Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: When I import from a memory card to a parent folder Lightroom Classic creates a subfolder of the year the image was taken as well as a sub-sub folder with the date the images were taken. How can I prevent Lightroom Classic from creating the year folder, but keep the date folder?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can maintain date-based folders without a parent folder for the year when importing photos by choosing an option from the Date Format popup in the Import dialog that only includes a single folder level.

More Detail: When you choose the “By date” option from the Organize popup in the Destination section of the right panel in the Import dialog in Lightroom Classic, you can then choose a folder structure option from the “Date Format” popup. This will determine not only how the date-based folders are named, but also how many folders will be created.

When looking at the options on the Date Format popup, the key thing to keep in mind is that a slash indicates a folder while a dash simply indicates a dash in text. In other words, when there are slashes in an option on the popup, it means that more than one folder will be created.

For example, if you choose “2026/03/06” from the popup that means a folder will be created for the year 2026, which will include a folder called “03” for March, which will include a folder called “06” for the 6th of March. If, on the other hand, you see “2026-03-06” that means a folder will be created for March 6, 2026, with no parent folder above and no subfolder below.

Most of the options on the popup will cause there to be a folder for the year, along with one or more subfolders. Those subfolders could be at a single level indicating the month and year, or in two levels with a folder for each month and a folder for each day within the month folder.

In this case it sounds like you want individual folders for each data on which you captured photos, with no parent folder for the year. So you would choose an option such as “2026-03-06” to achieve that.

Note, by the way, that I strongly recommend only using date-based folders that consist of numbers, not for example with the name of the months. That is because the months in alphabetical order, which is how the folders are listed in Lightroom Classic, will not correspond to date order. Using only numbers to represent the dates will ensure that the folders sort in chronological order, which can help avoid confusion.

Today’s Question: I just noticed that the Lightroom Classic catalog and associated files say “v13-3”. When I check the version of Lightroom Classic on my computer it says version 15.2. What should I do?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I recommend renaming the Lightroom Classic catalog using the new built-in feature, using a more generic name that will avoid any future confusion.

More Detail: With a recent update to Lightroom Classic, when a catalog upgrade is necessary the catalog files will no longer be renamed. While I consider this to be a change for the better, it does create potential confusion about the catalog version compared to the version of Lightroom Classic.

Prior to the update, when the catalog files were upgraded the filename would be updated to reflect the current version number of Lightroom Classic. Now that upgrades don’t change the filenames for catalog files many photographers will have catalog files that reflect an older version of Lightroom Classic than they’re currently using.

To resolve this issue and avoid future confusion, I recommend renaming the catalog to a more generic name that doesn’t reflect a version number. To get started, go to the File menu in Lightroom Classic and choose “Rename Catalog”. In the Rename Catalog file that appears you can update the catalog name, such as to remove the reference to the version number and perhaps add your name or other identifying information.

I recommend leaving the “Rename parent folder” checkbox turned off unless you’re certain that you don’t have any photos stored within that folder structure. Otherwise, any folders and photos within that folder structure would then become missing in the context of your catalog.

Click the Rename button, and Lightroom Classic will restart, renaming the catalog files as part of the process.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to skip the intermediate Camera Raw screen and go directly to the DNG file I will work on in Photoshop?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can skip the Camera Raw dialog in Photoshop by holding the Shift key while opening an image from the File > Open dialog or from Adobe Bridge.

More Detail: When you open a raw capture in Photoshop, the Camera Raw dialog will come up so you can adjust the settings for the processing of that raw image before opening the rendered result in Photoshop. Adobe DNG (digital negative) files are treated like raw captures, even though they might have been created after the photo capture process and are therefore opened via Camera Raw as well.

If you don’t need to process (or modify) the image with Camera Raw, you can indeed bypass Camera Raw and open the image directly in Photoshop. To do so, you can hold the Shift key while either opening the image via the dialog when you choose the File > Open command from within Photoshop, or when you double-click an image in Adobe Bridge to open it in Photoshop.

