Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I photograph my Calibrite ColorChecker on-site quite often so I can measure and adjust the white balance of my RAW files for that specific lighting. I usually apply the WB based on the ColorChecker and then make additional tweaks to better match the coloration I perceived at the time. When lighting varies across an image, what is your preferred method for adjusting color across those different regions? Is it correct to force the reference card to appear neutral even when the scene itself was bathed in warm or cool light?

Tim’s Quick Answer: My general preference is to only use a ColorChecker (or gray card or other approach) when I am photographing something that I want to have appear as though it were illuminated by purely white light, such as with product photography. Otherwise, I would tend not to use such a device, or to only use it to get a baseline adjustment that I then shift toward the intended appearance.

More Detail: The primary reason to use a ColorChecker or other color reference such as a gray card is to ensure that the color in a photo is completely accurate, as though the scene were illuminated by white light with no color influence. This is common for product photography where you want the colors of the object to appear accurately, but is generally not at all desirable for other types of photography.

For example, a photograph captured during golden hour should have a shift toward more yellow color values compared to a photo of the same scene captured at midday, and we generally want the photo to reflect that color tint.

So, if you want to use a ColorChecker to get a neutral starting point, that is certainly reasonable. But then I would absolutely shift the color toward a more pleasing value, such as to shift toward warmer color values. The specific shift obviously depends on the nature of the scene you photographed, the quality of the light, and your preference as a photographer.

As for an image where the light varies across the scene, this can be compensated for with a targeted adjustment. In many cases, for example, using a linear gradient to define a mask in conjunction with adjustments for Temperature and Tint will help balance out these colors. In more challenging scenarios you could paint a mask manually based on which areas of an image need specific color adjustments.

Today’s Question: I just checked and my catalog is simply called “Lightroom Catalog.lrcat”. That seems perfect. The problem is, it’s in a folder called “Lightroom Catalog-v14.” That’s less than ideal given that it should be v15. Can I safely rename the folder? What’s going to happen when there’s a new major upgrade?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can rename the catalog folder but be sure to quit Lightroom Classic first and be sure that there aren’t any photos stored within the same folder structure as the catalog. There won’t be any changes to the folder or catalog names moving forward.

More Detail: Adobe recently changed their approach to renaming the Lightroom Classic catalog when a new major version is released, in that the catalog won’t be renamed anymore. There is a Rename Catalog command on the File Menu, but in this case the catalog name doesn’t need to be changed, so you can just change the folder name manually.

First, be sure to quit Lightroom Classic so the catalog files aren’t in use. Then navigate to the folder location for the catalog and rename the folder to your preferred name. You can then open that folder and double-click the primary catalog file (the one with the .lrcat filename extension) to open that catalog with Lightroom Classic.

I also then recommend going to the General tab of the Preferences dialog to make sure your catalog in its current location is set as the Default Catalog. This will ensure that if you simply launch Lightroom Classic it will always default to opening that catalog, so you don’t inadvertently open a different catalog (such as a backup) thinking it is your “real” catalog.

Today’s Question: You discussed why it was better to delete photos from the hard drive than to just remove from the Lightroom Classic catalog. Is there anything you can do retroactively to delete photos that I removed from Lightroom Classic but now realize are still on the hard drive and taking up room?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can add the photos to the Lightroom Classic catalog again using the Synchronize Folder command and then delete them using the Previous Import collection.

More Detail: When you remove photos from Lightroom Classic you have the option of only removing them from the catalog or also deleting them from the hard drive. In most cases I recommend using the option to delete the source files, because otherwise you’ll have photos taking up space on your hard drive that aren’t reflected in your catalog.

If you know you have removed photos without deleting them, you can bring them back into the Lightroom Classic catalog and then delete them. Start by right-clicking on a folder that you know images were removed from without being deleted and choose Synchronize Folder from the popup menu. In the dialog that appears, turn on the “Import new photos” checkbox and the “Show import dialog before importing” checkbox. Turn off the “Remove missing photos from catalog” checkbox (if it is enabled) and the “Scan for metadata updates” checkbox.

Click the Synchronize button, then configure the settings you want to use in the Import dialog and click the Import button. Once the import is complete the images that were added will be in the Previous Import collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module. Go to that collection, review the images to make sure you really do want to delete them, and then select the photos you want to delete (possibly all of them). Then choose Photo > Remove Photos from the menu and click the “Delete from Disk” button. That will cause those images to be both removed from the catalog and deleted from the hard drive.

Today’s Question: Is there any situation where removing a photo from a collection in Lightroom Classic will cause the source image in the folder to be deleted?

Tim’s Quick Answer: No, removing a photo from a collection in the Collections section will not delete the source photo in Lightroom Classic. However, removing from certain collections in the Catalog section will cause source images to be deleted. It is also possible to remove a photo from the Lightroom Classic catalog while browsing a collection, though that won’t delete the source file on the hard drive.

