Category: Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: Can you ask Adobe to add this: Set the up and down arrows for flag and unflag (like BreezeBrowser) so we can scroll through images and flag with one hand?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can already reassign keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom Classic using a plug-in, though I do think it would be great if Adobe added this option natively.

More Detail: While you can change keyboard shortcut assignments in Photoshop, doing so is currently not a feature in Lightroom Classic. However, you can use the Any Shortcut plugin (https://johnrellis.com/lightroom/anyshortcut.htm) for Lightroom Classic to change any of the keyboard shortcuts, including the ability to assign the up-arrow key to the Pick flag and the down-arrow key to “Unpick” (or Reject if you prefer). You could similarly change other keyboard shortcuts to better suit your workflow.

The Any Shortcut plugin makes it possible to change any existing keyboard shortcut, and it is relatively easy to use. This provides a great improvement over the process of mapping keyboard shortcuts through the operating system, and is a huge improvement over the process of manually making changes to the TranslatedStrings file that stores keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom Classic.

There is a 30-day free trial available for Any Shortcut, and if you like the plugin, you can buy a license for US$9.99. Learn more about the details of Any Shortcut (and how to install and use it) on the developer’s website here:

https://johnrellis.com/lightroom/anyshortcut.htm

Today’s Question: I shot a bunch of photos outside in the full sun BUT had left my camera set on the tungsten light source setting I had used previously. As you can imagine the photos all have a horrible blue cast. I realize I can quickly change that in the Develop module [in Lightroom Classic], but is there a way I can make that adjustment to all the images as I import them?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you could use a preset to apply a white balance correction to all photos as part of the process of importing them into Lightroom Classic. You could also batch process the images after the capture using the Auto Sync feature.

More Detail: One of the benefits of capturing photos in raw is that the in-camera white balance setting does not affect the original capture data. In other words, you can change the white balance setting when processing the raw capture without any negative impact on the quality of the image.

In Lightroom Classic you can apply an adjustment like this using a Develop preset during import, or by using the Auto Sync feature to batch process the images after import.

To apply the correction during import, first create a preset for this purpose. Using any image you can choose “Auto” from the WB (white balance) popup in the Basic section of the right panel in the Develop module. Note that you could also choose a white balance preset (such as “Daylight” from the popup or set a specific value for the Temp and Tint sliders if you prefer. Then click the plus (+) button to the right of the Presets heading on the left panel and choose “Create Preset”. In the New Develop Preset dialog, click the Check None button at the bottom-left, and then turn on the White Balance checkbox. You can also turn on the checkbox for any other adjustments you would like to include so they are applied to the photos you import.

Enter a meaningful name in the Preset Name field, such as “White Balance Correction”, and then click the Create button to create the preset. When importing the affected photos, you can select this preset from the Develop Settings popup in the Apply During Import section of the right panel in the Import dialog. Once you import the photos, they will all update to reflect the preset, which in this case means the White Balance adjustment will be set automatically by Lightroom Classic.

You could also batch process the images after import by selecting all of them and turning on the Auto Sync option by clicking the toggle switch on the left side of the Sync button at the bottom of the right panel in the Develop module. With Auto Sync enabled any adjustments you apply to the active image will synchronize in real time to all selected photos. You could use this approach to set a specific value for both the Temp and Tint sliders, for example, or by choosing a preset or “Auto” from the WB popup.

Today’s Question: Can I delete only the photos marked with a Reject flag in a specific folder within Lightroom Classic, and not all photos marked as rejected in the entire catalog?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The “Delete Rejected Photos” command will actually only delete photos that are currently being browsed. In other words, if you are browsing a single folder the command will only delete photos marked with a Reject flag in that folder, not in the entire catalog.

More Detail: When reviewing photos, rather than deleting photos immediately when you find one you don’t want to keep, I recommend marking them with a Reject flag and deleting them in batch later. This enables you to have a more streamlined workflow and provides an opportunity to review the photos marked as rejected one last time before you delete the source files.

