Category: Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I currently do my photo editing on a desktop iMac and use a RAID hard drive array to store my Lightroom Classic catalog and photos as well as two backups (one of which I remove and store offsite). These drives are now over five years old and I’m starting to be concerned about their future reliability. Rather than spend a considerable amount of money to replace all of the drives I was wondering whether this might be a good time to switch from Lightroom Classic to Lightroom [“cloud” version] and let Adobe take care of storage for me. Other than slower file retrieval, are there any other reasons for not moving in this direction?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I think the decision to switch to the cloud-based version of Lightroom from Lightroom Classic should take more into account than just where your photos will be stored. You’ll also need to consider issues such as folder management and backup strategy, among other considerations.

More Detail: The key difference between the cloud-based version of Lightroom and Lightroom Classic is how photos are stored. At a fundamental level, with the cloud-based version of Lightroom your primary storage is on Adobe’s servers, accessed via the Internet. With Lightroom Classic you manage your own photo storage locally, though you could employ a cloud-based storage option for those photos as well.

Another key difference is that with the cloud-based version of Lightroom you don’t have as much control or flexibility when it comes to folder structure. With Lightroom Classic you can define any folder structure you’d like on your local hard drives. With the cloud-based version of Lightroom you would use collections (albums) in the place of folders.

With the cloud-based version of Lightroom, the primary storage for all of your photos is in the cloud, which means you can access all of your photos from virtually anywhere using the Lightroom desktop app, the Lightroom mobile app, or Lightroom in a web browser. With Lightroom Classic you choose which photos to synchronize to the cloud through the use of synchronized collections.

Some photographers may prefer to let Adobe manage the storage of their photos for them. I would still highly recommend having a local backup copy of your photos in this case.

Personally, I prefer to manage my storage locally, and so I prefer Lightroom Classic. It is also worth noting that the two versions of Lightroom are different in terms of supported features. For example, Lightroom Classic includes more options for sharing your photos in a variety of ways, while the cloud-based Lightroom offers some additional features such as search based on image analysis, which can reduce the need to assign keywords to photos.

Ultimately it is up to each photographer to decide between the two versions of Lightroom based on their specific workflow needs and preferences. In my view, Lightroom Classic is still preferable over the cloud-based version of Lightroom, but with updates and changes to the cloud-based version of Lightroom, that could certainly change in the future.

Today’s Question: Is there a way in Lightroom Classic that I can find my black and white conversions and group them so that I can review just the images I’ve converted to black and white?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can filter images to display only those you have converted to black and white using the “Treatment” option for the Metadata controls on the Library Filter bar.

More Detail: There are a wide variety of ways to filter photos in Lightroom Classic, which basically amounts to a sophisticated search feature. Among those options is the ability to filter based on whether you have converted an image to black and white or kept the image in color.

The initial step in converting a photo to black and white from color in Lightroom Classic is to change the Treatment setting in the Basic section of the right panel in the Develop module to “Black & White” rather than “Color”. That is one of the options available for filtering images using the Library Filter controls.

To filter based on converting to black and white, the first step is to switch to the grid view display in the Library module, and then access the Library Filter bar. While in the grid view you can press the backslash key (\) to hide or reveal the Library Filter bar.

On the Library Filter bar you can choose the Metadata option to access the columns for various metadata criteria. You can then set one of the columns to the “Treatment” option by clicking on the heading for a column and choosing “Treatment” from the popup.

Within the Treatment column, you can then choose “Black & White” so that you will only see images that had been converted to black and white with the applicable Treatment setting in the Basic section of the right panel in the Develop module.

Today’s Question: I saw your excellent tip for correcting misspelled keywords in Lightroom Classic. But when I attempted to correct one keyword I got a message that I couldn’t make the change because the keyword with the correct spelling already existed. Is there a way to work around this problem?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In this scenario rather than correcting the misspelled keyword you’ll need to add the correctly spelled keyword to all images that have the incorrectly spelled keyword, and then delete the misspelled keyword altogether.

