Category: Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: Is there a reason why your copyright does not include the year? I have been changing this import preset to change it every year.

Tim’s Quick Answer: I exclude the year from the copyright information I add to metadata simply for expediency. This way I can use the same metadata preset without needing to update each year.

More Detail: Traditionally a copyright notice includes the year of first publication. However, including that information is not necessary. In fact, it is not required to include a copyright notice in metadata, nor to actually file your images for copyright protection with the US Copyright Office.

Ultimately, the point of copyright protection is to be able to assert a claim against someone who infringes on your copyright. It can certainly be helpful to file your images with the US Copyright Office, so your claim is officially documented. And anything you can do to help document the date of first publication can also be helpful. In other words, if you need to file an infringement claim, you’ll want to be able to document that the photo in question is yours, and was captured before the infringer published the image that violates your copyright.

So, it can certainly be a good idea to include the year in the copyright notice for your photos. But that is only a metadata value, and doesn’t necessarily relate to the actual date of first publication, and doesn’t actually represent the first publication. I don’t spend much time worrying about copyright infringement, but I’m also confident that if there was infringement I would be able to document the capture date, publication date, and other details of my photos.

Today’s Question: Do you personally use any software for “quick” photo review or culling before bringing into Lightroom, such as FastRawViewer or Adobe Bridge?

Tim’s Quick Answer: No, I don’t perform an initial review of my images before importing into Lightroom Classic. I prefer to initiate my Lightroom-based workflow as soon as possible. I also feel that the “extra” step of this initial review would actually slow down my overall workflow.

More Detail: Many photographers prefer to use specialized browsing software for their initial review of photos, often using that process to delete outtakes before bringing the remaining images into their normal workflow. A variety of software tools (such as FastRawViewer, which you can find at https://timgrey.me/fastraw) render raw captures very quickly, generally faster than the same previews could be generated within Lightroom Classic.

I certainly understand the motivation for using software such as FasRawViewer before importing images into Lightroom. However, my preferences is to initiate my Lightroom-based workflow immediately, rather than culling images with other software first.

To begin with, I’m eager to get my photos downloaded and backed up, which is part of my workflow for importing photos into my Lightroom catalog. I generate Standard previews as part of this import process, and after that process is complete I find the browsing experience within Lightroom to be perfectly acceptable.

I also feel that the extra step of reviewing images before initiating my normal workflow would add some time to my overall workflow. I also worry that a workflow that is slightly more cumbersome might lead to errors where photos are reviewed with software such as FastRawViewer, but then never imported into Lightroom.

Admittedly, most of this comes down to personal preference. I prefer to get into Lightroom right away to start my organizational workflow. Many other photographers prefer to perform their initial review before importing into Lightroom. If you think the latter might work for you, FastRawViewer is certainly a good software option for this purpose. You can learn more about this software here:

https://timgrey.me/fastraw

Today’s Question: Does Lightroom [Classic] embed the original capture date into the image file if “write date or time changes into proprietary raw files” is enabled?

Tim’s Quick Answer: To have Lightroom Classic automatically save changes to date and time to your original image files, you must turn on two checkboxes. Of course, the “Write date or time changes into proprietary raw files” checkbox must be turned on in order for date and time changes to be written to the files. In addition, the “Automatically write changes into XMP” checkbox must be turned on so that metadata updates in general are written to the source images in addition to being updated within the catalog. Both of these options are found on the Metadata tab of the Catalog Settings dialog.

More Detail: There are several date and time values included in the metadata for your images, and if you had your camera set to the wrong time (such as by not updating the time zone) you can update the capture time in Lightroom. After selecting photos within Lightroom (in the Grid view) you can choose Metadata > Edit Capture Time from the menu. You can then apply the appropriate adjustment to the capture time.

By default, Lightroom only updates metadata values for your photos within the Lightroom catalog. However, you can have most updates applied to the source photos as well. To enable this option, you can turn on the “Automatically write changes into XMP” checkbox on the Metadata tab of the Catalog Settings dialog. Keep in mind that Lightroom-specific features such as collections, virtual copies, pick and reject flags, and history, will not be written to metadata as part of this process.

