Month: July 2023

Today’s Question: I moved all my photos to a new folder, and deleted the folder where they were (I also have multiple backups). That mean that all my folders are disconnected in Lightroom Classic. Can they be reconnected in an easier way than reconnecting each individual folder?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can reconnect all folders at once by reconnecting the parent folder that contained the folders that were moved, even if that parent folder is actually the hard drive that contains all the folders.

More Detail: If you move the folders that contain your photos outside of Lightroom Classic, all folders and photos will appear as missing within Lightroom Classic. The better solution, of course, is to move those folders from within Lightroom Classic so they won’t be missing in the first place.

In a situation where you’ve moved all folders from one location to another outside of Lightroom Classic, you can reconnect all the folders in one step by reconnecting the parent folder.

Of course, the parent folder in this context needs to be missing as well, so it can be reconnected. In this case it sounds like that folder will appear as missing because it was deleted. If that’s not the case, you could rename that folder to something else. If it was an external hard drive, you could simply disconnect the drive from the computer.

You need to be able to see the parent folder above the missing folders to be able to reconnect all the missing folders below. If that parent folder isn’t visible above the missing folders, right-click on one of the missing folders and choose “Show Parent Folder” from the popup.

At that point you can right-click on the parent folder and choose “Find Missing Folder” from the popup. Select the folder (or hard drive) that is the parent for the folders that were moved, in their new location, as the folder to be connected. When you reconnect that parent folder, all subfolders below will be reconnected at the same time.

Another option would be to move the folders and photos back to where they were originally, so they would no longer be missing within Lightroom Classic. You could then move the folders or photos to the desired new location from within Lightroom Classic to avoid having to reconnect missing folders at all.

Today’s Question: Over the years I’ve had several different cameras The file names for the cameras have all started from the first file names allocated by each camera, and as a result, there are many different images with the same file name. When I import images into Lightroom from each of the cameras, will Lightroom recognize that images with the same file name from different cameras are different from each other rather than treating them as duplicates?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In this scenario the photos will not be identified as duplicates by Lightroom Classic even though the filenames are the same, because the capture time and file size would be different.

More Detail: When importing photos into Lightroom Classic you can turn on the “Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates” checkbox in the File Handling section of the right panel in the Import dialog. With this option enabled Lightroom Classic will disable the import of photos that are determined to be duplicates of photos already in your catalog.

This duplicate detection is based on the filename, the capture date and time, and the file size. In the case of photos captured with different cameras that result in images with the same filename, the capture date and time and the file size would also be different. Therefore, the images would not be considered duplicates.

Obviously you can’t have two files with the exact same filename in the same folder. So, for example, if you were to attempt to move a photo within Lightroom Classic to a different folder where another photo with the same filename existed, you would receive an error message indicating that the photo could not be moved.

However, if you import photos into a folder that contains images with the exact same filenames, the import would proceed. To avoid the duplicate filenames Lightroom Classic would simply add a parenthetical number (such as “(1)”) to the end of the filename for the image being imported that had the same filename as another photo in the same folder.

Today’s Question: You said that soft proofing is available “in part” to facilitate adjustments to correct for an inaccurate print. Isn’t this the only reason to use soft proofing? Or are there other reasons?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In addition to using soft proofing to assist you with adjustments for improving the accuracy of a print, you can also use soft proofing to troubleshoot those issues in the first place as well as to make a decision about which paper might be best for printing a particular photo.

More Detail: Soft proofing is a feature available in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop that simulates the appearance of a printed photo on your monitor display. With the soft proof feature, you select the color profile that represents the printer, ink, and paper combination you’ll be using to print a photo. You then configure the output conditions, such as the rendering intent to be used, and a preview is provide that simulates to the extent possible what the printed output will look like using your monitor for the preview.

Of course, even with the soft proof feature it is important to keep in mind that the experience of viewing an image on your monitor is very different from viewing a print that depends on reflected light. That said, the soft proof display is reasonably accurate and can be very helpful.