When you bypass the Camera Raw interface in this way, that doesn’t mean the Camera Raw adjustments aren’t applied. It just means you don’t have the opportunity to update the adjustment settings for the image. If you had previously adjusted the raw or DNG image with Camera Raw, the adjustment settings you used previously will apply as the image is opened. If you hadn’t previously processed the image with Camera Raw the default settings will be used to render the image via Camera Raw even though you don’t see the dialog in this scenario.

Today’s Question: In Lightroom Classic the buttons for rotating an image in 90-degree increments are in the Library module. Is there any way to add those buttons in the Develop module?

Tim’s Quick Answer: No, you can’t add buttons for 90-degree rotation in the Develop module, but you can access those options via the menu or using keyboard shortcuts.

More Detail: While I acknowledge that most photographers would likely want to rotate images in 90-degree increments when initially reviewing photos in the Library module in Lightroom Classic, I still think the buttons for rotating in 90-degree increments should be available in the Develop module.

For example, buttons for 90-degree rotation could be added to the Crop tool, or they could be available on the toolbar below the image preview area in the Develop module the way they are in the Library module.

Fortunately, there’s no need to switch to the Library module if you need to rotate an image in 90-degree increments while in the Develop module. You can simply go to the Photo menu on the menu bar and choose Rotate Left or Rotate Right. You can also use the keyboard shortcuts, which involves holding the Ctrl key on Windows or the Command key on Macintosh while pressing the right square bracket key to rotate clockwise or the left square bracket key to rotate counterclockwise. Note that you can also right-click on a thumbnail on the filmstrip and choose “Rotate Left” or “Rotate Right” from the popup menu.

Even with these options, however, I still hold out hope that Adobe will add buttons for these rotation options in the Develop module, even if they aren’t adjustments that most of us need all that often.

Today’s Question: Is it possible to apply the Guided Upright transformation to multiple photos for perspective correction in batch in Lightroom Classic?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Sort of. A batch application of the Guided Upright adjustment will only work for images that were captured of the same subject from the exact same position such as using a tripod.

More Detail: While it is technically possible to use the Auto Sync feature or a preset in Lightroom Classic to apply the same transform adjustment using the Guided option for Upright, doing so will apply the exact same transformation to all images. If the images weren’t aligned exactly the same, such as by using a tripod, then the transformations won’t work well for all images that get adjusted in this way.

The reason this is an issue is that the Guided option for Upright under the Transform adjustments is not analyzing the image to look for lines that should be straight. Instead, this adjustment relies upon your guidance, by virtue of you drawing lines that correspond to lines on the subject that should be perfectly horizontal or vertical.

So, if you’re referring to a series of photos captured from the exact same position while the light conditions were changing, or as a bracketed set for an HDR image, for example, then you could most certainly apply the same Guided Upright adjustment to all the photos. If there were even relatively minor perspective changes from one photo to the next, this won’t work.

If you do have photos that were captured from the exact same position, there are a couple of options you could use for batch processing. The easiest would be to select the images on the filmstrip and then turn on the Auto Sync feature on the Sync button at the bottom of the right panel. It is also possible to create a preset that includes both the “Upright Mode” and “Upright Transform” options, although this preset would generally only apply to a very small number of photos, which is why I consider the Auto Sync option to be the better approach for this type of situation.

Today’s Question: I have a photo of a building that exhibits the common “leaning away” look due to perspective. I applied the Lens Correction adjustment in Lightroom Classic, but this didn’t address the issue. Is there a way to fix this distortion based on the perspective for an architectural photo?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In most cases to correct perspective in architectural photos, I recommend using the Guided option for the Upright adjustment in the Transform section in Lightroom Classic (found in the Geometry section for the Crop tool in Camera Raw).

More Detail: The Guided option for the Upright adjustment in the Transform section on the right panel of the Develop module in Lightroom Classic enables you to straighten out the perspective for buildings or other objects that should have lines that are perfectly (or nearly so) horizontal or vertical. The results can seem outright magical.

