Category: Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: Can you explain how you created the sunset photo from the Palouse that you shared on Instagram? In particular, what enabled you to capture the strong orange glow effect?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The orange glow effect was caused by dust and haze in the sky being backlit by the sun just before sunset, using a long lens to isolate a portion of the scene near the sun, but without the sun in the frame.

More Detail: The photo in question was captured in the Palouse region of eastern Washington State, where I lead photo workshops each June. You can view the photo on my Instagram feed here (https://www.instagram.com/p/BzXzKWHAIq7/):

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzXzKWHAIq7/

There are several factors that make such a photo possible. The first is to have relatively clear skies, so that there will be strong sunlight close to sunset. However, it is beneficial to have dust or haze in the atmosphere, which help to create the strong color effect you can see in the photo.

As the sun gets relatively close to the horizon, the dust and haze will get backlit, and will generally be illuminated with a strong glow of yellow or orange. It can be helpful to be at an elevated position, so you’re able to include a view of the landscape in the photo. In this case, for example, I was photographing from atop Steptoe Butte, which put me about one thousand feet above the surrounding landscape.

To frame up the scene I used a long lens (an effective focal length of 568mm in this case, with a 355mm lens focal length on a camera with a 1.6X cropping factor). I point the lens in the direction of the sun, but without including the sun in the frame. In this case the sun was positioned a bit outside the top-left corner of the frame.

With hazy conditions it can be difficult for the camera to achieve autofocus. I will often point the camera at a relatively high contrast area of the frame to help the autofocus, or I’ll resort to manual focus if necessary.

The overall exposure is generally close to what the camera’s meter indicates. In this case I exposed one-half stop darker than the meter suggested, using the evaluative (matrix) metering mode.

The sun and atmosphere really did all of the work for this photo, with very little adjustment applied in post-processing.

Today’s Question: I have noticed that on some of my older photos of people their skins tones are decidedly red. What causes this and how can I resolve it?

Tim’s Quick Answer: A strong red color appearance for skin tones (or other colors, depending on the ethnicity of the person) are generally caused by over-saturation. Reducing the saturation for only the affected colors will generally improve the appearance of skin tones in a photo.

More Detail: Accurate color can be important for any photograph, but when it comes to skin tones color accuracy is especially important. In many cases you will find that saturation levels that are too high will lead to color problems for skin tones, such as a strong red appearance in photos of Caucasian subjects.

Some cameras (or films) may have a particular bias toward red, such as by interpreting reds at too high a saturation level. Increasing the saturation for the photo can also cause skin tones to have an inaccurate look.

The first step, of course, is to make sure the overall color for the photo looks good. That certainly involves shifting the color balance (such as with the Temperature and Tint sliders available with most raw processing software) to get the color as accurate as possible. With many photos you may also want to increase the overall saturation to create a more pleasing look. The boost in saturation, however, can make skin tones look too saturated.

In many cases this issue can be easily resolved with a targeted reduction in saturation. For example, if the skin tones look too red you can reduce the saturation for only the reds. In Lightroom or Camera Raw, for example, you can reduce the value for the Red slider under the Saturation heading in the HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) set of adjustments. In Photoshop a similar result can be achieved by choosing Reds from the popup for a Hue/Saturation adjustment, reducing the value for the Saturation slider after selecting Reds.

Of course, if there are other areas of red in the photo that you don’t want to reduce the saturation for, the above approach won’t work. Instead you’ll need to apply a targeted adjustment, such as by using the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom or an adjustment layer with a layer mask in Photoshop. And, of course, these same concepts can be applied to any area of problematic color in a photo, even when it isn’t necessarily a skin tone that has the color issue.

Today’s Question: On my laptop (but not my desktop) running the latest version of Lightroom Classic, when I create a new folder and import photos to it Lightroom automatically adds date subfolders and distributes the files into those folders. How do I cancel this unwanted behavior?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can disable the creation of these date-based folders by changing the “Organize” option to the “Into one folder” option rather than the “By date” option.

More Detail: When you import photos into Lightroom Classic, you will generally be copying photos from a media card to a particular folder. As part of that process, you have the option for Lightroom to create sub-folders based on the date of capture for each of your photos. In other words, there will be a folder for each date for which photos were captured, and photos will be placed into the applicable folder based on the date of capture.

I do not recommend using a folder structure that involves a separate folder for each data, since doing so can lead to a rather complex folder structure. In addition, you can always filter your photos based on the date of capture within Lightroom, so in my mind there’s really no benefit to having a complex date-based folder structure.

