Author: Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I recently noticed the “Import Preset” popup at the bottom of the import dialog in Lightroom Classic, though I’m sure it isn’t a new feature. Does it make sense to use an import preset, and if so why or for what purpose?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Creating a preset for the Import dialog in Lightroom Classic is a good way to preserve the settings you use most frequently when importing photos. As with any import, if you make use of a preset you just need to be sure to review all settings so they are correct for the specific photos you’re currently importing.

More Detail: The Import Preset popup is relatively small and perhaps somewhat hidden at the bottom of the Import dialog, and so I wouldn’t be surprised if most photographers don’t even notice it is there. This popup can be helpful in terms of providing a set of baseline settings for an import. Just be sure to review the final settings before actually importing your photos.

To create a preset for Import, start by configuring the settings you want to use within the Import dialog. For example, you can make sure that the primary storage location you use for your photos is set as the destination at the top-right of the Import dialog. For some settings, such as if you want to create a subfolder in the Destination section, you may want to put placeholder text, such as “FOLDER NAME” in all caps so you’ll know to change that to the actual intended folder name before importing.

Once you’ve established the settings you want to preserve with a preset, click the Import Preset at the bottom-center of the Import dialog and choose “Save Current Settings as New Preset” from the popup. In the New Preset dialog, type a meaningful name for the preset, and click Create.

In the future, you can simply select this preset from the popup at the bottom of the Import dialog to quickly establish the settings saved with the preset. Then review and update the specific settings as needed for the current import job and click the Import button.

Note, by the way, that you can create multiple presets for the Import dialog if you have more than one configuration you tend to use during import for different types of photos, for example.

Today’s Question: While replacing a crashed computer I somehow managed to delete an image folder from the catalog. The image files are OK except that along with the images the folder now contains .xmp files (that’s what leads me to believe the images were once in the catalog). Will anything bad happen if I just reimport the folder?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Nothing bad will happen by importing those photos into Lightroom Classic, though some metadata may be lost in the process depending on your workflow.

More Detail: You can remove an entire folder from Lightroom Classic by right-clicking on the folder and choosing “Remove” from the popup menu. If the folder you remove contains photos, the folder and photos will remain on the hard drive, but those photos and their metadata will be removed from the Lightroom Classic catalog. Note, by the way, if the folder is completely empty and you choose the Remove command the folder will be deleted from the hard drive.

The presence of XMP sidecar files suggests you had enabled the option to automatically save metadata updates to XMP, which is a setting found on the Metadata tab of the Catalog Settings dialog. If that was the case, standard metadata such as star ratings and keywords would be preserved along with the photos. That, in turn, means that when you import the folder full of images back into your Lightroom Classic catalog, the saved metadata will be imported along with the images.

Interestingly, even though the adjustment settings in the Develop module could certainly be considered metadata that is specific to Lightroom Classic, those details are preserved along with the source image file when you enable the option to automatically write metadata to XMP.

However, there are some features specific to the Lightroom Classic catalog that are not preserved in metadata when you save metadata to the images rather than only having that metadata in the catalog. For example, pick and reject flags, virtual copies, and collections require the Lightroom Classic catalog. Therefore, if you import these photos again and you had taken advantage of these features for those images, that information won’t be recovered.

Regardless, you can safely import the entire folder into your catalog. Be sure to use the “Add” option at the top-center of the import dialog to add the images from their current location rather than copying them to another location. Also make sure the “Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates” checkbox in the File Handling section of the right panel in the Import dialog is turned off, just in case the same images are in the catalog based on copies being stored in a different folder. I also suggest making sure the Metadata popup in the Apply During Import section of the right panel in the Import dialog is set to “None”, so that you don’t change any of the existing metadata for the photos during the import process.

