Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I have a photo where the sky is a bit lacking in color, and I would like to use a gradient in Photoshop to add some color. But since the Gradient tool requires me to select use two colors, my entire image gets covered up by the gradient. Is there a way to make only half of a gradient, so I don’t need to use a layer mask to hide part of the gradient?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can actually define a gradient that transitions from sky blue to transparency, enabling you to use the Gradient tool to add color to the sky without altering the rest of the photo.

More Detail: The Gradient tool in Photoshop is often used to draw a gradient that transitions from one color to another, for a total of two colors with a smooth gradation in between. It is also possible to define a gradient that includes multiple colors for a more complex result. In addition, it is possible to include transparency as part of a gradient.

There are two basic settings you’ll need to use with the Gradient tool in Photoshop to draw a gradient that transitions from a color to transparency. The first step (after selecting the Gradient tool) is to choose the “Foreground to Transparent” preset from the popup toward the left end of the Options bar. The “Foreground to Transparent” preset is the second option on this popup, right after the “Foreground to Background” preset.

Also, you’ll need to be sure that the “Transparency” checkbox is turned on. This checkbox can be found at the far right of the controls on the Options bar.

Once you have configured the Gradient tool to include transparency, you can define the color you want your gradation to start with. The foreground color is used for the “Foreground to Transparent” preset, so you can simply define the desired foreground color to configure your gradient. To do so, click the color swatch associated with the foreground color near the bottom of the toolbox. In the Color Picker dialog that appears you can select the desired foreground color.

Once you’ve configured the Gradient tool and selected the desired foreground color, you can create a new empty image layer to use as the destination for your gradient, and then click and drag across the image to draw that gradient. In this type of scenario you may also find it helpful to use the Color (or Color Burn) blend mode, which can be selected from the popup toward the top-left of the Layers panel.

Today’s Question: Am I missing something, or should I be able to lock the zoom for my lens at any focal length? Why does the lens only lock when it is at the shortest focal length? I think it would be helpful to be able to lock at the longest focal length, or anywhere in between.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Most zoom lenses only lock at the shortest focal length, in large part so the lens can be stored more safely without the risk of the lens extending or contracting. However, there are some zoom lenses that enable you to lock the zoom at any focal length.

More Detail: Many zoom lenses don’t have a locking mechanism at all, and most of those that do have a locking mechanism only allow you to lock the lens at the shortest focal length (the smallest overall size for the lens). This can help protect the lens in storage or in transit. I find this to be most useful when I’m carrying a camera and lens using a camera strap, and I don’t want the zoom lens to extend while I’m walking around.

Of course, a lens locked at the shortest focal length doesn’t provide as much utility as we might hope for. Being able to lock at any focal length could help prevent “lens creep”, for example, with lenses that are a little loose especially when pointed downward toward a subject.

However, some lenses do enable you to lock the zoom at any focal length. For example, I’ve been using the Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens somewhat extensively during my current travels (Nikon version here: https://amzn.to/2pVGZ5C, and Canon version here: https://amzn.to/2GNPUzW).

This lens is an example of one that enables you to lock the zoom at any focal length. In fact, there are two locking mechanism. There is of course the “normal” lock that keeps the lens secured at the shortest focal length. In addition, however, you can lock the zoom at any setting by sliding the zoom barrel forward. When you want to shift the lens to a different zoom setting, simply slide that barrel backward again to unlock.

There are other lenses that incorporate this same feature, and I do find it helpful in a variety of situations. That said, I have found that a relatively small number of zoom lenses actually incorporate this clever option that enables you to lock the zoom at any focal length setting.

Today’s Question: Are there other Photoshop filters that behave the same way as the Oil Paint filter [in terms of the limitations addressed in the last to editions of the Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter]?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There are a handful of filters that have similar limitations, such as only working with RGB images, not working with 16-bit per channel images, or having certain display adapter requirements. However, that list of filters is relatively short.

More Detail: If you don’t have a supported display adapter or have turned off the “Use Graphics Processor” checkbox on the Performance page of the Preferences dialog, a handful of filters will not be available. That includes the Oil Paint filter mentioned above, as well as the Flame, Picture Frame, Tree, and Lighting Effects filters.