More Detail: Lightroom Classic makes it very easy to correct a misspelled keyword. You start by right-clicking on the keyword in the Keyword List on the right panel in the Library module and choosing “Edit Keyword Tag” from the popup menu. You can then correct the spelling of the keyword, and click the Save button. Not only will the keyword be updated on the Keyword List, but it will also be updated in the metadata for all images that included the misspelled keyword.

However, if you have two spellings for the same keyword, you won’t be able to simply correct the misspelled keyword. Instead, you’ll need to add the correct keyword to the affected images, and then delete the misspelled keyword.

To get started, hover your mouse over the keyword that is misspelled on the Keyword List. Then click the right-pointing arrow to the right of the keyword to set a filter so you will only be viewing photos that have the misspelled keyword applied to them. Then switch to the grid view display by pressing the letter “G” on the keyboard, so you can update multiple photos.

Next, choose Edit > Select All from the menu to select all of the photos with the misspelled keyword. Then, on the Keyword List, click the checkbox to the left of the correctly spelled keyword to add that keyword to all of the photos. Once you’ve added the correctly spelled keyword to the images, you can right-click on the misspelled keyword and choose Delete from the popup menu, in order to delete that keyword. The result will be that the misspelled keyword will have been replaced with the correctly spelled keyword for the affected images.

Today’s Question: Do you feel it is safe to upgrade to the latest Macintosh “Big Sur” operating system? Do the Adobe applications work with this new version?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I do not recommend upgrading to the new “Big Sur” version of the Macintosh operating system, at least until there is an updated bug fix for the current version. However, the key Adobe applications are compatible with this new operating system version.

More Detail: The “Big Sur” version of the Macintosh operating system represents a rather significant update, but it is also an update that has been reported to have quite a few stability and compatibility issues.

One of the major updates in this new version of the operating system is support for Apple’s new M1 chip. Some of the newest computers from Apple make use of this processor rather than the Intel processors that had been in use for prior computer models. This introduces some additional compatibility issues for applications. Adobe has indicated, for example, that their applications will not natively support the M1 chip until 2021.

The issue of the M1 chip is only a factor if you buy one of the new computers with this chip. However, the Big Sur update also creates some concerns about stability and compatibility.

I highly recommend waiting at least until there is a bug fix release for the Big Sur operating system before upgrading. I also recommend confirming compatibility for the software and devices you will be using to ensure you won’t run into any issues there.

In short, I suggest not being in any particular rush to upgrade, so you can avoid the frustration of stability and compatibility issues.

You can read details of Adobe’s support for the MacOS Big Sur operating system here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/macos-big-sur.html

Today’s Question: With reference to your latest eNewsletter: I currently use Apple’s Time Machine as my backup. Is that a good substitute for Goodsync?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I do not consider Time Machine to be an ideal backup solution in the context of recovering from a hard drive failure. Rather, I see Time Machine as an excellent tool for recovering files that have been accidentally deleted, as well as for transitioning to a new computer with minimal difficulty.

More Detail: Time Machine is a backup tool built into the Macintosh operating system, and with Time Machine it is very easy to maintain a backup of your data. However, in my view GoodSync is superior to Time Machine when it comes to recovering from a failed hard drive.

If you only backed up with Time Machine, recovering from a backup when a primary drive fails involves a recovery process that can require considerable time depending on the amount of data that had been on the drive that failed. With GoodSync or other synchronization backup solutions, recovery is as simple as either changing the drive letter (for Windows) or volume label (for Macintosh) so that the path to the backup drive matches the path to the failed drive.

Time Machine does make it easy (though not necessarily quick) to migrate your data from one computer to another computer. But to me the most valuable aspect of Time Machine is how easy it is to recover a file that has been accidentally deleted or otherwise lost.

For example, let’s assume you had an important file in the Documents folder on your computer. Three days ago, you accidentally deleted that file, but you didn’t realize it until today. With Time Machine you can navigate to the Documents folder, then navigate to a date three days ago, and then copy the “lost” file back to your Documents folder.

So, I highly recommend that Macintosh users employ Time Machine to backup their computer. But for backing up photos and other important data, I consider GoodSync to be a better solution.

