Best Tripod for Cold Weather

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Today’s Question: I’ve heard that a carbon fiber tripod is better for use in cold weather compared to an aluminum tripod. Is this true?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, an aluminum tripod will transmit the cold more than a carbon fiber tripod, which can make handling a tripod in cold weather more uncomfortable. But there are a variety of simple ways to work around this.

More Detail: Both aluminum and carbon fiber tripods can be used in cold weather very effectively. However, it can be more comfortable to handle a carbon fiber tripod in the cold because the tripod itself won’t get as cold to the touch as an aluminum tripod.

An obvious solution would be to simply wear gloves when it is cold. That’s a good idea in general, but of course wearing gloves can make it more difficult to handle a tripod and adjust camera settings. As a result, you’ll probably find yourself without gloves for at least a brief period of time when photographing in the cold.

Another great solution is to use leg wraps for your tripod. This can be helpful to avoid directly touching the metal legs of an aluminum tripod, and also makes the tripod more comfortable if you rest it on your shoulder. I recommend the LensCoat LegCoat Wraps, which you can find here (just be sure to get the right size for your specific tripod):

https://timgrey.me/legwraps

White Balance for Blue Hour

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Today’s Question: What should the white balance be set to in the camera for blue hour photography?

Tim’s Quick Answer: While you can simply leave the white balance setting to “Auto” if you are using a raw capture format, in general I recommend using a white balance setting of around 4,000 to 5,000 Kelvin for blue hour photography. This will generally correspond to the “Fluorescent” white balance preset on many cameras.

More Detail: If you use the Auto option for white balance the camera attempts to compensate for the color of light illuminating the scene you are photographing. This can lead to colors that are not as rich as they otherwise would be, such as a more neutral appearance in photos that are captured at blue hour.

If you are using your camera’s raw capture format, this effect of the Auto white balance setting isn’t a significant problem, since you can always refine the white balance value in post-processing. However, using a value that is closer to the final setting you’ll likely use will ensure a better image preview on the camera, and will also ensure more accurate color for non-raw captures.

The specific value for white balance that will produce ideal color will vary with the timing of your blue hour photography. For photos captured relatively soon after sunset, for example, the light will have a warmer tint, and so you’ll likely want a white balance setting closer to 5,000 Kelvin. Photos captured a little later during blue hour may benefit from a setting closer to 4,000 Kelvin.

In general, as noted above, using the Fluorescent preset for white balance will generally provide good results in terms of color. You can also dial in a custom white balance setting based on a Live View preview on your camera’s LCD display. And, of course, for raw captures you can always fine-tune as needed after the capture, with no penalty in terms of image quality.

Storage Transition with Lightroom Classic

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Today’s Question: Say you clone a hard drive to a new one with higher capacity and give the new one the same name as the old drive. Will Lightroom see the files and folders on the new drive properly? That is, the same as it did with the first drive?

Tim’s Quick Answer: As long as the overall path (hard drive identifier and folder structure) remain the same from the original hard drive to the replacement hard drive, Lightroom Classic will be able to keep track of the source photos without any difficulty as part of this overall transition.

More Detail: Lightroom Classic keeps track of your source photos based on the storage location for those photos. This is why it is very important that if you want to move or rename your photos or folders that you do that work within Lightroom Classic.

Of course, if you’re going to be transitioning to a larger hard drive, you may not want to move the photos to the new drive within Lightroom Classic. Instead, you may prefer to copy the photos from the source drive to the new drive, such as with synchronization software like GoodSync (http://timgrey.me/greybackup).

As long as the path to the photos on the new drive is a perfect match to the original drive, Lightroom Classic won’t be confused, and your workflow won’t be interrupted. First, that means making sure that you’re duplicating the folders and photos from one drive to the other with the same overall structure.

Second, you’ll want to make sure that the hard drive itself has the same name. For Macintosh users that means the volume label of the new drive should match the old drive. You can change that volume label by right-clicking on the hard drive and choosing the option to rename. For Windows users you’ll want to change the drive letter for the new drive to match the previous drive using the Disk Management utility.

