Author: Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I had responded to Adobe’s promotion efforts of last year and installed Photoshop Beta, but when I did that, the beta version became the default Photoshop for the “Edit In” command in Lightroom Classic. Is there was way I can install both the production version of Photoshop and the Beta, but ensure that the production Photoshop will always be the default choice for editing an image moving from Lightroom Classic?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can indeed choose which version of Photoshop will be used for the Edit In command in Lightroom Classic, including selecting between multiple beta or production versions.

More Detail: While it has always been possible to have more than one version of Photoshop installed, that hasn’t typically created any problems because in most cases the latest version would be the default version. However, since Adobe added the option for anyone to install a public beta version of Photoshop, that has added a potential challenge. In many cases, for example, the public beta would be the latest version, and therefore the default version.

Fortunately, there is now a “Photoshop version” option for the Edit In command for Photoshop within Lightroom Classic.

To choose the version of Photoshop you want to set as the default, first go to the Preferences dialog in Lightroom Classic by choosing Edit > Preferences on Windows or Lightroom Classic > Preferences on Macintosh. Go to the External Editing tab and click on the “Photoshop version” popup. The popup will include all versions of Photoshop that are currently installed.

In this case, for example, you can choose “Adobe Photoshop 2024” rather than the beta version. With this option set, anytime you use the Photo > Edit In command from the menu the selected images will be opened in the version of Photoshop you selected in Preferences.

If you later decide you want to use a different version of Photoshop for a particular image, simply update the setting in Preferences before opening that image. When you’re done, you can return the setting to your preferred version of Photoshop.

Today’s Question: I just watched your Lightroom Summit presentation about Cloud storage. If we “unsync” a collection via Lightroom Classic, do those photos disappear from the cloud or do we have to remove them from cloud storage via the process you demonstrated?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you turn off synchronization for a collection in Lightroom Classic, the photos in that collection will not be removed from cloud storage automatically. You would need to remove them manually, checking to make sure they aren’t included in any other synchronized collections first.

More Detail: When you enable synchronization for a collection in Lightroom Classic, the photos in that collection are synchronized to the cloud, so that they are accessible from anywhere in the Lightroom ecosystem. For example, you can then browse those photos in the Lightroom mobile app or in Lightroom through a web browser.

However, if you turn off synchronization for a collection, the photos in that collection are not removed from cloud-based storage, even if the photos are not included in any other collection that has synchronization enabled.

I therefore recommend taking an approach where you keep track of the photos you want to remove from cloud-based storage. This can be important so that you don’t end up with photos orphaned in cloud storage, where they are taking up storage space and creating clutter but aren’t included in any collections or albums.

So, for example, before disabling synchronization for a collection you could mark all the photos in the collection with a unique attribute that you don’t use for any other purpose such as a color label. You can then disable synchronization for the collection and go to the All Synced Photographs collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module.

Within the All Synced Photographs collection you can set a filter for the attribute you used to mark the photos. Then review those photos to see if they are included in any other collections that have synchronization enabled. If you determine the photos don’t need to be in cloud storage at all, you can select the photos, right-click, and choose “Remove from All Synced Photographs” from the popup menu. This will remove the selected photos from cloud-based storage and from any collections they were included in that had synchronization enabled. The source photos, of course, will remain in your catalog and on your hard drive.

Today’s Question: I’m using Lightroom Classic to do my importing and editing and I have the sync with Lightroom Cloud function switched on. Are the photos stored on Lightroom Cloud copies of the original photos (together with edits) or are they just previews? I am curious to know whether the photos on Lightroom Cloud provide a further backup, should the two external hard drives fail for some reason or are lost.

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you synchronize photos from Lightroom Classic to the cloud, the synchronized images are reduced-resolution Adobe DNG files, not the original. Therefore, I would not treat this as an additional backup in your workflow.

More Detail: When you add photos to cloud-based storage using the Lightroom mobile app, Lightroom in a web browser, or the Lightroom desktop application (not Lightroom Classic), the original file format is retained. This is true even for raw captures, meaning that if you add a raw capture to the Lightroom ecosystem other than through Lightroom Classic, you have a backup of the original raw capture stored in the cloud.