Additional filters that do not support CMYK images include the 3D and Video filter submenus, and the Lens Flare filter.

In addition, the Extrude, Tiles, and Wind filters (found on the Stylize submenu where the Oil Paint filter is found) only support 8-bit per channel images.

I’m sure there are some other variations in terms of system configuration or image modes that I’ve not addressed here. But the above filters represent the limitations I am aware of. As you can see, the affected filters are relatively few in number. I think it would also be fair to say that the filters with these limitations are not the most commonly used filters in Photoshop, which I suspect is part of the reason that they have not yet been updated with broader support. Note that some of this support also has a significant impact in terms of overall performance, such as with support for higher bit depths.

Today’s Question: It might have changed, but I used to not be able to run the Oil Paint filter [in Photoshop] when my graphics card didn’t support OpenCL.  Once I replaced my graphics card with one that supported OpenCL, the Oil Paint filter was no longer grayed out.

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Oil Paint filter in Photoshop does indeed require specific capabilities from the display adapter (graphics card) in your computer. If you don’t have a supported display adapter (or if you have turned off the “Use Graphics Processor” checkbox in the Preferences dialog), the Oil Paint filter will be disabled.

More Detail: This is a follow-up to yesterday’s Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter, and as you can see it isn’t actually a question. One of the things I appreciate most about my “Ask Tim Grey” community of photographers is that if I make a mistake (or leave out an important point) I will very likely hear about it from one or more readers.

This is a great example of this benefit. Yesterday I mentioned some of the conditions for using the Oil Paint filter in Photoshop, such as working with an RGB image and selecting an image layer (rather than adjustment layer, for example). However, the Oil Paint filter also requires certain capabilities from the display adapter.

If the display adapter in your computer is not supported, the Oil Paint filter will be disabled on the Filter > Stylize menu. Replacing your display adapter with a compatible model will cause the Oil Paint filter to once again be enabled.

In addition, if you have turned off the “Use Graphics Processor” checkbox on the Performance page of the Preferences dialog in Photoshop, the Oil Paint filter will be disabled. Turning off the “Use Graphics Processor” checkbox is a common troubleshooting step. If Photoshop seems to be acting odd or crashing somewhat frequently, turning off this checkbox may help. However, doing so will also disable the Oil Paint filter, along with some other features of Photoshop.

So, if you find that you’re not able to access the Oil Paint filter with an image that should support the use of this filter, you might confirm that your display adapter is supported, and that the “Use Graphics Processor” checkbox is turned on in the Preferences dialog.

Today’s Question: How do I turn on the Oil Paint filter in Photoshop? Almost everything else is highlighted for use except the Oil Painting when I go to Stylize under the Filter menu.

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Oil Paint filter in Photoshop can operate on image layers for RGB images in the 32-bit per channel (for HDR images, for example), 16-bit per channel, or 8-bit per channel mode. As long as those conditions are met, the filter will be available by choosing Filter > Stylize > Oil Paint from the menu.

More Detail: While the Oil Paint filter in Photoshop can be used with most typical images, there are a couple of limitations for working with this filter. When the applicable conditions aren’t met, the Oil Paint filter will appear disabled (dimmed) on the Filter > Stylize submenu.

First, I would make sure you are working in the RGB color mode. If, for example, you had converted an image to the CMYK color mode, you won’t be able to apply the Oil Paint filter. If you are working with a Grayscale image, you can convert to the RGB mode by choosing Image > Mode > RGB Color from the menu. If you are working with a CMYK version of your image, I recommend returning to the source image to create a new RGB interpretation.

Next, make sure you have selected an image layer (rather than an adjustment layer) before attempting to select the Oil Paint filter from the menu. In fact, I recommend either creating a new “stamp visible” layer at the top of the Layers stack, or creating a flattened copy of the master image, before applying the Oil Paint filter.

You can create a “stamp visible” layer (essentially a flattened copy of your image above all of the existing layers) by first clicking on the thumbnail for the top-most layer on the Layers panel. Then hold the Ctrl+Alt+Shift keys on Windows, or the Command+Option+Shift keys on Macintosh. While holding those keys, first press the “N” key to create a new layer, and then press the “E” key to create a “stamp visible” version of the image on that layer.