After marking photos with a Reject flag, you can delete them using the Photo > Delete Rejected Photos command. This command will only affect the images that are currently being browsed, not the entire catalog.

So, for example, if you’re browsing an individual folder only photos in that folder with a Reject flag assigned to them will be deleted when you use the “Delete Rejected Photos” command. Of course, this also means that if you browse the “All Photographs” collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module then the “Delete Rejected Photos” command would affect all images in your entire catalog.

It is also worth noting that the “Delete Rejected Photos” command will not delete photos if you are browsing a collection. If you’re browsing a collection when using the “Delete Rejected Photos” command the applicable photos will be removed from the collection, without affecting the image files in the source folder.

Today’s Question: When I export a photo from Lightroom Classic for a particular project, I add a keyword to the photos to indicate which project they are being used for (based on your “fake keywords” advice). However, sometimes I forget to add that keyword. Are photos that get exported from Lightroom Classic marked as such in anyway, so I can at least find the photos I’ve exported and update the keywords as needed?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There is actually a new filter option in Lightroom Classic that lets you filter images based on those that have previously been exported versus those that have never been exported.

More Detail: A recent update to Lightroom Classic adds an Export option to the Attribute category of filters for your images, enabling you to filter photos based on those that have previously been exported or those that have never been exported.

The Export option can be found on the Attribute tab of the Library Filter bar above the grid view display in the Library module (choose View > Show Filter Bar from the menu to reveal the bar if it is hidden). You can also find the same buttons among the set of filter options at the top-right of the bottom panel above the filmstrip.

There are two buttons associated with the new Export option. Clicking the first will set a filter based on images that have previously been exported from your Lightroom Classic catalog. The second button will set a filter for those images that have never been exported.

It is possible to turn on both options at once, which means all images are shown regardless of their export status, so be sure that only one of the options is turned on when you’re looking for only photos that have been exported versus those that have not.

Today’s Question: Does the issue of a process version apply to Camera Raw, for those of us using Photoshop without using Lightroom Classic? I know you’ve said that Camera Raw and Lightroom Classic are basically the same thing when it comes to processing raw captures, but I’ve never heard about process versions for Camera Raw.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, the process version setting is available in Camera Raw just like in Lightroom Classic. If you are going to refine the adjustments for an image in Camera Raw, in general I recommend updating to the latest process version.

More Detail: Today’s question is a follow-up to Friday’s question, which addressed outdated process versions in Lightroom Classic. You can review Friday’s question and answer here:

https://asktimgrey.com/2024/08/23/updating-outdated-process-version/

As with Lightroom Classic, Camera Raw does provide an option to update the process version, which corresponds to various updates to Camera Raw. If an image has an outdated process version, certain adjustments may be unavailable, or may produce results different from those of the latest process version.

In general, I recommend working in the latest process version (currently version 6) to ensure you have the latest features and updates available for your adjustments. However, updating the process version may result in a change in appearance for the image.

If you’re simply opening an image that you have already optimized so you can print or otherwise share the photo, without updating the settings for any adjustments, you can leave the process version as it is so the appearance of the image will be exactly as it was when you previously optimized it.

However, if you’re going to be refining the adjustments for an image in Camera Raw, I do recommend updating to the latest process version. Just keep in mind that the appearance of the photo may change to some degree when you update the process version, so you may need to refine more adjustment settings than you had anticipated to achieve the final result for a photo.

If an image has an outdated process version, an alert symbol (a triangle with an exclamation point in it) will appear at the bottom-right of the image preview in Camera Raw. You can click that icon to update the process version, or simply select the latest process version from the Process popup in the Calibration section of the edit panel on the right side of the Camera Raw interface.

Today’s Question: After multiple updates to Lightroom Classic over the years, I’ve noticed an increasing number of photos that indicate the process version is out of date. How concerned should I be about updating photos to the latest process version?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In my view the only reason you should update the process version for a photo is if you want to refine the adjustments for a photo and want to be sure you’re taking advantage of the latest updates to Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: In effect, the process version for a photo in Lightroom Classic reflects the version of the Develop module. In other words, and image set to an older process version will reflect the adjustment options and effects that were available in an earlier version of Lightroom Classic.

