Category: Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: In trying to test the new dust removal feature in Adobe Camera Raw, I discovered that if I use “Edit in Photoshop” from Lightroom Classic, the files open directly into Photoshop. If I go to Explorer [or Finder] and double-click on the same file, it opens in Camera Raw. Can you explain this?

Tim’s Quick Answer: When you send a raw capture to Photoshop from Lightroom Classic the image is rendered by Lightroom Classic including the adjustments from the Develop module. In other words, what is sent to Photoshop isn’t a raw capture, which is why Camera Raw is not invoked. However, you can still use Camera Raw as a filter in Photoshop.

More Detail: If you open a raw capture directly in Photoshop (including by opening the image from Bridge or through the operating system) the image will automatically be opened in Camera Raw. The same is true for JPEG, HEIC, and TIFF images if you have enabled support for those file types in Camera Raw Preferences. The same is not true for images sent to Photoshop from Camera Raw.

The reason is that when you send a raw capture to Photoshop from Lightroom Classic it is in effect processed by Lightroom Classic so that a fully rendered image is sent rather than a raw capture. Therefore, the image is simply opened in Photoshop without the use of Camera Raw.

However, there’s no need to resort to opening the raw capture directly in Photoshop to get to Camera Raw. You can simply use the Camera Raw filter, which in the current public beta version of Photoshop includes a Dust option for Distraction Removal, along with options to remove Reflections and People.

To use the Camera Raw filter in Photoshop, simply open an image, select the applicable image layer (making a copy or Smart Object if you want to work non-destructively) and then choose Filter > Camera Raw Filter from the menu. You can then choose the Remove tool from the toolbar at the top-right and select the Dust option in the Distraction Removal section.

Today’s Question: I seem to have lost my star ratings in a collection of photos I was working on in the Grid view in Lightroom Classic. I have them in the loop so how do I get them back in the Grid view?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There are a few possible settings that can cause the star ratings to not be shown in the grid view in Lightroom Classic, but the solution can be found in the Library View Options dialog.

More Detail: There are a variety of options for configuring the way images are displayed in the grid view in Lightroom Classic, primarily revolving around which metadata is displayed along with the image thumbnails. This includes the option to choose whether star ratings (among other attributes) are shown.

To get started, while in the Library module go to the menu bar and choose View > View Options. If you weren’t already in the grid view, click the Grid View tab at the top of the dialog. Then review the display settings to determine why the star ratings aren’t shown.

If you’re not seeing any metadata details in the grid view, you may have the “Show Grid Extras” checkbox at the top of the dialog turned off. If so, turn on the checkbox so metadata will be displayed for each image thumbnail.

If the Show Grid Extras popup is set to “Compact Cells” then you’ll want to make sure that “Rating” or “Rating and Label” is selected from either the Top Label or Bottom Label popup in the Compact Cell Extras section, and that the checkbox for “Top Label” or “Bottom Label” (or both) is turned on. If the Show Grid Extras popup is set to “Expanded Cells” then there are two other options. You’ll either want to make sure that the “Show Header with Labels” checkbox is turned on and that “Rating” is selected from one of the four popups, or you’ll want to make sure the “Show Rating Footer” checkbox is turned on.

The point is that if star ratings or other metadata attributes aren’t displayed in the grid view, you can get them back by selecting the applicable option on the Grid View tab of the Library View Options dialog.

Today’s Question: I recently purchased a new computer and had a computer tech install the latest versions of Photoshop and Lightroom Classic. When I checked my Keyword List, the alphabetical list only went from “A” to “O”. Keywords starting with “P” through “Z” are missing. How can I find those other keywords (hopefully they’re not lost)?

Tim’s Quick Answer: This is a long-standing known issue with Lightroom Classic on the Windows platform. You can access keywords further down the alphabetical list using the search field, or you can organize the keywords into a hierarchy to enable access to the full list.

More Detail: The issue of not being able to see your full list of keywords in the Keyword List of the right panel in Lightroom Classic only affects Windows users (not Macintosh). From everything I’ve been able to gather, it doesn’t appear that this limitation will be fixed anytime soon, if ever.

