Author: Tim Grey

Today’s Question: When resizing a layer in a composite image in Photoshop, I used to be able to hold the Shift key while dragging the mouse to lock the aspect ratio for the layer so the image wouldn’t get distorted. With a recent update that isn’t working anymore. How do I get the Shift key working again for resizing layers?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Transform feature now maintains the aspect ratio by default for a layer you are resizing. So, without holding the Shift key you’ll maintain the aspect ratio, and you can hold the Shift key if you want to alter the aspect ratio while resizing.

More Detail: In earlier version of Photoshop if you were using one of the Transform commands to resize an image layer or layer mask, you needed to hold the Shift key if you wanted to maintain the aspect ratio while dragging the handle for one of the corners of the layer. With a recent update to Photoshop CC, however, the behavior is now reversed.

So, if you want to retain the aspect ratio when resizing using one of the Transform commands, simply drag the handle at any corner of the image you’re resizing. You don’t need to hold the Shift key, as the aspect ratio will be retained automatically. If you do want to alter the aspect ratio while resizing, simply hold the Shift key as you drag the handle for one of the corners.

Note that the various Transform commands can be found on the Edit menu in Photoshop. For most of my resizing I use the Free Transform command, which you can activate by choosing Edit > Free Transform from the menu. In addition, you can access additional types of transformations by looking at the submenu under Edit > Transform on the menu.

Today’s Question: I originally imported files in Lightroom Classic CC as DNG files. I switched to importing the CR2 [original raw capture] files a few years back. When I go to the menu and choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling > File Extensions, the only options I see are dng or DNG. How do I make the change back to CR2? And what’s the difference between dng and DNG?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The filename extension (which can be upper or lower case) reflects the file type. While you can convert an original raw capture to the Adobe DNG (Digital Negative) file type, you can’t convert a DNG file to a proprietary raw capture format. Your only option would be to extract the proprietary raw capture file from the DNG if it was embedded originally, or to recover the proprietary raw capture files from a backup.

More Detail: The Adobe DNG file format was created as an alternative to the many varieties of proprietary raw capture formats created by camera manufacturers. Some cameras include the option to capture in the Adobe DNG format in place of the proprietary raw capture format. In addition, when importing photos into Lightroom Classic CC you have the option to convert your raw captures to the DNG format. To do so you select the “Copy as DNG” option (rather than the “Copy” option) when configuring the import for your new photos.

It is not possible to convert and Adobe DNG file to a proprietary raw capture format. However, if you embedded the original raw capture in the DNG file, you can use the Adobe DNG Converter application to extract that embedded raw capture. This would be done using the DNG Converter directly, outside of Lightroom.

The option to embed the original proprietary raw capture in the DNG file would need to have been selected before importing (or otherwise converting) to create DNG files from your proprietary raw captures. That option can be found on the File Handling tab of the Preferences dialog in Lightroom. Simply turn on the “Embed Original Raw File” checkbox, and when you create DNG images the original raw will be embedded as part of the file.

If you did not use the option to embed the original raw capture in the DNG files you created, the only option would be to recover from a backup copy of the original proprietary raw captures. However, if you used the “Copy to DNG” option during import, you may not have such a backup. Unless you manually copied the files yourself, the only backup of the original raw capture files would have been created if you made use of the “Make a Second Copy To” option in the Import dialog. That would cause a copy of the original raw captures from your media card to be copied to the designated location. When copying as a DNG file, the original raw capture file is not retained, so this backup option during import would provide the only other way to access the raw captures.

Today’s Question: I’ve heard it may not be a good thing to delete shots from the memory card while it’s in the camera body. Does this hurt the card or the camera?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Deleting photos from a media card in the camera does not harm the camera or the media card. It is perfectly safe to delete images directly on the camera.

More Detail: I have frequently gotten this question from photographers, and have heard more than a few people give the advice that deleting in the camera could lead to corrupted images or damage to the media card. That is not true.

Media cards (and cameras) have gotten quite sophisticated, and do a very good job of managing the data stored on the media card. In many respects a media card functions very similar to a traditional hard drive, though with obvious differences based on the different storage media involved.