More Detail: If you’re working with a “normal” collection in the Collections section of the left panel in the Library module, removing a photo will not delete the source photo. In this context it is impossible to delete a source image by removing a photo from a collection. The photo will remain in the applicable folder even if it is removed from a collection.

However, the situation is different for some of the collections in the Catalog section of the left panel. If you’re browsing the “All Photographs” collection, for example, then deleting a photo will indeed involve deleting the file from the hard drive. So it is important to maintain an awareness of what source you’re browsing when you use the Remove Photo command.

If you use the Remove Photo command in a situation where the source file can be deleted, you’ll see a “Delete from Disk” button in the confirmation dialog. This is an indication that the source file will be deleted if you click the “Delete from Disk” button.

It is worth noting that there is also a “Remove Photo from Catalog” command on the Photo menu. Using this command will cause the selected photo to be removed from the Lightroom Classic catalog, even if you’re browsing a collection. Note that there won’t be a confirmation dialog when you use this command, but rather the image will be removed immediately from the catalog. However, this command won’t cause the source file to be deleted.

Today’s Question: As smartphones become more and more impressive in terms of photo quality, I wonder if there’s a particular mistake you find is most common that results in poor smartphone photos?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes! In my view the most common mistake I see that can result in seriously degraded photos is to have fingerprints or other smudges on the smartphone lens.

More Detail: Smartphone cameras have become incredibly impressive in terms of image quality. This is partly due to improved image sensors, partly due to improved lens quality, and significantly due to advanced image processing. In terms of overall image quality many smartphones are on par with the quality of many other “real” cameras (which at this point perhaps just means cameras that can’t make phone calls).

One of the key limitations with smartphone cameras is the lack of significant (or at least more significant) focal length range. Even smartphones with a great range with multiple lenses offer something around the equivalent of 13mm to 120mm focal length range. Still, that’s a pretty impressive range for such a compact camera.

While the smartphones themselves have gotten really impressive in terms of image quality, I frequently find that smudges on the lens lead to seriously degraded photo quality. This is certainly understandable considering smartphones generally get handled quite a bit and are often kept in a pocket without any protection for the lens.

Therefore, one of the things I think you should keep top of mind is to regularly clean the lenses on your smartphone. This can generally be done very easily with a lint-free cloth, just checking first to make sure there isn’t any grit or other debris on the lens that might scratch when rubbed with a cloth. You can also use the standard lens cleaning supplies that you would otherwise use on your “real” lenses for the smartphone lenses.

In addition to cleaning the smartphone lenses on a regular basis, it is also a great idea to clean right before capturing a photo you feel is likely to turn out especially nice, just to be sure you’re getting the best image quality in the process.

Today’s Question: What is the Copy Name in Lightroom Classic? It doesn’t show up in my view [for the Info Overlay in the loupe view].

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Copy Name metadata field in Lightroom Classic supplements the filename, and is used when you create a virtual copy, but you can also update this field for any image.

More Detail: In general images in Lightroom Classic are referenced based on their filename. However, there is also a Copy Name field that can be used to supplement the filename. That Copy Name text can be displayed along with the filename for the Info Overlay feature in the loupe view, which you can configure by choosing View > View Options from the menu and going to the Loupe View tab in the Library View Options dialog.

The Copy Name field is used when you create a virtual copy in Lightroom Classic. A virtual copy represents a second set of metadata for an image, so that for example you can have two different adjustment versions for the same photo in the Develop module. When you create a virtual copy that copy will be named “Copy 1” in the Copy Name field, with the second virtual copy being named “Copy 2”, and so on.

However, you can change the text for the Copy Name field for a virtual copy, or add text to the Copy Name field for any image. For example, you might change the text in the Copy Name field for a virtual copy to “Black and White” to indicate this is the black and white interpretation of the image. But you could also add “Color” to the Copy Name field in metadata for the original image even though it isn’t a virtual copy.

To display the Copy Name field in the Metadata section of the right panel in the Library module, choose “EXIF and IPTC” from the popup to the left of the Metadata heading. You can then update this field to reflect any information that is helpful for an original image or virtual copy. As noted above, you can also then configure the Info Overlay display in the loupe view to reflect the copy name for your reference.

Today’s Question: When I import from a card, in the upper left corner of Lightroom Classic screen I often see a message “performing two operations”. Why is that happening?

Tim’s Quick Answer: This is simply a reflection of the two key tasks being performed upon import. The first task is adding the images to the catalog, and the second is the building of previews for the images, with both tasks being performed concurrently.

More Detail: When certain tasks are being performed in Lightroom Classic, a progress bar will appear on the identity plate at the far left of the top panel. In the case of performing an import, this will generally involve two tasks being performed, and therefore two progress bars. That is based on adding the photos to the catalog, and building previews (such as Standard previews) for the images.