Instead, I recommend downloading all photos into a single folder. To use the option for a single folder rather than a date-based folder structure, simply select the “Into one folder” option (rather than the “By date” option) from the Organize popup found in the Destination section of the right panel in the Import dialog.

Today’s Question: My wife wants to put a family photo on her laptop’s desktop [as the wallpaper photo]. Unfortunately it is in portrait orientation and part of their heads are missing when we set the photo as her desktop wallpaper. Please let me know what the best method to use to resize the image to fit on a laptop desktop.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can simply use the option to have the image fit (rather than fill) the available space for your desktop wallpaper. You could also resize the image to fit the display dimensions using the Canvas Size command in Photoshop.

More Detail: When you use a photo as the wallpaper on your computer, the default is often to have that photo fill the available space. If the image has a vertical orientation, that can result in severe cropping of the image.

A quick solution is to set the wallpaper image to fit within the dimensions of your display, rather than to fill the display. On Macintosh, for example, you can choose the “Fit to Screen” option from the popup found on the Desktop & Screen Saver tab of the System Preferences dialog. On Windows you can select the “Fit” option from the “Choose a fit” section of the Background window, found on the Personalization tab of the Settings dialog.

Another option is to create a customized image that fits the dimensions of your display. This can be done easily using the Canvas Size command in Photoshop, for example. After opening the image you want to use as your wallpaper, you can first use the Image Size command (Image > Image Size) to resize the image so that one of the dimensions fits your display resolution.

For example, let’s assume a 1920×1080 pixel resolution. If you had a vertical image, you could resize it so that the height is 1080 pixels. That would ensure that the image fits within the dimensions of the screen resolution.

To adjust the image so that it actually matches the precise dimensions of your display resolution, you can use the Canvas Size command (Image > Canvas Size). In the Canvas Size dialog, you can first set the unit of measure for the Width and Height to “Pixels”, using the popup to the right of those fields. Then set the Width and Height values to match the display resolution you are using.

You can also specify a color you want to use for the additional canvas area that will be created as part of this process. Simply choose the desired option from the “Canvas extension color” popup at the bottom of the Canvas Size dialog.

After clicking the OK button to apply the change to the canvas size for the image, you can save the result so it can be used as the wallpaper on your computer, perfectly matching the dimensions of your display based on the display resolution you have set.

Today’s Question: Am I correct that the histogram that you see on the camera refers to the JPEG and not the RAW capture? I’ve been told that you actually have more headroom than it shows you on the histogram if you’re shooting RAW.

Tim’s Quick Answer: The histogram you see on your camera’s LCD display is based on an in-camera conversion of the raw capture to what is effectively a JPEG image. That does mean that there is a degree of latitude when it comes to processing the raw capture, and that even if there is some clipping shown on the histogram, it may be possible to “recover” the clipped data in post-processing.

More Detail: As noted in an Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter last week (https://asktimgrey.com/2019/06/17/is-camera-preview-a-jpeg/), the preview image you see on your camera’s LCD display is essentially a JPEG image created in-camera based on the raw capture. As such, the preview does not necessarily reflect the full potential of the raw capture.

Similarly, the histogram for a raw capture is based on the in-camera JPEG rendering from the capture. That does mean that the histogram isn’t completely accurate relative to the potential for the final image.

For example, if the histogram shows a small amount of clipping for the darkest shadows or brightest highlights for a photo, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the detail is permanently lost. As long as the clipping is not too severe, you may be able to process the raw capture in a way that will preserve the detail that seemed to be lost based on the histogram viewed on the camera’s LCD display.

That said, I don’t recommend relying too heavily on the ability to recover detail beyond what the histogram may indicate. In other words, I recommend avoiding clipping of shadow or highlight detail based on the histogram display, even though you may have some ability to recover that detail when processing the raw capture. If you aren’t able to avoid clipping highlights and/or shadows based on the histogram display, I recommend bracketing to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image later, rather than depending on the ability to recover detail based on how the raw capture is processed after the capture.

Today’s Question: I usually use the Adobe Uninstaller for removing older versions. It is in the folder with the app. I have InDesign 2018 and 2019 in my apps folder. Will using the Uninstaller to remove the 2018 version disturb the 2019 version in any way?

Tim’s Quick Answer: No, removing an older version of an application will not harm a later version of the same application. I do, however, recommend making sure the new version is working properly before removing an older version of an application.

