Prepare a Lightroom Classic catalog for a human edit, either after Hootio Smart Import or directly from an existing catalog.
Guide date: 9 October 2026. This guide follows the current Hootio and PhotoBot source. Your installed release may show slightly different labels. PhotoBot produces an editable catalog copy; inspect it in Lightroom before exporting finished photographs.
1. Before the first job
Required to finish Smart Develop and previews: PhotoBot's HootioPhotoBot.lrplugin must be installed, enabled in Lightroom Classic, and confirmed by Check again before the job starts. A plugin folder on disk alone is not a working connection.
1. Install Hootio PhotoBot and Lightroom Classic. Launch each once, sign in to PhotoBot with your Hootio account, and finish any Lightroom first-run screen. The cloud-based Lightroom application is not the Classic catalog host.
2. In Lightroom Classic, open Edit → Preferences → General (Windows) or Lightroom Classic → Preferences → General (Mac). Under Import Options, clear Show import dialog when a memory card is detected. This stops Lightroom's own card-import window appearing when you connect cards for Hootio. In Default Catalog, avoid Prompt me when starting Lightroom if PhotoBot will open Lightroom during an unattended run; choose the intended catalog or Load most recent catalog. Adobe's preference guide.
3. Keep a real Lightroom catalog backup schedule. An exit backup dialog can still appear. Complete it or choose its one-time skip option when the workflow is waiting, then return to PhotoBot. Do not turn backups off permanently just to remove a prompt. Adobe's backup guide.
4. Keep the catalog, its .lrcat-data companion, original photos and work drive reachable. Allow room for PhotoBot's temporary JPEG exports and a new catalog copy. Do not open the intended output copy in Lightroom while PhotoBot is applying results.
2. Connect the PhotoBot Lightroom plugin
PhotoBot uses its own HootioPhotoBot.lrplugin to ask Lightroom Classic to render analysis images and build previews. Hootio Smart Import itself no longer ships or requires the old Hootio Previews plugin.
1. PhotoBot checks the connection on launch. If setup instructions appear, use Open plugin folder and note the folder it shows. Otherwise open Settings → Plugin setup….
2. In Lightroom Classic choose File → Plug-in Manager → Add and select the HootioPhotoBot.lrplugin folder, not an individual file. Enable the PhotoBot plugin.
3. Return to PhotoBot and choose Check again. If an old copy is still loaded, reload or disable and re-enable the registered plugin, or restart Lightroom, then check again. A folder on disk alone does not mean Lightroom has loaded the plugin.
4. On Windows, the installed plugin is under the PhotoBot application directory. On Mac, the installer places it at /Library/hootio.photobot/HootioPhotoBot.lrplugin; use PhotoBot's shown path if your package differs.
The plugin is needed for both direct PhotoBot jobs and Hootio's Smart Develop handoff. Leave Lightroom available while it exports or builds previews; respond to any visible catalog picker or backup dialog.
3. Route A: start with camera cards in Hootio
1. In Hootio Workspace Settings, set Photo Workspace and Video Workspace even for a photo-only import. Set separate backup folders when wanted, then choose a folder name and Save Settings.
2. Under Lightroom Catalog, enable Create / update catalog. Choose a Lightroom .xmp import preset in Hootio's Lightroom settings, or intentionally choose None for default adjustments. Save before the run that creates the catalog. The preset is a baseline; PhotoBot's later adjustments are separate.
3. In the main window select the camera cards. If importing one card at a time, use the same Photo Workspace and enable catalog creation for the last relevant card. Check every shooting-date folder if the cards span different days.
4. Under PHOTOBOT CONNECT, select Smart Develop. Hootio opens its PhotoBot options dialog; choose face exposure, face white balance and optional automatic leveling, plus their limits or targets. Select Build previews if you want both Standard and Smart Previews on the adjusted catalog. Previews require Smart Develop.
5. Keep PhotoBot installed and signed in. Hootio checks PhotoBot account readiness before copying when Smart Develop is selected, but that check does not confirm Lightroom has loaded the plugin. Complete Check again in PhotoBot first. Click SMART IMPORT and respond to the actual device, readiness or account notices. Wait for copied media, catalog creation, PhotoBot processing and selected previews to finish in Task queue.