While the two tasks of importing and building previews are part of the overall import feature, they are divided into two separate tasks. With Standard or 1:1 previews it will generally take considerably longer to build the previews than it will to add the photos to the catalog. With individual progress bars for each, you’ll know when the import portion is complete.

One reason it is helpful to know when the import is finished before the previews have been built is that you can’t initiate another import until the previous import is complete. With the tasks being divided across two progress bars, you’ll have a clearer indication that the previous import is finished so you’re able to initiate another import.

Today’s Question: Information such as star ratings and color labels appears in both the grid view and the filmstrip in Lightroom Classic. Can I turn these items off for the grid view to reduce clutter?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, for the most part you can choose whether to have icons such as star ratings and status badges for the grid view and filmstrip appear on only one of them, none of them, or both of them.

More Detail: There are separate options for configuring the information displayed along with thumbnails for both the grid view and the filmstrip on the bottom panel in Lightroom Classic, which enables you to configure these two thumbnail displays independent of each other. The only exception is the color label tint option, for which the same setting will always affect both the grid view and the filmstrip.

If you want to adjust the settings for the grid view, go to the menu and choose View > View Options. In the Library View Options dialog go to the Grid View tab, and adjust the settings based on your preference. In addition to choosing between Compact Cells and Expanded Cells, you can also choose what information is displayed with the thumbnails. This mostly revolves around checkboxes that enable you to enable or disable the display of specific icons or attributes.

If you want to adjust the settings for the filmstrip on the bottom panel, from the menu choose Edit > Preferences on Windows or Lightroom Classic > Preferences on Macintosh. Go to the Interface tab and adjust the checkbox settings in the Filmstrip section based on your preference.

As noted above, the exception is the color tint for color labels. This option causes the frame around each thumbnail to reflect the color of the color label assigned to each image. The setting for this option is found in the Library View Options dialog (View > View Options) in the Options section of the Grid View tab. However, toggling the “Tint grid cells with label colors” checkbox will affect both the grid view and the filmstrip, so there isn’t a way to have the color tint for one but not the other.

Today’s Question: When you enable the option to store presets with the catalog, it indicates that presets stored with the catalog need to be backed up manually. Why would this option prevent the presets from being backed up?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Lightroom Classic presets must always be backed up manually. The message you’re seeing is simply clarifying that storing presets with the catalog does not cause them to be backed up with the catalog backup feature in Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: By default, when you add or save presets or templates in Lightroom Classic they are saved in a somewhat hidden folder on your hard drive, along with settings files for many other applications. There is an option on the Presets tab of the Preferences dialog, however, that allows presets to be stored alongside your catalog. There are two key issues to be aware of with this option, however.

As noted in today’s question, presets must be backed up manually, meaning they aren’t backed up by Lightroom Classic. Backing up the Lightroom Classic catalog using the built-in feature will not cause your presets or other settings to be backed up. Only the catalog is backed up. That’s true regardless of whether you’re storing presets with the catalog. However, if you enable the option to store presets with the catalog you’ll see a message indicating that they must be backed up manually, just to clarify that they won’t be backed up with the catalog backup feature just because they were moved to the catalog folder.

The other thing to be aware of is that if you enable this option existing custom presets you created or added won’t be moved. This can lead to a situation where the default Lightroom Classic presets and new presets saved moving forward will be stored with the catalog, but your existing presets will be stored in the default location. You would then need to manually move custom presets to the new folder location.

In either case, however, it is important to keep in mind that backing up the Lightroom Classic catalog with the built-in feature doesn’t back up your photos or any of your other custom user data, such as saved presets and templates.

Today’s Question: I’m going to get started with Lightroom Classic, and have organized my photos (about 60,000 in total) into folders on an external hard drive. When I import these photos, should I do so in small groups of folders or is it possible to import all the photos at once?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can absolutely import all the photos with a single import step, using the “Add” option in conjunction with any other settings you prefer.

More Detail: When importing photos for the first time into Lightroom Classic, there’s really no need to import the photos in batches. You can simply import the full folder structure in a single import.

After clicking the Import button at the bottom of the left panel in the Library module, you can select the source for your import from the left panel in the Import dialog. For example, you can select the external hard drive that contains all your photos, or the top-level folder for your photo storage.

At the top-center of the Import dialog select the Add option, which is for adding photos to the catalog but leaving them where they are currently stored. You can then configure the other settings on the right panel before clicking the Import button to initiate the import.

I recommend selecting the Standard option for building previews. This can take considerable time depending on how many images and the resolution of those images, among other factors. With 60,000 images I would expect the process of importing the photos to take around 15 to 30 minutes, while building previews will likely require several hours.