Narrative saves your tags and rejects with your photos, but not every editing program can read them. If your editing program doesn't show them, your choices haven't been lost. That program just doesn't support Narrative's tags and rejects.
Which editing programs can read Narrative's tags and rejects?
This table shows which Narrative ratings each editing program can read:
Editing program | Stars and color labels | Tags and rejects |
Lightroom Classic | Yes | Yes |
Lightroom CC | Yes | Yes |
Capture One | Yes | No |
Other editing programs | Check with a few test photos | Check with a few test photos |
Sending photos to Photoshop simply opens them in Camera Raw so you can edit them. To choose which photos to send, use Narrative's rating filters in Ship + Edit.
Shipping straight to Photoshop or Capture One is only available on Mac. On Windows, drag your photos into the program instead.
Narrative's AI Presets only work in Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC. If you send photos to Photoshop or Capture One, they open without AI Preset edits.
How do I get my tagged photos into Capture One or another editing program?
If your editing program can't read Narrative's tags, use one of these three options.
Option 1: Ship only your tagged photos
In Narrative, filter to your tagged photos.
Check the photos and count shown.
Ship them to your editing program.
If you want to keep track of the selection there, add a rating in your editing program.
Option 2: Swap your tags for a star or color label
In Narrative, filter to your tagged photos.
Select them all with ⌘ A on Mac or Ctrl A on Windows.
Press a rating key, like P for a purple label.
Your editing program can now read the purple label. Try it on one photo first.
Option 3: Use stars or color labels from the start
On future shoots, rate your keepers with a star or color label instead of a tag. They work the same way in Narrative, and every editing program in the table above can read them.
Why are my ratings missing in Lightroom?
Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC can read all of Narrative's ratings, including tags and rejects. If they're missing, check your photos and their XMP sidecar files are together on a drive Narrative can save to. XMP sidecar files are the small files next to each photo that store your ratings.
If the photos were already in Lightroom, it may be showing older settings. Follow the metadata troubleshooting guide.
Important: Reading metadata from files can replace edits you've made in Lightroom since, so test it on one photo first.
Do First Pass assessments show up in my editing program?
No, First Pass assessments stay in Narrative. They're AI guidance, not ratings. To turn your choices into ratings your editing program can read, rate the photos yourself or run Auto-rate.