With these types of storage devices, when a file is deleted the space it was occupying is marked as being available. Other files can then be written in that space on the media. With both hard drives and flash-based media, a single file might be spread across a number of non-contiguous areas of the media. I suspect this attribute of media card storage may be what causes some to conclude that deleting files could lead to file corruption.

Rest assured it is perfectly safe to delete files from a media card directly on your camera. Deleting on the camera can also be helpful, both in terms of freeing up space on the card and deleting outtakes before you get back to your computer. Just be sure you don’t miss a great photo opportunity because you were busy reviewing photos on the back of the camera!

Today’s Question: You suggested that the Maximize Compatibility for Photoshop PSD files wasn’t required to open an older PSD file with the latest version of Photoshop. If that’s the case, is there any reason to actually use Maximize Compatibility?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Maximize Compatibility option for Photoshop PSD (and PSB) files is not generally critical for photographers using a workflow that revolves around Photoshop. If you are using (or planning to use) Lightroom, however, you will want to enable the Maximize Compatibility feature. The Maximize Compatibility option also enables you to preview PSD files with other software applications, and ensures that an image will maintain the same appearance even if opened with a significantly different version of Photoshop than it was created with.

More Detail: As you are probably already aware, in Photoshop you can create images with a variety of different image and adjustment layers. To retain layers in an image, you need to save it as either a TIFF or Photoshop PSD file. With the Photoshop PSD file format you have the option to enable a “Maximize Compatibility” feature. Note that enabling the Maximize Compatibility option will double the base file size for the image, so you may not want to use it unless you absolutely need it in your workflow.

On the File Handling tab of the Preferences dialog in Photoshop you’ll find an option for maximizing compatibility for PSD (and PSB) files. You can always enable the Maximize Compatibility feature, never enable it, or have Photoshop ask you whether you want this option enabled each time you save a Photoshop PSD file.

When you enable the Maximize Compatibility feature, you are essentially saving a flattened copy of the image as an additional layer, beyond the image and adjustment layers you would otherwise see on the Layers panel. This serves two basic features.

First, with this flattened composite layer as part of the file, other software applications can render proper previews of the image. Note that Lightroom does require that Maximize Compatibility be turned on in order to import these files into the catalog.

Second, the Maximize Compatibility option helps ensure an image can retain the same appearance even if it is opened with a different version of Photoshop than it was created with. For example, the algorithms for some of the adjustment layers have been changed from time to time. If you open a PSD image from an older version of Photoshop with a version that uses different algorithms, the appearance of the image would be altered. With Maximize Compatibility enabled, you can essentially open a flattened version of the image that looks accurate, or a layered version that may not be accurate.

So, Lightroom users most certainly need to enable Maximize Compatibility for all PSD files they will manage within Lightroom. Photographers who won’t be using Lightroom generally don’t need to enable this option.

Today’s Question: If I store my photos on an external hard drive, do I need to always have that hard drive connected to my computer in order to work with my images in Lightroom [Classic CC]?

Tim’s Quick Answer: No, as long as the Lightroom catalog is available, you don’t need to have your source image files available to perform many tasks in Lightroom Classic CC. However, some tasks require that you first build Smart Previews, and some tasks require that the source images be available.

More Detail: Lightroom Classic CC stores the information about your photos in the Lightroom catalog. That catalog, in turn, references the actual photos being managed by your catalog, wherever those photos might be stored. Because the information about your photos is contained within the catalog, you can perform a variety of tasks in Lightroom even if the source files aren’t currently available (such as when you have disconnected an external hard drive that contains your photos).

As long as your Lightroom catalog is available (such as by being stored on the internal hard drive on your computer) you can perform a variety of tasks without access to the source photos. For example, you can browse your photos based on the previews Lightroom has generated, and even update keywords and other metadata, even if the external hard drive containing your photos is not currently connected to your computer. If you build Smart Previews for your photos, you can even work in the Develop module when the source image files are not available.

Some tasks do require the source images. For example, if you want to export a copy of a photo in the original capture format, the source file must be available. But there are quite a number of tasks you can perform in Lightroom even when the source photos aren’t currently available, thanks to the catalog Lightroom uses to manage the information about your photos.

