Book Recommendation: No Boundaries

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My friend Gabby Salazar is a photographer and former president of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), among many other accomplishments.

Gabby recently co-authored a book called No Boundaries: 25 Women Explorers and Scientists Share Adventures, Inspiration, and Advice, available in both hardcover and Kindle editions. The book is aimed at girls in the 10 to 14 age range but will surely appeal to a wider audience.

You can learn more about this great book that I highly recommend here:

https://timgrey.me/noboundaries

Importing Photos without Keywords

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Today’s Question: I help manage our local camera club and I often have to make slideshows using other people’s photos. Many club members use Lightroom, so when they submit their photos and I import them into my Lightroom catalog, I also import all their keywords. I’m very fussy about my neatly organized keyword list, so after each import I have to find and delete all their keywords. It’s a pain in the neck! Is there a way to import images without the keywords, color, and star ratings?

Tim’s Quick Answer: This is actually a rare circumstance where I would suggest using a separate Lightroom Classic catalog expressly for camera club images. If the source images are proprietary raw captures, you could also delete the associated XMP sidecar files. For images of any supported file format, you could remove keywords before import using other software such as Adobe Bridge.

More Detail: I completely understand not wanting to commingle keywords or other metadata from images captured by other photographers versus your own. There are several approaches you could use here to help avoid importing keywords to your master catalog.

First, you could simply use a separate catalog for camera club photos. You could then import photos from club members, and as needed import copies of your own photos, into this catalog. You can then open the camera club catalog on an as-needed basis. Note that just to avoid confusion I always recommend setting your master catalog as the default catalog on the General tab of the Preferences dialog.

By using a separate catalog for camera club photos, that catalog could obviously end up with a wide variety of keywords and other metadata that isn’t of interest to you, but that won’t affect your master catalog. You just need to be sure you’re working with the correct catalog depending on the current task at hand.

If the images being submitted are proprietary raw captures, any keywords the photographer previously added would be contained within an XMP sidecar file rather than the original capture file. In this scenario you could simple remove the XMP sidecar files from the folder containing the raw captures you are importing. Those imported raw captures would then only contain the metadata that was added by the camera, not later in the photographer’s workflow.

For file formats other than proprietary raw captures, such as JPEG, TIFF, or DNG image, the keywords and other metadata updates will be contained directly within the files themselves. In this case the best option would be to remove the metadata using other software before importing the photos into Lightroom Classic.

For example, you could browse the images with Adobe Bridge, select all of them, and clear out the Keywords field. Once the changes are applied, you could import those photos into Lightroom Classic and no keywords would be added as part of the import.

All things considered I think the simplest approach is to simply use a separate catalog for the camera club photos. As longtime readers know very well, I am a strong advocate for using a single catalog to manage all photos, so this is a rare recommendation indeed!

Why Not a 4K Monitor?

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Today’s Question: You recommended a BenQ monitor [https://bhpho.to/3s9zB79] with resolution of 1920×1200 in spite of the fact that there are monitors with greater resolution. Could you comment on the tradeoffs?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I personally prefer a monitor that isn’t especially large, since I tend to sit relatively close to the display. I also prefer using a moderate resolution so that interface elements on the display are not tiny.

More Detail: There are a variety of monitor displays available now that support 4K resolution, which are approximately 4,000 pixels across. Even higher resolutions are possible as well.

While a monitor with a very high resolution can produce a beautiful display, that isn’t always conducive to working on a computer. At very high resolution, for example, interface elements including graphics and text can be quite small. Some people are comfortable with such a display, but many (including me) are not.

Because I sit relatively close to my monitor display, I prefer a 24-inch display. Keep in mind that part of the reason I’m probably more comfortable with this is that when I’m not at home I am looking at a 13-inch laptop display. A relatively small display only exacerbates the issue of interface elements being very small when displayed at a high resolution.

Of course, if you prefer a higher-resolution display, there are many great options available. I do recommend evaluating such a display in person first to get a sense of the impact of the high resolution. I also recommend that if you prefer a display with a 4K resolution you will probably want to opt for a display size of around 27 to 32 inches.

So, while I favor a display that is a little on the smaller side with a moderate resolution, such as the BenQ SW240 (https://bhpho.to/3s9zB79) I had previously recommended, that doesn’t make this an ideal fit for all photographers.

