Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: In your opinion what is the best strategy for backing up Lightroom Classic images while keeping image edits?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I recommend using a synchronization approach to backing up your photos, and using the built-in backup feature in Lightroom Classic to backup the catalog.

More Detail: One of the most important attributes of a good backup strategy is that the backup copy of your data needs to be stored on a separate storage device from the originals. This helps protect against the loss of data due to a failure of the storage device.

By default the Lightroom Classic backup saves a copy of your catalog in a “Backups” folder within the same folder where your original catalog is stored. Therefore, I recommend either changing the location in the dialog for the catalog backup, or making sure you are using another backup to copy the catalog (and the Backups folder) to another device.

For example, if the catalog is on the internal hard drive on your computer, and you keep the catalog backups on the same drive, you’ll want to be sure you are also backing up your internal hard drive through other software. This, of course, is something you should be doing regardless.

It is important to keep in mind that the backup feature in Lightroom Classic does not backup your photos. Backing up the catalog is important, because the catalog contains the information about your photos. But it is important to also backup the photos themselves.

For backing up photos I recommend a synchronization approach, so that the backup storage is a perfect match of the master photo storage. This makes it much easier to recover from a hard drive failure or other issue that causes a loss of photos.

I use GoodSync as my synchronization backup solution, which you can learn more about here:

http://timgrey.me/greybackup

In addition, I created a video course that demonstrates my workflow for backing up my photos with GoodSync, which you can find on the GreyLearning website here:

https://timgrey.me/goodsync

Today’s Question: I shoot in raw and I have multiples of the same or almost the same images because I use exposure bracketing. As a rule of thumb, can I use the histogram in the Lightroom Classic Development module to help me in the process of selecting the best photo? By that I mean relying only on the histogram, if I choose the image that is most exposed to the right without being clipped, will I be making the right selection everything else being equal?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can use the histogram as a tool for deciding which photos to keep versus discard, all other things being equal. Just keep in mind that the histogram is not a completely accurate reflection of the original capture data.

More Detail: The histogram reflects adjustments applied to an image. That means if you make changes to the settings (such as with a preset applied at import) the histogram will reflect those changes. Furthermore, the histogram reflects the changes inherent in the default processing of the raw data by the software (such as Lightroom Classic in this case) that is rendering the preview of the image. The histogram is based on the rendered preview, and that preview will be rendered differently by different software applications.

For example, if you see a minor amount of highlight clipping on the histogram for an image you have not applied any adjustments to, that doesn’t mean detail in the highlights has necessarily been lost forever. Slightly reducing the value for Exposure or Whites, for example, would likely cause there to be no clipping at all, and not loss of detail. Just because the default interpretation of the raw capture shows some clipping doesn’t mean the detail that appears to be lost can’t be recovered.

If the clipping is significant, it is quite likely that detail has been lost in the original capture, and you won’t be able to recover it. Of course, it isn’t easy to determine whether detail was clipped completely or if that detail can be recovered. In other words, the histogram isn’t a perfectly reliable tool for evaluating which image has retained the best detail. That said, provided no adjustments have been applied to the image, the histogram can be used to select the best of a series of photos, all other things being equal. In general, you want to choose the image where the histogram shows the exposure was as bright as possible with very little clipping (or ideally no clipping at all) for the highlights in the photo.

Today’s Question: Thanks to your mention of the supermoon, I was able to get some nice photos of it. But how can you determine when the full moon will occur, and is it possible to plan in advance for where it will be visible?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There are a variety of tools that are helpful with planning photos that include the moon (or the sun), but one of my favorites is The Photographer’s Ephemeris (https://www.photoephemeris.com/tpe-for-desktop).

More Detail: The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) is available through a web browser, or as a smartphone app, and I find it invaluable for planning photos that include the moon or the sun. That includes planning for photos based on when the light will be right, even if the sun won’t be in the frame. In fact, I created a course demonstrating how I use The Photographer’s Ephemeris, which is available on the GreyLearning website with a discount included automatically if you use this link to get started:

https://timgrey.me/sunmoon

With TPE, you can plan ahead for specific celestial events. For example, when setting the date for which you want to plan, you’ll see a list of events, including phases of the moon, meteor showers, and eclipses.