To get started go to the Transform section of the right panel in the Develop module and choose Guided from the set of buttons under the Upright label. Within the image you can then click-and-drag at least two lines and as many as four lines to align with edges within the image that should be perfectly horizonal or perfectly vertical. In many cases this will involve first drawing two horizontal lines, such as along a roof line and a foundation line, and then two vertical lines such as along the outer vertical walls of the building.

You won’t see any effect until you have drawn two lines, and the image will continue to update as you draw the third and fourth line. The adjustment will cause the lines you draw, along with the image itself, to be adjusted so they are perfectly horizontal or vertical, depending on whether they are closer to horizontal or vertical as drawn.

Once you’ve improved the alignment of lines within the image, you can continue to fine-tune using the Transform controls below the Upright buttons. For example, you may want to fine-tune the slider value for Vertical and Horizontal to refine the overall perspective for the image.

It can also be very helpful to adjust the Aspect slider to stretch the image either horizontally or vertically to improve the accuracy of the relationship between the height and width of the building. For example, in some cases you may find the adjustments cause the building to look to short and squat, while in other cases you may find the building seems artificially tall and skinny. The Aspect slider provides an excellent way to resolve this issue.

Today’s Question: During one of your recent presentations, I noticed that the colored frame showing the color label for your photos [in Lightroom Classic] was much stronger than on my display. How did you get those colors so much easier to see?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can adjust the strength of the color label tint (or turn it off altogether) for thumbnails in the grid view by adjusting the settings on the Grid View tab of the Library View Options dialog in Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: By default, the color tint for color labels in the grid view is set to 20%, which enables the color to show reasonably well but it can be a bit muted. If you prefer to have the color label tint stand out more, you can increase the setting for the tint in the Library View Options dialog.

To get started go to the View menu and choose View Options to bring up the View Options dialog. If you weren’t already in the grid view, click on the Grid View button to switch to that tab to adjust the settings for the grid view rather than the loupe view.

In the Options section you can turn off the “Tint grid cells with label colors” checkbox if you don’t want an assigned color label to tint the frame around image thumbnails. I find this display helpful though, so I prefer to have that checkbox turned on.

To the right of the checkbox is a popup where you can select an opacity setting for the color tint. The default setting is 20%, but you can choose an option ranging from 10% to 50%. You’ll be able to see the change in real time if you have images on the grid view in the background that have color labels assigned to them, which can make it much easier to decide which settings work best for you.

Once you’ve adjusted the setting you can close the Library View Options dialog and return to working with your images, with a tint for your color labels that is easier to see when browsing photos in the grid view.

Today’s Question: Can you toggle between the adjusted image and reset, back and forth, in Lightroom Classic?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, in Lightroom Classic you can toggle back and forth between the full set of adjustments you’ve applied and the Lightroom Classic default settings via Reset, using the Undo and Redo commands. However, you might find the use of a virtual copy provides a more streamlined approach.

More Detail: If you want to view the original default interpretation of an image in Lightroom Classic without any adjustments applied, you can use the Reset command. Note that this is more reliable than using the Before and After views, because the “Before” version displays what the image looked like on import, which isn’t necessarily the same as the default adjustment settings. For example, adjustments may have been applied prior to import using Camera Raw, or you may have applied a Develop preset during import. Both of those would cause the “Before” view to differ from the Reset view.

So, if you want to truly see what the image looked like before any adjustments were applied, you could use the Reset button at the bottom of the right panel in the Develop module to reset all adjustments to their defaults. You could then use the Undo command (Edit > Undo) to undo the Reset, and as needed use the Redo command (Edit > Redo) to undo the Undo so that the adjustments are no longer reset.

However, as noted above, I think simply creating a new virtual copy for the image and using the Reset option on that virtual copy provides a more streamlined approach. That way you can simply switch between the original image (with adjustments) and the virtual copy (with adjustments reset) to compare a true before and after for the image.