More Detail: When there is a “minor” update to one of the applications in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of applications, the existing installation for that application is simply updated. However, when there is a “major” update, an additional copy of the application will be installed in addition to the existing application version.

Once you have installed the additional copy of an application, I recommend making sure that the new installation is working properly. That includes, for example, making sure that any plug-ins you want to use with that application are installed and working properly. It is also a good idea to review the Preferences settings for the new installation, to make sure they are working properly.

When you’re confident that the new version of the application is working properly, you can uninstall the older version of the application without impacting the new version of the application. You can use the uninstaller found in the folder alongside the application you want to remove, or use the uninstall option available in the Adobe Creative Cloud application to remove the older version of the application.

Today’s Question: I see from your Instagram that you have been in the Palouse leading photo workshops for a couple weeks. How do you maintain a backup of your photos along the way during such a photography trip?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I maintain at least three backups on external hard drives while I travel, and in some cases maintain additional backups beyond that.

More Detail: I am often traveling for extended periods of time, and I certainly want to maintain an ongoing backup of my photos during those travels. I use external hard drives for most of my storage and backup. I also use a somewhat conservative overall approach to backing up my photos while traveling.

First of all, I download photos from my storage media to an external hard drive as part of the process of importing new captures into my Lightroom Classic catalog. During the import process I also take advantage of the option to create a second copy of the photos during the import. I store that second copy of the photos to a folder on the desktop of my computer. So as soon as I’ve finished importing photos into my Lightroom catalog, I already have two copies of the photos, in addition to the original captures that are still on my media card.

Next, I use GoodSync (http://timgrey.me/greybackup) to create a synchronized backup of the external hard drive containing my photos. That synchronization is done to a second external hard drive, so I then have four copies of my photos on four different storage devices.

My next step is to perform a Time Machine backup for the internal hard drive on my laptop. That backup obviously applies to my entire laptop hard drive, but in terms of my photos the key is that it is backing up the second copy of the photos created on my desktop as part of the process of importing the photos into my Lightroom catalog. After the Time Machine backup is complete, I effectively have five copies of my photos. That includes the original captures on the media card from my camera, the “master” copy of the photos on my primary external hard drive, a synchronized backup to a second external hard drive, the import backup in a folder on the desktop of my laptop, and a Time Machine backup on an external hard drive.

In theory I would also use a cloud-based backup in order to have a backup of my photos stored in a different location, with a service such as Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/backblaze). However, more often than not when traveling I am don’t have access to a high-speed Internet connection, making such a backup difficult or impossible.

Of course, I also don’t really need quite as many copies of my photos as I create with the workflow outlined above. Therefore, once I have created the various backups as part of that workflow, I will reformat the media card so it can be used to capture new photos. I will also generally delete the backup on my laptop created during the import process, since I will still have three copies of my photos on three separate storage devices even after deleting those additional backups.

As noted in today’s question, I have been in the Palouse region of eastern Washington State for a few weeks, and still have more photos to share from this trip. You can view the photos I’ve already shared (and check back for additional photos I’ll share soon) on my Instagram feed here:

https://www.instagram.com/timgreyphoto/

Today’s Question: I understand the importance of RAM [memory] and hard drives, but what I don’t understand is the graphics card and CPU that I should get. I don’t edit videos so it’s mainly for Lightroom Classic and Photoshop photo editing.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Today’s software increasingly makes use of the graphics processing unit (GPU), and of course CPU (central processing unit) performance is also important. I recommend 2GB to 4GB of video memory (VRAM), and a multi-core processor at the higher end of the available clock speed (indicated as a gigahertz value).

More Detail: It is often assumed that a high-performance video card is only necessary if you are playing sophisticated games or editing video on your computer. However, many applications (including Photoshop and Lightroom) make use of the GPU (graphics processing unit) to enhance performance for a variety of features. That, in turn, means that video memory (VRAM) is nearly as important as system memory (RAM).

In general I recommend opting for a video card that has 2GB to 4GB of dedicated video RAM. In addition, you should choose a card that includes support for DirectX 12 or OpenGL 3.3. Also be sure that you have enabled the option to make use of the graphics processor. For example, on the Performance tab of the Preferences dialog in Lightroom Classic you can turn on the “Use Graphics Processor” checkbox in the Camera Raw section.

When it comes to the CPU, most computers will include a processor that has multiple cores, which can improve performance significantly since more than one task can be processed at the same time with individual processor cores. For most users a processor with four or more cores will provide excellent performance. I generally recommend opting for a processor at the higher end of the performance spectrum, meaning with a high speed rating, measured in gigahertz (GHz).