Planning for the Moon

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Today’s Question: When I have tried to plan a photo that includes the moon, I am always puzzled about selecting the best time for it. Do I photograph at dawn or dusk? And on the day of a full moon or the day before or the day after? Do you choose the time when the sun and moon will rise and set closest to each other? Or select some potential foregrounds and then decide based on the direction you will be facing and how high the effective horizon is?

Tim’s Quick Answer: When planning a photo that includes the moon you’ll often want to prioritize the position of the moon relative to a foreground subject. Secondary considerations that may cause you to alter your plan would include the impact of weather conditions, the convenience of timing, and of course possibly having more than one option in case things don’t go entirely to plan.

More Detail: I use (and highly recommend) the PhotoPills app for iOS and Android mobile devices for planning various aspects of photography, including planning photos that include the sun or moon.

Let’s assume, for example, you want to plan a photo that will include the full moon in the frame. You could photograph the full moon around moonrise or moonset, but each will provide different conditions.

For example, when the full moon is rising in the east and setting in the west, there’s a good chance that one or the other will provide a better foreground subject to include with the full moon. Having said that, it is also possible that you could find different subjects to photograph with the full moon for both moonrise and moonset.

In addition, weather can play a key role in the success of this type of photography. So, if moonrise and moonset are both a good option, I’d tend to try to photograph at both times just in case the weather doesn’t cooperate for one (or both) of those opportunities.

Finally, you may want to consider convenience. If the days are very long, such as in the summer at northern latitudes, the moonrise might be very late, and the moonset might be very early. That may create a challenge in terms of timing, especially if you’d like to get some sleep as well.

So, in general I recommend trying to plan for more than one potential opportunity. If the conditions seem nearly perfect for all options, then I’d favor the timing that is closest to the true full moon. But after weighing the various options, when in doubt I try to take advantage of more than one option in the hopes of getting the best combination of conditions to create a great photo.

Moving Metadata with Photos

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Today’s Question: If I move image files from one folder to another within Lightroom Classic, how can I also move an XMP file associated with that image file to the new location? Or does the moving the image file automatically move the associated XMP file along with it?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you move a raw capture from one folder to another within Lightroom Classic, the XMP file associated with that raw capture will be moved along with the raw capture.

More Detail: By default, when you update metadata for a photo in Lightroom Classic, the updates are only applied within the catalog, not for the source photos on your hard drive. However, you can save metadata to selected photos manually by going to the menu bar and choosing Metadata > Save Metadata to File. You can also have these updates applied automatically by turning on the “Automatically write changes into XMP” checkbox on the Metadata tab of the Catalog Settings dialog.

Keep in mind that the XMP sidecar file associated with raw captures can only store standard metadata fields along with Develop module adjustments. So, while the XMP file won’t contain all the information about your photos from the Lightroom Classic catalog, it does provide a good backup of the key information about your photos.

If you move a raw capture within Lightroom Classic (or via Adobe Bridge if you’re not a Lightroom Classic user) the XMP sidecar file will be moved along with the source raw capture. In effect, both Lightroom Classic and Adobe Bridge treat a raw and the associated XMP file as a package that always needs to be moved together. Note that for file formats other than proprietary raw captures, the metadata is saved to the image file itself, not an XMP sidecar file.

It is also important to keep in mind that while Lightroom Classic and Bridge will treat a raw capture and the XMP sidecar file as a pair that belong together, the same is not true for other software or the operating system. Therefore, it is important to use Lightroom Classic or Adobe Bridge rather than other software to move or otherwise make changes to photos. And, of course, if you’re using Lightroom Classic you should only use Lightroom Classic to initiate such changes, not Adobe Bridge.

Export and Add to Catalog

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Today’s Question: When exporting some photos I was going to share online I noticed an option I hadn’t seen before, which enables you to add the exported photos back to the catalog. Since the original photos are in the catalog, why would I want to add the exported copies to the catalog?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In general, I recommend that you not add photos that are exported from Lightroom Classic back to your catalog. The only situations where I recommend adding exported photos to the catalog is when you want to be able to manage derivative images, such as copies of source photos used to produce prints at varying sizes.

