Author: Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I’m confused about why it is possible to use a negative value for the Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze sliders. Doing so seems to only degrade the detail in images. Am I missing something?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Using a negative value for Texture, Clarity, or Dehaze can provide smoothing or an ethereal glow effect for an image, which in some cases can enhance the look of an image.

More Detail: While in my experience the great majority of photographers use positive values for the Presence adjustments of Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze for the vast majority of images, there are situations where a negative value can be quite helpful. These adjustments are included in all versions of Lightroom as well as Photoshop.

For example, a negative value for Texture can help smooth out fine textures, which can be helpful for smoothing skin tones for photos that include people. Doing so can also help smooth an image that looks a bit too “crunchy” such as from excessive contrast in areas of fine detail.

A negative value for Clarity can create a somewhat dreamy appearance with an ethereal glow. I find that it works especially well with backlit scenes that lend themselves to a somewhat dreamlike appearance.

Using a negative value for Dehaze will cause the image to appear more hazy with a somewhat foggy appearance. This is perhaps the least likely among the three to be used with a negative value, but it can certainly be used for a nice creative effect in some cases.

The bottom line is that I would certainly say that the Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze sliders are most helpful for most photos when used with a positive value. However, in some cases a negative value for one or more of these sliders can provide a very helpful effect for some images.

Today’s Question: If I remember correctly there is a way in Photoshop to simply point to an object and have that object selected automatically, so that a targeted adjustment can be applied. But I can’t find where that is. Can you point me in the right direction?

Tim’s Quick Answer: With the Object Selection tool in Photoshop, you can automatically select individual objects within an image, based on image analysis, simply by clicking on the object you want to select.

More Detail: There are more than a few tools and commands for creating selections in Photoshop, but when there is a specific subject in an image that you want to select, the Object Selection tool can often provide a fast way to create an accurate selection.

To get started, choose the Object Selection tool from the toolbar. This tool shares a button with the Quick Selection and Magic Wand tools, so if the icon for one of those tools is displayed you can right-click or click-and-hold on the button to bring up a flyout menu.

With the Object Selection tool active, click the gear icon on the Options bar and confirm that the “Object Finder” checkbox is turned on. Then hover your mouse over the image, and a color overlay will highlight any object that has been detected under your mouse pointer. You can then click on the object you want to select, and a selection will be created based on the overlay that had been displayed.

You can use the Add and Subtract options to refine the selection based on other objects, such as to create a selection that is comprised of more than one object, or to remove an area of a selection based on an object that is included in that selection. Similarly, you can refine the selection using any of the other selection tools or commands.

While the Object Selection tool isn’t perfect, in many cases it will provide an excellent selection for individual objects in a photo. At the very least, it generally does a very good job of providing a starting point for a selection that would have been more time-consuming or challenging using other tools.

Today’s Question: When using virtual copies [in Lightroom Classic] to create different versions of the same image, how do you recommend organizing these in terms of the intent for each version?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I think the Copy Name field that serves the purpose of identifying virtual copies is a perfect option, and by simply updating the text in this field you can keep track of the intent for each virtual copy you create.

More Detail: When you create a virtual copy in Lightroom Classic you’re simply duplicating the metadata for the source image so that you can maintain different versions of the same source image. This is most commonly used to have different interpretations of a single image in the Develop module.

For example, you might optimize the original image in color but then create a virtual copy to create a black and white interpretation. You might then create another virtual copy based on the black and white version and then apply a sepia tone or other color tint to that version.

Especially if you create more than one virtual copy for a single image, and if there are relatively subtle differences between the virtual copies, it can sometimes be tricky to keep track of the purpose for individual virtual copies. For example, if you optimized the original image without cropping, and then created a virtual copy for a version with an 8×10 aspect ratio, it might not be immediately clear why the two versions exist.