You could also choose Image > Duplicate from the menu to create a new copy of the current image. In the Duplicate Image dialog you can turn on the “Duplicate Merged Layers Only” checkbox so the copy you create will be flattened, with the layered image remaining open in Photoshop.

With either of these approaches, you can apply the Oil Paint filter either to the “stamp visible” layer you created at the top of the Layers panel stack, or to the flattened copy of the image. Again, as noted above, in either of these cases the image would still need to be in the RGB color mode.

Today’s Question: What is the difference between the “Label” and “Title” metadata fields?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The “Label” metadata field is actually intended for a color label, and the “Title” field is intended as something of a very brief caption, literally serving as a title that briefly describes the image.

More Detail: While you might reasonably assume that the “Label” metadata field could be used to provide a text description of an image. However, this field is actually used as the Color Label. In many photo-management applications you can add a word to the Label field that defines the color of the label to be assigned. Of course, in most cases the word to be added to this field is populated automatically by the software you’re using when you use the built-in feature to assign a color label to a photo.

The “Title” field is defined as part of the IPTC metadata standard as follows:

“A shorthand reference for the digital image. Title provides a short human readable name which can be a text and/or numeric reference. It is not the same as Headline.”

In other words, the “Title” field is essentially a very brief caption. Note that the Title is intended to be used differently from the “Headline” field. The “Headline” field is defined as follows:

“A brief synopsis of the caption. Headline is not the same as Title.”

What all of this boils down to is that the “Description” field is intended to represent what you might think of as the longest form of a caption for the image. The “Headline” field is a medium length form of a caption, and the “Title” field is the shortest form of a caption. In some cases, for example, the filename for the image might be used as the Title.

Of course, for many photographers you don’t need to worry about the specific definitions and intent for the various metadata fields available to you as part of the IPTC or other metadata standard available within various photo-management applications. If, on the other hand, you are submitting images to a journalistic organization or stock agency, the proper use of specific metadata fields can be critical.

Note that you can find definitions of the metadata fields included in the IPTC metadata standard by visiting the IPTC website here:

https://iptc.org/std/photometadata/specification/IPTC-PhotoMetadata

Today’s Question: I have an iPhone and am using Lightroom Classic. Lately I have noticed that movies and some of the live views are imported either sideways or upside down in Lightroom. Do you know why this is happening and if I can fix in Lightroom? I’m going on a trip soon and don’t want 500 videos to be upside down!

Tim’s Quick Answer: This is (as far as I can tell) a bug in Lightrom. The videos are not actually upside-down, but you can make sure Lightroom doesn’t get confused by always capturing iPhone (or iPad) videos with the “home” button to the right (with the volume buttons pointed down).

More Detail: As you probably already know, digital cameras include a sensor to detect the orientation of the photos you capture, so the photos can be automatically rotated to the correct orientation when viewed on your computer. There is some sort of issue with Lightroom not correctly orienting videos capture with iPhones and iPads.

The actual videos aren’t really the problem. For example, if you right-click on one of the upside-down videos in Lightroom and choose “Show in Finder” (on Macintosh) or “Show in Explorer” (on Windows), you’ll be taken to the actual video file in your operating system. If you open that video with your default video player, you’ll find that it plays correctly. It only appears upside-down in Lightroom.

If you export the video from Lightroom using the “Original, unedited file” option from the Video Format popup in the Export dialog, the copy of your video that is exported will also play normally in applications other than Lightroom. If, however, you export the video with one of the other video formats (DPS or H.264), the video will be rendered by Lightroom and will then play upside-down with other video players.

If you capture video with the iPhone oriented with the “home” button to the right (with the volume buttons pointed downward), the videos will be presented properly in Lightroom. It is only videos that are captured with the “home” button to the left (volume buttons pointed upward) that have this problem in Lightroom.

So, in the short term, you can avoid this issue by always making sure the “home” button is to the right when capturing video on an iPhone or iPad. Of course, that makes it more difficult to use the volume buttons on the device as a shutter release button, which is rather inconvenient. So hopefully Adobe will resolve this issue in Lightroom soon.

Today’s Question: How can I set the “Auto Adjustment” feature as a preset for Import [in Lightroom Classic]?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The key to applying the automatic adjustments during import is to create a preset with the “Auto Settings” checkbox turned on in the “New Develop Preset” dialog.

