Author: Tim Grey

Today’s Question: When I’m trying to navigate to a subfolder several levels deep using Adobe Bridge, I find it a bit cumbersome using the Folders list. Is it possible to display folders along with image thumbnails similar to what’s possible in the operating system, so I can just double-click on a folder to open it?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can display folders along with image thumbnails on the Content panel in Adobe Bridge by enabling the View > Show Folders option on the menu.

More Detail: By default, in Adobe Bridge when you select a folder from the Folders panel only images in that folder will appear on the Content panel. That Content panel effectively serves as the thumbnail display for available images, compared to the full preview of a selected image in the Preview panel.

However, if you prefer to see folders contained within the current folder on the Content panel, you can simply enable the option found at View > Show Folders on the menu. When this option is enabled, you’ll see a checkmark icon to the left of the “Show Folders” command on the menu, and thumbnails representing folders will appear on the Content panel along with image thumbnails.

Note that even if you have enabled the “Show Items from Subfolders” option that is also available on the View menu, you won’t see subfolders within subfolders on the Content panel. In other words, with the “Show Items from Subfolders” option enabled you’ll see thumbnails for all images contained in all subfolders below the currently selected folder. But you’ll only see folders that are contained directly within the selected folder, not those contained deeper within additional subfolders.

Both of these view options are “sticky”, meaning they will remain in effect even if you quit and restart Bridge. So, if you want to disable either of them in the future, you’ll need to select the applicable option from the menu to turn it off.

Today’s Question: Can you comment on how monitors at 4K affect the amount of output sharpening you apply? Since the image looks sharper on a high-resolution monitor, one might tend to apply less output sharpening which would lead to a softer print.

Tim’s Quick Answer: I would say that a 4K display (compared to a lower-resolution display) provides a more accurate view of the effect of sharpening for the image. However, the reality is that optimal sharpening requires a bit of experience in terms of understanding what the image needs to look like on screen to get a particular effect in print.

More Detail: Because the 4K display has smaller pixels compared to a lower-resolution display (assuming displays of about the same size), the 4K display renders detail more accurately. In the context of sharpening a lower-resolution display can mask the appearance of sharpening artifacts, so I would be more concerned about potential over-sharpening with a lower-resolution display.

However, when it comes to sharpening in my view there is really no replacement for experience. A printed image is going to look different from an image on a monitor display, in a variety of ways depending on the specific output conditions for the print. Therefore, you need to gain experience to know what the image should look like on your display to achieve an optimal print.

For example, with uncoated matte papers you generally need to over-sharpen the image somewhat significantly to make up for dot gain (the spreading of ink on paper). But it is very difficult to anticipate how much you need to sharpen without the experience of producing prints.

So, when you change from a lower-resolution display to a high-resolution display, there will be some adjustment involved as you gain experience on what the image should look like on the new display to achieve similar results in the print. If you pay attention to the sharpening settings you tended to use on the lower-resolution display, those same settings will be appropriate for the high-resolution display assuming the same printing configuration. In other words, the transition in this context is more about learning what the image will look like on the 4K display when it is sharpened properly for print, rather than changing your approach to sharpening because of the higher-resolution display.

Today’s Question: Can I use Lightroom Classic on two different computers? I take a smaller laptop when I travel. All of my photos and Lightroom Classic info are on a portable SSD drive.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, absolutely. You can use Lightroom Classic on two computers, and this workflow is made simple if you keep the catalog on an external hard drive.

More Detail: I have long advocated for photographers to only use a single catalog in Lightroom Classic to manage their full library of photos. However, using a single catalog doesn’t mean you’re limited to only using Lightroom Classic on a single computer.

The Adobe license agreement for Lightroom Classic enables you to have Lightroom Classic activated on two computers, though you can only use Lightroom Classic on one computer at a time. These terms enable you to switch back and forth between computers, such as for using one computer when at home and another computer when traveling.

The primary challenge involved with using Lightroom Classic on two computers is migrating the catalog between computers. The easiest way to do this is to keep the catalog on an external hard drive, along with your photo storage. You can then quit Lightroom Classic on the first computer and disconnect the hard drive, then connect the hard drive to the second computer and open Lightroom Classic with the same catalog.