As noted in my prior answer, soft proofing is often used as a troubleshooting tool, where you apply adjustments to compensate for the shortcomings of the printed output. This can only do so much, since the limitations of a given printer, ink, and paper combination are very real and can’t be overcome with simple adjustments to the source image.

In addition to this common reason for using soft proofing, you might consider using this feature before you even attempt to print a photo as a way to choose which papers might be best suited for a particular image.

For example, photos with strong contrast and highly saturated colors tend to look best on a glossy or semi-gloss paper. An uncoated matte paper will tend to make such an image look very flat and unsaturated. Using the soft proof feature you can cycle through the color profiles for the various papers you’re considering using, to get a better sense of which might be the best fit.

Today’s Question: I determined a set of correction values (for HSL and Vibrance) in Lightroom Classic to compensate for the printer not producing accurate color. The question is: when printing a photo for which I’ve already made changes to these parameters, can I just add (or subtract) the correction values that I previously determined? That is, will the correction values add or subtract linearly from the values previously set.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can manually update the values for the various adjustments, but you can’t automate this process in the Develop module because synchronizing adjustments or using a preset applies absolute adjustments, not relative changes to existing adjustments.

More Detail: You can certainly apply adjustments to a photo in Lightroom Classic to compensate for a print that isn’t quite accurate. In fact, the soft proofing feature in the Develop module was added in part for this very purpose.

Let’s assume, for example, that to get an accurate print you need to increase the Hue value for Red by ten points. That means that for an image that you hadn’t applied any Hue adjustment you would want to set the Red value for Hue to +10. But if you needed to increase the value for the Red slider to +15 when adjusting the overall appearance of another photo, when printing that image you would want the Red value to be set to +25, representing an increase in value of ten points.

You could most certainly manually apply these types of adjustments. For example, when you’re ready to print an image where the Red value is set to +15 you could simply add ten to establish a value of +25. This isn’t necessarily very efficient, but it is the only way to get an accurate result in this case.

The options for synchronizing adjustments or applying presets in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic result in absolute (not relative) values for the adjustments. So in this case, for example, if you used a preset to apply a +10 adjustment to the Red slider for Hue, both the images noted above would end up with a value of +10, when the second of the examples above really needed a value of +25.

The only way to apply relative adjustments in Lightroom Classic is to use the Quick Develop controls on the right panel in the Library module. For example, let’s assume you had one image where you had adjusted the Exposure to a value of +0.5, and another where you had adjusted the value to +1.0. If you then wanted to darken each of the images by one stop, you could use the Exposure adjustment in Quick Develop. Just select the two images in the grid view (not the loupe view) and click the button with two arrows pointing to the left, and both images will be darkened by one stop. That will set the first image to the equivalent of -0.5 exposure and the second image to an even exposure.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to delete a control point on the Tone Curve in Lightroom Classic? I thought it used to be possible to drag the control point away from the curve to remove it, but that doesn’t work now.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can delete a control point from the Tone Curve in Lightroom Classic (or for the Curve adjustment in Camera Raw for Photoshop users) by either double-clicking on the control point or by right-clicking and choosing “Delete Control Point” from the popup menu.

More Detail: In earlier versions of Lightroom Classic (and Camera Raw) it was indeed possible to remove a control point from a curve by simply dragging it away from the curve far enough for it to be removed. I don’t have any idea why Adobe would have disabled this behavior, but they did.

Fortunately, you can still easily remove a control point by double-clicking the control point or right-clicking and choosing “Delete Control Point” from the popup menu.

Note, by the way, that if you’re using the Parametric option for the Tone Curve adjustment you don’t have the option to remove a control point because there aren’t any control points on the curve. In Parametric mode instead of adjusting the shape of the curve by adding and moving control points you use the sliders for Highlights, Lights, Darks, and Shadows to adjust the tonality of the image.

Today’s Question: I’m finally starting to learn to use the Curves adjustment in Photoshop. Previously I had done my basic tonal adjustments with Levels. Once I am comfortable with Curves, is there any need to use Levels at all?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Once you’re comfortable using the Curves adjustment in Photoshop there’s no need to use the Levels adjustment at all.