Once you know the date you’ll be photographing, you can also use TPE to help plan the right location to be. For example, I’ve used TPE to choose where to photograph from when I know there will be a full moon rising around sunset. This is done through a map, with lines projected to show you the relative position of the sun or moon based on any position on the map.

Today’s Question: When using his printer tonal range target image, I would like to know whether to choose “Printer Manages Colors” vs “Photoshop Manages Color” and whether to choose Black and White or Color in the Printer dialog box.

Tim’s Quick Answer: When printing the printer tonal range target image, you should use the same settings you normally would when printing a photographic image. That generally means using the “Photoshop Manages Color” option and turning off color management in the printer settings. It also typically means setting the printer to Color rather than Black & White.

More Detail: The printer tonal range target image is something I developed for testing the tonal range capabilities of your printer, so you can apply adjustments before printing that will help ensure the print exhibits maximum highlight and shadow detail. When printing the tonal range target image, you want to use the same settings you normally would for the type of paper you’re testing with your printer. You can download the target image and learn more about how to use it on the GreyLearning blog here:

http://greylearningblog.com/printer-tonal-range-correction/

Generally speaking, I recommend using the “Photoshop Manages Colors” option when printing from Photoshop. That requires, however, that you specify a profile for the printer, ink, and paper combination you’ll be using for printing. These profiles are generally available from the manufacturer of the paper you will be using.

When using the “Photoshop Manages Colors” option, you need to select the appropriate profile from the Printer Profile popup. You also need to make sure that color management is turned off in the printer driver dialog, so that color management corrections are not being applied twice to the image you are printing.

If you don’t have a profile for the paper you’re printing to, you can instead use the “Printer Manages Colors” option, and then enable color management (and possibly color adjustments) in the printer driver settings.

In most cases I recommend setting the output to Color rather than Black & White, even if you’ll be printing a monochromatic image. You can achieve a much greater range of tonal values by allowing the printer to blend all of the colors of ink to produce a neutral print, rather than relying only on the black in (or inks) available on your printer.

You can learn more about color management (with a discount included automatically) with my “Color Management for Photographers” course, available on the GreyLearning website here:

https://www.greylearning.com/courses/color?coupon=halfcolor

Today’s Question: You recently had a discussion about lens compression issues, and that got me thinking about photographing the moon. Does lens compression have anything to do with the moon appearing larger when it is close to the horizon versus high in the sky?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The moon appearing larger when it is closer to the horizon is actually an illusion. However, you can make use of the concepts related to lens compression to capture a more dramatic photo of the moon when it is near the horizon.

More Detail: A full moon just over the horizon provides a more dramatic view than the same full moon high in the sky. In my view, the reason for this is that the context of terrestrial objects appearing near the moon cause the moon to appear larger. When the same full moon appears high overhead with a clear sky, the moon seems more solitary and thus smaller. The only thing that actually affects the size of the moon in the sky is how near to or far from earth the moon is at that moment, based on the elliptical orbit.

While the moon will be the same size regardless of how close it is to the horizon, the impression is that the moon appears larger when near the horizon. You can make the most of this effect and create a more dramatic photograph if you keep the concepts of lens compression in mind.

For a more dramatic image of the moon you will want to include a terrestrial object in the photo, such as a tree. That will provide context, making the moon appear that much larger.

Keep in mind that a scene can be compressed, so that the background appears closer to the foreground subject, by moving farther away from your foreground subject. That naturally means you will use a longer lens focal length to frame up your foreground subject in the same way even though you’ve moved farther away, which is why this effect is referred to as lens compression.

The key when it comes to photographing the moon is to frame the moon up with an object that is as far away as possible. For example, if you include a tree in the frame and that tree is very close to you, the moon will appear tiny by comparison. If, on the other hand, you frame the moon up with a tree that is a fair distance away, the moon will appear larger relative to the tree.

So, while the moon is near the horizon, look for a relatively distant object you can frame up alongside the moon, so you’ll have a more dramatic result with the moon appearing relatively large compared to that distant object.

