How to Use the Export List Plug-in for Lightroom — A Complete GuideThe Export List plug-in for Adobe Lightroom adds powerful batch-export management and automation capabilities to photographers’ workflows. Instead of manually exporting each version of images or keeping track of multiple export presets, Export List helps you queue, organize, and execute complex export tasks more reliably and transparently. This guide walks through everything from installation to advanced use cases, tips, and troubleshooting.
What the Export List plug-in does (brief overview)
- It creates a persistent queue (an “export list”) of jobs that you can build up across editing sessions.
- Each job can reference different sets of images, export presets, destinations, and filename templates.
- Jobs can be reordered, saved, duplicated, and executed together as a batch.
- It integrates with Lightroom’s Export dialog and can call Lightroom export presets or custom settings.
Why use it? If you regularly export the same images in multiple formats (web, print, TIFF archives, client deliverables) or have complex folder/filename rules, Export List reduces repetitive clicks, keeps records of pending exports, and avoids accidental overwrites.
System requirements & compatibility
- Lightroom Classic (the plug-in is designed for Lightroom Classic; behavior in cloud-based Lightroom may differ).
- Supported on macOS and Windows versions compatible with your Lightroom Classic release.
- Check the plug-in author’s page for the latest compatibility notes and updates.
Installation
- Download the Export List plug-in file (usually a .zip or .lrplugin bundle).
- Unzip if necessary.
- Open Lightroom Classic.
- Go to File > Plug-in Manager.
- Click Add, navigate to the plug-in bundle, and select it.
- Confirm the plug-in appears in the list and is enabled.
After installation, you’ll usually find Export List options either as a menu item (File or Library menus) or exposed in the Export dialog as an additional step/plugin panel.
Initial configuration
- Open the plug-in’s settings from Plug-in Manager or its menu entry.
- Set default destination folders if the plug-in supports it.
- Configure naming templates (tokens like {Date}, {Filename}, {Sequence}).
- Choose behavior for duplicate filenames (append counters, overwrite, or skip).
- Adjust concurrency settings if available (how many simultaneous exports to run).
Save settings, then test with a small job to confirm behavior.
Creating an export job (step-by-step)
- Select the photos you want to export in Grid or Filmstrip view.
- Open the Export dialog (File > Export).
- In the Export dialog choose the Export List plug-in panel or select an Export List preset if available.
- Configure the export options:
- Export preset (choose from your Lightroom presets or configure size, format, metadata).
- Destination folder or use plug-in’s dynamic template.
- Filename template and sequence settings.
- Post-export actions (open in Finder/Explorer, run script, add watermark).
- Instead of clicking Export immediately, choose “Add to Export List” (or similar) — this saves the configured job into the plug-in’s queue.
- Repeat for other variations (e.g., different sizes, formats, or destinations). Each added job appears in the Export List with details.
Managing the queue
- Reorder jobs by dragging up/down.
- Select multiple jobs to group or delete.
- Duplicate jobs to quickly create variations.
- Edit a queued job to change settings (preset, destination). Some plug-ins let you reassign the selected photos for a job without recreating it.
- Save a set of jobs as a named sequence for later reuse (handy for recurring client deliveries).
Running the export list
- Click “Run Export List” (or similar).
- The plug-in will process each job in order. It can either:
- Execute Lightroom’s native export for each job, or
- Use its own export engine (depending on implementation).
- Monitor progress in the plug-in window. Many plug-ins show current job, photo-by-photo progress, and estimated time remaining.
- On completion the plug-in may show a summary and optionally open destination folders or run post-export scripts.
Advanced features & workflows
- Conditional exports: Some plug-ins allow conditions (only export if rating >= 3, or if a keyword is present). Use these to automate selective exports.
- Dynamic folder rules: Build folders by date, client name, or metadata tokens to automate organization.
- Integration with external tools: Run shell scripts, image processors, or FTP clients after export. Useful for uploading client galleries automatically.
- Parallel exports: If your machine has many cores/fast disk I/O, enabling limited parallel jobs can speed throughput (but watch for IO contention).
- Error handling: Configure retries or logging levels. Export List often keeps logs of failed exports for debugging.
Practical examples
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Example A — Client deliverables:
- Create job 1: JPEG, sRGB, 2048 px long edge, sharpen for screen, export to ClientA/WEB. Add watermark.
- Create job 2: TIFF, ProPhoto or Adobe RGB, full resolution, export to ClientA/Archive.
- Add both to Export List, run. Results: client folder contains both web-sized jpegs and full-res TIFFs.
-
Example B — Website + social:
- Job 1: Square crop, 1080 px, Instagram-specific watermark, export to Social/Instagram.
- Job 2: 1600 px, no watermark, export to Website/Upload.
- Save as “Social + Web” template for repeat usage.
Performance tips
- Export to a fast external drive or SSD for large batches.
- If exporting many variations, consider separating CPU-bound (resizing/format conversion) and I/O-bound (writing to disk) tasks.
- Limit parallel jobs to avoid saturating your disk or CPU. Test with small batches to find the sweet spot.
Troubleshooting
- Exports fail or hang:
- Check plug-in logs and Lightroom’s Export dialog messages.
- Ensure destination folders exist and have write permissions.
- Disable antivirus or cloud-sync tools temporarily to rule out file-locking.
- Filenames collide:
- Switch to append counters or include unique tokens (timestamp, sequence).
- Presets not applied:
- Confirm you selected the correct Lightroom export preset and that the plug-in supports preset invocation.
- Plug-in crashes or behaves oddly after Lightroom updates:
- Reinstall the plug-in, check for an update from the author, or revert to a known-compatible Lightroom version.
Safety and backup
- Before running large archive exports, test with a small subset.
- Keep master originals backed up; exports are derived files and don’t replace raw backups.
- If using automatic upload features, verify successful transfers before deleting local copies.
Alternatives & complementary tools
- Lightroom’s native Export dialog (fine for one-off exports).
- Other plug-ins and external tools (e.g., export-to-FTP plug-ins, gallery uploaders).
- Dedicated DAM or workflow tools if you require integrated client portals and proofing systems.
| Feature | Export List plug-in | Lightroom Native Export |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent queued jobs | Yes | No |
| Multiple job batching | Yes | Manual repeat |
| Dynamic folder templates | Often | Limited |
| Post-export scripting | Often | Limited |
Final tips
- Build and save common job sets as templates to save time.
- Keep a small test catalogue or temporary folder to validate complex export sequences.
- Read the plug-in author’s documentation for version-specific capabilities and updates.
If you want, tell me which Lightroom version and OS you’re on and I’ll provide the exact installation steps and any version-specific notes.
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