If you prefer a larger display that supports a high 4K resolution, I suggest looking at these models as potential options to consider:

27-inch BenQ PD2700U: https://bhpho.to/3viwps1
32-inch BenQ PD3200U: https://bhpho.to/3HqdYnt

Problems with Variable ND Filters

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Today’s Question: I’m in the market for neutral density (ND) filters. I noticed a Variable ND filter that you can rotate (much like a polarizing filter) and dial in anywhere from ND8 to ND2000 [three stops to eleven stops of density]! Gimmick or purchase worthy?

Tim’s Quick Answer: While variable neutral density filters certainly aren’t a gimmick, I don’t really recommend them because they be a little tricky to use and can produce a form of problematic vignetting within the image.

More Detail: I absolutely understand and appreciate the appeal of variable neutral density (ND) filters. Instead of carrying several solid ND filters you can use a single filter that could run the range between about two or three stops and as much as ten or eleven stops. However, there are some problems with variable ND filters that cause me to prefer solid ND filters.

The most significant problem with variable ND filters in my view is that they can produce problematic vignetting and crosshatching artifacts in images. In some cases, for example, you might see a darkened “X” shape across the photo. These visual artifacts can be very difficult to correct later in your workflow.

In addition, variable ND filters can be a little challenging to work with. While there are marks on the outside of the filters that provide some sense of how much you’re blocking the light, you don’t know exactly how much light is being blocked. At lower density settings you can often just depend upon the metering in your camera. But at greater density settings the metering may not be reliable.

I very much prefer being able to configure a good exposure, and then add a solid ND filter of a known density and adjust the exposure settings accordingly. This can’t really be done with a variable ND filter.

So, I very much prefer carrying a couple solid ND filters rather than a single variable ND filter. Note, by the way, that while a variable ND filter generally offers a pretty good range of stops of light it can block, I only find that I need a couple of solid ND filters.

I typically carry a 6-stop (https://timgrey.me/6stop) and a 10-stop (https://timgrey.me/10stop) solid ND filter. If I need the equivalent of a filter with less density I can simply raise the ISO setting to compensate.

Repetitive Compression for JPEG

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Today’s Question: Does Photoshop compress a JPG each time it’s saved, causing continued loss of quality? Do image viewer apps not have this problem?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There is only a cumulative degradation in image quality for a JPEG that is both modified and saved. Simply saving repeatedly without changing the image will not cause further degradation, and simply viewing the image will not cause degradation.

More Detail: JPEG files are almost always saved with “lossy” compression applied, meaning there is some loss of fidelity and quality for an image that is saved as a JPEG image. This degradation from compression obviously applies the first time an image is created, such as when you capture a JPEG image with a camera or save an existing image as a JPEG for the first time.

If you open and re-save a JPEG image without making any changes, the source pixel values have not changed and therefore the JPEG encoding will not be changed, assuming the file settings (such as the Quality setting) have not been changed.

Only when you make changes to a JPEG image and then save it again will there be a cumulative degradation in image quality. Opening an image to view it and then closing without making any changes will not alter the JPEG image. Furthermore, opening a JPEG image and then saving repeatedly without actually making any changes to the image will not cause any degradation. You’d simply be saving the exact same file repeatedly.

The reality is that the cumulative degradation of a JPEG image is not generally a significant issue that you would be able to actually notice even with close examination, provided you used a relatively high setting for Quality. However, because of the general issues of JPEG compression degrading image quality, I don’t recommend using JPEG as a format for saving files that will be modified.

If you are capturing with the raw capture format and need to create a derivative image for editing, I recommend saving as a TIFF or Photoshop PSD file. If you are working with a JPEG capture, I still recommend converting to TIFF or PSD for your working file. I only recommend saving to JPEG when creating a derivative image for sharing with others.

Problem with Compressed Backups

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Today’s Question: When I back up my files, I use EaseUS Todo Backup Free and it backs up all the docs, photos, and music I select and it consolidates them into one file, not individual files like a copy function would do. Does this consolidating and compressing create problems for the photo files in particular? With this system I cannot extract a single file but have to restore all the files backed up by the software which must decompress the files in storage.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Using backup software that compresses the source files into one (or more) compressed archives isn’t a problem for the files themselves, as they will be a perfect match to the original if restored from that backup. The challenge, however, is that a potentially time-consuming restore process is required, which is why I prefer a synchronization-based approach to backing up, in my case using GoodSync (http://timgrey.me/greybackup).

