Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I have Lightroom Classic catalog backups dating back to June of 2024. To free up room, can I delete the backups from 2024 and most of 2025? If yes, how many backups should be kept?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, older catalog backups for Lightroom Classic can be deleted. I generally recommend retaining recent backups, but only a handful of older backups, and deleting all backups older than about six months.

More Detail: The older a catalog backup is, the less valuable it tends to be. And the more catalog backups you have, the more likely you’ll be able to recover from a recent backup. It isn’t incredibly likely, for example, that if your catalog got corrupted the backups would also be corrupted going back multiple months.

I think it is fair to say that most photographers will only perform the work of deleting older catalog backups on a periodic basis, perhaps triggered by their hard drive starting to get full. So, for most of us this isn’t something you need to do on a particularly frequent basis.

The way I think about retaining catalog backups is that I would first delete any catalogs that are older than about six months. Among backups that date between about three and six months I would tend to retain only a few, perhaps one or two per month. For backups that are less than three months old, I would tend to keep all of them, but if you’re particularly low on storage space you could certainly modify this approach to just retain some of the backups that are relatively new. I generally prefer to retain all (or at least most) backups that are less than a month old.

This approach can also be modified based on how frequently you back up your catalog. For example, if you back up the catalog every day, personally I would tend to clear out those backups a bit more frequently.

Note, by the way, that it is now possible to delete catalog backups from the Backups tab of the Catalog Settings dialog. On the Backups list select the backups you want to discard and then click the Delete button at the bottom-right of the list.

Today’s Question: ACR files have recently started appearing on my hard drive next to original JPEG files. I edited the JPEGs in Lightroom Classic and I have not yet exported any of the edited files. Is there a reason for the appearance of the ACR files? Could I safely delete the ACR files on my hard drive without losing any of the edits made in Lightroom Classic?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The ACR files (with a filename extension of ACR) that you’re seeing are supplemental sidecar files that contain some of the more extensive edit metadata, such as masks and distraction removal. While they can be safely deleted, I don’t recommend doing so as they provide a backup to the information from the Lightroom Classic catalog.

More Detail: As of version 15, Lightroom Classic will store some metadata in ACR sidecar files in addition to XMP sidecar files, when metadata is saved to the source image files rather than only the catalog. This is in part to reduce the file size for XMP sidecar files.

When Lightroom Classic determines that there is a relatively heavy metadata load for an image, it will save some of the more significant edit-related metadata to an ACR sidecar file rather than the XMP sidecar file. This includes more substantial edits such as masks for targeted adjustments, AI features including distraction removal, Super Resolution, and Denoise.

XMP sidecar files are only created for proprietary raw captures, while standard metadata for other supported file types is saved directly into the source image. The metadata stored in ACR files is saved in an ACR file for all supported file types, which is why you might see ACR files for JPEG images, for example, in addition to proprietary raw captures.

Note that by default all updates are only saved to the Lightroom Classic catalog. The metadata referenced above will only be saved to the source files on the hard drive if you have turned on the “Automatically Write Changes into Sidecar Files” checkbox on the Metadata tab of the Catalog Settings dialog, or if you manually save metadata to files using the Metadata > Save Metadata to File command.

It is also worth noting that Camera Raw in Photoshop also uses the ACR sidecar files, so even photographers who don’t use Lightroom Classic may see these ACR files start to appear.

Today’s Question: You mentioned that in some cases it might be easier to start with a new catalog in Lightroom Classic rather than restoring a very old backup. How would you go about starting over with a new catalog?

Tim’s Quick Answer: While I suggest at least attempting to write metadata changes to existing images first, starting fresh with a new catalog in Lightroom Classic is as easy as creating a new catalog and then importing all existing images into that catalog.

More Detail: Starting over in Lightroom Classic with a new catalog provides an option to overcome problems affecting your existing catalog, such as missing folders and photos, metadata mismatches, and more. However, it is important to keep in mind that starting over will cause you to lose certain metadata and updates related to your images.

