Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I was hoping you could provide an updated recommendation for an SSD drive you would recommend for storing photos while on a photo trip. I’m looking for something small and convenient, and preferably fast.

Tim’s Quick Answer: I have been very happy with the SanDisk Extreme (https://bhpho.to/4cEivUh) SSD drives, which are portable, convenient, and fast.

More Detail: When I’m traveling (and even when I’m not) I prefer to use bus-powered drives, so I don’t need to carry a power cord in addition to the data cable for a drive. I prefer to use SSD drives rather than traditional hard drives for greater speed and reliability. I’ve somewhat recently started using the SanDisk Extreme drives for much of my primary storage.

While I had previously preferred drives that are ruggedized for better peace of mind when traveling, I’ve more recently found the SanDisk Extreme drives to be a good replacement. I haven’t replaced all my rugged drives yet, but I do plan to over time. The SanDisk Extreme drives are small and light, and use flash-based media, so they are easy to travel with and relatively rugged.

I’ve primarily been using the “standard” SanDisk Extreme drives, mostly in 4TB capacity, which you can find here:

https://bhpho.to/4cEivUh

There is also a PRO model, which provides a bit higher speed than the standard drive above, which you can find here:

https://bhpho.to/409Kbwy

In addition, there is a newer and faster (though also more expensive) USB4 model you can find here:

https://bhpho.to/3V6Wgyz

Today’s Question: I very much enjoyed your webinar presentation about folders and collections and learned many helpful tips. I was wondering if you could comment on the creation of collections for workflow purposes in Lightroom Classic. I’ve seen other photographers create collections for all photos from a trip, and another for favorites from a trip, and others beyond that. Do you recommend this sort of approach to using collections?

Tim’s Quick Answer: No, I don’t consider collections to generally be helpful as part of an image-review workflow in Lightroom Classic. That’s especially true if the collections are creating clutter that could be avoided with a different workflow approach.

More Detail: I have also seen photographers recommend creating collections for very broad purposes in an organizational workflow in Lightroom Classic, such as for grouping photos during the process of identifying favorites versus outtakes. In most cases I don’t recommend using collections for this type of purpose.

For example, in my view creating a collection that includes all photos from a folder is in most cases not helpful, because if you need to access all those photos you could just go to the folder. Furthermore, I don’t find it helpful to create a collection that includes all favorite photos from a collection, because you could simply filter the source folder based on star ratings, for example. Beyond the fact that this type of collection isn’t particularly helpful, they can cause a bit of unnecessary clutter in the Collections section.

I therefore recommend organizing photos in Lightroom Classic primarily using a folder structure and metadata attributes such as star ratings and keywords. In my view collections are best used for situations where you want to organize photos in ways that go beyond the folder structure. For example, you might want to create a collection featuring the images you want to include in a photo slideshow presentation, such as when you’ll share favorite images from a variety of different trips.

Another exception to some of what I’ve outlined above relates to synchronizing photos to the cloud. For example, if you wanted to review photos on a mobile device during your flight home from a trip, you might want to create a collection that includes all photos from a folder so you can synchronize that collection and review them from another device with ease.

Today’s Question: You suggested it was possible to add location information to photos manually in Lightroom Classic. How can this be done? Does it require me to figure out what the GPS coordinates are for a photo first?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes! You can very easily add GPS coordinates to a photo in Lightroom Classic by dragging the photo to the applicable location in the Map module, among other options.

More Detail: It is obviously very convenient to have a camera with a built-in or accessory GPS receiver, so that location information can be embedded in metadata right from the time of capture. However, there are other easy ways to add that information after the capture as well.

One of the simplest options is to simply drag photos to the map in the Map module. With the applicable photos on the filmstrip, you can switch to the Map module and navigate to the specific location on the map where the photos were captured. Note that you can use the search field at the top-right of the map to quickly navigate to a specific location. Also, switching among map views on the toolbar, such as to use the Satellite or Hybrid view options, can make it easier to locate a particular landmark on the map.

Once you have navigated to the correct location on the map, you can select one or more photos on the filmstrip and then drag-and-drop the selected images to the location on the map. The metadata for the images will then be updated to include the GPS coordinates based on the map location.

You could also copy and paste GPS coordinates, such as from the GPS field in metadata from one photo to another, or from another mapping application, for example. You could also record a tracklog on a smartphone or GPS navigator, and then synchronize the tracklog with the applicable photos. But for situations where you didn’t record location information with the camera or another GPS-enabled device, you can easily add photos to the map with a simple drag-and-drop to add GPS coordinates to metadata.

Today’s Question: Is it possible to view only photos that have GPS coordinates for a specific area of the map in Lightroom Classic? Sometimes I know a photo was captured in a particular area, but I find it cumbersome to try to locate the actual image.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can filter images based on the currently visible area of the map in the Map module in Lightroom Classic by selecting the “Visible On Map” option from the Location Filter bar above the map.