When you create a virtual copy in Lightroom Classic the Copy Name field for that virtual copy will update to reflect the number, such as “Copy 1” and then “Copy 2” and so on. When there is text in the Copy Name field, that text will appear after the filename for the image, such as being shown above the filmstrip on the bottom panel for the selected image.

But the Copy Name field can be edited, so you can update the text to something much more meaningful than “Copy 1”. Based on the examples above you might, for example, update the Copy Name field to “Color”, “Black and White”, and “Sepia Tone” for the various versions of the image.

Note that the Copy Name field can be directly searched by selecting it from the first popup on the Text tab of the Library Filter bar. If you’re consistent in how you update the Copy Name field, this can make it easy to locate specific versions of images at a later date.

Today’s Question: When I’m trying to navigate to a subfolder several levels deep using Adobe Bridge, I find it a bit cumbersome using the Folders list. Is it possible to display folders along with image thumbnails similar to what’s possible in the operating system, so I can just double-click on a folder to open it?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can display folders along with image thumbnails on the Content panel in Adobe Bridge by enabling the View > Show Folders option on the menu.

More Detail: By default, in Adobe Bridge when you select a folder from the Folders panel only images in that folder will appear on the Content panel. That Content panel effectively serves as the thumbnail display for available images, compared to the full preview of a selected image in the Preview panel.

However, if you prefer to see folders contained within the current folder on the Content panel, you can simply enable the option found at View > Show Folders on the menu. When this option is enabled, you’ll see a checkmark icon to the left of the “Show Folders” command on the menu, and thumbnails representing folders will appear on the Content panel along with image thumbnails.

Note that even if you have enabled the “Show Items from Subfolders” option that is also available on the View menu, you won’t see subfolders within subfolders on the Content panel. In other words, with the “Show Items from Subfolders” option enabled you’ll see thumbnails for all images contained in all subfolders below the currently selected folder. But you’ll only see folders that are contained directly within the selected folder, not those contained deeper within additional subfolders.

Both of these view options are “sticky”, meaning they will remain in effect even if you quit and restart Bridge. So, if you want to disable either of them in the future, you’ll need to select the applicable option from the menu to turn it off.

Today’s Question: Can you comment on how monitors at 4K affect the amount of output sharpening you apply? Since the image looks sharper on a high-resolution monitor, one might tend to apply less output sharpening which would lead to a softer print.

Tim’s Quick Answer: I would say that a 4K display (compared to a lower-resolution display) provides a more accurate view of the effect of sharpening for the image. However, the reality is that optimal sharpening requires a bit of experience in terms of understanding what the image needs to look like on screen to get a particular effect in print.

More Detail: Because the 4K display has smaller pixels compared to a lower-resolution display (assuming displays of about the same size), the 4K display renders detail more accurately. In the context of sharpening a lower-resolution display can mask the appearance of sharpening artifacts, so I would be more concerned about potential over-sharpening with a lower-resolution display.

However, when it comes to sharpening in my view there is really no replacement for experience. A printed image is going to look different from an image on a monitor display, in a variety of ways depending on the specific output conditions for the print. Therefore, you need to gain experience to know what the image should look like on your display to achieve an optimal print.

For example, with uncoated matte papers you generally need to over-sharpen the image somewhat significantly to make up for dot gain (the spreading of ink on paper). But it is very difficult to anticipate how much you need to sharpen without the experience of producing prints.

So, when you change from a lower-resolution display to a high-resolution display, there will be some adjustment involved as you gain experience on what the image should look like on the new display to achieve similar results in the print. If you pay attention to the sharpening settings you tended to use on the lower-resolution display, those same settings will be appropriate for the high-resolution display assuming the same printing configuration. In other words, the transition in this context is more about learning what the image will look like on the 4K display when it is sharpened properly for print, rather than changing your approach to sharpening because of the higher-resolution display.

Today’s Question: Can I use Lightroom Classic on two different computers? I take a smaller laptop when I travel. All of my photos and Lightroom Classic info are on a portable SSD drive.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, absolutely. You can use Lightroom Classic on two computers, and this workflow is made simple if you keep the catalog on an external hard drive.