For example, you will definitely lose information related to features only supported by the Lightroom Classic catalog. That includes collections, virtual copies, and stacks, for example. If you had not previously enabled the option to save metadata to the source image files, you would also lose other metadata updates such as keywords and star ratings.

Therefore, if you decide to start over with a new catalog, I recommend first saving metadata to the source images. This won’t update source images that are currently missing, but it will at least help maximize the preservation of metadata updates. You can save metadata for available images by selecting all images in the All Photographs collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module and then choosing Metadata > Save Metadata to Files from the menu.

You can then create a new catalog by choosing File > New Catalog from the menu. Then click the Import button at the bottom of the left panel, select the source hard drive or folder where all photos are stored, and make sure the “Include Subfolders” checkbox is turned on. Select the “Add” option at the top-center. I recommend turning off the “Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates” checkbox to ensure all photos get imported (and you can later delete duplicates that are discovered, of course). Adjust any other preferred settings on the right panel and click the Import button at the bottom-right of the dialog to initiate the import of all images into your new catalog.

Today’s Question: Is it safe to delete old catalogs (>2 years old) from Lightroom Classic?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, it is safe to delete old and outdated catalogs with (of course) a few caveats.

More Detail: In general, it is safe to delete old Lightroom Classic catalogs that are out of date. I will share, however, a few caveats.

First, an old catalog should only be deleted if you have a current catalog that is in use and that supersedes the old catalog. For example, if the old catalog is an earlier version of your current catalog and you have the current catalog backed up, you can absolutely delete the old catalog files.

I also recommend enabling the option to save metadata to the source images, so that even if you lost your catalog and all backup copies, you would still have key metadata such as star ratings and keywords attached to the source images. To enable this option go to the Metadata tab of the Catalog Settings dialog and turn on the “Automatically write changes into sidecar files (XMP/ACR)”.

In addition, I recommend confirming that the old catalog is actually an old version of your current catalog. I would want to be sure, for example, that the old catalog isn’t a different catalog that might contain images that are not reflected in your primary catalog.

It is worth noting that the older an outdated catalog (or catalog backup) is, the less valuable it is likely to be. If you lost your current catalog and the only backup was from two years ago, there’s a good chance that it would be easier to start over with a new catalog rather than restoring an old catalog and trying to get it updated to reflect all newer photos and metadata.

Today’s Question: I don’t seem to be able to find the Metadata section on the right panel in Lightroom Classic. Where do I go from here?

Tim’s Quick Answer: To bring back the Metadata section of the right panel in the Library module in Lightroom Classic simply right-click in an empty area of the right panel (such as on any of the labels for the sections) and choose “Metadata” from the popup menu that appears.

More Detail: From your description it sounds like you’ve inadvertently hidden the Metadata section of the right panel. Individual panel sections on both the left and right panels in all modules can be hidden, and module names can be hidden from the top panel.

To hide or reveal a panel section or module name, right-click on an empty area of the applicable panel and select the applicable option from the popup menu. Items that are visible will have a checkmark icon to the left of the name on the popup menu, and those that are hidden will not have a checkmark.

The option to hide these elements enables you to streamline the Lightroom Classic interface to some extent, with the ability to hide options you never make use of. However, it is relatively easy to accidentally hide one of these elements with an errant mouse click. In fact, anecdotally, I’ve heard from more photographers who have accidentally hidden a panel section than those who prefer to hide individual panel sections.

Today’s Question: I have 1,800 photos in my “All Synced Photographs” collection but not more than a couple hundred in my synced collections. I once made a mess of my catalog by deleting these and they all came back again anyway. How can I get these under control?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can resolve this issue by identifying which photos should be removed from cloud storage based on not being in a synchronized collection, and then making sure that other images don’t get added directly to cloud storage.

