Category: Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: With newer high-resolution monitors, what now would be the acceptable photo resolution standard for online sharing? I recently purchased a new computer, and the recommended resolution for the monitor is 3840×2160 pixels. This setting is larger than my old monitor of 1920×1440. Now when I view my website, I find the photos are quite small. I usually keep my website jpeg photos in the 1050×800 range.

Tim’s Quick Answer: I still tend to use a resolution of around 1,000 pixels on the long side, in part because most website visitors are not using extremely high-resolution displays. I also suggest using responsive web design whenever possible for sharing photos online.

More Detail: Sizing photos for online sharing involves striking a balance between an image that is large enough for viewers to see well but not so large that a stolen image could be printed at a large size.

I tend to size photos to around 1,000 pixels on the long side when sharing online. This generally ensures the image will be at a reasonable size for viewing, without being so large that the image could be printed at a large size.

The statistics I’ve been able to locate indicate that around 60% of website visitors worldwide are using a display resolution of 1920×1080 pixels or lower. Many who have a higher resolution display, myself included, tend to operate that display at a resolution lower than the maximum.

For typical resolution settings an image sized to around 1,000 pixels on the long side will fill about one-quarter of the screen. On a display with a 4K resolution that image would only fill about one-sixteenth of the screen. However, most web browsers allow you to zoom in on a page you’re browsing, and if the photo is shared on a page that employs responsive web design (which includes many blog site templates, for example), then the image will appear at a similar size regardless of display resolution.

If you’re more concerned about having a relatively large display for your photos and not too concerned about the potential for your photos to be stolen and printed at a moderately large size, you could increase the resolution for the photos to 2,000 pixels on the long side. This would provide an image that is about full-screen for the typical website visitor, and about one-quarter of the screen for someone using a 4K display. Note that an image shared at this higher resolution could be printed up to 4″x6″ at excellent quality, and up to around 8″x10″ with very good quality.

Today’s Question: When I use a selection tool [in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements] that produces the “marching ants,” such as the Lasso tool or Quick Selection tool, the selection outline is so light I can hardly see it. Is there a setting that allows me to darken them?

Tim’s Quick Answer: While you can’t alter the “marching ants” animated dashed line that represents the selection outline, you can use Quick Mask mode as an option for being able to better see the selection area.

More Detail: Quick Mask mode is a feature in Photoshop that provides an alternative way of viewing and modifying selections, and while it isn’t exactly an included feature in Photoshop Elements, it can be accessed there as well. When you activate Quick Mask mode by default you’ll see a translucent red overlay over non-selected areas of the image, with selected areas appearing normally.

In Photoshop you can switch to Quick Mask mode by pressing the letter “Q” on the keyboard, or by clicking the button at the bottom of the toolbar that has an icon of a dashed circle within a rectangle. If you double-click on that button on the toolbar you can bring up a dialog that enables you to change the color display settings for Quick Mask mode.

In Photoshop Elements there isn’t a Quick Mask button on the toolbar, but you can still access Quick Mask mode with a little workaround. After creating a selection, regardless of which tool you’ve used, switch to the Selection Brush tool. This is found along with the Quick Selection tool, so you can start by selecting the Quick Selection tool from the toolbar and then click the Selection Brush button at the left side of the Tool Options panel.

To the right of the Add and Subtract options on the Tool Options panel you’ll find a popup with a default value of “Selection”. Change that to “Mask” and you’ll see the equivalent of Quick Mask mode. You can switch to a different tool or change the popup back to “Selection” to hide this Quick Mask display.

I would certainly appreciate it if Adobe would provide some better options for making the animated dashed line that represents selections in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements easier to see. But in the meantime, the Quick Mask mode option can be helpful for evaluating and modifying selections.

Today’s Question: I am getting ready to replace my aged MacPro and am seriously considering buying the new MacBook Pro with a M1 max chip as it seems to be the best thing around. My plan would be to use it as my desktop as well as when I go on the road. Your thoughts on this? If you use the M1 MacBook Pro as a desktop, how do you set it up with external monitors, keyboard, mouse, and hard drives?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I have used a laptop as my only computer for about fifteen years now, and absolutely love this approach. I can be mobile with the laptop, and when I’m home I have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse that I use for convenience.

More Detail: I adopted the approach of using a laptop as my only computer simply because I was traveling so extensively that it didn’t make sense to keep a desktop computer at home. What I’ve learned along the way is that it can be incredibly convenient to use a laptop exclusively.