More Detail: I have long advocated for photographers to only use a single catalog in Lightroom Classic to manage their full library of photos. However, using a single catalog doesn’t mean you’re limited to only using Lightroom Classic on a single computer.

The Adobe license agreement for Lightroom Classic enables you to have Lightroom Classic activated on two computers, though you can only use Lightroom Classic on one computer at a time. These terms enable you to switch back and forth between computers, such as for using one computer when at home and another computer when traveling.

The primary challenge involved with using Lightroom Classic on two computers is migrating the catalog between computers. The easiest way to do this is to keep the catalog on an external hard drive, along with your photo storage. You can then quit Lightroom Classic on the first computer and disconnect the hard drive, then connect the hard drive to the second computer and open Lightroom Classic with the same catalog.

The only potential drawback is that performance can be a little slower with an external hard drive. However, with an SSD the performance should be more than adequate, to the point that you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between having the catalog on an internal versus external drive.

By the way, the one approach I very strongly recommend against is using cloud-based storage (such as Dropbox or OneDrive) for your Lightroom Classic catalog. I have found that it is remarkably easy to get metadata mismatches and even corrupt a catalog when using cloud-based storage for the catalog.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to see the Folders list while working in the Develop module [in Lightroom Classic]? Sometimes I need to work on various photos from different folders for a project, and I find it frustrating to have to switch modules back and forth between images.

Tim’s Quick Answer: There isn’t an option to view the Folders list while working in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic. However, you can work around this limitation by using a collection for this purpose.

More Detail: While the modules in Lightroom Classic can be helpful in terms of providing context for specific components of your overall workflow for organizing, optimizing, and sharing photos, there are situations where the division of modules can get in the way of your workflow. One of the most common of these scenarios relates to needing to switch to the Library module to select a different source folder for images you want to work on in the Develop module.

Personally, I would love it if Adobe would add a Folders section to the left panel in the Develop module or otherwise made it easier to switch among different tasks when you also need to switch among different images. But at least so far, they haven’t done so.

Fortunately, one way you can work around this limitation is to use a collection.

Since there is a Collections section on the left panel in the Develop module, if the images you want to work on are grouped into a collection you can easily switch among various images or groups of images. This makes it easier to work with a set of images that are stored in multiple different folders without having to switch to the Library module.

So, when you have a group of images for a project that are stored in different folders, simply add them to a collection before switching to the Develop module. If you have more than one project you’re working on, you can even switch among various collections for the different projects without leaving the Develop module.

Today’s Question: You’ve referred to Camera Raw being non-destructive in terms of editing photos. Am I correct in understanding, however, that if you use Camera Raw as a filter in Photoshop that it is destructive to pixels? Is there a way to make it non-destructive in this context as well?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can use the Camera Raw filter in Photoshop in a non-destructive way by first converting the applicable image layer to a Smart Object. This, in turn, will cause the Camera Raw filter to be applied as a Smart Filter, which provides non-destructive editing.

More Detail: When we say that Camera Raw (or Lightroom Classic) is non-destructive, what that means is that the source file is not altered by the adjustments. For example, when you process a raw capture with Camera Raw you aren’t altering the source raw capture file. Instead, once you open the image Camera Raw is rendering pixels for a new image and opening that in Photoshop, leaving the original raw capture unaltered.

The Camera Raw filter, however, is destructive by default. What that means is that when you apply the Camera Raw filter (Filter > Camera Raw Filter from the menu) to an image layer, you are changing the pixel values for that layer based on the adjustments you applied.

However, it is possible to use the Camera Raw filter non-destructively. To do so, select the image layer you want to adjust, and then choose Filter > Convert for Smart Filters from the menu. This will convert the image layer to a Smart Object. When you then apply a filter such as the Camera Raw filter, the filter will be applied as a Smart Filter. This means the filter settings are not applied directly to pixel values in an image layer, but rather as metadata updates to an embedded image.