Note, by the way, that if it was important to recover the metadata that is specific to Lightroom Classic for these photos, you could go through a more involved process of recovering a backup copy of your Lightroom Classic catalog from before the folder had been removed. You could then use the “Export as Catalog” command to export a copy of that catalog with only the applicable folder of photos, and then import that catalog to the master catalog using the “Import from Another Catalog” command.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to get the rotation buttons that are available on the toolbar in the Library module of Lightroom Classic to appear on the toolbar in the Develop module? Or do I have to be in the Library module to rotate in 90-degree increments.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can’t add the 90-degree rotation buttons to the toolbar in the Develop module, but you can still rotate while in the Develop module using keyboard shortcuts or a menu command.

More Detail: The buttons for rotating in 90-degree increments are included by default on the toolbar below the image preview area in the loupe view in the Library module in Lightroom Classic, but they are not on the toolbar in the Develop module. Furthermore, while you can modify which controls appear on the toolbar, in the Develop module you can’t add the rotation buttons.

However, you don’t need to switch to the Library module to rotate an image in 90-degree increments. In the Develop module you can still use keyboard shortcuts for rotation. While holding the Ctrl key on Windows or the Command key on Macintosh you can press the left square bracket key ([) to rotate counterclockwise or press the right square bracket key (]) to rotate clockwise.

You can also go to the menu while in the Develop module and choose Photo followed by Rotate Left (for counterclockwise) or Rotate Right (for clockwise). The rotation options are also available on a context menu. You can right-click on the image preview in the Develop module and choose Transform followed by Rotate Left or Rotate Right. You can also right-click on a thumbnail on the filmstrip while in the Develop module and choose Rotate Left or Rotate Right.

I do think it would be nice if Adobe would add the ability to include the rotation buttons on the toolbar below the image preview area in the Develop module. However, fortunately there are other options that enable you to rotate an image in 90-degree increments without having to go to the Library module.

Today’s Question: As a follow-up, isn’t there a way to make it possible to work in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic even when the external hard drive is disconnected?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There is indeed. You simply need to generate smart previews for the images you want to work with in the Develop module when the source image files are not available.

More Detail: As noted in yesterday’s answer, by default when the source image files are not available in Lightroom Classic, such as when an external hard drive containing photos is disconnected, you can work with those images in the Develop module. However, there is a way to enable working in the Develop module even when the source files are not available.

The solution is to generate smart previews of the photos you want to work with offline. Let’s assume, for example, that you want to be able to work in the Develop module with any of the photos in a single folder. You could start by navigating to that folder in the Library module, making sure no filters are set on the Library Filter bar, and selecting all of the photos. Then go to the menu and choose Library > Previews > Build Smart Previews.

Once the previews have been built, you’ll be able to work with those images in the Develop module even with the external hard drive containing the source images disconnected from the computer.

When the hard drive is connected again, the adjustments you applied will be synchronized based on the source image files. Note that because the smart previews aren’t the exact same as the source images, there may be some variations in the appearance of the photos between the smart preview and the source image file.

Because of the potential for differences in appearance between smart previews and the original image file, I prefer not to work with smart previews in this way. Having said that, this feature can obviously be tremendously helpful when you need to work with images but aren’t able to have the source files available. For example, if you’re trying to travel light, you could generate smart previews and continue working with great flexibility with the applicable images without having to bring an external hard drive with you.

Today’s Question: I know I need to plug in my external hard drive when I want to work in the Develop module, but is it OK to make changes in the Library module without connecting the drive?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can most certainly apply metadata and other updates in the Library module, with the exception of the Quick Develop section. There’s no need to worry about applying updates in the Library module when the source photos aren’t available.

More Detail: All updates you apply in Lightroom Classic are saved to the catalog, so technically the source photos don’t have to be available to apply updates. You can view the images based on the previews that have been rendered, and then update metadata via the catalog.

By default the exception to this is when applying adjustments to an image in the Develop module or with the Quick Develop section in the Library module. To provide the most accurate preview possible, adjustments are based on the source image on the hard drive. That is why adjustments in the Develop module are disabled by default when you select a photo that is not currently available.