Note that the GreyLearning library includes a course on “Understanding Lightroom”, to help photographers better understand how Lightroom Classic CC works. The aim of this course is to help ensure you don’t run into challenges based on a lack of understanding of Lightroom. You can get this course for just $10 if you use the coupon code “understand” during checkout. Or, simply follow this link to get started with the discount applied automatically:

https://www.greylearning.com/courses/understanding-lightroom?coupon=understand

Today’s Question: In Photoshop CC, when I choose “Save As” to save an image as a TIFF file, the TIFF Options box displays the choice of Byte Order (IBM PC or Macintosh) pre-selected for Macintosh. Is there a way to always make it pre-selected for IBM PC?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There is not a way to change the default Byte Order setting in Photoshop, at least as far as I know. However, for the vast majority of users, there’s actually no benefit to choosing one option over the other.

More Detail: There was a time long ago (ten years or so) when selecting the correct Byte Order option for TIFF images was important. This was due to software compatibility issues, specifically as it related to the way image file data was stored on a Windows versus Macintosh computer.

Today’s software (with very few exceptions) is able to read TIFF images regardless of which Byte Order option is selected. Frankly, I would prefer it if Adobe removed the Byte Order setting from the TIFF Options dialog altogether, and simply provided a default setting option in Preferences.

Windows users can most certainly read and write TIFF files that are saved with the Macintosh setting for Byte Order with the vast majority of software available today. In fact, there isn’t a single imaging or video software application I use that doesn’t support TIFF files saved with either Byte Option setting.

So, if it makes you feel better to choose one option over the other, by all means feel free. But I recommend simply ignoring the fact that this setting even exists in the TIFF Options dialog, as it is extremely unlikely you will run into any compatibility issues with any software or operating system regardless of which setting is selected.

Today’s Question: I have some Photoshop files that I think are from 2005 (or earlier). I can’t get them to open and am receiving the message “Could not complete your request because it is not a valid Photoshop document.” I am sure that I clicked the button to maintain compatibility along the way. Is there any way you can suggest that I might be able to retrieve these files?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The message you’re seeing indicates that the file you’re opening is either corrupted or isn’t actually a Photoshop PSD file. If you suspect the file format could be something other than a PSD file, you could open it as a different file format. You could also try a recovery tool to see if it can salvage a corrupted file.

More Detail: When Photoshop presents the error message “Could not complete your request because it is not a valid Photoshop document”, it indicates that the file does not appear to be the type of file expected. In this case, in other words, the PSD file you are trying to open doesn’t appear to Photoshop to actually be a PSD file.

It is possible that the file you’re trying to open isn’t actually a PSD file. For example, it could be a JPEG image that somehow had the filename extension changed to PSD. If that were the case, renaming the image so that the filename extension matches the actual file type would solve the issue. I suspect that is not the issue in this case.

Unfortunately, I suspect that in this case the PSD file are corrupted. Newer versions of Photoshop are still able to open PSD files created with older versions of Photoshop. Certain features might not be supported in some cases, and the appearance of the image may not match what was created originally in an older version of Photoshop. But the files can be opened with newer version of Photoshop.

Note that the “Maximize Compatibility” option for PSD files is not required in order to simply open an older PSD file in Photoshop.

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the files in this case are corrupted. You might check to see if you have backup copies of the files that are not corrupted. In addition, you could attempt to use a recovery tool to salvage the corrupted PSD files. For example, one such tool is the Photoshop file extract/recover tool found here:

http://www.telegraphics.com.au/sw/product/PSDRecover

Today’s Question: You mentioned the Red Pod bean bag you use for your camera support when without a tripod. I noticed there is also a Green Pod bean bag. The Red is supposed to be for compact cameras with the ¼-20 threads in the center and the green is supposed to be for DSLRs and the ¼-20 stud is off center. They appear to weigh the same so I am curious why you use the Red one?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I prefer the Red Pod (https://timgrey.me/redpod) over the Green Pod (https://timgrey.me/greenpod) because I’ve found the Red Pod provides better support and flexibility for my camera, as long as I’m not using a particularly long lens.

More Detail: When I use a beanbag, I’m generally not using a particularly heavy lens. With the Green Pod you can have the camera mounted at the edge of the beanbag, with a strap around the lens. This works well with a long lens, because it puts the overall support of the beanbag more at the center of the overall mass of the camera and lens setup. However, I’ve also found this provides a little less flexibility in terms of the positions you can place the camera, since there isn’t as much beanbag “behind” the camera.