By using a laptop as my only computer, all my key files and applications stored on the internal hard drive are available to me anywhere, as long as I’ve brought my laptop with me. For example, my Lightroom Classic catalog is on my laptop’s internal hard drive, so if I have my laptop, I have my catalog.

When I’m home I connect an external monitor, but I keep my laptop open so that I have the benefit of two displays. I use the external monitor as my primary display in this context, with the laptop providing a supplemental display.

I use an external keyboard and mouse (I use the Apple Magic Mouse, https://bhpho.to/3uydSYn) for convenience as well, both of which connect wirelessly via Bluetooth. This enables me to keep the laptop off to the side so I can focus on the external monitor in front of me.

I keep my photos and much of my other important data on external hard drives, which I can bring with me when traveling if needed. Regardless of where I happen to be, I can connect external hard drives directly or via a USB hub if I need to connect multiple drives at once.

Especially since the latest laptops are quite powerful, I don’t feel any need to consider a desktop computer. As far as I’m concerned, a laptop is the only type of computer I need. The Apple M1 processor also provides excellent performance, as noted in a previous answer.

You can find a MacBook Pro with M1 processor outfitted nicely (with additional options for upgrade or expansion) here:

https://bhpho.to/3orGUoK

Today’s Question: I wish to change the name of my Lightroom Classic catalog. Its name has lengthened every time Adobe adds an update. Can you explain how to rename the catalog safely?

Tim’s Quick Answer: To rename the Lightroom Classic catalog you actually need to rename a series of files with a similar base filename structure, so it is important to be careful with this process.

More Detail: The Lightroom Classic catalog consists of more than just a single catalog file, but rather includes a series of “helper” files as well. If you want to rename the catalog you need to also rename the helper files using the same base filename structure.

To get started you need to know where the catalog files are stored. Fortunately, this is easy to determine from within Lightroom Classic. First, choose Edit > Catalog Settings from the menu to bring up the Catalog Settings dialog. Then go to the General tab and click the Show button to the right of the Location field in the Information section. That will open a window in the operating system showing the location where the folder for the catalog is stored, with that folder highlighted.

Before you start renaming the catalog files you need to quit Lightroom Classic, so be sure to do that next. Then double-click on the folder that contains the catalog files.

The actual catalog file has a filename extension of “.lrcat”. You’ll also find a series of files with an “.lrdata” filename extension, with the specific number of these files depending on which features you’ve taken advantage of. For example, if you have generated Smart Previews within Lightroom Classic you’ll find an lrdata file for those Smart Previews. With the latest update to Lightroom Classic you’ll also find a file with a filename extension of “.lrcat-data”.

The lrcat and lrcat-data files will have the same base filename. The files with the lrdata filename extension will have that same base filename, along with one or more words appended to the filename. The portion of all of the filenames that matches the lrcat file must be renamed in exactly the same way for all files.

I recommend that you start with the lrcat file. You can right-click on the file and choose the rename command. Then type any name you’d like for the catalog file. You can then select that filename and copy it to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl+C on Windows or Command+C on Macintosh. Next, rename the lrcat-data file and paste the copied filename to replace the existing filename.

For the lrdata files you’ll need to be a little more careful. You need to replace the portion of the filename that matches the previous name for your catalog, while retaining the additional text after that filename.

For example, let’s assume your catalog was called “My Catalog.lrcat”, and you rename that to “Lightroom Catalog.lrcat”. One of the helper files will be the previews file, which in this example would have a filename of “My Catalog Previews.lrdata”. You need to rename that file to “Lightroom Catalog Previews.lrdata”, retaining the ” Previews” text (including the space) while replacing the “My Catalog” text. Repeat this process for all of the catalog helper files.

When you’re finished you can double-click the newly renamed lrcat file to launch Lightroom Classic with that catalog.

Today’s Question: How much can you safely upsize an image without sacrificing noticeable quality degradation? And what is the best resampling method for upsizing? Bilinear, Bicubic, or Lanczos?

Tim’s Quick Answer: As a very general rule you can enlarge a photo to double the horizontal and vertical dimensions (quadruple the total area), though the specifics depend on how the image will be shared. I recommend the Bicubic interpolation algorithm in most cases.

More Detail: There really isn’t any strict rule about how large you can print a photo while maintaining good quality. As I often explain when it comes to this topic, you can make a photo infinitely large as long as the viewer will be extremely far away from the image. If you don’t get too close to an extreme enlargement, you won’t be able to perceive the degraded image quality.