The only potential drawback is that performance can be a little slower with an external hard drive. However, with an SSD the performance should be more than adequate, to the point that you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between having the catalog on an internal versus external drive.

By the way, the one approach I very strongly recommend against is using cloud-based storage (such as Dropbox or OneDrive) for your Lightroom Classic catalog. I have found that it is remarkably easy to get metadata mismatches and even corrupt a catalog when using cloud-based storage for the catalog.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to see the Folders list while working in the Develop module [in Lightroom Classic]? Sometimes I need to work on various photos from different folders for a project, and I find it frustrating to have to switch modules back and forth between images.

Tim’s Quick Answer: There isn’t an option to view the Folders list while working in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic. However, you can work around this limitation by using a collection for this purpose.

More Detail: While the modules in Lightroom Classic can be helpful in terms of providing context for specific components of your overall workflow for organizing, optimizing, and sharing photos, there are situations where the division of modules can get in the way of your workflow. One of the most common of these scenarios relates to needing to switch to the Library module to select a different source folder for images you want to work on in the Develop module.

Personally, I would love it if Adobe would add a Folders section to the left panel in the Develop module or otherwise made it easier to switch among different tasks when you also need to switch among different images. But at least so far, they haven’t done so.

Fortunately, one way you can work around this limitation is to use a collection.

Since there is a Collections section on the left panel in the Develop module, if the images you want to work on are grouped into a collection you can easily switch among various images or groups of images. This makes it easier to work with a set of images that are stored in multiple different folders without having to switch to the Library module.

So, when you have a group of images for a project that are stored in different folders, simply add them to a collection before switching to the Develop module. If you have more than one project you’re working on, you can even switch among various collections for the different projects without leaving the Develop module.

Today’s Question: You’ve referred to Camera Raw being non-destructive in terms of editing photos. Am I correct in understanding, however, that if you use Camera Raw as a filter in Photoshop that it is destructive to pixels? Is there a way to make it non-destructive in this context as well?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can use the Camera Raw filter in Photoshop in a non-destructive way by first converting the applicable image layer to a Smart Object. This, in turn, will cause the Camera Raw filter to be applied as a Smart Filter, which provides non-destructive editing.

More Detail: When we say that Camera Raw (or Lightroom Classic) is non-destructive, what that means is that the source file is not altered by the adjustments. For example, when you process a raw capture with Camera Raw you aren’t altering the source raw capture file. Instead, once you open the image Camera Raw is rendering pixels for a new image and opening that in Photoshop, leaving the original raw capture unaltered.

The Camera Raw filter, however, is destructive by default. What that means is that when you apply the Camera Raw filter (Filter > Camera Raw Filter from the menu) to an image layer, you are changing the pixel values for that layer based on the adjustments you applied.

However, it is possible to use the Camera Raw filter non-destructively. To do so, select the image layer you want to adjust, and then choose Filter > Convert for Smart Filters from the menu. This will convert the image layer to a Smart Object. When you then apply a filter such as the Camera Raw filter, the filter will be applied as a Smart Filter. This means the filter settings are not applied directly to pixel values in an image layer, but rather as metadata updates to an embedded image.

This enables you, for example, to return to the Smart Filter controls for a Smart Object layer by double-clicking the applicable Smart Filter on the Layers panel. In the case of the Camera Raw filter this would bring up the Camera Raw dialog, where you could adjust or reset or add any adjustments you’d like. This enables you to apply a wide range of adjustments using Camera Raw within Photoshop, but with the flexibility of being able to reset or otherwise change the adjustments at any time without any negative impact on image quality.

The only thing to keep in mind is that with this workflow it is possible to get a mismatch in areas of the image if you also use pixel-based layers. For example, let’s assume you applied Camera Raw as a Smart Filter to convert an image to black and white. You then use a separate image layer to perform some image cleanup work. If you later decide to go back to the Camera Raw filter and change the image back to color, the image cleanup work would still be in black and white because that work was done on a separate image layer.