More Detail: As far as I’m concerned, any backup that enables you to recover lost or damaged files counts as a “good” backup. However, some backups are better than others.

I very much prefer (and recommend) a synchronization approach to backing up photos and other important data. This approach provides a number of benefits, by virtue of the fact that the backup will be a perfect match to the original files.

First, with a synchronization backup recovery is very straightforward. For example, I backup my “Photos” hard drive to a “Photos Backup” drive. If my Photos drive were to ever fail, I could simply replace it with the Photos Backup drive.

In addition, with a synchronization approach you can always boost your confidence in the backup by browsing the backup directly. In the above example I could simply connect and browse my Photos Backup drive and visually confirm that it is indeed a perfect match to the Photos drive.

A synchronized backup is similar in concept to a common approach to an incremental backup, meaning each time you perform a backup only the files that have actually been changed since the last backup will need to be updated for the backup. However, with a compressed incremental backup the restore process can require considerable time, since the original backup plus each incremental change must be processed. That is not an issue for a synchronized backup.

There are a number of software solutions for backing up via synchronization. The software I use and recommend is called GoodSync, which you can learn more about here:

http://timgrey.me/greybackup

Offline Limitations with Adobe

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Today’s Question: I am expecting to be working in a very remote location for about five weeks and want to be sure I will be able to access Lightroom Classic and Photoshop on my laptop. Is there anything I need to do to be sure I have access while being offline for such a period of time?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you have a monthly subscription you will need to connect to the internet at least every 30 days. You can extend this to a 99-day grace period by switching to an annual plan rather than monthly.

More Detail: Adobe applications require that you validate your subscription via an internet connection. There is a 30-day grace period for monthly Creative Cloud subscribers and a 99-day grace period for annual subscribers. If you want to change your plan to the annual option, you will need to contact Adobe support directly to make this change.

If you’re traveling offline for a period of time that exceeds the grace period at some point during the trip, you’ll need to get online to reset the clock. You can also reset that clock before your trip to help ensure you’ll have as much time as possible working offline before you need to validate your subscription again.

So, I recommend resetting the clock before your trip, and then again along the way based on the grace period available to you.

To reset the clock for your subscription validation first make sure to quit Lightroom Classic and any other Adobe applications that may be open. Then go to the main Creative Cloud app (where you install updates, for example), and click the icon representing your account at the top-right of the window. Choose “Sign Out” from the popup and click to confirm in the dialog that appears.

Next, sign in again with your Creative Cloud account. You can then close the Creative Cloud application window and launch both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop to reset the clock. Repeat this process whenever you’re able to get online during your trip to reset the clock for the grace period.

Note, by the way, that if you aren’t able to validate your Creative Cloud subscription during an extended period offline, you won’t lose any of your data. You simply won’t be able to use the Adobe applications until you’re able to get back online to validate the subscription.

Smartphone Captures to Lightroom Classic

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Today’s Question: I have been frustrated for some time because I have been unable to figure out how to send a smartphone photo (Android S21) directly to Lightroom Classic on my desktop. Can it be done and how do I accomplish it?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There are a variety of ways you can transfer smartphone captures to your Lightroom Classic catalog. Each option has its own shortcomings, but I recommend downloading from your smartphone to your computer, importing into Lightroom Classic, and then deleting the originals from your smartphone.

More Detail: It is completely understandable to be frustrated when it comes to trying to get photos from a smartphone into Lightroom Classic. There are several ways you could approach this, some of which are relatively simple. However, there are also pitfalls that can prove incredibly frustrating.

I recommend treating your smartphone as you would any camera, with a workflow that matches what you’re probably already doing with other cameras. Specifically, that means importing photos into Lightroom Classic and then deleting the originals, typically by formatting the media card in the camera.

If you’re using an Android smartphone there’s a good chance you have a removable media card that can be used for capturing photos, which you can then remove and use to import photos into Lightroom Classic, deleting the photos from the card after the import (and backup) is complete). For iPhone users you don’t have this option, but all smartphone users can also use software such as Adobe Bridge to download photos from the smartphone to your computer and then delete the photos after they have been downloaded (and backed up).