There are two workarounds that Windows users can employ to access their full list of keywords. The first is to enter text into the Filter Keywords field at the top of the Keyword List section. For example, if you type “sta” into the field the Keyword List will only show keywords that include that string of letters, such as “starburst” and “statue”. You can click the “X” at the right side of the Filter Keywords field to clear the filter.

You could also create keyword hierarchies to work around this issue, although I don’t really recommend this approach due to the additional complexity involved. It is far too easy, for example, to accidentally drag a keyword into the wrong hierarchy. Plus, existing metadata standards don’t actually support keyword hierarchies.

If you wanted to use hierarchies to work around the Keyword List limitation, you could start by creating parent keywords. These could be categories such as “Landscapes”, “Travel”, and “People”, for example. You might also consider creating a parent keyword for each letter of the alphabet and put the actual keywords into these hierarchies based on the letter they start with.

Assuming the latter approach, you could create a keyword called “A” and then drag all keywords that start with “A” into that parent keyword. If you repeat this for every letter of the alphabet, you would be able to collapse all but one of the parent keywords, so that all keywords for a given letter can be displayed in the Keyword List. The only other requirement, of course, is that the parent keyword you’re browsing not contain more than about 1,500 keywords.

I suppose I should also add that Windows users facing this issue could also switch to using a computer running the Macintosh operating system, where the limitation does not exist. But for most I would expect that to be less desirable than using one of the above workarounds.

Today’s Question: I’ve heard you talk about your approach to using star ratings, but I’m wondering why you don’t use pick and reject flags as well, as they provide a simpler way of identifying favorites versus outtakes.

Tim’s Quick Answer: While I appreciate the binary approach to identifying favorites versus outtakes using pick and reject flags, I prefer star ratings to take advantage of the ability to rank images into tiers based on relative quality.

More Detail: To be sure, there is no workflow for organizing photos that will work well for all photographers. This is why I try to make a point of explaining my own rationale for the workflow I use, while outlining other alternatives that some photographers may prefer.

The pick and reject flags provide a binary option for identifying favorites versus outtakes, where an image is either a favorite or an outtake. In this context I generally regard an image that doesn’t have a pick or reject flag as being an image that hasn’t yet been evaluated. In effect, with pick and reject flags you’re making a simple “yes” or “no” decision about whether an image is a favorite or whether it should probably be deleted.

With star ratings you can identify favorites in tiers. While you might think of a one-star rating as representing a bad image, I don’t recommend this approach. Instead, I use an approach where a one-star rating identifies a “keeper”, or an image I like and that I think I might use in some way. Two stars represents a photo that is among the best from a photo shoot or trip. Three stars represents what I think of as a “best of the year” photo, and four stars represents “best of the decade”. I use a five-star rating to identify an all-time favorite, or an image that belongs in my “best of” portfolio.

I supplement the star ratings with a reject flag for photos that I think should be deleted. After a review pass, I’ll take another look at the rejected photos to make sure I’m comfortable deleting them, and then I’ll delete all rejected photos.

Today’s Question: You mentioned the new MacOS Tahoe, so I wonder if you could comment on your experience with the visual changes to the interface. I’ve seen a lot of stories complaining about the new “liquid glass” effect.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Overall, I feel the Apple Liquid Glass effects degrade the experience of using an Apple device, for both computers and mobile devices. Fortunately, you can disable the more problematic interface features, such as the monochrome icons that I find to be more difficult to interpret quickly.

More Detail: While I recommend not installing major operating system updates as soon as they are available, I don’t actually follow that advice in the interest of being able to test the update so I can report on the results to my readers. Unfortunately, I have mostly found the updated visual effects serve as a distraction than a benefit.

The monochrome effect for Liquid Glass is particularly problematic. My subjective opinion is that the effect looks very drab and unwelcoming. I think it is fair to say that objectively the monochrome Liquid Glass effect makes it much more difficult to find the icon you’re looking for.

Fortunately, you can opt for a color version for icons. However, I also find the overall operating system update tends to look a bit more cartoonish, which I find a little distracting. Perhaps the updated interface will grow on me, but I’m not a fan at least for now.

Overall, however, the changes are not so dramatic as to make it more difficult to use your computer or mobile device. Thankfully, the Default setting for the interface employs color icons, which are much easier to interpret in my view. But if you want to try out the Clear or Tinted options, those are available as options.