In order to update the original capture time to proprietary raw captures, you must also turn on the “Write date or time changes into proprietary raw files” checkbox. Keep in mind that as noted above, this option will only actually apply if you have also turned on the “Automatically write changes into XMP” checkbox.

Today’s Question: Recently I have started culling in the Develop module [in Lightroom Classic] rather than the Library module as the 100% zooms are accurate and instantaneous in the develop module and I can easily make adjustments if I want to. The library module is slower and sometimes the photos are not focused even though I make 1:1 previews upon import. I am now considering not making the 1:1 previews at all and simply culling in the develop module as my go-to way of culling. I know Lightroom is not designed to be used this way. Do you have any advice regarding this?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Actually, Lightroom Classic has been updated to the point that for many users browsing in the Develop module may be just as fast as in the Library module. Furthermore, previews in the Develop module can be a bit more accurate than those in the Library module. So culling in Develop can make perfect sense.

More Detail: I would agree that Lightroom was originally designed in a way that browsing in the Library module would be faster than browsing in the Develop module, provided you had built Standard previews in advance (or 1:1 previews if you want to zoom in on the photos).

However, Lightroom has obviously been updated substantially over the years, including updates that affect overall performance. If you have a compatible display adapter supported by Lightroom, performance in the Develop module can be greatly improved by having the “Use Graphics Processor” checkbox turned on the Performance tab of the Preferences dialog.

What that translates to is that rendering a real-time preview in the Develop module may be just as fast (or faster) than rendering a preview in the Library module. In addition, the previews in the Develop module are rendered in real-time based on the underlying original capture, while in the Library module you are viewing JPEG images rendered from the original captures. The differences are subtle, but it means that the preview in the Develop module can be more accurate than the previews viewed in the Library module.

All of this means that it now makes perfect sense to use the Develop module for browsing photos for your initial review, and frankly for all purposes. Within the Develop module you can obviously apply adjustments along the way. In addition, the various features used to identify favorite photos via keyboard shortcuts. That includes the ability to assign star ratings with the numbers 1 through 5 on the keyboard, color labels with the numbers 6 through 9 on the keyboard, and pick or reject flags with the “P” and “X” keys.

If you do decide to primarily use the Develop module for browsing photos, then it probably makes sense not to build 1:1 previews upon import. You may want to still build the Standard previews to speed general browsing when you are in the Library module, but the 1:1 previews would be much less important at that point.

Today’s Question: I have found that three days of landscape photos are missing from my [Lightroom Classic CC] catalog. I can see that I had imported them previously because they are neatly arranged by date folder on the drive where I store all my photos, yet no entry exists in my catalog for some of the photos. I am wondering how to select just three days of Lightroom edits from a prior backup catalog. I wish to avoid the risk of importing more historical data and over-writing newer files that I have created since the backup, so I only want to use those three days.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can actually resolve this issue quite easily by using the “Synchronize Folder” command to update Lightroom based on the contents of the hard drive you use to store your photos.

More Detail: The scenario outlined in today’s question suggests that the “missing” photos had been imported, but then removed from the Lightroom catalog. When you choose the “Remove Photo” command in Lightroom, you’re given the option to delete the files on the hard drive, or leave the files where they are and remove the photos from the catalog. It appears the latter option was selected for some photos.

In any event, this issue can be resolved quite easily using the “Synchronize Folder” command. The first step is to identify the top-level folder you want to synchronize. In theory you could synchronize the entire hard drive, but in this case you only need to synchronize enough to cover the affected date-based folders. So, for example, you could select the month (or year) folder above the folders that are missing from Lightroom.

Once you’ve identified the top-level folder you want to synchronize, you can right-click on that folder in the Folders list on the left panel in the Library module and choose the “Synchronize Folder” command from the popup menu. That will bring up the Synchronize Folder dialog. Note that when you synchronize a folder, all sub-folders will be included in that synchronization.

After the folder location has been analyzed, you can turn on the “Import new photos” checkbox so that the photos that aren’t already in your Lightroom catalog will be imported. You can also choose to remove missing photos from the catalog, and to check for metadata updates.