So, the approach I take is to download photos directly from my smartphone to a temporary folder on my computer. I then import the photos into my Lightroom Classic catalog, using the “Copy” option for import to put the imported photos into my preferred folder on my external hard drive used for photo storage. I then delete all the photos from my smartphone. The copy on my desktop can be retained until I’ve completed a full backup of the hard drive containing the master copies of the photos.

Another option would be to use the camera feature of the Lightroom mobile app to capture photos, or import photos captured with your smartphone Camera app into the Lightroom mobile app. Those photos will then be synchronized to the cloud, and they will appear in Lightroom Classic as long as synchronization is enabled there. You could then move the photos to your preferred storage location. However, the photos would still appear in your cloud-based storage, consuming space there. You would therefore want to go back to the Lightroom mobile app and delete the photos manually after you’re sure they’ve been moved to your preferred storage location, which is a bit cumbersome.

Separating Previews from Catalog

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Today’s Question: My Lightroom catalog contains about 350,000 images. Since the catalog is quite large, I prefer not having the previews on my main drive, but rather in the external drive. I prefer having the catalog itself on the internal drive which enables me to work on smart previews without the hard drive being connected. Does this present any problems and what is the best way to accomplish this?

Tim’s Quick Answer: While there is a way to store the previews file separate from the Lightroom Classic catalog, doing so is a little complicated and won’t completely solve the issue you’re trying to address.

More Detail: By default, the preview cache for your images is stored alongside the Lightroom Classic catalog file and related helper files, all in a single folder. That means the catalog, the previews, and the smart previews, for example, are all in the same folder and therefore on the same hard drive.

It is possible to store the previews file in a location separate from the Lightroom Classic catalog and still work normally in Lightroom Classic. However, in order for this to work you would need to have the previews file available. In other words, in this example you would need to have the external hard drive connected in order to work in Lightroom Classic, since the external hard drive would contain one of the key files required by the catalog.

Since in this case the intent is to be able to work in Lightroom Classic with the smart previews available but with the previews file on an external hard drive that may not be connected, there is not a workable solution.

Therefore, I recommend leaving the preview cache and other related files right where they are in the same folder that contains the actual Lightroom Classic catalog file. For those who are interested in moving their previews file, or are just curious of the technicalities involved, you can read on. Otherwise the rest of my answer may not be of much interest.

If you wanted to store the previews file in a different location (such as an external hard drive) that would be available whenever you’re using Lightroom Classic, you could do so by creating what is called a “symbolic link” to the file. This is a form of shortcut in the location where the file is expected (alongside the catalog) that links to the actual location of the source file.

I don’t really recommend this approach unless you are very comfortable with command line processing within the operating system. If you want to proceed, I suggest creating a good backup of your existing catalog files first. You could then move the previews file for your catalog to the desired location.

To create a symbolic link on Macintosh you would need to go to the Terminal application found in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder. You can then use the “ln” command (as in “link”) to create the link, with a syntax like this:

ln -s “/Volumes/VOLUMENAME/Folder/Lightroom Classic Catalog Previews.lrdata” “/Users/USERNAME/Pictures/Lightroom Classic Catalog”

The above command assumes the actual previews file is on an external hard drive called “VOLUMENAME” and that the catalog folder is within the Pictures folder. The VOLUMENAME and USERNAME references would therefore need to be replaced in the above command with the appropriate values.

Windows users who are interested in taking this approach should also obviously backup their catalog first, and can then refer to this article for instructions for creating a symbolic link with the Windows command prompt:

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

Pixology Magazine March 2022

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The March 2022 issue of Pixology magazine is now available, featuring the following articles:

  • Spring Cleaning
    Get tips for a strategy to do some “spring cleaning” with outtake photos.
  • Understanding Previews
    Learn about the different types of previews available in Lightroom Classic, and how to choose the right preview settings for your workflow.
  • Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze
    Learn about these helpful adjustments for bringing out detail in your photos, available in Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop, and Lightroom Classic.
  • Targeted Color in Photoshop
    Discover a way to change the appearance of a specific range of color values using the Hue/Saturation adjustment in Photoshop.
  • Photo Story: Window Washers
    Get a reminder about the need to always be on the lookout for great photo opportunities no matter where you are.

Pixology magazine is included in the GreyLearning Ultimate Bundle, and is also available as a standalone subscription here:

https://www.greylearning.com/courses/pixology-magazine