More Detail: The first thing to do here is identify where the photos came from, if possible. For example, if you had synchronization enabled for a different catalog, then switched it to the current catalog, photos from the cloud would be downloaded into the latter catalog. If you add photos directly to cloud storage, such as by importing to the Lightroom mobile app, they’ll also show up in Lightroom Classic if you have synchronization enabled.

If you’re confident that none of the photos that appear in the “All Synced Photographs” collection are accounted for in your local photo storage, you can safely remove photos from cloud storage via the “All Synced Photographs” collection. If you want to preserve images in cloud storage that are in synchronized collections, however, you’ll want to mark those first.

For example, you could mark all photos that are included in a synchronized collection, such as by adding a specific color label to them as long as you aren’t using color labels for other conflicting purposes in your workflow. Let’s assume, for example, that you add a blue color label to all images in all collections that have synchronization enabled.

You can then go to the “All Synced Photographs” collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module, and set a filter for images that do not have the attribute you assigned. In this case, for example, you would want to set a filter for all images that do not have a blue color label. You can then select all the images that should not be in cloud storage, right-click on the thumbnail for one of the selected images, and choose “Remove from All Synced Photographs” from the popup menu.

Once you’ve removed these “extra” images from cloud storage, you’ll just want to be sure you aren’t unintentionally adding photos to cloud storage, causing new images to appear in the “All Synced Photographs” collection. For example, if you have the automatic import feature enabled in the Lightroom mobile app, new photos you capture with your smartphone will automatically be added to Lightroom, and will therefore automatically appear in the “All Synced Photographs” collection.

Today’s Question: Where do you recommend placing the Lightroom Classic catalog file? I had placed it in a file on OneDrive but I am now trying to no longer use OneDrive. Do you recommend putting it on an SSD drive or just any location other than where the images are stored?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I recommend storing the folder that contains all catalog files for Lightroom Classic in a location on your computer’s internal hard drive to maximize performance. If you need to be able to move the catalog between more than one computer, you can use an external drive. I very, very, very strongly recommend that you never store the catalog in a cloud storage platform such as OneDrive or Dropbox.

More Detail: For maximum convenience and performance, I recommend storing the Lightroom Classic catalog on the internal hard drive of your computer. For example, the default location is a folder within the Pictures folder on the internal drive. This enables you to review (and even update) the information in the catalog even when the source photos aren’t available, such as if the external drive containing photos is not connected. It also ensures optimal performance in most cases.

If you need to be able to access your catalog on more than one computer, you can store it on an external hard drive. In this scenario I recommend storing the catalog on the same drive that contains your photos. You can then switch that drive between computers to access your catalog and photos on more than one computer with relative ease.

I very strongly recommend that the catalog files never be stored in the cloud, as doing so includes a considerable risk of information not being updated properly or the catalog becoming corrupted. I recently tested this issue out using OneDrive and was able to corrupt the catalog through normal use of Lightroom Classic on two computers in about five minutes.

If you want to move the Lightroom Classic catalog, I recommend that you first back up the catalog to a separate storage location using the feature built into Lightroom Classic. Then quit Lightroom Classic, and copy the entire folder containing your catalog files to the new location. I then recommend renaming the folder from the original location to indicate it is a backup, and hold on to that backup until you’re sure everything is working properly from the new location. Once the catalog folder has been copied, you can double-click the file with the “lrcat” filename extension in that folder to launch Lightroom Classic with the catalog.

Today’s Question: Can I change the cell color on the filmstrip in Lightroom Classic to make selected images more visible than the rest of the cells?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Assigning color labels to all images on the filmstrip can help make selected images stand out better, although this is obviously not ideal if you use color labels for specific purposes in Lightroom Classic. You may also find it helpful to increase the thumbnail size on the filmstrip by enlarging the bottom panel.