This enables you, for example, to return to the Smart Filter controls for a Smart Object layer by double-clicking the applicable Smart Filter on the Layers panel. In the case of the Camera Raw filter this would bring up the Camera Raw dialog, where you could adjust or reset or add any adjustments you’d like. This enables you to apply a wide range of adjustments using Camera Raw within Photoshop, but with the flexibility of being able to reset or otherwise change the adjustments at any time without any negative impact on image quality.

The only thing to keep in mind is that with this workflow it is possible to get a mismatch in areas of the image if you also use pixel-based layers. For example, let’s assume you applied Camera Raw as a Smart Filter to convert an image to black and white. You then use a separate image layer to perform some image cleanup work. If you later decide to go back to the Camera Raw filter and change the image back to color, the image cleanup work would still be in black and white because that work was done on a separate image layer.

As long as you don’t make use of other image layers that could conflict with a Smart Filter layer, however, you can apply the Camera Raw filter (or other filters) as a Smart Filter to maintain greater flexibility in your workflow.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to make the color labels in the grid view in Lightroom Classic easier to see? They’re a bit faint on my screen.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can increase the opacity of the tint for color labels in the grid view in Lightroom Classic in the Library View Options dialog.

More Detail: By default, in the grid view in Lightroom Classic the cell (or frame) around the image thumbnails will be tinted with the assigned color label, at an opacity of 20%. You can increase the opacity to make the color labels easier to see, which is what I do, for example, when teaching Lightroom Classic so students are able to better recognize when color labels have been assigned.

To get started go to the Library module and choose View > View Options from the menu. If you weren’t already in the grid view display choose the Grid View tab at the top-center of the dialog.

In the Options section under the Show Grid Extras checkbox you’ll find a “Tint grid cells with label colors” checkbox. You can turn this checkbox off if you don’t want the cells to be colored to reflect an assigned color label, but I prefer to keep this option enabled. Then, with the checkbox turned on you can click the popup to the right and choose the desired opacity setting.

The maximum setting is 50%, which is what I usually use when teaching to ensure the color label assignment is clear. But you can set a value ranging from a minimum of 10% opacity to 50% opacity based on your personal preference.

Today’s Question: What’s your take on the new Feather and Edge sliders in Lightroom Classic in terms of how helpful they are and how they should be used?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I consider the new Feather and Edge sliders to represent one of the most important updates to Lightroom Classic (and Camera Raw) in the context of the Masking adjustments. While they aren’t needed for all masks, they can be incredibly helpful in improving the quality of many masks.

More Detail: The Feather and Edge sliders for refining masks for targeted adjustments are features that have been at the top of my wish list since the Masking adjustments were first added to the Develop module in Lightroom Classic. These two sliders provide relatively simple and yet very helpful options for refining the shape of the edge of masks used for targeted adjustments.

There has long been a Feather control for refining masks in Photoshop, along with a Shift Edge control that is effectively the same as the new Edge slider in Lightroom Classic. The Feather control enables you to blur the mask edge, helping to smooth out the transition between areas being affected by the adjustment versus not being affected.

The Edge slider enables you to shift the mask edge outward (with a positive value) or inward (with a negative value) relative to the area that was originally selected for the mask. For example, if you have a Sky mask then increasing the value for the Edge slider will expand the adjustment into the landscape beyond the sky, while decreasing the value will pull the adjustment away from the landscape.

While the effect of the Feather and Edge sliders is relatively simple, their impact can be significant. Together they enable you to fine-tune the overall shape of the mask edge, so it better aligns with the transition within the image from the area you want to adjust versus not adjust with the targeted adjustment.

In general, I recommend applying an exaggerated adjustment when you want to refine the Feather and Edge controls, so you can better evaluate when you have the transition size (Feather) and position (Edge) for the mask edge fine-tuned to best match the area you’re adjusting. You can then reduce the strength of the adjustment based on the intended impact on the image.