With the Red Pod mounting at the center of the beanbag, you can “squish” the beanbag a little more in any direction to adjust the tilt of the camera. I’ve found this to be a better solution, as long as I’m not using a particularly big/heavy lens that would extend far beyond the edge of the Red Pod.

You can view photos and get more information about the Red Pod and Green Pod by following these links:

The Red Pod: https://timgrey.me/redpod
The Green Pod: https://timgrey.me/greenpod

Today’s Question: What would you consider to be an ideal editing environment with regard to factors such as the type and amount of ambient lighting, screen brightness, screen type (reflective or not) and any other important considerations?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There are two things that I consider to be critical “ingredients” to an optimal view when optimizing your photos. The first is to be sure that the display is properly calibrated, including an adjustment to the overall luminance of the display. The second is to work in a darkened environment where there is no outside influence impacting your perception of the display of the image on your monitor.

More Detail: I think it is easy to understand how important it is that the images displayed on your monitor are accurate in terms of color and tonality, since you will be using the monitor display to make decisions about how to adjust the appearance of a photo. While today’s displays are quite stable and relatively accurate by default, it is still important to calibrate the display to ensure the color and luminance are as accurate as possible.

I strongly recommend using a calibration package that includes a colorimeter, which is a device that measures the light emitted by the monitor display. For example, one great option is the ColorMunki Display from X-Rite, which you can find here:

http://timgrey.me/colormunkidisplay

Note that with a calibration tool such as the ColorMunki Display, you will be guided through the process of adjusting your display’s brightness to match a target value. I recommend using a target luminance of about 120 candelas per square meter, which is a bit darker than most displays will appear by default.

Once your display is properly calibrated, you’ll want to be sure you are getting an accurate view of that display. In other words, you don’t want there to be any interference in terms of the brightness or color of the display. The optimal approach here is to work in a darkened environment if at all possible, so that the appearance of the display is not affected by the ambient conditions.

While it is best to work in a relatively dark environment, the key is to avoid strong color and tonal influences for the display. Moderate lighting won’t generally cause a significant problem, as long as it isn’t creating glare or positioned such that it affects your view of the display. Relatively neutral colors are best near the monitor. That’s not to say you need to paint all of the walls in the room neutral gray, but vibrant colors near your monitor display can alter your perception of that display.

As for glossy versus a flat finish for the monitor display itself, you’ll actually get better color and contrast in most cases with a glossy display. You just need to be extra careful to ensure color or lights are not being reflected by the display, since those would have a greater impact with the highly reflective surface of such a monitor.

Today’s Question: Do you think the “automatic” panoramic images you can capture with smartphones and other cameras have gotten good enough that you don’t need to create composite panoramas with a DSLR?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Not quite. Automatic in-camera panoramas can produce very good results, but generally not as good as you can achieve by capturing a series of images with careful technique, and then assembling those photos into a composite panorama.

More Detail: There are two basic types of “automatic” panoramas you can capture with certain cameras, and that don’t require any post-capture assembly. The first type involves the assisted capture of multiple frames that are then assembled in the camera to create a panoramic image. The second type is a “scanning” panorama, such as you can find with the iPhone’s Camera app. With this option you scan across the scene during the capture, and a panorama is created from that scanning view.

There are advanced cameras that create automated panoramic images, including scanning cameras that create 360-degree panoramic images. Those are capable of excellent image quality. But the more basic options available with smartphones and compact cameras do not offer quite the level of quality you could achieve with a composite capture.

For example, with a scanning approach to panoramas it can be very difficult to achieve proper alignment relative to the scene. This can result in an image where the horizon curves up and down throughout the panorama.

Cameras that assist you with the process of capturing multiple frames that are then assembled in the camera to create a panorama work better in most cases than scanning cameras, but I’ve found there can sometimes be errors or distortions in these captures.

In general you’ll find that many of the smartphone and compact camera options for creating panoramas provide results that are of high enough quality to share online. However, these captures are often not quite of the quality and technical accuracy needed for producing a large print.

So, for more casual online sharing, automatic panoramas provide a good solution. But for the highest quality results (especially if your intent is to print the panorama) I still recommend capturing a series of images with a high-quality camera, and assembling those frames into a composite panorama using software such as Photoshop or Lightroom Classic CC.