However, with Lightroom Classic you aren’t synchronizing the original capture format to the cloud, but rather a copy at a reduced resolution (about 2,000 pixels on the long side) saved as an Adobe DNG file. While this provides an image of reasonable resolution and quality, I don’t consider it a replacement for the original capture.

Therefore, I strongly recommend maintaining a good backup workflow for your photos, and not treating the cloud-based synchronization from Lightroom Classic as a true backup. I recommend using software such as GoodSync (https://www.timgreyphoto.com/goodsync) to back up local copies of photos, such as by backing up an external hard drive to two backup drives. I also recommend using a cloud-based backup service such as Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/cloudbackup) to provide a remote backup. Cloud-based synchronization in Lightroom Classic provides only a bonus copy of selected images at a reduced resolution.

Today’s Question: Is there any way to change the aspect ratio of an image from say 3:2 to say 16:9 without losing any of the original image? I know that you can simply crop the original image to 16:9 if there’s ample space surrounding the main subject but what if there isn’t?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You have three basic options when it comes to changing the aspect ratio of a photo. You can simply crop the image to the desired aspect ratio if possible, crop as needed for the subject and then add area to the image such as by using the Generative Fill command in Photoshop, or crop for the subject and then transform the image to fit the desired aspect ratio.

More Detail: The easiest way to change the aspect ratio of the image is obviously to simply crop the image to the desired aspect ratio. However, if you’re going from a common rectangular aspect ratio to a more panoramic aspect ratio, for example, then simply cropping may cause you to crop too closely to the key subject, or even to crop out part of the subject.

If a simple crop won’t work for the image, you can either add area to the image or transform the image to fill the desired aspect ratio, after cropping as much as you’re able to based on the subject in the photo. This type of work will generally require Photoshop or similar software for greater flexibility and more options.

One approach would be to extend the canvas after cropping to match the desired aspect ratio. For example, in Photoshop you can use the Canvas Size command found on the Image menu to change the size of the canvas without altering the existing image. In the case of changing to a more panoramic aspect ratio, for example, you could add additional space on the left and right so that your image is with a canvas that matches the intended aspect ratio. You could then make a selection in the empty areas and use the Content-Aware Fill or Generative Fill commands (both found on the Edit menu) to fill the selected area.

Another option would be to alter the aspect ratio of the image, but this can cause an obvious distortion of subjects in the photo, potentially making it a bad option. But if you only need to stretch the image to a small degree, this can work nicely. For this approach I would still tend to crop to the extent you can based on the subject in the image. Then convert the Background image layer to a new layer by double-clicking on the thumbnail for the layer on the Layers panel and clicking the OK button in the New Layers dialog. Use the Canvas Size command as noted above to extend the canvas to the intended aspect ratio. Then choose Edit > Free Transform from the menu and drag the sides of the bounding box to match the extended canvas, pressing Enter/Return on the keyboard to apply the change. If extending horizontally you would drag the left and right edges, and if extending vertically you would drag the top and bottom edges.

Again, the best option is to crop to the desired aspect ratio. But if that’s not possible based on the subject matter in the photo, you have additional options thanks to some of the features of Photoshop.

Today’s Question: Another instructor recommended using the “Embedded & Sidecar” option for Build Previews when importing into Lightroom Classic to maximize performance. Do you think that’s the best option for previews?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I do not recommend using the “Embedded & Sidecar” preview option when importing into Lightroom Classic, but instead recommend the “Standard” preview option.

More Detail: When you import photos into Lightroom Classic you can choose what type of previews you want to have built. Those previews are what are used to browse your images in the Library module, for example. You can even view your photos even if the source files aren’t available (such as when an external hard drive is disconnected) based on those previews.

The available options for previews are Minimal, Embedded & Sidecar, Standard, and 1:1 (meaning full resolution). The way I look at it, you can think of Standard previews as being the required minimum previews when browsing photos in the Library module, meaning when you’re browsing photos if a Standard preview doesn’t already exist Lightroom Classic will build one. There can be a brief delay in building the preview, during which time you will be looking at a lower-resolution (and therefore lower quality) preview. You might even mistakenly think the photo is out of focus because of that preview discrepancy.

In other words, Standard previews are going to be built for your photos eventually, so I feel it is best to get that work out of the way right at the point of importing new photos into Lightroom Classic. That means selecting the Standard option from the Build Previews popup when importing photos.

