog command in Lightroom Classic]?
Tim’s Quick Answer: The “Export Negative Files” checkbox in the “Export as Catalog” dialog really means “export copies of source photos”.
More Detail: In an earlier Ask Tim Grey post I addressed how the “Export as Catalog” command could be used to back up the Lightroom Classic catalog along with the photos it contains. This command can also be helpful when, for example, you have been working with a traveling catalog on a laptop and want to migrate that catalog to your desktop computer to merge with the primary catalog.
The general process involves creating a new catalog that contains all the information about the photos you’re exporting, which could include all photos in the source catalog or just a subset, depending on the purpose. In addition, you would generally want to make copies of the photos to go along with the new catalog, so that you had everything you needed to continue managing the photos reflected in the new catalog all in one place.
If you want to include copies of the photos along with the new catalog, you need to turn on the “Export Negative Files” checkbox. This name, I think it is fair to say, is wildly confusing.
My assumption—which I’ve never verified—has always been that someone at Adobe thought they were being clever. The name “Lightroom” is obviously a variation on the darkroom that was a key aspect of film photography. So, I have always assumed that the term “negative” in “Export Negative Files” referred to the negatives that are the source of prints made in the wet darkroom. Ignoring the fact that “negative” is a term that essentially excludes slide film, it is also confusing to use this term in the context of managing digital photos.
Regardless of the etymology or intent, I think the use of “negative” in the context of the Export as Catalog command is confusing. I’m frankly a bit surprised that with Lightroom having been around for more than 18 years Adobe hasn’t updated the checkbox to have a more meaningful name.
If you’re interested in the original post about using the Export as Catalog command to back up the catalog and photos, you can find it on the Ask Tim Grey blog here:
https://asktimgrey.com/2025/09/10/full-backup-of-catalog-and-photos/