For the metadata updates in the Library module the source files don’t need to be available. You can update any metadata you’d like, and those updates will be preserved in the catalog. If you have enabled the option to automatically save metadata updates to XMP, then the metadata for the source files will be updated automatically whenever the source images are available to Lightroom Classic again.

Note, by the way, that with the XMP option enabled, metadata updates for proprietary raw captures will be saved to an XMP sidecar file, while updates for other supported image formats will be saved directly within the source image file.

Today’s Question: Can you explain the Masking slider for sharpening in Lightroom Classic? The other sharpening adjustments are familiar from similar options in Photoshop, but I can’t figure out Masking.

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Masking slider enables you to prevent smooth areas of the image from having any sharpening applied. A higher value will increase the degree to which areas with relatively low edge contrast will be protected from being sharpened. Note that this same control is available in Camera Raw for Photoshop users, in addition to being available in Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: Applying sharpening to an image enhances contrast along existing contrast edges in a photo. In other words, contrast is enhanced for the detail within a photo. For areas of a photo that have relatively smooth texture, such as the sky, sharpening can be problematic. The enhancement of the very subtle texture in these areas can create the appearance of noise or grain, which can be problematic. The Masking slider enables you to prevent smooth areas from being sharpened.

One of the great ways to get a better sense of which areas of the image will be sharpened based on the Masking slider is to hold the Alt key on Windows or the Option key on Macintosh while adjusting the slider value. This will provide a black-and-white preview of the image, where white represents areas being sharpened and black represents areas not being sharpened.

So, for example, you might increase the value for Masking until the sky area is entirely black, with the foreground being all (or mostly) white. This would cause the sky to not be sharpened, while the rest of the image still has sharpening applied.

You can refine the setting for Masking based on your priorities in terms of applying sharpening areas of the image where detail is important versus mitigating that sharpening for areas of the image with smooth textures.

Today’s Question: What’s the difference between a Smart Object in Photoshop and a Smart Filter layer?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There is no difference at all. When you use the command to convert an image layer for a Smart Filter, you’re simply converting the layer to a Smart Object.

More Detail: A Smart Object in Photoshop enables you to apply adjustments with greater flexibility. For example, if you apply a creative filter to a Smart Object layer, the filter doesn’t actually alter the source pixel values. Instead, the filter operates something like an adjustment layer, in that the adjustment settings are separate from the source pixels.

One of the key benefits of a Smart Object is that you can return to the settings at any time to make changes, much as you can modify the settings for an adjustment layer at any time.

In Photoshop the use of a filter on a Smart Object is often referred to as using a Smart Filter. When you want to apply a filter effect as a Smart Filter, you can convert the current image layer for Smart Filter use by going to the menu and choosing Filter > Convert for Smart Filters. However, what this command is really doing is converting the current layer to a Smart Object. Then, when you apply a filter to that Smart Object layer, you’ll effectively be applying a Smart Filter.

In other words, instead of using the Convert for Smart Filters command you could use the normal command for converting an image layer to a Smart Object. That command is found on the menu at Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object.

Both the “Convert to Smart Object” and “Convert for Smart Filters” commands to the exact same thing. The result in both cases will be that the current layer will be converted to a Smart Object, and if you then apply a filter to the Smart Object layer it will be applied as a Smart Filter.

So, the two commands are duplicative, just available in both places on the menu as something of a convenience, so that whether you’re thinking from the perspective of a layer or a filter, you’ll still have access to the Smart Object feature.

Today’s Question: When I create a virtual copy in Lightroom Classic it gets called “Copy 1”, and a second virtual copy of the same source photo becomes “Copy 2”. Is there a way to use a more descriptive name for virtual copies?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes! You can rename a virtual copy by updating the Copy Name field in the Metadata section of the right panel in the Library module.

More Detail: A virtual copy enables you to create more than one interpretation of a single source image in Lightroom Classic. For example, you can optimize an image in color, and then create a virtual copy that you convert to black and white. You can create a new virtual copy by right-clicking on an image and choosing “Create Virtual Copy” from the popup menu.