Note, by the way, that the 1:1 previews are only needed when you zoom in beyond 100% for a photo. Those previews will be generated on the fly as needed, but if you tend to zoom in beyond 100% for most of your photos, you may want to choose the 1:1 preview option on import. Just note that by default those 1:1 previews will be deleted automatically after 30 days, though you can change that setting on the File Handling tab of the Catalog Settings dialog.

Today’s Question: If I were to be a new Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop [Creative Cloud Photography Plan] subscriber, would you recommend Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, or something else to be the main editing platform starting off?

Tim’s Quick Answer: When it comes to editing (optimizing) photos, the features are virtually identical in Photoshop (Camera Raw), Lightroom, and Lightroom Classic. Therefore, I recommend making a decision based on what is going to make the most sense for organizing your photos.

More Detail: Photoshop (via Camera Raw), Lightroom, and Lightroom Classic share the same underlying engine for optimizing photos, and so while there are differences in terms of the interface (and sometimes the timing of updated versions), the actual adjustments are the same.

Therefore, I suggest choosing between these options based more on which will best fit your needs for organizing your photos.

I certainly have my own biases, but I prefer the use of Lightroom Classic over the cloud-focused version of Lightroom or Bridge (the software you might use to organize if you focused on Photoshop). My preference for Lightroom Classic is partly that I prefer to store photos locally rather than in the cloud, and because I appreciate the benefits of the catalog in Lightroom Classic. Those benefits include being able to easily browse photos even if they aren’t currently available (such as when an external hard drive is disconnected) and to easily search across the entire catalog of photos at once.

My second choice would be Adobe Bridge, which provides the advantage of being a browser rather than a catalog-based application, which helps avoid issues related to the catalog, such as missing folders or photos. However, I’ve found that performance in Bridge can be a bit sluggish at times, especially when trying to perform a broad search for photos.

My last choice would be Lightroom. Initially I decided Lightroom wasn’t for me because it only supported cloud-based storage. While it now supports both cloud-based and local-based storage, I feel that this implementation creates a bit of a fragmented workflow with the potential for confusion about where your photos are actually located.

I shared more details about my recommendations for deciding between Bridge, Lightroom, and Lightroom Classic in a fun and informative webinar. You can view the recording of that full presentation on my Tim Grey TV channel on YouTube here:

[https://www.youtube.com/live/BwpneG4y0nQ]

Today’s Question: I used to use Lightroom Classic, but with the catalog and so many other things I made such a mess of things that I switched to using Bridge. I feel like that was a mistake for me as I was more acquainted with Lightroom Classic than Bridge. Now I am wondering how to start over with Lightroom Classic. I would like to bring the photos that I have been using in Bridge back into Lightroom Classic.

Tim’s Quick Answer: To transition from Adobe Bridge to Lightroom Classic you can simply create a new catalog in Lightroom Classic and then import all photos in a single process using the “Add” option in the Import dialog.

More Detail: While Lightroom Classic uses a catalog to manage the information about your photos, with Adobe Bridge most of the updates for your photos are stored directly in the metadata for the source image files. In the case of proprietary raw captures that information is stored within an XMP “sidecar” file for each image.

That means that standard metadata such as star ratings and keywords, as well as adjustments applied with Camera Raw, will be preserved in metadata. Features that are not supported by standard metadata, such as collections in Bridge, are not stored in the metadata for the images.

If you want to transition to Lightroom Classic after using Bridge, you can simply import all photos in a single process into Lightroom Classic, using the “Add” option at the top-center of the Import dialog.

For example, if all your photos are stored on an external hard drive, in the Import dialog in Lightroom Classic you could start by setting that external hard drive as the source of the import on the left panel of the Import dialog. Make sure the “Include Subfolders” checkbox is turned on toward the top-right of the left panel.

At the top-center of the Import dialog choose the “Add” option, so that you’re adding the photos to the catalog but leaving the source files where they are. On the right panel you can choose “Standard” from the Build Previews popup and turn off the “Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates” checkbox since you’re importing into an empty catalog. I would leave the Develop Settings and Metadata popups set to “None”, so that you aren’t changing any of the updates that were applied in Bridge.