More Detail: When you create a new preset, you are really saving existing settings that you’ve applied to an image so that the same settings can be applied to other images. When saving that preset, you have the option of selecting which specific adjustments should be included as part of the preset. In other words, a preset can include just a small number of adjustments, rather than all of the adjustments available in the Develop module.

Furthermore, you can apply a preset to images as they are being imported into your Lightroom catalog. If the preset you apply included the “Auto Settings” option when the preset was created, each image will have the automatic adjustments applied based on an analysis of each individual image.

For example, let’s assume you only wanted to apply the automatic adjustments to images being imported, with all other adjustments left at their default settings. You could go to the Develop module, and click the “plus” (+) button to the right of the Presets heading on the left panel to initiate the process of creating a new preset.

Then, in the New Develop Preset dialog, you could click the “Check None” button to turn off the checkboxes for all adjustment categories. Next, in the Auto Settings section near the top of the New Develop Preset dialog, you could turn on the “Auto Settings” checkbox. Note that the “Process Version” checkbox would also remain turned on, and should be left on in this context.

If needed you could also enable other adjustments in the New Develop Preset dialog. To save the final preset, enter a meaningful name in the Preset Name field, and click Create to save the preset.

The next time you are importing photos into your Lightroom catalog, you can choose the preset you saved as part of the above process from the Develop Settings popup in the Apply During Import section of the right panel in the Import dialog. The automatic adjustments will then be applied to all images when they are imported, based on the preset you applied.

Today’s Question: What is “focus peaking”, and why would I want this feature on a digital camera?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Focus peaking is a display on a camera’s LCD or electronic viewfinder that highlights areas of the scene that are in focus. This can be tremendously helpful for establishing or fine-tuning focus.

More Detail: Focus peaking has been common in video capture for quite some time, and I do consider this feature most helpful for video rather than still photography (though it can still be very helpful for still photography). As noted above, a focus peaking feature will highlight areas of the scene that are in focus, and in many cases you can choose the color to be used for the focus peaking presentation on the camera’s LCD display (when using the live view feature) or in the camera’s electronic viewfinder (for cameras that are so equipped).

The reason I consider focus peaking to be especially helpful for video capture is that it enables you to ensure a key subject remains in focus even as that subject gets closer or further away from the lens. It can be much faster and easier to adjust focus based on a focus peaking display rather than on a visual evaluation of the scene through the viewfinder, for example.

That said, focus peaking can most certainly be helpful for still photography. I find focus peaking especially helpful in tricky scenarios, such as in low lighting conditions, when it is difficult to critically evaluate which areas of the scene are in focus. In addition, many photographers with less than perfect vision find focus peaking to be an excellent primary tool for adjusting focus for a scene.

While focus peaking may not be a critical feature for all photographers, I do consider it a feature that can be tremendously helpful. I think it would be beneficial for any photographer who has never seen or used focus peaking to try it out and get a sense of whether they might find this feature helpful enough to add it to the list of “must have” features for their next camera purchase.

Today’s Question: I work in Lightroom and create virtual copies for variations on images. I would like to identify them, such as “more prominence to main subject”, “For client X”, or “cropped for 8×10”. If I change the filename on any of the virtual copies, it changes the filename on all and on the original. How can I label different virtual copies made for different purposes?

Tim’s Quick Answer: For this purpose I would suggest adding text to a field in metadata, such as the “User Comment” field available in the EXIF metadata.

More Detail: Renaming a photo can certainly help provide additional details about an image, but in the context of virtual copies in Lightroom this is not a good solution. Instead, I suggest adding information to metadata to reflect the notes you want to maintain for the image.

As you’ve probably noticed, there are a great many fields available in metadata that you aren’t likely to use. I recommend finding one of these fields that you aren’t likely to use for another purpose, and that makes sense for keeping notes about your photos.

For example, I would not generally recommend using the Title and Caption fields in metadata for this type of note about a photo, because those fields may be used for other purposes. For example, the Title can be used to label an image automatically when you share to online services such as Facebook.

So, the User Comment field is a good fit, I think, and you may find other fields that also represent a good option for this type of note, or for other details you want to remember about a photo.