Of course, when it comes to backing up your data, being paranoid can be a good thing. That’s why I use both GoodSync and Time Machine to backup my data, with each providing unique advantages.

If you’re interested in using GoodSync to backup your photos and other important data, you can get a discounted subscription to GoodSync for a limited time by using this link to get started:

https://timgrey.me/goodsyncoffer

Today’s Question: I appreciate your continuing advice on using various backup devices and services. I’m just starting out with a backup plan so up until now I’ve simply been copying files to an external drive. I’m looking for advice on how to back up that external drive that I have been using for a backup before I start doing anything else. What do you recommend?

Tim’s Quick Answer: To have two backup copies of the primary drive, I recommend creating both of those backups from the primary drive, rather than duplicating the first backup to the second. I also highly recommend using software such as GoodSync (https://timgrey.me/goodsyncoffer) for this backup process.

More Detail: You could certainly create two backups of a primary drive by first backing up the primary drive to a backup drive, and then backing up the first backup drive to the second backup drive. In general there is no problem with this, but I prefer to create both backup copies based on the primary drive.

Part of the reason for this is that whenever possible, I recommend storing two backup drives in separate locations. So, for example, you might keep the first backup drive at home, and the second backup drive at the office or other location, swapping the two drives as needed to update the backup for each on a regular basis.

I also highly recommend using software specifically designed for backing up photos. My personal preference is to use GoodSync software for this purpose. One of the key benefits of GoodSync is that it creates a backup copy that is an exact match of the source data.

This makes it very easy to recover when the primary hard drive fails. You can simply use a backup drive in place of the primary drive (updating the drive letter on Windows or volume label on Macintosh to match the original primary drive). Of course, in this scenario you would also want to create an additional backup copy as soon as possible.

For a limited time you can get a discounted subscription rate on the GoodSync backup software I use and recommend by using this link to get started:

https://timgrey.me/goodsyncoffer

Today’s Question: I was intrigued to see you answer a question about deleting photos in Lightroom Classic, since my understanding is that you don’t generally delete photos. Is that still your practice?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I still delete very few photos in my workflow. When there are photos I want to delete I use a workflow in Lightroom Classic that involves flagging the images with a Reject flag, and then deleting all rejected photos at once.

More Detail: There have generally been two reasons I tend not to delete very many photos. The first is that I don’t want to risk regretting that I no longer have a particular photo. Sometimes, for example, even an out-of-focus photo can document a memorable experience.

The second reason I’ve generally not deleted photos is that doing so had felt like it was interrupting my workflow for reviewing photos. However, with Lightroom Classic I have a streamlined way of dealing with photos I want to delete.

While reviewing images, I use star ratings to identify favorites, which can be assigned in Lightroom Classic with the number keys on the keyboard, with 1 through 5 assigning the applicable number of stars, and 0 (zero) removing the star rating.

During that process it is very simple to press the “X” key on the keyboard to assign a Reject flag to any photo I feel should be deleted. Later, after reviewing all of the photos from a given trip, for example, I can review all of the photos that have a Reject flag assigned to them. If I change my mind and decide one of those photos shouldn’t be deleted, I can select the image and press the “U” key on the keyboard to unflag the image.

Once I’ve decided I really do want to delete the photos with a Reject flag, I can navigate to the folder where I want to delete the rejected photos, and then go to the menu and choose Photo > Delete Rejected Photos. In the confirmation dialog, I recommend clicking the “Delete from Disk” button, so that the photos will both be removed from the Lightroom Classic catalog and also removed from the hard drive. In other words, to me there’s no reason to have the photos taking up space on the hard drive if they’re not being managed within your catalog.

So, I don’t delete very many photos in general (though I’ve contemplated re-evaluating this approach), but when I do I prefer to make use of a workflow that involves assigning a Reject flag to the photos I want to delete, and then deleting them in batch when I’m finished with my review.

Today’s Question: I would love to “cull” images in the Develop module [in Lightroom Classic] but have not figured out how to “delete from computer” without going to the Library module. Is there something I am missing?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can indeed delete photos from any of the modules in Lightroom Classic, except for the Book module for some reason. However, the keyboard shortcut won’t always work for deleting photos, in which case you can right-click on a photo and choose “Remove Photo” from the popup menu.