Today’s Question: Is the new MacOS Tahoe supported by Adobe applications (especially Lightroom Classic and Photoshop), or should I wait to install this update?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I recommend waiting to upgrade to MacOS Tahoe until after Adobe indicates their applications support this latest operating system update from Apple.

More Detail: While my own testing hasn’t revealed any problems upgrading to MacOS Tahoe, I have seen a handful of reports of issues with Adobe applications. I therefore recommend delaying the upgrade until after the next software updates from Adobe, which will likely be during the Adobe MAX event next month.

Adobe has not yet indicated that the applications in the Creative Cloud suite are compatible with MacOS Tahoe. Furthermore, in general I recommend holding off on updating the operating system when there is a major update to allow more time to determine if there are any issues caused by the update.

I’ve conducted initial compatibility testing of Adobe applications with MacOS Tahoe, and I haven’t had any issues at all. However, I’ve seen a handful of reports from others indicating there are some potential problems. Out of an abundance of caution, I therefore recommend waiting for software updates from Adobe.

Traditionally there have been significant software updates from Adobe that coincide with the Adobe MAX event, which will be held at the end of October. I recommend waiting until those updates are available before upgrading the operating system.

If you’re especially eager to test out the new operating system, all indications are that the update will go smoothly, and you won’t lose any functionality. But I do think it is worth delaying the update if possible.

Today’s Question: I’ve had good results with red eye correction in Lightroom Classic when it is needed. However, when I tried the pet eye variation, the results were not very good at all. Is there a trick to using this tool with photos of dogs?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In my view the Pet Eye option for Red Eye Correction in Lightroom Classic is simply not very good. I recommend using Photoshop for a manual correction when you have photos of animals that require the equivalent of red eye correction.

More Detail: Pet eye is a variation on red eye that occurs when a flash is used that is too close to the lens. In humans the light reflects off blood vessels at the back of the eye, resulting in a red glow in the pupil. For various animals the biology is different, resulting in a glow that is generally yellow, green, or white.

Unfortunately, this difference seems to represent a serious challenge for Lightroom Classic. While the Red Eye Correction works very well most of the time, in my experience the Pet Eye option rarely provides a good solution. Instead, it creates a fuzzy black circle with part of the pet eye effect still visible around the perimeter.

Therefore, when it comes to pet eye, I recommend using Photoshop to apply a correction. This involves using the Brush tool to paint on a new empty image layer in the area of the eyes. I paint with black using the Color blend mode to neutralize the color to a shade of gray, then paint with black using the Multiply blend mode to darken the area. For the latter a reduced setting for Opacity will help ensure the pupil is not made to be too dark.

Today’s Question: I know I can browse the map in Lightroom Classic, but once I’ve navigated to an area of the map is there a quick way to only see the photos from that specific location?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can set a filter based on the current map area in the Map module of Lightroom Classic by choosing the “Visible On Map” option on the Location Filter bar.

More Detail: If an image contains GPS coordinates in metadata, regardless of how you added that information, a pushpin will appear in the position on the map in the Map module of Lightroom Classic to indicate the location. If multiple photos were captured in the same location, the pushpin will show the number of photos as well.

If you have located an area of the map that contains photos you’re interested in, you can quickly filter the images so that only those within the visible map area will be displayed.

To get started, go to the Map module and navigate to the area of the map you want to filter images by. Be sure to zoom in so that ideally only the photos you want to review will be visible on the map. This isn’t always entirely possible due to the rectangular shape of the map. Once you’ve zoomed and panned so the map only shows pins for the images you want to view, choose the “Visible on Map” option on the Location Filter bar above the map display.

Once you’ve set the filter in the Map module, you can switch to another module and you’ll still have a filter set so only the photos for the current map area are shown. You can reset the filter by choosing “None” from either the Library Filter bar in the Library module or the Location Filter bar in the Map module.

Note that you can also create a saved location in the Map module, which is based on a circular shape. You can then select a saved location by name by setting one of the columns on the Metadata tab of the Library Filter bar in the Library module to “Map Location” and clicking on the name of the saved location.