More Detail: If the location where photos were captured is meaningful, such as for travel photography, the Map module in Lightroom Classic can be quite valuable. Whether you’re using a camera with a GPS receiver so location information can be added automatically, or you’re manually adding location information, you can set a filter so you’re only seeing images in the current map area.

The first step is to make sure you’re browsing the photos you’re looking for, such as by selecting a particular folder or collection. This could even include selecting the All Photographs collection in the Catalog section on the left panel in the Library module.

Then go to the Map module and pan and zoom as needed on the map so that the only area of the map that is visible is the area where the photos you’re looking for were captured. If the Location Filter bar is not visible at the top of the map you can press the backslash key (\) on the keyboard or go to the menu and choose View > Show Filter Bar. Click on the “Visible On Map” option on this filter bar, and the images will be filtered based on only those that contain GPS coordinates in metadata that correspond to the currently visible map are.

You can then switch to the Library module if you want to be able to take advantage of the view options there, such as to switch between the grid and loupe views. If you lock the filter criteria on the Library Filter bar above the grid view (using the padlock icon at the top-right of the bar) you can also switch to a different folder or collection while keeping the filter criteria locked, so that you’re only viewing photos from the current map area even if you browse a different set of photos.

Today’s Question: I’m trying to export copies of all photos in my Lightroom Classic catalog. So I go to All Photographs, set the filter to None, and choose Edit > Select All from the menu. But on the filmstrip the number of photos shown as selected is smaller than the total number of photos. How can that be if I’ve selected all with no filter set?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Based on your description the most likely cause of not all photos being selected is that you have stacks of photos that are collapsed.

More Detail: When images have been stacked in Lightroom Classic, and a stack is collapsed, that stack only counts as a single photo. As a result, if you select all photos when there are stacks collapsed, the photos “hidden” by the stack will not be included in the selection. So, for example, if there is a stack of ten photos and it is collapsed, nine of those photos won’t be selected when you use the Select All command.

To resolve this issue, you simply need to unstack all stacks before selecting the photos. So, for example, you could navigate to the All Photographs collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module (or any folder or collection). Choose “None” from the Library Filter bar at the top of the grid view so no images are excluded based on a filter. Then go to the Photo menu and choose Stacking > Expand All Stacks. You can then choose Edit > Select All, and you will truly be selecting all the images.

Note that when you aren’t seeing all photos, such as when there are collapsed stacks, there will be an indication of this on the filmstrip. For example, you might see something like “3264 of 3548 photos / 3264 selected”. This tells you that while there are a total of 3,548 photos in the current location, you’re only seeing 3,264 of them, and all those 3,264 images are selected. But by expanding all stacks you’ll see that you are browsing all photos, without excluding those that were hidden by being collapsed in a stack.

Today’s Question: Every now and then in Lightroom Classic the left and right panels (but not the top and bottom panels) will disappear. I have to click on the left and right edges of the screen to get them back. Is this a glitch, or am I doing something to cause this issue?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The most likely explanation here is that you are inadvertently pressing the Tab key, which will hide (or reveal) the left and right panels in Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: Keyboard shortcuts in software can be incredibly convenient, unless you accidentally press a key resulting in some change you weren’t intending or anticipating. In this case, it sounds like you’re accidentally pressing the Tab key, which hides or reveals the left and right panels.

The Tab key enables you to cycle through text fields, and so for example in Lightroom Classic you might press Tab to switch between the editable fields in the Metadata section of the right panel in the Library module. But if a text field isn’t active, pressing Tab will instead hide the left and right panels. If that happens, you can simply press Tab again to reveal the panels, so you don’t need to click on the edge of the screen to bring the panels back.

Note that you can also hide or reveal all four panels by holding the Shift key while pressing the Tab key.

Whenever you have a situation where something changes in Lightroom Classic where you believe an accidental keyboard shortcut may have caused the issue, there are a couple of ways to figure it out. You can scan the menus in Lightroom Classic, where keyboard shortcuts are found to the right of applicable commands. You can also review (and search) the list of keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom Classic on the Adobe website here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/keyboard-shortcuts.html

Today’s Question: When I look at the History section for an image in Lightroom Classic, I often notice the Snapshots section, which I never use. Is there any reason I should be using snapshots?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Probably not. In my view, in most cases when you might put snapshots to use in Lightroom Classic a virtual copy would likely provide a better solution.

More Detail: Snapshots in Lightroom Classic enable you to record the current state of all adjustments in the Develop module. In effect, you’re taking a snapshot of what the image looks like at that moment. When you create a snapshot (by clicking the plus icon to the right of the Snapshots heading) you can enter a meaningful name for the snapshot. The snapshot will then appear under the Snapshots heading, and you can click on a snapshot to quickly return to the saved appearance for the image.

Based on their behavior, to me the scenario where it makes sense to potentially use snapshots for an image is when you want to settle on a single version of an image, but you’re not sure which version to go with. For example, you might be debating on a color versus black and white version of an image. In that case you could create a snapshot when you’ve achieved a final color interpretation, then apply adjustments for a black and white version and create a snapshot for that. You could then alternate between the snapshots as you decide which version will represent your final interpretation.