In most cases, however, I assume that when a photographer wants to know how much they can safely enlarge a photo it is with the assumption that the viewer will be able to get relatively close to the enlarged image.

In my experience as long as the source image is of good quality in terms of sharpness, detail, and minimal noise, you can comfortably enlarge a photo to double the height and width (quadruple the total image area) while maintaining good image quality. That’s not to say you can’t produce great results with an even bigger enlargement, but doubling the dimensions will generally ensure good image quality in the enlargement.

When it comes to the interpolation algorithm used for enlargement, in general I recommend the bicubic algorithm. For significant enlargements Photoshop includes a “Bicubic Smoother” algorithm, which can be advantages for especially significant enlargements.

The Lanczos algorithm is also considered to be very good, though it is most commonly used for enlarging video rather than still photos. There is a risk of contrast artifacts along edges within a photo when using Lanczos, which is why I tend to favor Bicubic.

There are also third-party tools such as Gigapixel AI from Topaz Labs that use methods that go beyond simple algorithms, which can also improve results when creating significant enlargements of a photo.

Today’s Question: You’ve talked about resetting preferences in Photoshop as a way to resolve unusual problems, and I’m having just such an issue. However, I’m struggling to reset by holding down the Ctrl+Alt+Shift buttons while launching Photoshop. Is there an easier way to reset preferences?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can very easily reset preferences by clicking the “Reset Preferences On Quit” button on the General tab of the Preferences dialog.

More Detail: Resetting the preferences in Photoshop can help resolve odd issues, such as crashes, weird interface displays, or other unusual symptoms. The way I describe it is that whenever you feel that Photoshop isn’t behaving as it is supposed to, there’s a good chance that resetting the preferences will provide a solution.

Until somewhat recently it could be a little challenging to reset preferences in Photoshop. You needed to hold the Ctrl+Alt+Shift keys on Windows or the Command+Option+Shift keys on Macintosh while Photoshop was starting up. On Windows in particular you needed to make sure to press and hold these keys right after launching, not before launching, which added a degree of difficulty.

Fortunately, Adobe added a button for resetting preferences in the Preferences dialog. To get started go to the menu and on Windows choose Edit > Preferences > General or on Macintosh choose Photoshop > Preferences > General. That will take you to the General tab of the Preferences dialog, where you’ll find a button labeled “Reset Preferences On Quit”.

Click that “Reset Preferences On Quit” button and click OK in the confirmation dialog. Then click OK to close the Preferences dialog and quit Photoshop. The preferences will be reset without any further prompting when you next launch Photoshop.

Keep in mind that resetting the preferences will reset all of the settings within the Preferences dialog to their default options and will also reset the color management settings within the Color Settings dialog. Therefore, after resetting preferences you’ll want to be sure to review the settings in both Preferences and Color Settings to configure based on your preferred settings.

Today’s Question: In September 2021 you wrote about the Apple M1 processor in your MacBook Pro. Are you still pleased with it? Is it possible to give us an update? Has the first M1 been replaced recently?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I am still very happy with the performance of my MacBook Pro with the M1 processor, and since that time new models have been released (https://bhpho.to/3orGUoK) which offer some good improvements.

More Detail: I have been very impressed with the improved performance provided by the Apple M1 processor compared to the Intel processors used in previous models of Apple computers. The newest models feature some additional improvements, including more ports for connecting peripherals.

I was having some problems with my previous Intel-based MacBook Pro, which led me to upgrade to an M1-based MacBook Pro a bit earlier than I had intended. This provided a good opportunity to do some hands-on testing with the M1 processor, but it also meant I was impacted by some of the reduced specifications, such as only having two USB-C ports on my MacBook Pro, and no HDMI connector (an adapter must be used instead).

The newest MacBook Pro models include improved performance with updated processors. Perhaps more important in my view however is the addition of more ports. The newer models include three USB-C ports, a dedicated HDMI port, and a built-in SD card reader.

So, I most certainly do recommend the latest updated MacBook Pro computers, which are the “Late 2021” models. You can find the details of the 14-inch model that is nicely equipped here:

https://bhpho.to/3orGUoK

Today’s Question: When travelling, I create a temporary Lightroom catalog. However, I miss all my hierarchical and well-structured keywords. Is there a way to transfer my “desktop” keywords to a travel catalog, so that I don’t risk making duplicates or otherwise to mess up with my keyword hierarchy?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, indeed, you can export your Keyword List from your primary Lightroom Classic catalog and then import that list into your traveling catalog.

