Keyboard short cut from Lightroom to PL2?

Hi,

Is there a keyboard short cut for Windows enablihg me to go direct from Lightroom to PL2 without having to go to File>Plug in Extras?

I have searched both this forum and Lightroom and could find nothing.

Thanks

Hi,

Since the menu items under Plug-in Extras are dynamically added by the plugins themselves, I don’t think that you can add a shortcut to one of these items by using Keyboard Tamer or by editing C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Lightroom Classic CC\Resources\lang\TranslatedStrings_Lr_lang__lang_.txt. This should be done by the plugin itself.

However, the Lightroom SDK doesn’t allow a plugin to add such shortcuts. The only thing that can be done by the plugin (under Windows) is to allow the plugin specific command to be run by using Alt-F (file menu) + U (plug-in extras) + Enter + a character specific to that plugin. Not much easier than using the mouse.

For example, you can specify the following sequence for triggering the Transfer to DxO Photolab 2 command : Alt-F then U then Enter then T. In order to achieve this, you have to modify this file : C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\Modules\dxo-exporter-dpl2.lrplugin\Info.lua in a text editor. In the third line

title = LOC("$$$/DxOOpen/ExportMenuTitle=&Transfer to DxO PhotoLab 2"),

insert an ampersand before the character you want to use as an accelerator, as I did above. The “T” will be displayed underlined. This works, I just tested.

Beware : The FIle menu of LR has 2 commands that can be triggered with the U shorcut : Plug-in Extras and Clear Quick Collection. I consider this as a bug. You may have to hit U twice in order to select Plug-in Extras before hitting Enter.

Also, keep a copy of the modified lua file because each DPL update will reset it.

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Hi

Many thanks for your comprehensive answer. I had seen a rather less detailed answer a while ago but a watrning that LR updates cause further problems.
As you say, just using the mouse is as simple - I was just hoping to have an ‘Edit in’ choice but when I set this up as an experiment it only works for JPEGS. RAW files can only be exported with LR settings (as TIFFS) which defeats the object really.
So I will carry on using mouse and ‘plug-in extras’ route.
Again, thanks for your ideas - maybe DxO could add it to their wish list?

For this, I have a solution :

  1. Download this file (Edit in DPL.lua - a LUA script) : https://www.dropbox.com/s/bms47clj5rzzxv8/Edit%20in%20DPL.lua?dl=0

  2. Copy it to C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\Scripts\

  3. Relaunch LR. A Scripts menu should now be available on the right of the main menu.

  4. Select a RAW file and use the Edit in DPL command from that Scripts menu. The RAW file will be directly loaded in DPL without creating a TIFF file.

The LUA script is a text file. Please have a look at it and change the path to the DPL executable if needed (if you installed in a non default folder). Look for local programPath = .

A similar script can be created for any other external application to which you want to send a RAW file directly from LR without exporting a TIFF. Just change the path to the executable and the script filename.

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Here is the text of the script file, just in case I remove it from my Dropbox account :

local LrTasks = import 'LrTasks'
local catalog = LrApplication.activeCatalog()
local LrShell = import 'LrShell' 

local function openWithExternalProgram()
   local programPath = "C:\\Program Files\\DxO\\DxO PhotoLab 2\\DxO.PhotoLab.exe"
   local photo = catalog:getTargetPhoto()
   if photo ~= nil then
      local photoPath = photo:getRawMetadata('path')
      LrShell.openFilesInApp({photoPath}, programPath)
   end
end 

LrTasks.startAsyncTask(openWithExternalProgram, "openWithExternalProgram")
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Note that using this script is not the same as using the Transfer to DxO Photolab 2 command. The script will not initiate the LR=>DPL=>LR roundtrip procedure.

I have a solution for this, I will describe it, when I am at home. I currently transfer my files from LR to PL using F3 key. My solution is Windows specific though, so if you are on Mac, I cannot help you.

lavenham,

I you decide to use the script approach I described above, you can easily trigger the script from the keyboard. Just rename the LUA script file to : Edit in &DPL (instead of Edit in DPL). Now you can launch the script by using the following sequence : Alt+S+D.

I am Windows based so look forward to seeing your solution.
Thanks

OK, here we go. Assuming you have PL2 installed:

  1. Open Windows Explorer and insert the following in the box where the current path is shown at the top:
    %APPDATA%\Adobe\Lightroom\Modules\dxo-exporter-dpl2.lrplugin\Info.lua

  2. Press ENTER and if you are asked which App to use, select a text editor.

  3. Insert a & in line 3, so it looks like this:
    title = LOC("$$$/DxOOpen/ExportMenuTitle=Transfer to DxO &PhotoLab 2"),

  4. Save and close the editor

  5. Download and Install https://www.autohotkey.com/download/ahk-install.exe (3,32 MB)

  6. Download my Hotkey Script https://www.dropbox.com/s/v2q5ofl1zl608b3/LRtoPL.ahk?dl=1

  7. Double click it once and move it afterwards to
    %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

That’s it. Now open Lightroom, select your RAWs to process in PL, press F3 and see what happens.

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Well lavenham, you now have 3 solutions :blush: :

#1 : The first solution I suggested (the same as the first part of Asser’s suggestion). However, it doesn’t make things easier.

#2 : The script solution which can be easily invoked with mouse or keyboard. It doesn’t need the installation of a third-party program but it’s not exactly the same as running the Transfer to DxO Photolab command.

#3 : The Autohotkey solution that extends solution #1 and should be exactly what you want but you have to install Autohotkey. I’m not using Autohotkey, so I don’t whether it has a big footprint on the system.

Asser thanks for this.

Pat91 thanks for your help - esecially the summary in your last post.

Asser - I am guessing the F3 solution will transfer Raw photos to PL2 which I can process in PL2 and then export the processde photo back to Lightroom and the same location as the RAW. If so I will be installing autohotkey and trying it out, hopefully tomorrow.

I will report back later as I am sure I am not alone in this requirement.

Yes, it executes exactly the command designed by DxO for file transfer from LR’s file menu. The script only maps an F3 key stroke to a sequence of other keystrokes, which are Alt, f, u, Enter, p.

This way PL is started in ‘Lightroom Mode’, with all selected raws opened in Customize tab and ‘Export to Lightroom’ preselected by default.

Excellent. Looking forward to using.
Thanks again.

You’re welcome.

The cool thing about Autohotkey is, that you even do not need to install it. I only described the full scripting approach, so that you see, what happens behind the curtains. A Autohotkey script kann be compiled into an exe file, so you do not need to install the runtime. I just did not want to present an exe, where nobody can look in. But if you want the short way. Here it is:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cpl94xw3m5l1gdo/LRtoPL.exe?dl=1

Just double click it, and your shortkey works, as long as this process runs.

Very interesting. I’ll look into this utility more deeply.

MfG.