Today’s Question: Could you comment on the pros and cons of using the Adaptive Color profile in an import preset [with Lightroom Classic] as opposed to one of the standard profiles such as Adobe Landscape? I have tried it in an import preset along with some development adjustments that I commonly make, such as reducing highlights, and converting to DNG. The only issue that I see is the necessity of clicking on the update AI button for the imported photos.

Tim’s Quick Answer: While it is perfectly fine to apply a preferred profile as part of a preset during import into Lightroom Classic, I prefer not to use the Adaptive Color profile in this context due to the somewhat mixed results I’ve seen and the need to update the AI processing after import.

More Detail: The Profile popup in the Basic section of the right panel enables you to choose a profile you want to use for a base level interpretation of the image data for a photo. The profile does not represent saved adjustments the way a preset does, but rather alters how the underlying pixel values are interpreted. The various options provide different variations and creative effects for images.

The Adaptive Color profile is unique in that it leverages AI to analyze the image and adapt the interpretation of pixel data based on that analysis.

You can include a profile in a preset created in the Develop module by turning on the “Treatment & Profile” checkbox in the New Develop Preset dialog box. The applicable profile will then be applied to the image if you select that preset from the Develop Settings popup in the Apply During Import section of the right panel in the Import dialog.

However, there are three issues that cause me to prefer not to use the Adaptive Color profile during import (or in general in my workflow).

First, the Adaptive Color profile by its very nature has a variable effect on images. That is part of the potential benefit of this profile, but it also means that similar images might have a slightly different look applied to them based on the profile. This isn’t generally a major concern, but it can cause some issues in your workflow especially when processing multiple similar photos.

Second, if you apply the Adaptive Color profile during import, the result is applied to the embedded preview in the raw capture, rather to the underlying raw capture data. As a result, the profile analysis needs to be updated after import. On the toolbar below the histogram on the right panel in the Develop module the button on the far right is for the AI tools, and the icon will appear yellow if there are updates that need to be applied. You can then click that button and click the applicable update to apply it. This adds an extra step and will cause the appearance of the image to change relative to the result created during import.

Finally, my own testing with the Adaptive Color profile shows that I’m not particularly pleased with the results around half the time. Sometimes the results are good, but in many cases they are problematic to the point that I prefer to choose a different profile rather than apply adjustments to compensate for the issues created by the profile.

As a result of these issues, my general preference is to use the Adobe Color profile. But if you prefer the Adaptive Profile I think that’s perfectly fine, I would just suggest applying it in batch (via the Auto-Sync feature) in the Develop module after import rather than during import.

Today’s Question: I would like to have a snapshot of an image in Lightroom Classic that will not change. When I make a virtual copy the changes go on to both images. I’d like to have a reference for the original image to refer to.

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you want a reference image representing the “before” version without adjustments applied, you can either create a virtual copy before applying adjustments or reset the adjustments after creating a virtual copy.

More Detail: I should hasten to point out that adjustments in Lightroom Classic are non-destructive, meaning the original image file is not directly affected by the adjustments you apply in the Develop module. That enables you at any time to reset the image to its original appearance without any adjustments applied, for example.

When you create a virtual copy for an image, the virtual copy inherits the adjustment settings applied to the source image, causing both copies to be an exact match. There are two ways to avoid having the images match in this way.

The first approach would be to create a virtual copy for an image before you start working on the image. You could, for example, have the original image be without any adjustments, applying all adjustments to the virtual copy instead. At any time, you could then reference the original image compared to the adjusted version.

If you had already applied adjustments to the original image and then created a virtual copy based on the original, both images will have the same adjustments applied to them. However, you can simply select one of those images (either the original or the virtual copy depending on your preference) and click the Reset button at the bottom of the right panel in the Develop module to reset all adjustments to their default values. This would result in two copies of the image, one with adjustments applied and one without.