More Detail: When you export a photo from Lightroom Classic you are making a copy based on the source photo. That exported copy will include, for example, any adjustments you applied in the Develop module. You can also resize the image to specific dimensions during export, such as when you want to create a lower-resolution copy of an image to share online, or when you want to resize for a specific printed output size.

There is also an option to add the exported copy of the image to the catalog by turning on the “Add to This Catalog” checkbox in the Export Location section of the Export dialog. Keep in mind that enabling this option will add the image to the catalog based on the location where the exported image is created, which is often a folder location other than where the source image is stored.

For example, if you export an image to a folder on the desktop within your operating system so it is convenient to locate the file and put it to use. If the image had been added back to the catalog as part of the export process, this folder on the desktop would be reflected within your catalog.

Of course, that also means that if you delete the image or folder from the desktop, it will appear as a missing photo within your Lightroom Classic catalog. And having a derivative copy of a photo in the catalog along with the source image can create a bit of clutter that can lead to confusion about which image you should be using for a given purpose.

So, my general preference and recommendation is to not add photos back to the catalog when exporting a copy of the source photo. Instead, I prefer to return to the source image whenever I need to create a derivative copy. But again, in some cases it may be helpful to manage derivative images within your catalog in addition to the source image. Just be careful not to let that approach lead to confusion due to having more than one copy of the same image in your catalog.

Adobe Color Tool

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Today’s Question: I used Color Themes in Photoshop to get exact complementary colors in my images. Now that Adobe has removed the Color Themes panel is there a work around?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can use the online Adobe Color tool (https://color.adobe.com) to create, locate, and save combinations of colors, including complementary colors that are opposites of each other.

More Detail: I don’t have any insights into why Adobe has discontinued support for the Color Themes panel in Photoshop, but fortunately the same basic feature set is still available in the online Adobe Color tool (https://color.adobe.com). Of course, this online tool requires an internet connection, which can create a slight challenge in some cases.

To create your own color sets, navigate to the Create tab in the Adobe Color tool. You can also use the Explore tab (and the Trends tab) to find color combinations that have been defined by others. In the case of exact opposite colors, you can select the Complementary option on the left side of the Create tab.

Other color relationships can be explored as well, such as the Triad option that involve three colors in a complementary arrangement. Once you’ve selected the color harmony you want to focus on, you can use the color wheel control or the sliders below to define color relationships. When you have found a color combination you like, the Save option enables you to save the color definitions in your library as part of your Creative Cloud subscription.

If you save color combinations using the Adobe Color tool, those saved colors will appear on the Libraries panel in Photoshop, which you can access by choosing Window > Libraries from the menu.

The Adobe Color tool can be helpful for a variety of scenarios. For example, if you’re adding text or graphic elements to a photo you may want to use a specific color relationship in the context of those colors. In addition, getting more familiar with the relationships between colors in general can help you recognize color combinations that can be more compelling in your photography.

Preserving a Raw Capture

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Today’s Question: When I want to preserve a virtual copy, I send it to Photoshop from Lightroom Classic and save it as a TIFF file. I assume this is the only way to preserve a virtual copy when the original raw capture is deleted?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Creating a derivative image based on a virtual copy from Lightroom Classic enables you to preserve that virtual copy, even if the source capture is deleted. That includes sending the virtual copy to Photoshop to create a derivative image or exporting a copy of the image.

More Detail: Today’s question was in response to a recent answer about virtual copies, which discussed the fact that if you delete an original raw capture from Lightroom Classic, any virtual copies that had previously been created based on that original capture will also be deleted.

If you want to preserve a virtual copy beyond your Lightroom Classic catalog, you’ll need to create a derivative image based on the virtual copy.

As noted in today’s question, one way you can do that is to send the virtual copy to Photoshop using the Photo > Edit In command. This will create a derivative image in either the TIFF or Photoshop PSD file format, depending on the setting you have established on the External Editing tab of the Preferences dialog in Lightroom Classic. That derivative image would then also be included in the catalog for Lightroom Classic.

