Month: July 2024

Today’s Question: I edit my photos in Lightroom 12 on Macintosh and sometimes in Lightroom 13 on Windows. I get the message that metadata was changed externally, with two choices (Overwrite Settings or Import Setting from Disk). I have XMP files related to all photos, so which one should I choose?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In this context I recommend changing your workflow to avoid the metadata mismatches in the first place. I never recommend using two different catalogs, especially for managing the same photos.

More Detail: A metadata mismatch of the type described in today’s question indicates that an image was changed outside of Lightroom Classic. In other words, the metadata in the source image file (or XMP sidecar file in the case of a proprietary raw capture) doesn’t match the information in the Lightroom Classic catalog.

Under more typical circumstances you would choose to import the settings from the disk if you know the latest updates were made outside of Lightroom Classic, and you would choose to overwrite the settings if you knew the information in the catalog was the most.

In this case the issue is that two different catalogs are being used with two different versions of Lightroom Classic (and on two different operating systems) to manage the same photos. This is not something I would ever recommend, as doing so can lead to mismatched and conflicting metadata for photos.

It is perfectly fine to work across more than one computer with Lightroom Classic. However, when doing so you should always use the same catalog. That generally involves storing the catalog on an external hard drive along with your photos, so you can move the catalog between computers. However, for this to work you would also need to ensure that the same version of Lightroom Classic is being used on both computers so that the catalog version matches the software.

Today’s Question: Can you clarify why you use both GoodSync and Backblaze to back up your photos, rather than just using one of the two?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I use both of these backup solutions because GoodSync (https://www.timgreyphoto.com/goodsync) is a good tool for backing up locally, and Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/cloudbackup) is a good tool for backing up remotely via cloud storage.

More Detail: When it comes to a reliable workflow for backing up photos and other important data, I recommend following the “3-2-1” rule. This calls for maintaining three copies of your data, with two copies stored locally and one copy stored remotely.

I actually take this a little further, maintaining two local backups in addition to a remote backup. So, I use GoodSync to back up my primary drives to two additional drives. Each of those backup drives can easily replace the primary drive should I experience a failure of other issue with the drive.

To supplement my local backup workflow, I make use of Backblaze for an online backup, which serves as my primary offsite backup. This provides a backup that I can recover from even if I experience a disaster that causes all my local storage to be damaged or destroyed. As unlikely as this scenario may be (I hope!), the online backup provides additional peace of mind.

I covered my full backup workflow and provided much more information about defining and executing a workflow for backing up your photos in a GreyLearning Ultimate Event last year. Recordings of all presentations from this online event are available here:

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

Today’s Question: I know you can click on an arrow for a keyword on the Keyword List [in Lightroom Classic] to set a filter for photos that include a keyword. But that includes all photos with that keyword in my entire catalog. Is there an easy way to only filter by that keyword for the folder I’m currently browsing?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can easily filter by keyword within a folder by using the Keyword List shortcut, making sure the filter is locked, and then navigate to a different folder to view only the photos with the applicable keyword in the selected folder.

More Detail: I find that many photographers overlook the filter lock button on the Library Filter bar in Lightroom Classic, which is unfortunate because I find it to be an incredibly helpful option. When you enable the filter lock, when you navigate to a different folder or collection the filter settings will remain, so you’re only seeing the photos within the folder or collection that match the criteria you’ve established.

In the context of today’s question, the first step would be to click on the arrow to the right of the filter you want to search for on the Keyword List on the right panel in the Library module. Note that the arrow icon only appears when you hover your mouse pointer over a keyword within the Keyword List. You can, of course, use any of the filter options available when it comes to locking filter criteria.

Clicking the arrow to the right of a keyword on a Keyword List actually serves as a shortcut for the Library Filter bar, while also switching you to the All Photographs collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module. When you click the arrow, the first column of the Metadata tab of the Library Filter bar is set to Keyword, with the applicable keyword selected. You can add or change any of the criteria from any of the tabs, such as if you wanted to filter by star rating in addition to the selected keyword.

Once the criteria are set, you can click the padlock icon at the top-right of the Library Filter bar to lock the criteria. When the padlock appears unlocked (open), switching to a different folder or collection will reset the filter to None, so that all images are displayed. With the padlock locked (closed), the filter criteria will remain locked so that as you navigate to a different folder or collection, you’ll still only be seeing the images in that location that match the criteria you’ve established.

So, in the case of today’s question, the process would simply involve clicking the arrow for the applicable keyword on the Keyword List, making sure the lock is enabled for the Library Filter bar, and then navigating to the desired folder or collection.