Once you’ve established the desired settings, you can click the Synchronize button. The photos that are on your hard drive in the selected folder (or sub-folders) but aren’t in the Lightroom catalog will be imported into your catalog. Those photos can then be browsed in the “Previous Import” collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module.

Today’s Question: I am using Photoshop and working on images for my soon-to-be-published book. My book cover designer sent me the cover image for the new book and it appears more saturated in Photoshop than the image when opened in Preview [in the operating system]. I just now realized I have View set to “Working CMYK”. Is this correct? What view setting should I be using for general photo editing?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The image preview in Photoshop can be more accurate, assuming there is an embedded profile for the image, and especially if the image has been converted to the CMYK color mode. The Proof Setup option on the View menu will only alter the appearance of the image if you have the “Proof Colors” option turned on.

More Detail: When you view an image within your operating system, the embedded color profile will generally be taken into account. In other words, you can expect an image viewed in the operating system versus in Photoshop to appear about the same (and possibly identical).

With CMYK images (rather than RGB images), things tend to be a bit different, with the image viewed in the operating system generally being a bit less saturated and potentially appearing a bit “muddy”, with lower contrast.

In this case I suspect the image had been converted to CMYK already, since it has been prepared for publication in a printed book. Therefore, I would expect the preview in the operating system to be less accurate, and the preview in Photoshop to be more accurate.

Of course, in this case “accurate” is a somewhat relative term. Keep in mind that an image in print will generally not appear as saturated as an image displayed on a computer display. This is where soft proofing comes into play. If you configure the Proof Setup option in Photoshop to the output profile that will be used for printing, you can then turn on the “Proof Colors” option to get a preview of the printed result on your monitor display.

You can learn more about the overall issues related to color management for photographic images in my “Color Management for Photographers” course in the GreyLearning library here:

https://www.greylearning.com/courses/color

Today’s Question: I am getting the unusual behavior in the Develop module [in Lightroom Classic]. The functionality of the Develop module works normally for the first image after starting Lightroom. When I select a different image and click on the Develop module the central image display area goes black and stays black, while the side panels show the usual Develop module functionality. The only way I can then process that image in the Develop Module is to shut down Lightroom and start it again. Should I delete the Previews and let the system rebuild the Previews from scratch?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In this case I recommend turning off the “Use Graphics Processor” checkbox in the Preferences dialog. I would then also check to see if updated drivers are available, which might make it possible to enable that feature again.

More Detail: Many software applications (including Adobe Lightroom Classic) make use of the graphics processor for some processing, in order to improve overall performance. This includes, for example, processing in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic.

When there are unusual display issues or crashing with Lightroom Classic, it is a good idea to turn off the use of the graphics processor (GPU) as a troubleshooting step. In Lightroom Classic you can find this option in the Preferences dialog. Go to the Lightroom menu on Macintosh, or the Edit menu on Windows. Choose Preferences, and then navigate to the Performance tab within the dialog. Turn off the “Use Graphics Processor” checkbox, close the dialog, and restart Lightroom.

This will generally solve the types of issues described in today’s question. Once you confirm this solves the problem, I highly recommend updating the drivers for your display adapter. These drivers have a reputation for sometimes being buggy, and they tend to be updated relatively frequently.

So, check the website for the manufacturer of the display adapter in your computer, and see if new drivers are available. If so, install the latest version of those drivers, and re-enable the “Use Graphics Processor” option. Obviously if the problem persists you can turn the feature off again. But once you get updated drivers that do solve the issue, you’ll be able to maximize performance by having the “Use Graphics Processor” option turned on.

Today’s Question: Why would you even focus stack in the first place? This is the first I’ve ever heard of this process. And why is an app like Helicon Focus advisable?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Focus stacking enables you to achieve greater depth of field when it would otherwise be impossible with a single photo. Focus stacking is especially helpful in macro and closeup photography, but can be helpful in other scenarios when you are focusing relatively close to a subject.

More Detail: Today’s question is a follow-up to a recent question about assembling HDR images that include focus stacking. Focus stacking is somewhat similar in concept to exposure bracketing. The difference is that with focus stacking you are essentially bracketing the focus setting, rather than the exposure. You can then assemble the “bracketed” focus captures into a single image with extensive depth of field.