Today’s Question: I use Lightroom Classic. I just recently made a BIG move and have been away from editing photos for 20 months. (Yikes). I know that Lightroom has been updated a few times during that period of time. I am currently using Lightroom Classic 8.0. If I go into Adobe Creative Cloud and click it shows only one Lightroom update. If I use that update will it give me all the other updates that happened along the way? The same question for Photoshop too.

Tim’s Quick Answer: In this particular case, you’ll need to install the new “major” release of each application, and then uninstall the older version. That will provide the latest version of each application, including all updates from prior minor releases.

More Detail: When you install a “minor” update to an application in the Adobe Creative Cloud, such as Lightroom Classic, the existing installation is updated. So, for example, if you had Lightroom Classic version 9.1 installed and you upgraded to version 9.2, you would still only have one version of Lightroom Classic installed.

At some point in the future, when the next “major” release of Lightroom Classic is available, it will presumably be called Lightroom 10. If you “upgrade” to that new major release, a second copy of Lightroom Classic would be installed, so you would have both Lightroom Classic 9 and 10 installed on your computer. Once the new version is installed and working properly, you could uninstall the older version.

Because you are dealing with new major releases to some of the Creative Cloud applications (including Lightroom Classic and Photoshop), you’ll want to be sure to install the latest update before removing older versions.

Within the Adobe Creative Cloud application, you can see all of the applications by selecting “All apps” toward the top-left of the window. The top section will display the Installed category, which shows the applications you have already installed. If there is an update available, you will see an “Update” button associated with the application. If the latest version is installed, you will see an “Open” button instead.

If you have an older major release installed, you will also find the new major release listed in the “Available in your subscription” section, which lists applications that are not yet installed. So, you would see Lightroom Classic 9.2 listed, as well as Photoshop. In the case of Photoshop, you want to install the 2020 version, and you probably currently have the 2019 version installed.

This same concept applies to all of the Creative Cloud applications. So for each you would want to install the latest version, and then uninstall any older major releases that are still on your computer, once you know that the new major release is installed and working properly.

Today’s Question: I have synchronization enabled in my Lightroom Mobile app on my smartphone and in Lightroom Classic on my desktop computer. A part of my preferred workflow is to capture raw images with Lightroom Mobile and transfer them to my desktop computer automatically via syncing. I would then like to delete the photos from my smartphone and retain them on my desktop computer. If I do this, will the photos that I delete from my smartphone also be automatically deleted from my desktop machine via syncing?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Once the photos have successfully synchronized to Lightroom Classic on your computer, you can safely delete them from your smartphone and they will not be deleted from your computer. However, I do recommend moving the photos to a “permanent” storage location within Lightroom Classic as part of this workflow.

More Detail: As long as synchronization is enabled in the Lightroom app on your mobile device as well as Lightroom Classic on your computer, the photos you capture using the camera feature in the Lightroom mobile app will automatically synchronize to Lightroom Classic on your computer. Those photos will appear in a folder shown below your mobile device, with that mobile device listed as though it was a hard drive within the Folders list on the left panel in the Library module.

Once the photos are shown in the applicable folder within Lightroom Classic on your computer, the source capture files will be on your local hard drive. If you then delete the captures from within Lightroom on your mobile device, the files on your computer will not be deleted.

That said, I still prefer to move the photos within Lightroom Classic to a more “permanent” folder structure within your existing workflow. So, once the photos have synchronized to your computer, you can simply drag-and-drop them to the desired folder location on the drive where you store all of your other photos.

Today’s Question: I wanted to export all my photos from Lightroom Classic as JPEG backups for posterity so that I can give each of my kids a full set. How can I best do this? I guess that I just attach an external drive, select all photos in the catalog, and “export as a JPEG” for the 220,000+ photos. And days later, it’s done?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you use the export feature in Lightroom Classic, you can’t define a folder structure, and so all photos would be exported to a single folder. Therefore, I recommend using the “Folder Publisher” plugin from Jeffrey Friedl for this type of export. You can get the info about this plugin here:

http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/folder-publisher

More Detail: When you export photos from Lightroom Classic, you can only define a single folder for that export. That means if you were trying to export copies of your entire catalog of photos, all of those photos would be placed in the same folder. The only real way you could organize the exported copies of your photos would be through file renaming. For example, you could add the date of capture at the beginning of each filename.

