Month: January 2020

Today’s Question: My question relates to workflow with HDR panoramas. I am a big fan of Aurora HDR 2019 and use it as a plug-in to Lightroom Classic. I am NOT a big fan of the HDR Panorama merge tool in Lightroom, however, because the deghost function is disabled. Should I use the HDR merge in Lightroom for each bracketed image, stitch them together using the Panorama merge in Lightroom, and then send the HDR panorama image to Aurora? Or, should I first use Aurora for the bracketed images and after sending them back to Lightroom, only then use the Panorama merge tool in Lightroom? Or, is there some alternative option that would work better? Let me add that many of my HDR images have movement in the image, which is why I need the deghosting capabilities of Aurora.

Tim’s Quick Answer: My recommendation would be to assemble the HDR images for each frame of the panorama first in Aurora HDR, being sure to use the same settings for all HDR images that will be used for a single panorama. You can then assemble the resulting HDR images into the composite panorama using Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: While I appreciate that Lightroom Classic is capable of assembling high dynamic range (HDR) panoramas in a single step, I agree that it can be problematic that you aren’t able to take advantage of the full set of features that would otherwise be available if you assembled the HDR frames and the composite panorama as two separate processes. Therefore, I do prefer assembling the HDR images first, and then merging those HDR frames into the final panorama.

Obviously you could assemble the HDR frames in Lightroom Classic first, but I agree that Aurora HDR (https://timgrey.me/hdrtrial) often produces a result I am happier with. I recommend using the original raw captures to create the initial HDR, which is why I recommend creating the HDR images in Aurora HDR as the first step in creating an HDR panorama.

To ensure the final panorama will go together smoothly, I also recommend using the exact same settings for each HDR image you are creating for the panorama. That might mean simply using an existing preset for all of the frames, or creating your own custom preset based on the refinements you make to the various settings for the first HDR you assemble for the panorama. For the other frames of the panorama you would want to use the exact same settings so there aren’t any variations across the panorama. When all HDR frames have been created, you can use Lightroom Classic to merge those into the final HDR panorama.

Today’s Question: I have a question about the Export settings that I saw from your recent webinar. I noticed that you set up your export preset for Instagram so the long edge of your photos would be 2000 pixels. I am curious about the best settings for other sites such as Facebook. Or is there a good setup for all web sharing?

Tim’s Quick Answer: When sharing photos digitally the pixel dimensions are the only resolution setting you need to concern yourself with. In general, somewhere around 2,000 pixels on the long edge is more than adequate for any online or digital sharing.

More Detail: In the case of Instagram, 2,000 pixels on the long edge is actually larger than you need. Instagram will scale the image down to 1,080 pixels wide and up to 1,350 pixels tall. The reason I use 2,000 pixels for the long edge is that I synchronize the exported photos to my phone, so I can share the images via Instagram as well as directly on my phone.

For digital sharing the key consideration is the resolution of the display being used to present the image. I feel that 2,000 pixels on the long edge is a good setting in general. For more monitor displays or mobile devices, this will provide more than enough resolution to ensure good quality for the image.

Even for displays with a higher resolution, such as high-end 4K monitors, a resolution of 2,000 pixels on the long edge will provide good image quality. Each display configuration may be different, of course, but I feel that 2,000 pixels on the long edge is a good general-purpose setting for digital sharing.

For those interested in seeing the photos I have shared on Instagram, you can find my feed by pointing your web browser here:

https://www.instagram.com/timgreyphoto/

Today’s Question: I am not using Lightroom and was wondering about keywording in Photoshop or Bridge? Or is that a lot more complicated or even available?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can indeed add keywords (and other metadata) to your photos using Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Bridge. If you later decide to use Lightroom Classic (or other software), those keywords will be available in that application as well.

More Detail: Most software that enables you to manage your photos in some way also enables you to add keywords, as well as update other standard metadata fields. As a result, most of the updates you make to metadata for your photos will be available if you use other photo-management applications in the future.

In Adobe Bridge you can find the option to add keywords on the Keywords panel or the Metadata panel. The Keywords panel enables you to add or remove keywords using a keyword list, with checkboxes available to identify which keywords should be assigned to the currently selected image(s). You can also add new keywords by clicking the plus (+) button at the bottom of this panel.

On the Metadata panel in Bridge you can find the Keywords field in the IPTC Core section of metadata. You can edit the keywords in that field, and then click the checkmark icon at the bottom of the panel to apply the changes.

In Photoshop you can update metadata for the current photo by choosing File > File Info from the menu. For keywords you can choose the IPTC tab from the list at the left side of the dialog, and then update the Keywords field as needed. Click OK to apply the changes in metadata for the photo.

I don’t think the keywording options in Bridge or Photoshop are any more complicated than what is available in Lightroom Classic or other software for managing photos. All are relatively straightforward to use once you know where the keywording feature can be accessed.