More Detail: The Curves adjustment can be used to apply all the adjustments that are possible with Levels, and more. Therefore, if you’re comfortable using Curves there’s no benefit to using the Levels adjustment.

The Levels adjustment is used primarily for setting the black point and the white point, as well as for applying a middle tone adjustment. In Curves there are sliders below the curve area for the black point and white point, which operate in exactly the same way as the same adjustments in Levels. The effect of the middle tone slider in Levels can be reproduced by adding an anchor point at the center of the curve line and dragging it directly upward or downward.

In this way you can think of the Levels and Curves adjustments as providing the exact same adjustment options. The difference is that the Curves adjustment offers considerably more power, with the ability to add additional anchor points to manipulate the shape of the curve, and therefore focus adjustments in specific areas of the image based on the underlying tonal or color values.

For example, you can brighten the shadows and darken the highlights by adding anchor points on the curve in the appropriate positions. You can even apply a color balance adjustment differently for the highlights versus shadows, for example, by using additional anchor points on the curve for an individual color channel rather than working with the composite RGB channel that only provides tonal adjustments.

Today’s Question: I used to see a “thumbnail slider” on the bottom right of the screen below the preview area in Lightroom Classic, but it has disappeared. Can you how to get it back?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can enable the thumbnail size slider for the grid view in Lightroom Classic by clicking the popup button at the far right of the toolbar below the grid view and selecting “Thumbnail Size” from the popup.

More Detail: In the grid view in the Library module you can adjust the size of thumbnails using the slider at the far right of the toolbar below the image preview area. Note that this slider is not available when in the loupe view display, since in the loupe view you’re viewing a single image rather than a series of thumbnails.

The toolbar can be hidden or revealed by pressing the letter “T” on the keyboard. If the toolbar is hidden you obviously won’t be able to see the Thumbnails slider, so in this case simply press “T” on the keyboard to reveal the toolbar so you can access the Thumbnails slider.

If the Thumbnails slider is missing from the toolbar when in the grid view, you can click the downward-pointing triangle button at the far right of the toolbar to bring up a popup menu. There you can choose “Thumbnail Size” to enable the Thumbnails slider again.

Note that this same approach can be used to hide or reveal the various controls available for the loupe and grid views in the Library module. There are different options available for the loupe view versus the grid view, so you can review the items on the popup to see if there are any others you would like to enable or disable.

Today’s Question: Do you think that cloud storage, such as Backblaze, is advisable for the off-site portion of a 3-2-1 strategy or would you recommend using another physical location? Backblaze seems a good choice with their flat fee pricing for unlimited storage, but maybe I’m missing something.

Tim’s Quick Answer: I treat online backup solutions such as Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/cloudbackup) as a “bonus” supplement to a backup workflow, not as a replacement for an offsite backup that you control.

More Detail: During my presentations on “Backing Up Your Photos” as part of a recent GreyLearning Ultimate Event, I discussed the “3-2-1” strategy for backing up your data. This involves having copies of your data on three separate storage devices (one primary and two backup copies), with two of those devices stored locally, and one of those devices stored at a separate physical location.

On online backup solution certainly meets the criteria of being an offsite backup of your data. However, you aren’t in direct control over that copy of your data. With an online backup solution, you generally won’t have any idea where the servers are that contain your data. While in general I’m confident that these services do a good job of keeping your data safe, I prefer to be a little more paranoid about my data when it comes to my backup strategy.

Because of these issues, I prefer to use services like Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/cloudbackup) as a supplement to my backup workflow. For what I consider to be a modest price, Backblaze provides me with an additional offsite backup in addition to my own workflow. For each primary hard drive I have two backup drives (and a third backup drive for my most important data) that I alternate between. I store those backup drives separately, but I still like the additional peace of mind of my Backblaze online backup.

If you missed my GreyLearning Ultimate Event on Backing Up Your Photos, the recordings of all sessions are available. These are included at no additional cost with the GreyLearning Ultimate Bundle, but you can also purchase the recordings from the event here:

https://www.greylearning.com/courses/greylearning-ultimate-event-backing-up-your-photos-may-2023