More Detail: In Lightroom Classic all of the keywords you have added to photos for the current catalog are displayed on the Keyword List on the right panel in the Library module. That list of keywords can be exported from Lightroom Classic and then imported into another catalog so the same keywords will be available for adding to photos in that catalog.

The first step is to export the list of keywords. To do so, in the Library module, go to the menu and choose Metadata > Export Keywords. In the Export Keywords dialog navigate to a convenient location to save the keyword list and update the filename if you’d like. Click Save to save the exported keyword list.

You can then copy that exported keyword list to another computer that you’ll use when traveling, for example. In the catalog that you want to have the same keywords available in, go back to the menu in the Library module and choose Metadata > Import Keywords. Select the file from the keyword export and click the Choose button. This will cause the full keyword list to be imported into the current catalog, so that your keywords will be available in that catalog.

Today’s Question: I have an SSD that houses much of my photo collection in the Lightroom Classic catalog (approx. 44,000 images). This drive is not always plugged in to my laptop; rather I plug it in weekly to make sure it is backed up to Backblaze. When the SSD is not plugged in and I want to look at any of the older files in the catalog, many of the previews do not show up [appearing as blank gray thumbnails]. What is your recommended preview format in Lightroom Classic? Is it possible to redo the previews after photos have been imported so all previews are of the same format?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I generally recommend generating Standard previews in Lightroom Classic, though in this particular case you may want to opt for the 1:1 (full resolution) preview option. You can generate those previews at any time using the commands found on the Library > Previews menu.

More Detail: Once your photos are imported into your Lightroom Classic catalog there are two options for previews in the context of the Library module. Those options are Standard previews and 1:1 previews.

The 1:1 previews are generated at the full resolution of the source images. For Standard previews you can adjust the size and quality settings on the File Handling tab of the Catalog Settings dialog. I generally recommend using the Auto option for Standard Preview Size and the Medium option for Preview Quality. These settings provide a good balance between image quality and the amount of hard drive space consumed by the previews.

To generate the previews at any time you can select a group of photos and then go to the menu and choose Library > Previews followed by either “Build Standard-Sized Previews” or “Build 1:1 Previews”.

The Standard previews are roughly the resolution of your monitor display, so they work well for general browsing. If you want to be able to zoom in on the photos when the hard drive is disconnected, you will want to generate the 1:1 previews instead. Otherwise, for images that only have a Standard preview, zooming in will result in a preview of reduced quality due to relatively low resolution.

In the Develop module the preview for each image is generated on the fly based on the source image file and the adjustments you have applied. This is therefore the best way to review images in terms of optimal image quality. It is possible to generate Smart Previews for the images, so that you can work in the Develop module even when the hard drive is disconnected. However, this can consume considerable space on the internal hard drive, so unless there’s a compelling reason to generate Smart Previews I recommend simply connecting the hard drive when you want to work in the Develop module.

Today’s Question: I had a complete hard drive crash and had to replace the hard drive in my laptop, my photography computer. I was able to retrieve the data (via Carbonite). I am replacing the whole computer. Do I start a new Lightroom Classic catalog, or somehow copy and use the one from before the crash?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I strongly recommend recovering from the backup of your most recent Lightroom Classic catalog, rather than starting over with a new catalog, in order to preserve all of the information about your photos.

More Detail: When starting off with a new computer (or even just a new hard drive) I recommend transferring your existing Lightroom Classic catalog to that new computer or drive, rather than creating a new catalog. The only reason I would create a new catalog is if the previous catalog had been corrupted and I didn’t have a good recent backup.

If you have turned on the “Automatically write changes into XMP” checkbox on the Metadata tab of the Catalog Settings dialog in Lightroom Classic, the metadata fields represented by established metadata standards will be preserved alongside the original photos. That would include things like star ratings, keywords, and even the adjustments from the Develop module.

However, there are a variety of features that are only included in the catalog, and that would be lost if you started over with a new catalog. That includes collections, virtual copies, the History list in the Develop module, pick and reject flags, and more.

Therefore, if at all possible I highly recommend recovering from a catalog backup rather than starting with a fresh catalog. Having said that, if for some reason it was necessary to start with a new catalog you could import all existing photos into that catalog using the “Add” option. If you had the XMP option enabled, the majority of metadata for your photos would come along with those photos as part of the import process.