You can certainly select the highest speed processor available, which would be around 3.2 GHz for desktop computers and around 2.6 GHz for laptop computers, with considerable variation with different manufacturers. If you want to reduce the cost of your computer without significantly degrading performance, you can opt for a slightly slower speed rating, such as around a 3.0 GHz processor for a desktop computer or around a 2.3 GHz processor for a laptop.

I consider the amount of RAM to be a key factor in overall system performance, along with a fast CPU. But the graphics processor and amount of video RAM is also important, along with overall hard drive performance. The key is to balance the available options in terms of performance with your comfort level in terms of budget.

Today’s Question: Last week I was on cruise without internet access. I launched Lightroom Classic on my laptop, which I rarely use. I got a message that I had to login and identify myself. I could not login because I didn’t have internet access. How can I avoid this problem in the future?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The subscription-based Adobe applications require that you be signed in and online at least every thirty days, in order to validate that your subscription is current. If you will be traveling without Internet access, you will want to launch Lightroom Classic and ensure you are online and signed in before the trip, so you’ll be able to continue using Lightroom during the trip.

More Detail: When Adobe’s software applications were all available with a perpetual license, there was no need to be online to use those applications. Now that most Adobe applications are only available via a paid subscription, it is necessary to go online at least once every thirty days so Adobe can validate that your subscription is still active. If you aren’t online for more than thirty days, you will lose access to the full feature set of the applications.

Under normal circumstances for most photographers, this isn’t an issue at all, as you are likely to be online on your computer and use one of the Adobe Creative Cloud applications at least once a month (and possibly just about every day). However, if you will be offline for an extended period of time, this can become a problem. For example, if you have Lightroom Classic on a laptop that you only use when traveling, it is very possible that when you depart on the trip it will have been more than thirty days since that computer was online.

You can avoid losing access to the Adobe applications by making sure you are online at least every thirty days. In the context of traveling without Internet access (or with very limited access) it is a good idea to get online and launch one of the Adobe applications to make sure everything is working properly before your trip. This will also reset the clock, so you can be offline for up to thirty days without losing access to the Adobe applications.

Furthermore, if you’re traveling with very limited Internet access, it can be a good idea to get online whenever possible, and launch Lightroom Classic, to make sure you don’t run into a situation where it has been more than thirty days since you’ve validated your Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.

Today’s Question: I just finished your excellent online course regarding GoodSync. The question I have is as follows: let’s say that you are not starting out with a “pristine” destination [backup] drive. In other words, the destination drive includes files that are not on the source drive, but that you don’t need. Using a source to right destination backup process as in your video lessons, what will happen to those files in the destination folder? I believe you indicated that using GoodSync, the destination folder will be an exact replica of the source folder. Does that also indicate that extra files be deleted?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, GoodSync (http://timgrey.me/greybackup) will delete files on the destination (backup) drive, so that that destination drive will be an exact match of the source drive. Note, however, that you can establish settings that will preserve those files for a period of time before they are discarded, to help ensure you don’t accidentally remove files from the backup drive.

More Detail: As I’ve stated previously in the Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter, I prefer to use a one-say synchronization approach to backing up my photos and other important data. This provides a number of benefits, including a streamlined workflow for recovering from a hard drive failure, since my backup drive will be an exact match of my source drive after each updated backup with GoodSync.

Part of the process of ensuring that the backup drive is an exact match of the source drive is to remove files from the backup drive if those files are not present on the source drive. GoodSync (and other similar backup tools) will remove files from the destination (backup) drive if they are not present on the source drive, just as the software will copy files from the source drive if they are not currently present on the destination drive.

Of course, you may also want to have something of a built-in “undo” feature to avoid problems. For example, if you accidentally delete a file from the source drive and then perform an updated backup with GoodSync, the file would be removed from the destination drive and you wouldn’t be able to recover that file.

However, there is also an option in GoodSync to preserve such files for a set period of time. That way if you were to accidentally delete a file on the source drive, it would be preserved temporarily on the destination drive. If you realize you have made such a mistake, you could potentially recover the file on the backup drive, as long as you realize your mistake before the established amount of time has passed. You can configure that time in the settings for the backup job you define within GoodSync.

To learn more about using GoodSync to backup your photos and other important data, check out the “Backing Up with GoodSync” course here:

https://www.greylearning.com/courses/goodsync