When you create a virtual copy, it will be given a copy name of “Copy 1”, with the number updating based on how many virtual copies you’ve created for the same image. This name is shown after the filename for the virtual copy, but the text can be found in the Copy Name field in the Metadata section of the right panel in the Library module.

You can simply edit the text in the Copy Name field to rename the virtual copy. That updated text will then appear after the filename for the virtual copy.

Note that you can even add text to the Copy Name field for the original image, such as to designate it as “Original”. However, the text in the Copy Name field will only appear after the filename for virtual copies, not for the source image.

Today’s Question: You’ve talked about using the Alt/Option key to enable a clipping preview when adjusting tone for a photo in Lightroom Classic. But why not just click the triangles at the corners of the histogram so the clipping preview display is always on?

Tim’s Quick Answer: While the clipping preview options associated with the histogram in the Develop module of Lightroom Classic can be helpful, it doesn’t provide as much detail related to clipping compared to holding the Alt/Option key while applying an adjustment.

More Detail: Clipping refers to the loss of detail for the darkest shadows or brightest highlights for an image. A clipping preview display can help you decide on the specific adjustments you’ll apply to an image to avoid the loss of detail in the darkest and brightest areas of a photo.

At the top corners of the histogram at the top of the right panel in the Develop module you’ll find triangles representing the clipping preview feature. The triangle at the top-left represents black clipping, and the triangle at the top-right represents white clipping.

You can hover the mouse pointer over one of these triangles to see a clipping preview overlay in areas of the image where detail is being lost based on the exposure and the current adjustment settings. You can click on a triangle to turn the clipping preview on so the overlay remains until you turn the feature off.

However, the clipping preview associated with the histogram does not provide as much detail as you get when holding the Alt/Option key while applying a tonal adjustment. The histogram clipping preview only shows the overlay in areas that have clipped to pure black or white based on all three channels. The clipping preview associated with the Alt/Option key shows you clipping on a per-channel basis, so you can see areas that are losing detail on only one or two channels, not just areas that are clipped on all three channels.

Having this additional level of detail can be helpful to ensure you are not losing too much detail in a photo when applying tonal adjustments. For example, for a photo of a red rose you may lose considerable detail in the red channel before you reach the point where all three channels have been clipped. The detail on the red channel would be very important in this context, and so I would want to have the benefit of a preview that illustrates clipping for each channel individually, not just when all three channels get clipped.

Today’s Question: What is the benefit of creating a saved location in the Map module in Lightroom Classic? If my photos already have location metadata, why would I want to save a location on the list rather than just refer to the info in metadata for the photos?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Saved Locations feature for the Map module in Lightroom Classic provides an easy way to quickly navigate to locations on the map you might want to reference more frequently, even when you aren’t currently browsing photos that were captured in that location.

More Detail: On the left panel in the Map module in Lightroom Classic there is a “Saved Locations” section, and you can click the plus symbol (+) to the right of that heading to create a new saved location. You can give the location a name, adjust the radius of the area, and move the circle representing the location on the map. This can be used to effectively put a ring around photos on the map that were captured in a particular area.

To me the primary reason to create a Saved Location is to create a shortcut that makes it easy to navigate to a particular location on the map regardless of which photos you’re currently browsing.

When you hover the mouse pointer over a saved location in the Saved Locations list a right-pointing arrow will appear to the right of the count of how many photos were captured within that location. You can click that arrow to quickly navigate to the position on the map represented by that saved location. The saved location also provides a visual indication of the position on the map, which can be helpful.

Of course, you could always click on the GPS location metadata badge on the thumbnail of a photo to navigate to the position on the map represented by that location metadata. You can also use the search field at the top-right of the map to search by location name. However, for locations on the map that represent photos you may like to review in that context relatively frequently, it can be helpful to create saved locations for that purpose.

I also find that simply having a saved location on the list sometimes reminds me of photos I may want to consider using for a particular project. So, saved locations can be helpful in the context of photos for which the location you captured them is meaningful or serves as a good reminder of the photos you captured there.