You can then click the Import button at the bottom-right of the dialog and wait for Lightroom Classic to finish importing all the photos. Once that import has completed, just be sure that from that point forward you only work within Lightroom Classic for making any changes to your photos. New photos can of course be imported into your catalog as you continue managing your overall workflow with Lightroom Classic.

Note that I have comprehensive courses on both Adobe Bridge and Lightroom Classic for those who want to learn to put these applications to better use in their workflow. You can find those courses on the GreyLearning website here:

Adobe Bridge for Photographers:
https://www.greylearning.com/courses/adobe-bridge-for-photographers

Mastering Lightroom Classic:
https://www.greylearning.com/courses/mastering-lightroom-classic-2023

Today’s Question: If I’ve renamed photos in Lightroom Classic but then change my mind, is there a way to revert to the previous filename?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, but you can only revert to the original filenames, and only if the photos had originally been renamed using Lightroom Classic (or using Adobe Bridge with the “Preserve current filename in XMP Metadata” checkbox turned on).

More Detail: When you rename photos in Lightroom Classic, the original filename is preserved in Original Filename field. The same field will be populated with the original filename if you had used Adobe Bridge to rename the photo as long as the “Preserve current filename in XMP Metadata” checkbox was turned on when the photos were renamed using the Batch Rename command. You can then use that original filename to restore photos to their original naming.

However, you can only use this approach to revert to the original filename from the first time the photos were renamed. If you renamed the same images multiple times, your only option is to revert to the original filename, unless you remember what filename structure had been used and you can manually create a template for that purpose.

To revert photos to their original filename in Lightroom Classic you can first select the photos you want to rename and then choose Library > Rename Photos from the menu. In the Rename Photos dialog choose Filename from the File Naming popup to set a simple renaming template. Then click the popup again and choose “Edit”. In the large textbox delete the “Filename” token. Then choose “Original filename” from the second popup in the Image Name section. If this option was already selected from the popup, click the Insert button to the right. At this point the textbox should only contain “Original filename” as a token.

Click the Done button to close the Filename Template Editor and click the OK button in the Rename Photos dialog to rename the selected photos to their original filename based on the value stored in the Original Filename field in metadata.

Today’s Question: Would you mind sharing how you can use Lightroom Classic to rename photos for a custom sort order similar to how you explained the process in Adobe Bridge?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can add a sequence number to the beginning of filenames for photos in Lightroom Classic by creating and using a template for renaming.

More Detail: Today’s question is a follow-up to my answer on Friday, where I explained how you can rename photos to add a sequence number to the beginning of the filenames so the photos will sort in your preferred order when you sort by filename.

In Lightroom Classic the process begins by navigating to the location where the photos are stored and dragging the photos into the desired order either in the grid view or on the filmstrip on the bottom panel. Then select all the photos and choose Library > Rename Photos from the menu.

From the File Naming popup at the top of the Rename Photos dialog choose “Filename”. This will set the renaming structure to the existing filename, which won’t change the filename at all. To modify this preset to add a sequence number click the File Naming popup again and choose “Edit”.

In the Filename Template Editor dialog click the mouse to the left of the Filename token in the large textbox to place the insertion point before that token. You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the insertion point within the textbox. In the Sequence and Date section below click the upper of the two popups and choose one of the “Sequence #” options based on the number of digits you need for the sequence number. This enables you to have leading zeros so the filenames will sort properly, so you’ll need one digit for up to nine photos, two digits for up to 99 photos, and three digits for up to 999 photos, for example. If you select an option other than the default from the popup, the token for the sequence number will be placed automatically in the large textbox above. If you keep the default selection you can click the Insert button to the right of the popup to add the token.

You can then type additional text you want to include in the filename, such as by typing a dash or space in between the “Sequence #” and “Filename” tokens.

If you want to save this template for future use, click the Preset popup at the top of the dialog and choose “Save Current Settings as New Preset”. Enter a meaningful name for the template and click the Create button. You can then click the Done button to close the Filename Template Editor dialog.

In the Rename Photos dialog, the File Naming popup will either show the name of the template you saved if you saved it, or “Custom Settings” if you didn’t save a template after modifying the renaming structure. You can then enter a value (such as “1”) in the Start Number field to define the starting number for the sequence number. Then click the OK button to rename the selected photos. At that point you can set the sort order to “File Name” using the popup on the toolbar below the grid view display to sort the photos based on the custom order you defined.