A better solution is to use a plugin for Lightroom Classic that enables you to maintain your existing folder structure for photos you export. The “Folder Publisher” plugin from Jeffrey Friedl enables you to do exactly that.

This plug-in essentially mimics the options available in Lightroom’s export feature, including converting to JPEG and resizing to a lower resolution. It adds, however, the ability to duplicate your existing folder structure for all of the photos you export. You could therefore export all of the photos in your entire catalog, creating JPEG copies as part of that process, and maintaining your original folder structure for the exported images.

For more information, check out Jeffrey Friedl’s blog here:

http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/folder-publisher

Today’s Question: I had dropped my external hard drive that held the Lightroom Classic catalog and photos and it was inoperable. The catalog is also on my laptop hard drive plus I had a backup of the inoperable external hard drive using Time Machine. Seagate notified me that they were finally able to retrieve the data and will send it on a new drive. Now what?! Any advice would be appreciated.

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you are able to restore from one of your backups, that would most likely be the best solution. When data is recovered from a damaged hard drive, the file and folder structure is often complete chaos compared to how the data was organized before the data recovery.

More Detail: It is obviously tremendously helpful that data can be recovered from a damaged hard drive. However, such data recovery can be quite expensive, and often results in a file and folder structure that in no way matches what the contents of the drive looked like before it was damaged.

Data recovery generally involves a rather complicated process of scanning the data storage areas of the drive multiple times. Files on a hard drive are often stored in data blocks that are not contiguous. This fragmented nature of data storage is only compounded over time as some files are deleted and other files are added. It is also quite possible that the recovered data will include duplicate copies of the original files.

Because of these issues, it is generally preferable to recover from a backup of your files, especially when it comes to the source image files.

The first thing you’ll want to do is identify the most recently updated version of your Lightroom catalog. This may be reasonably easy to find on the recovery drive, since you can search for the “lrcat” filename extension. Just be sure that all of the catalog files are intact within the folder that contains the “lrcat” file, such as the accompanying file(s) with the “lrdata” filename extension.

Once you have the latest copy of your Lightroom catalog, you can open that file with Lightroom to make sure it is working properly. At this point, of course, all of the source images will appear as missing.

The next step is to recover the source image files. If you had a recent backup, it will probably be easiest to restore from that backup, ideally to a new empty external hard drive. Make sure the new drive you restore to has the same drive letter (Windows) or volume label (Macintosh) as the original drive, and Lightroom will then be able to locate those photos on the new drive.

Depending on when the backup of your photos was performed, you may still be missing some of your photos. At this point, however, you would be able to search for those images on the recovery drive you receive as part of the data recovery process.

Today’s Question: I was in a workshop and the leader was discussing your Printer Tonal Range Target. I can’t find the Range Target download anywhere on your website. Can you help me please?

Tim’s Quick Answer: My Printer Tonal Range Target image can be used to determine the compensation required to achieve full shadow (and highlight) detail with your specific printer, ink, and paper combination. I have published a brief article about the use of my Printer Tonal Range Target image on the GreyLearning blog here:

http://greylearningblog.com/printer-tonal-range-correction/

More Detail: Even with proper use of color management in your workflow, it is possible that some detail in your image will not be visible in the final print. This generally means that details in the darkest shadow areas of an image will appear entirely black in the print, but it is also possible for detail to be lost in the brightest highlight areas of a print.

Fortunately, it is possible to test the behavior of a specific printer, ink, and paper combination using a printer target image I created. The basic process involves printing the target image with your normal color-managed workflow, and then evaluating the print.

What you want to determine is which tonal value is the darkest (or lightest) before you can no longer see detail. You can then use those values to apply an adjustment to the image before printing. That adjustment will compensate for the behavior of the printer, ink, and paper combination you are using, so you can maximize detail in the final print.

You can download my Printer Tonal Range Target image (and get additional instructions about the use of this image) on the GreyLearning blog here:

http://greylearningblog.com/printer-tonal-range-correction/