More Detail: To delete a selected photo (or photos) in Lightroom Classic you can generally just press the Delete key on the keyboard and then click the “Delete from Disk” button in the confirmation dialog. However, there are some circumstances where this keyboard shortcut won’t work.

For example, in the Develop module, if you have an adjustment active so that you can type in the numeric value for a given adjustment, pressing the Delete key will delete numbers from that field rather than being taken as a request to delete the currently selected photo.

In addition, pressing Delete in the Map module will cause you to be prompted if you want to remove GPS coordinates from the metadata for the image, rather than allowing you to delete the image.

So, when you find the Delete key on the keyboard isn’t giving you the option to delete a photo, you can right click on the photo and choose “Remove Photo” from the popup.

Today’s Question: This is a question concerning backup while traveling. My camera has two card slots. I’m going on a 2-week trip without a computer and no access to the internet. Besides having the same photos written to both cards, I’m thinking about buying a WD My Passport Wireless Pro for backup. What do you think?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I would recommend taking a look at the GNARBOX 2.0 SSD rugged backup drive (https://bhpho.to/2IjMQOD). This drive enables you do copy photos directly from an SD memory card, offers excellent performance in part because it is an SSD drive rather than a traditional hard drive, and is water, dust, and shock resistant.

More Detail: While the WD My Passport Wireless (https://bhpho.to/3leisDE) provides a possible solution for downloading photos without a computer, I’ve seen an increasing number of negative reviews indicating problems with this device. The primary advantage of the My Passport Wireless over the GNARBOX recommended above is that the My Passport is considerably less expensive.

To be fair, since this device will be used to create a third copy of your photos in addition to the two copies on the cards in the camera, one could argue that you could compromise on the reliability of the hard drive. However, my feeling is that it is best to not compromise when it comes to backing up your photos.

In particular, I feel it is important to have an additional backup when you’re otherwise only using two cards in the camera for both primary and backup storage. If something were to happen to the camera, for example, you could lose all copies of your photos. Therefore, and additional separate backup device makes sense. And when traveling without a computer, that means a storage device that you can download photos to directly without the need for a computer.

The GNARBOX device is not inexpensive, though that is in large part due to employing SSD storage. There are options for 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, with the 1TB model selling for about US$900. However, the combination of features makes this a storage option that I think is perfectly suited to traveling with a camera but without a computer.

You can learn more about the GNARBOX here:

https://bhpho.to/2IjMQOD

Today’s Question: After opening a raw image in Photoshop I choose Layer > Duplicate Layer from the menu. I have been doing this routinely thinking it helped to preserve the original image. Is there any value to doing this?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In my view it is not necessary to create a copy of the Background image layer in Photoshop unless and until you need to perform work that requires such a layer. Creating a copy of the Background copy will double the base file size of the image, possibly without a real benefit depending on your workflow.

More Detail: I am an advocate for a non-destructive workflow in Photoshop (or any image-processing software). That can translate into a variety of different things, depending on the task being performed in Photoshop.

For adjustments, I recommend using an adjustment layer unless the type of adjustment you want to apply isn’t available as an adjustment layer (such a with the Shadows/Highlights adjustment). For image cleanup I recommend applying the cleanup on a new empty image layer, unless the cleanup tool you’re using (such as the Patch tool) doesn’t enable you to work across multiple layers to place the cleanup pixels onto an empty image layer.

In situations where it isn’t possible to apply the intended effect with an adjustment layer or work on an empty image layer, then you’ll generally need to make a copy of the Background image layer (or another layer such as with a composite image). In those cases, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to create a copy of the full layer.

However, duplicating a layer also increases file size. For an image that only consists of a Background image layer, duplicating that layer doubles the size of the file on your hard drive. So, in general I don’t recommend duplicating a layer unless doing so is necessary. This requires, of course, that you use a layer-based non-destructive workflow, and that you are careful to make sure you have the correct layer selected at all times on the Layers panel.