6. Open the newest completed PhotoBot-adjusted catalog in the photo date folder's Lightroom Catalog directory. Check that originals are online and review representative exposure, white balance, leveling and previews. If VideoBot options were also selected, check VideoBot's own queue separately.
Hootio Smart Import and basic catalog creation are free. PhotoBot's project allowance is separate. The PhotoBot account screen and current authorization notice govern whether a new adjustment job can start. A failed PhotoBot task does not undo media already copied by Hootio.
4. Route B: process an existing Lightroom catalog directly
1. In PhotoBot, drag an existing .lrcat into Your Catalog, or use Browse. Check the selected path and the displayed Adjusted Catalog output path. Make sure Lightroom can find the original photos.
2. In Developing Options, select face exposure, face white balance, automatic leveling and optional similar-photo grouping. Set maximum exposure, face brightness, face warmth and maximum rotation to suit this shoot. Start conservatively and plan to review skin, mixed lighting and tilted frames.
3. Click Develop catalog. Review the account or project-credit notice before confirming a new job. PhotoBot uses Lightroom to render analysis JPEGs, processes them, and writes approved adjustments to a new catalog copy; it does not overwrite the source catalog or original photos.
4. Wait for the job's actual completion status. If wanted, click Build Standard + Smart Previews for the latest successfully adjusted catalog. Wait until both preview totals complete. Preview generation does not fall back to an older adjusted copy after a failed new job.
5. Open the adjusted catalog in Lightroom and finish your own review, cropping, local edits, color, ratings and final exports.
The first adjusted copy is named like Wedding-hootio.lrcat; later successful versions use -hootio-v2.lrcat, -hootio-v3.lrcat and so on. Keep its .lrcat-data companion and source photos with it. Existing projects… can reopen a local version or locate an existing catalog copy.
5. Understand the result and previews
PhotoBot estimates face exposure and face white balance where it has enough evidence, and can level photographs within the selected angle limit. Some photographs may be left unchanged or flagged for review. The adjustment catalog remains editable; it is not a rendered delivery gallery. Similarity grouping helps review a shoot but should be checked by the photographer.
When previews are selected, PhotoBot builds Standard (2048 px) and Smart Previews for the adjusted catalog. Standard and Smart counts can advance at different rates. Keep Lightroom and the media drive available until both finish. A successful media copy, a created Hootio catalog, an adjusted PhotoBot copy, completed previews and exported final photos are separate milestones.
PhotoBot saves temporary analysis files in a HootioTemp/photobot-<job> folder beside the catalog. Its Clean local cache files… action can remove files from completed jobs. Keep unfinished checkpoints and temporary files until recovery is complete. Do not manually delete an adjusted catalog, its .lrcat-data or a checkpoint while a job is active.
6. Resume an interrupted job
| Symptom | Next action |
|---|---|
| Plugin not ready | Open PhotoBot Settings → Plugin setup…, enable the shown folder in Lightroom Plug-in Manager, then Check again |
| Lightroom opens a catalog picker or backup dialog | Choose the intended catalog or complete/skip this one backup, then return to the waiting job |
| Original photos are missing | Reconnect the source drive or restore the original paths before retrying Lightroom export |
| Adjusted catalog is open during apply | Close that adjusted copy in Lightroom and choose Retry catalog apply |
| Processing stops or reports partial results | Use Unfinished jobs… → Resume selected job; the saved checkpoint keeps the job's original settings |
| Hootio task queue pauses | Fix PhotoBot's reported issue, then use Hootio Retry and continue; do not reformat the source card |
Closing the PhotoBot window normally hides it to the tray while processing continues. Use the tray icon to reopen it. Exit cancels processing and waits for the checkpoint; on the next launch use Unfinished jobs…. Starting New job after changing settings makes a new result version rather than silently changing a partially completed job.
7. Final handover checklist
1. Check Hootio's copied, existing and failed counts for every card, plus separate backup results. Open sample original files. Keep cards until required copies are verified.
2. Confirm the latest Hootio catalog or PhotoBot -hootio copy is completed, not merely queued or partially applied. Preserve its .lrcat-data and the original media paths.
3. If previews were requested, verify both Standard and Smart Preview totals. Open the result in Lightroom Classic and inspect several difficult photos, not only easy examples.
4. Export finished photos from Lightroom after your own review. PhotoBot does not deliver final JPEGs just because catalog processing reached 100%.