As long as you don’t make use of other image layers that could conflict with a Smart Filter layer, however, you can apply the Camera Raw filter (or other filters) as a Smart Filter to maintain greater flexibility in your workflow.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to make the color labels in the grid view in Lightroom Classic easier to see? They’re a bit faint on my screen.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can increase the opacity of the tint for color labels in the grid view in Lightroom Classic in the Library View Options dialog.

More Detail: By default, in the grid view in Lightroom Classic the cell (or frame) around the image thumbnails will be tinted with the assigned color label, at an opacity of 20%. You can increase the opacity to make the color labels easier to see, which is what I do, for example, when teaching Lightroom Classic so students are able to better recognize when color labels have been assigned.

To get started go to the Library module and choose View > View Options from the menu. If you weren’t already in the grid view display choose the Grid View tab at the top-center of the dialog.

In the Options section under the Show Grid Extras checkbox you’ll find a “Tint grid cells with label colors” checkbox. You can turn this checkbox off if you don’t want the cells to be colored to reflect an assigned color label, but I prefer to keep this option enabled. Then, with the checkbox turned on you can click the popup to the right and choose the desired opacity setting.

The maximum setting is 50%, which is what I usually use when teaching to ensure the color label assignment is clear. But you can set a value ranging from a minimum of 10% opacity to 50% opacity based on your personal preference.

Today’s Question: What’s your take on the new Feather and Edge sliders in Lightroom Classic in terms of how helpful they are and how they should be used?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I consider the new Feather and Edge sliders to represent one of the most important updates to Lightroom Classic (and Camera Raw) in the context of the Masking adjustments. While they aren’t needed for all masks, they can be incredibly helpful in improving the quality of many masks.

More Detail: The Feather and Edge sliders for refining masks for targeted adjustments are features that have been at the top of my wish list since the Masking adjustments were first added to the Develop module in Lightroom Classic. These two sliders provide relatively simple and yet very helpful options for refining the shape of the edge of masks used for targeted adjustments.

There has long been a Feather control for refining masks in Photoshop, along with a Shift Edge control that is effectively the same as the new Edge slider in Lightroom Classic. The Feather control enables you to blur the mask edge, helping to smooth out the transition between areas being affected by the adjustment versus not being affected.

The Edge slider enables you to shift the mask edge outward (with a positive value) or inward (with a negative value) relative to the area that was originally selected for the mask. For example, if you have a Sky mask then increasing the value for the Edge slider will expand the adjustment into the landscape beyond the sky, while decreasing the value will pull the adjustment away from the landscape.

While the effect of the Feather and Edge sliders is relatively simple, their impact can be significant. Together they enable you to fine-tune the overall shape of the mask edge, so it better aligns with the transition within the image from the area you want to adjust versus not adjust with the targeted adjustment.

In general, I recommend applying an exaggerated adjustment when you want to refine the Feather and Edge controls, so you can better evaluate when you have the transition size (Feather) and position (Edge) for the mask edge fine-tuned to best match the area you’re adjusting. You can then reduce the strength of the adjustment based on the intended impact on the image.

Today’s Question: If you had to guess, when do you think Photoshop will be discontinued, at least for photographers?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If I had to guess, I would say February 19, 2030, could be the date that Photoshop is discontinued. But that is really just a tongue-in-cheeck guess, and my real answer is quite a bit more nuanced than that.

More Detail: First, let me be clear that I don’t have any information about when Photoshop might be discontinued, and obviously the software could be around for many more years to come. My “guess” of February 19, 2030, simply reflects an upcoming milestone, representing 40 years since the original release of Photoshop 1.0 in 1990.

To me the real question is when Photoshop will no longer be a meaningful part of a workflow for photographers, and for many photographers that date has already passed.

Consider, for example, how much can be done with Adobe Camera Raw, and by extension Lightroom Classic. For a great many photographers, there’s no need to use Photoshop at all for most of their images, because so much can be done with Camera Raw or Lightroom. Keep in mind that for the most part Camera Raw and Lightroom maintain feature parity, so regardless of which you’re using you will have access to (nearly) all the same features.