You could also export the virtual copy from Lightroom Classic, creating a derivative image as part of the process. This could be a TIFF or PSD file for example, but it could also be in the form of a copy of the original raw capture. If you export a virtual copy based on a raw capture and use the “Original” option for the file format setting when exporting, you’ll be creating a copy of the raw capture. Along with that raw capture, however, will be an XMP “sidecar” file that includes the standard metadata as well as the Develop module adjustments for the image.

The raw capture could then be imported into a Lightroom Classic catalog, or opened with Camera Raw in Photoshop, and the previous adjustments would be included.

Types of Backups

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Today’s Question: Over the years I have used several different backup approaches, but more recently everything is backed up via Time Machine through my iMac desktop. Can you comment on the differences between Time Machine and other backup options you’ve recommended?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The key difference in Time Machine compared to the synchronization backup solution I prefer (http://timgrey.me/greybackup) is how the data will be recovered in the event of a failure. Time Machine requires a little more effort when it comes to recovering large amounts of data, while a synchronization backup provides a backup that is easier to recover from.

More Detail: One of the key advantages of a synchronization backup, such as the GoodSync software (http://timgrey.me/greybackup) that I use, is that the backup is an exact copy of the original. This makes recovering from a data loss much faster and easier.

For example, my primary photo storage is on an external hard drive. I use GoodSync to back up that photos drive to a backup drive (and a second backup as well). The result is that the file and folder structure on the backup drive is an exact match compared to the primary photo storage drive. So, if my photo drive fails, I can simply make sure that the volume label (on Macintosh) or drive letter (on Windows) matches that which had been in use for the primary drive.

With Time Machine you would generally need to go through a restore process in order to recover the files that had been lost. This would require additional time, in part because you would need to copy photos from the Time Machine drive to a replacement drive for the original that failed.

I still consider Time Machine to be an excellent backup solution, just not as a primary backup solution for photos. With Time Machine, for example, you can go back and find earlier versions of files, which can be very helpful if you had accidentally deleted files or made unintended changes to files.

I use Time Machine as a backup of the internal hard drive on my computer. I then use GoodSync (http://timgrey.me/greybackup) to back up my photo and other data storage on external hard drives. I also use an online backup (https://timgrey.me/onlinebackup) to provide an additional layer of offsite backup storage for my photos and other important files.

Bit Depth for Final Image

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Today’s Question: If I have a 16-bit file that is flattened (the original layered file being saved in 16-bit mode) and I want to save storage space, is there any image degradation if I convert it to 8-bit mode?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There is some degree of image degradation when converting from 16-bit per channel to 8-bit per channel. However, from a practical perspective this is not a significant concern unless you’ll be applying relatively strong adjustments to that 8-bit image, or the image had been converted to black and white.

More Detail: The bit depth for an image determines the total number of tonal and color values available for the image. For most typical photographic workflows, the benefits of working in the 16-bit per channel mode are largely theoretical. However, there are situations where that higher bit depth can be helpful, and so I do recommend working in 16-bit per channel mode for your master image files.

One of the key risks of an 8-bit per channel image is posterization, which results in the loss of smooth gradations of tone or color in an image. For example, a sky that should appear as a smooth gradation of blue may instead have a banded appearance.

In most cases, with a properly exposed photo and relatively modest adjustments, the risk of posterization is relatively low. However, for monochromatic images (black and white for example) or when strong adjustments are required, the risk of posterization can be very real.

So, first and foremost I recommend retaining the original master image in the 16-bit per channel mode. If you’re going to create a flattened copy of that image, and it is a full-color image that you don’t intend to apply any further adjustments to, then converting that flattened copy to 8-bit per channel mode is perfectly reasonable. Doing so, by the way, will reduce the file size for the image by half.

For images that you may still need to apply strong adjustments to, and for monochrome images in particular, I recommend keeping the image in the 16-bit per channel mode. This will help minimize the risk of posterization for the image, especially if you’ll be using a print workflow that supports 16-bit per channel data, for example.