Because imagic and Adobe render with different engines, the result is a faithful starting point, not a pixel-identical copy. Sliders with the same intent (exposure, white balance, HSL, split toning) translate directly; a few expert controls that have no honest Lightroom equivalent, such as imagic's RAW-engine detail controls, local masks and heal or clone edits, are deliberately left out rather than guessed at.
Steps
1. Turn it on before exporting
In Export Options, tick "Lightroom handoff - write .xmp sidecars with your edits".
2. Export as usual
Click Export All Kept. A .xmp file with the same name as each RAW photo is written next to it, alongside your normal exported images.
3. Keep the RAW and its .xmp together
When you move, copy or back up the RAW files, bring the matching .xmp sidecar with them. Lightroom pairs one .xmp per RAW by filename; separating them leaves the edits behind.
4. Import into Lightroom Classic
Import the RAW files as normal. Lightroom reads the sidecar automatically and applies the develop settings on import.
Frequently asked questions
Which file formats get a sidecar?
Proprietary RAW formats only, such as CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF, ORF, RW2 and PEF. Lightroom reads .xmp sidecars only for those; DNG, TIFF and JPEG carry XMP data inside the file itself rather than in a sidecar, and imagic does not currently write embedded XMP for those formats.
Will the photo look exactly the same in Lightroom as in imagic?
Close, but not pixel-identical. The two engines render RAW data differently, so treat the handoff as a strong starting point you can fine-tune in Lightroom, not a guaranteed exact match.
Will it overwrite a sidecar I already have from Lightroom or another tool?
No. imagic checks whether an existing sidecar belongs to it before writing, and skips the file rather than overwriting someone else's edits if it does not recognise it as its own.
Related
Other common issues
Still stuck?
Email help@imagic.ink and a person replies, usually within hours.