When Lightroom was first released, very few (if any) photographers would have considered it a replacement for Photoshop. Over time, as the software improved, more and more photographers found that they were using Photoshop less and less. Some photographers, of course, have gotten to the point that they don’t need Photoshop at all (other than the fact that Camera Raw is effectively tied to Photoshop).

As Camera Raw and Lightroom continue to improve, this trend will continue. Added to this is that for many creative effects you can get better results processing your image with AI tools rather than using the filters and other adjustments in Photoshop. I suspect at some point in the future, Adobe will recognize that they have improved Camera Raw so much, and that so few photographers are using Photoshop for much of anything, that they can unbundle Camera Raw from Photoshop and therefore they can stop developing new features for Photoshop.

But again, all of this is just based on my own thinking and opinion and is not informed in any way by any information I have about the future of Photoshop. And considering how much Camera Raw and Lightroom have been improved by Adobe over the years, I think it is only natural that there will be a shift at some point in the (perhaps near) future in the overall landscape of the tools from Adobe that photographers use.

Ultimately what this all means is that Adobe has done, in my opinion, a great job improving the editing capabilities of Camera Raw and the Lightroom ecosystem.

Today’s Question: I’ve procrastinated for years on getting some kind of off-site backup storage, and now recent events have motivated me. What’s your recommendations for cloud storage services? I’m probably looking for at least 7TB of storage.

Tim’s Quick Answer: I recommend Backblaze as an excellent cloud-based backup solution. Specifically, I recommend the “Personal” version of their Computer Backup product, which provides unlimited online backup for around $100 per year.

More Detail: A cloud-based backup solution provides an easy way to have an “extra” copy of your photos and other important data at an offsite location. I recommend this in addition to maintaining at least one (but ideally two or more) backup copies locally.

I have been using Backblaze for years and have assisted many photographers in getting this cloud-based backup service in place as well as assisting them in recovering photos after a drive failure or other issue resulting in lost data. Files can be recovered individually or in bulk, with various options for recovery such as downloading from the website or having a hard drive shipped to you.

I recommend the Computer Backup Personal product, which sells for around $99 per year (though prices will vary by region and currency). I also highly recommend upgrading to their one-year Version History option, which means you only need to connect hard drives to your computer once per year to maintain all online backups for each drive.

This backup service provides unlimited data, so while it may take some time to upload all your existing data to the Backblaze servers, there’s no limit to how many hard drives you can back up with a Backblaze subscription. You only need an individual subscription per computer, but otherwise the backup service supports unlimited data.

You can learn more about the Computer Backup Personal product from Backblaze on their website here:

https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-backup/personal

Today’s Question: I saw a reference to automatic dust removal in Camera Raw, but I don’t see that in Lightroom Classic. Is it available, and if so do you recommend using it?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, the automatic dust removal feature is available in Lightroom Classic and can be found by going to the Remove tool and going to the Dust heading after expanding the “Distraction Removal” heading. I do recommend enabling this feature if there are visible dust spots in a photo.

More Detail: While the Distraction Removal features were added to Camera Raw before they were available in Lightroom Classic, those features have since been added to Lightroom Classic as of version 15.

To get to the dust removal feature, first select the Remove tool from the small toolbar below the histogram on the right panel in the Develop module. Next, expand the Distraction Removal section if it isn’t already, by clicking on the heading on the right panel. You can expand the Dust controls by clicking on the heading within the Distraction Removal section. There you can turn on the Apply checkbox to enable the automatic dust removal.

If you want to first get a sense of where the dust spots are found in the image, you can turn on the Visualize Spots checkbox and drag the associated slider through the full range to vary the contrast. This will enable you to see dust spots that are visible to varying degrees based on the slider movement.

My experience has been that this automatic dust removal feature has been very helpful at removing spots caused by dust and other debris on the image sensor in the camera. Note that it won’t automatically find other things you might consider to be blemishes, such as power lines running through the image or a small bird that creates a distraction within the frame.