In general, I recommend using the latest process version when optimizing a photo, so that you’re able to take advantage of all the latest features and improvements (and bug fixes) in Lightroom Classic.

However, if you’re not going to be refining (or at least reviewing) the adjustments for an image, there isn’t a significant advantage to updating the process version. In fact, updating the process version could result in a change of appearance to a photo that could be problematic.

If you’re happy with the way an image looks based on the adjustments you had previously applied with an earlier version of Lightroom Classic, there generally isn’t any need to update the image to the latest process version. If you’re going to be reviewing and possibly refining the adjustments for the image, however, I generally recommend updating to the latest process version. Just keep in mind that the appearance of the photo may change as part of this process, so you may have a little bit of extra work involved in getting the photo to look its best.

You can update the process version for a photo using the Process popup in the Calibration section on the right panel in the Develop module. You can also update the process version by clicking on the lightning bolt icon on the Histogram panel in the Develop module that appears for images that are not updated to the latest process version.

Today’s Question: Is there any reason you would recommend adding all photos to a collection during the process of importing photos into Lightroom Classic? I always skip over this option in the File Handling section, but wonder if I’m missing out on something.

Tim’s Quick Answer: In general, I don’t recommend adding all photos being imported into your Lightroom Classic catalog into a collection as part of the import process. However, there are a few scenarios where you may find this option helpful.

More Detail: Collections in Lightroom Classic provide a way to group photos together beyond the folder structure that provides a basic organizational structure for your images. For example, you might create a collection containing photos for a slideshow presentation or some other project involving your photos.

In most cases a collection would contain a subset of photos from a folder, and potentially photos from multiple folders. Based on the way collections tend to be used, it isn’t generally very helpful to add all photos you are importing to a single collection.

However, there may be times when it can be helpful to add photos to a collection during import.

For example, you may want to add all imported photos to a collection so you can more easily review those photos to identify favorites versus outtakes later. Lightroom Classic uses collections as the mechanism for being able to synchronize photos to the cloud, so that all photos in a collection that has synchronization available would be accessible from anywhere in the Lightroom ecosystem. You could, for example, add all imported photos to a collection with synchronization enabled, so you could then review those photos on a mobile device using the Lightroom app or by using Lightroom in a web browser (https://lightroom.adobe.com).

You might also be importing a relatively small number of photos that you want to include in a collection. For example, you might be working on a family history project, featuring a variety of photos. If you scan some old images and import them into Lightroom Classic, you might also want to add them to a collection based on the project you’re working for.

Ultimately, my experience has been that for most photographers it is somewhat rare to have a situation that warrants adding all photos being imported into a collection at the time of import. However, when it makes sense for a specific situation, it is certainly helpful to be able to easily add all the photos being imported into your catalog to a collection.

Today’s Question: I frequently use the Beta version of Photoshop and Camera Raw, but currently the Beta version does not offer me the choice of saving images as JPEG. I am offered JPEG 2000, TIFF, etc., but not JPEG. What is a good work around for this problem?

Tim’s Quick Answer: This is not an issue with the public beta version of Photoshop, but rather involves the need to use the “Save a Copy” command rather than the “Save As” command when you want to be sure you can save an image as a JPEG file.

More Detail: Some time ago Photoshop was updated to include a new “Save a Copy” command. While the change is aimed at helping ensure you don’t lose information related to your image files, it has also caused considerable confusion for photographers.

If you use the “Save As” command in Photoshop, you will only be able to select file formats that support all the features represented by the image you’re saving, such as layers, bit depth, and more. If you use the “Save a Copy” command, you’ll be able to choose any file format supported by Photoshop.

So, to be able to save the image as a JPEG you need to do one of two things. You can either change the file to support the JPEG format, or use the “Save a Copy” command so you can save an additional file as a JPEG. However, assuming you want to preserve the maximum potential for the source image, I recommend using the “Save a Copy” command in this case.