When you want to keep more one version of an image, I recommend using a virtual copy. For example, you could finalize the color version of the image, then create a virtual copy (by right-clicking and choosing Create Virtual Copy from the popup menu). You could then apply adjustments to the virtual copy for a black and white version, so that you effectively have two images (based on the same source file) for the two interpretations.

Personally, I prefer to use virtual copies even for situations where snapshots might make sense. If you use virtual copies and then decide you don’t want one of the versions, you can simply remove the virtual copy. To me virtual copies provide greater flexibility and a more streamlined workflow compared to the use of snapshots.

Today’s Question: Yesterday’s question mentioned a technique for intersecting sky masks to improve the result. Can you clarify how to do that, as I don’t think I’ve seen it covered in your emails?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can often improve a mask in Lightroom Classic (or Camera Raw) by intersecting two automatic sky masks together. The key improvement is a reduction in the degree to which an adjustment will blend into non-sky areas of the image.

More Detail: To get started with this technique, you’ll want to create a mask for the sky. So, for example, in Lightroom Classic you could click the Masking button (the dashed circle icon) on the small toolbar below the histogram on the right panel in the Develop module. If there aren’t any masks for the image yet you can simply click the Sky button. If there are existing masks you can click the Create New Mask button and choose Select Sky from the popup.

Next, click the “more” button (the three dots) to the right of your new sky mask and choose “Intersect Mask with” and then “Select Sky”. Note that you can also hold the Alt key on Windows or the Option key on Macintosh to reveal an Intersect button, which you can click and then choose “Select Sky from the popup.

The result will be a mask that doesn’t have as much blending along the edges, which can help prevent the targeted adjustment from affecting non-sky areas. The process simply involves intersecting two masks for the sky, which increases contrast along the mask edge where partially transparent areas are often found.

This technique won’t improve the accuracy of masks for the sky for all images, but it provides a quick way to improve masks that extend too much beyond the sky in a photo.

Today’s Question: You’ve talked about a technique for improving automatic sky masks by intersecting two sky masks together. Can this technique be used in Photoshop with a layer mask?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can intersect masks in Photoshop in a way that is similar (though not as simple) as what is possible in Lightroom Classic and Camera Raw.

More Detail: In many cases if you intersect an automatic sky mask with a second automatic sky mask in Lightroom Classic or Camera Raw, the result is an improved mask. This is a result of tightening up the edge of the mask to reduce the amount of blending into non-sky areas for the adjustment you’re applying.

If you’re working in Photoshop rather than Camera Raw, you can perform a similar process by intersecting saved selections.

To get started, open an image that features a sky and choose Select > Sky from the menu. Then go to the menu again and choose Select > Save Selection. Enter a meaningful name for the selection and click the OK button. With the selection still active, go to the menu and choose Select > Save Selection one more time. This time, choose the saved selection from the Channel popup and then choose “Intersect with Channel” from the Operation option buttons. Click OK and the selection of the sky will be intersected with the saved selection. To load that updated selection choose Select > Load Selection from the menu, and choose the applicable saved selection from the Channel popup and click the OK button.

Note, by the way, that in many cases you can achieve similar results by creating a layer mask based on a sky selection and increasing the Contrast setting for the mask. To do so, select the applicable layer mask on the Layers panel and click the “Select and Mask” button on the Properties panel. Then increase the value for the Contrast slider on the Properties panel in Select and Mask mode, which will tighten up the blending along the feathered edge of the layer mask.

Today’s Question: I assume the very purpose of the Quick Develop section on the right panel in the Library module is to apply basic adjustments quickly. But is there any reason to avoid Quick Develop and instead switch to the Develop module?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Quick Develop section is indeed something of a “shortcut” to certain adjustments in the Develop module. It can be helpful, and there isn’t any significant reason to avoid it.

More Detail: The adjustments in the Quick Develop section on the right panel in the Library module are literally shortcuts to the applicable adjustments in the Develop module. For example, if you adjust the Exposure in Quick Develop the Exposure slider in the Develop module will move accordingly.

The Quick Develop adjustments are obviously convenient in terms of being available in the Library module. They can also be used to quickly apply adjustments to more than one image selected in the grid view display. In addition, Quick Develop provides relative rather than absolute adjustments when multiple images are selected. For example, if you had one image adjusted with an Exposure value of 0.5 and another with a value of 1.0, increasing by 0.5 will cause the first image to have a value of 1.0 and the second image to have a value of 1.5.

The only real drawback to using the Quick Develop adjustments is that you’re basing those adjustments on a JPEG preview in the Library module, rather than a full rendering of the source image in the Develop module. In most cases this shouldn’t result in any significant issues. Furthermore, the Quick Develop adjustments don’t offer the fine control of the Develop module, so to really refine the results you will generally visit the Develop module at some point. Still, the Quick Develop adjustments are convenient, and in my view there’s no reason to avoid using them.