Today’s Question: Sometimes I want to add more canvas to an image I have previously cropped [in Photoshop] and my first go-to is the “Reveal All” command. In some cases, this results in a layer mask that does not apply to the newly revealed image area. Is there some way to ensure the effects of the extra canvas from “Reveal All” always shows the full effect of all adjustment layers?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The issue of an incomplete mask that you describe occurs in a specific situation when you have created a layer mask after the image has been cropped in Photoshop, and where that layer mask causes an adjustment to apply all the way to the edge of the cropped image. If you then reveal all (or some) of the cropped image, you’ll need to manually fill in the mask in the area outside the cropped version of the image.

More Detail: When you crop an image in Photoshop you have the option to turn off the “Delete Cropped Pixels” checkbox on the Options bar for the Crop tool. When you crop with this checkbox turned on, you’re not removing the cropped pixels from the image, but rather are reducing the canvas size to hide portions of the image.

If you apply a targeted adjustment using an adjustment layer with a layer mask to change the appearance of a portion of the image, in most cases if you then use the “Reveal All” command to reveal the cropped portion of the image, there won’t be any problematic effect. That’s because in many cases a targeted adjustment will apply to only a portion of the image without extending all the way to the outer edge of the image. In this case the outer perimeter of the layer mask is filled with black, and when you expand the canvas that additional area of the mask will also be filled with black.

If, however, a targeted adjustment applied to a cropped image does extend all the way to the edge of the image, there will be white in those areas of the layer mask. If you then expand the canvas, the area outside the cropped image will be filled with black on the layer mask, so that the adjustment is not applied. However, this will create an obvious boundary between the original targeted adjustment and the rest of the image. You could create a selection of the applicable area of the layer mask and fill it with black to resolve the issue. If possible, however, I recommend applying all targeted adjustments before cropping, so that if you later decide to expand the canvas to undo some or all of that crop, there won’t be any need to modify any layer masks for the image based on that canvas expansion.

Today’s Question: I have trouble connecting XMP files to photos taken with an iPhone and integrating them into Lightroom Classic. Using the Apple Photos app, I go to File> Export> Export Unmodified Original for 1 photo. The “Export IPTC as XMP” checkbox is checked. This creates a DNG if I had captured in raw, or a JPEG, along with an XMP file and an AAE file. I import the DNG to my external hard drive but the XMP file doesn’t get copied along with the DNG. Any suggestions on how to clean this up? I assume having the XMP file is helpful somehow.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Lightroom Classic will ignore the XMP file for images exported from Apple Photos. Only the metadata contained within the source capture (JPEG or DNG in this case) will be preserved.

More Detail: In the context of Adobe applications, the XMP sidecar files are compatible across applications. For example, with a raw capture if you add keywords in Adobe Bridge and apply adjustments in Camera Raw, the related metadata will be saved in an XMP sidecar file. If you then import the image to Lightroom Classic, the metadata updates will be preserved. That includes the Camera Raw adjustments, which will then be reflected in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic.

This type of compatibility does not extend to non-Adobe applications. Therefore, the metadata updates applied in Apple Photos will not be included when you import to Lightroom Classic if you had exported from Apple Photos using the option to export an original. If you export a copy (with the Export 1 Photo” command rather than the “Export Unmodified Original” command) the standard metadata can be included, such as keywords. However, this would involve creating a new image file rather than the original format, which means you would not be retaining the original capture files in the context of Lightroom Classic.

Keep in mind that beyond standard metadata, the other features in Apple Photos don’t translate to Lightroom Classic in any event. For example, the Favorite (heart) feature in Apple Photos does not translate to any standard metadata value. Similarly, the adjustments in Apple Photos do not translate to adjustments in Lightroom Classic, so you would need to export a copy with adjustments if you wanted to retain the adjustments applied in Apple Photos.

In this type of situation, I generally recommend exporting the originals, importing those to Lightroom Classic, and then processing the images in your regular workflow. And XMP sidecar files for raw captures can be created automatically in Lightroom Classic to include standard metadata values as well as Develop module adjustments. That can be enabled by turning on the “Automatically Write Changes into XMP” checkbox on the Metadata tab of the Catalog Settings dialog in Lightroom Classic.