More Detail: Lightroom Classic provides only a few options for changing the appearance of the interface in terms of contrast. For example, you can change the background color that surrounds the image in the loupe view. You cannot, however, adjust the default cell color in the grid view or filmstrip. In particular, this can create a problem where it isn’t especially easy to tell the difference between the active image and other selected images when you have more than one image selected.

Temporarily assigning a color label to all images you’re working with can make it easier to see the difference between selected and non-selected images. This is in large part because if you have the option enabled to tint the cell color for thumbnails with the color label that is assigned, that tint becomes a smaller frame when an image is selected. This helps selected images stand out better, but unfortunately it doesn’t help distinguish between selected images and the active image among those that are selected.

I also find that it helps a little to enlarge the thumbnails in the grid view or on the filmstrip. This doesn’t actually enhance contrast, but in my experience it does make it a little easier to see which images are selected. You can enlarge thumbnails in the grid view by dragging the Thumbnails slider to the right on the toolbar below the image preview area. For the filmstrip you can enlarge the thumbnails by enlarging the bottom panel, which you can resize by dragging the top edge of the panel up or down.

Today’s Question: I made a collection of the best photos from a trip and included some videos in the collection. When I enable synchronization for the collection everything syncs except the videos. What’s going on?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Synchronization to the cloud from Lightroom Classic only supports still photos, not videos. Videos can synchronize from the cloud to Lightroom Classic, but not the other way around.

More Detail: While you can use Lightroom Classic to manage and even edit videos, you can’t synchronize videos to the cloud from Lightroom Classic. If you enable synchronization for a collection that includes both photos and videos, only the photos will be synchronized to the cloud.

If you add videos to Lightroom cloud storage through other means, such as by importing a video into the Lightroom app on a mobile device, that video will be downloaded into your Lightroom Classic catalog just like photos do. So, the issue with videos not uploading to the cloud is purely a limitation of Lightroom Classic.

I suspect part of the reason Lightroom Classic doesn’t synchronize videos to cloud storage is to avoid the issue of videos quickly consuming the available storage in your Creative Cloud plan. However, since video is supported in Lightroom cloud storage, I’m hopeful that Adobe will remove this limitation and allow videos to synchronize to the cloud via collections in Lightroom Classic.

Today’s Question: We use our Nikon set to the Adobe RGB color space for real estate photography. Sometimes in tight spaces we use the iPhone 17 Pro, but the colors rendered are so different. Is there a way to correct or balance the two in Lightroom or Photoshop? Do you know the color space that the iPhone shoots in?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The difference in colors most likely relates to the in-camera processing done by your smartphone, rather than the color space being used. You would need to adjust the camera captures (whether with camera settings or post-capture processing) to get closer to the smartphone captures with your regular camera.

More Detail: The iPhone uses the P3 wide-gamut color space by default, which is relatively close to the Adobe RGB color space. P3 covers a bit more in the reds and oranges, while Adobe RGB has better coverage of the greens and cyans, but the color spaces are pretty similar in overall capability. This is therefore not likely to cause any issues in comparing images from an iPhone versus Nikon camera, for example.

The real issue is that the iPhone is performing in-camera processing. That includes some processing even if you’re using the ProRAW format for capturing images on your iPhone. This causes the images to generally look better than raw captures from a normal camera, for example.

If you were willing to shoot in JPEG on your regular camera (which is not something I recommend) you could also take advantage of in-camera processing to get photos that are a closer match to the iPhone right out of the camera. However, I recommend taking advantage of raw capture, which in turn means you’ll need to perform adjustments after the fact to get the raw captures looking closer to the iPhone captures.

You could, of course, use a preset in Lightroom Classic (or in Camera Raw) to batch process your raw captures from the regular camera to more closely match the iPhone captures. As a starting point, for example, I would recommend a moderately high boost in Clarity (perhaps around +20 or so) and Vibrance (around +25 or so) to enhance overall contrast and color. But you can apply additional adjustments as part of a preset to get these images closer in appearance to what you get with your iPhone.