Based on today’s question the source image is likely in the 16-bit per channel bit depth, which is supported by JPEG 2000 images but not JPEG images. Thus, when you use the “Save As” command the JPEG option is not available. Simply choosing the “Save a Copy” command will enable you to save a copy of the image as a JPEG file.

It can be important to understand the differences between the various “Save” commands in Photoshop.

The “Save” command will update the current file with all the current settings and options. However, this is only an option if the current file format supports the features. If, for example, you open a JPEG image but then add layers, using the “Save” command will automatically invoke the “Save As” command, so you can save a copy in a file format that supports the updated features, such as layers.

The “Save As” command enables you to save a copy of the current image, but only in a file format that supports all features of the file. For example, the “Save As” command won’t offer JPEG as an option for an image with layers or that is set to the 16-bit per channel bit depth.

The “Save a Copy” command allows you to choose any file format that is supported by Photoshop, even if the file format you choose doesn’t support all features used for the image. For example, if you use the “Save a Copy” command to create an additional JPEG file, that JPEG won’t contain layers even if the source image has layers, since JPEG images don’t support layers.

Today’s Question: I don’t know what happened, but suddenly the left and right panels in Lightroom Classic disappear every time I move the mouse away from them. I have to click at the edge of the screen to make the panel come back, but as soon as I move my mouse away it disappears again. How can I stop this from happening?!

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can simply disable the auto-hide feature for the panels by right-clicking at the edge of the Lightroom Classic interface and choosing “Manual” from the popup.

More Detail: By default, panels in Lightroom Classic are in manual mode, meaning you can click on the outside edge of a panel to hide it, and click again at that edge to reveal the panel again. However, there are also options for automatically hiding and revealing panels.

If you right-click on the outside edge of a panel, you’ll see a popup with options related to the panel behavior. If you choose “Auto Hide & Show”, the panel will be hidden once you move your mouse away from the panel, and it will be displayed if you move your mouse over the “stub” at the outside edge of the Lightroom Classic interface.

If you choose “Auto Hide” from the popup (which from the description in today’s question is the issue involved here) the panel will hide whenever you move the mouse away from it, but you must click on the outside edge of the interface to bring the panel back.

So, in this case, simply choosing “Manual” from the popup menu will get the intended behavior, where you need to click to hide or reveal a panel.

Note, by the way, that there is also an option for “Sync with Opposite Panel” on the popup menu associated with the outside edge of panels. If you turn this option on, the left and right panels will operate as a set and the top and bottom panels will operate as a set. That means, for example, that with the sync option enabled if you hide the left panel the right panel will also be hidden.

Today’s Question: After reading your recommendations to have a cloud backup of my photos I looked into Backblaze, but I’m confused how you’re able to use it. Do I need to move my photo files from my external drive to the internal hard drive my computer to back up with Backblaze?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can back up both internal and external hard drives to the cloud using Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/cloudbackup), with no need to copy photos or other files to an internal hard drive.

More Detail: Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/cloudbackup) is the service I use and recommend for backing up photos and other important files to the cloud, which provides an offsite backup that is an excellent and potentially important supplement to local backups.

By default, Backblaze will only back up the internal hard drive on the computer you install the software on. However, you can most certainly add external hard drives to the Backblaze backup.

In the Preferences dialog for Backblaze there is a Settings button you can click to bring up an additional dialog. On the Settings tab for that dialog, you’ll see a section labeled “Select Hard Drives to Backup”. All drives that are currently connected to your computer will be shown on that list, and you can simply turn on the checkbox for each drive you’d like to back up with Backblaze.

Keep in mind that it can take considerable time for the initial backup to complete for a hard drive you enabled for backup. In the case of a 4TB hard drive on my high-speed internet connection, for example, it took about two weeks for the initial backup to complete. After that, however, the backups will stay updated with very little delay.

It is also important to note that by default backups will only be retained as long as you don’t leave an external hard drive disconnected for more than 30 days. You can extend this limit to one year by upgrading to the Version History option, which is only an additional $2 per month for the one-year option.

You can learn more about the Backblaze online backup service here:

https://timgrey.me/cloudbackup