When you capture the original images for focus stacking, you adjust the focus for each exposure. For simplicity, let’s assume you’re focusing on a close subject and even stopping down to the minimum aperture size you achieve one foot of depth of field. Let’s further assume you want to achieve five feet of depth of field.

You could start focusing at the very front of the subject. Then adjust the focus manually to shift the depth of field further away from you, overlapping with the depth of field from the first shot. Repeat this process until you have covered the full range of desired depth of field with your focus stacking captures. With this example you might initially assume that to cover five feet of depth of field you would need five photos that each of one foot of depth of field. In reality, you would need more shots, because you need to overlap the depth of field.

After capturing the focus stack images, you of course need to assemble them into a single image that includes the extended depth of field. It is possible to assemble the focus stacked image in Photoshop, by my experience has been mixed (but mostly not great) using Photoshop to assemble a focus stack. I have had excellent experience, however, with Helicon Focus, which you can find here:

https://timgrey.me/helicon

Today’s Question: Thanks a lot for addressing the issue regarding “how often the monitor could/should be calibrated”. In this relation, would you be so kind to give your view about what is a recommended set up for a calibration? Should I choose D65 or D50, Gamma 2.2 or another one, etc.). Thanks for your feedback in this direction (or do you have any video in your library about that, please?).

Tim’s Quick Answer: I recommend setting your display calibration to a target color temperature of 6500 Kelvin (D65), a Gamma setting of 2.2, and a luminance target of around 120 candelas per square meter.

More Detail: When you calibrate a monitor display, you can actually choose what values you want to target for color and tone. That means you could target different values depending on your personal preferences, but I recommend that all photographers use the same target values for display calibration.

The illumination standard in a color-managed workflow for evaluating prints is a color temperature of 5000 degrees Kelvin. However, if you calibrate your monitor display to 5000 Kelvin, the display will be a bit too warm (yellow) in appearance. That, in turn, means you will process your images to a cooler (more blue) appearance, which means your prints won’t look accurate.

A color temperature of 6500 Kelvin is closer to the native white point for most monitor displays, and therefore provides a better target value for calibration. This target is often referred to as “D65” in the software used for display calibration.

The other option available to you is the Gamma setting, which can be thought of as something of a contrast setting. I recommend a target value of 2.2, which provides a moderately high contrast for the display. The other common value is 1.8, but to me this provides a much too washed out appearance for the display.

Finally, you have the option to set the target luminance (brightness) value for the display. For most users I recommend a value of about 120 candelas per square meter. If you are working in a very dark environment you may prefer a lower value of around 90 candelas. If you work in a bright environment, you may prefer a brighter setting, perhaps as high as 150 candelas. In general though, I recommend 120 candelas as a good target, in a moderately dark environment.

You can learn much more about color management in photography with my “Color Management for Photographers” video course. This course is included in the GreyLearning Ultimate Bundle at no additional cost, or you can purchase the individual course on the GreyLearning website here:

https://www.greylearning.com/courses/color

Today’s Question: In Friday’s answer you said that it isn’t necessary to calibrate your monitor “with great frequency”. How often do you recommend calibrating?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Today’s digital displays are actually quite stable, so once you have calibrated and profiled to ensure an accurate display, calibrating every few months will generally be perfectly adequate, as long as you don’t adjust any of the controls affecting the display itself.

More Detail: In the “early” days of digital photography, we were working on analog monitor displays. Not only would these displays tend to get more dim over time, they would also tend to shift color due to variable wear on the components producing different wavelengths of light (red, green, and blue colors).

Today’s digital displays, by comparison, are very stable. They tend to be about a full stop too bright right out of the box, but the luminance doesn’t fade significantly over time, until the display starts to get relatively old.

The color stability of modern displays is even more stable. That means that right out of the box the color tends to be reasonably accurate. More importantly, once you have calibrated and profiled the display, the color is not likely to shift much at all.

It is still a good idea to periodically calibrate the display, just to make sure it remains accurate. If I forgot to calibrate for six months, I wouldn’t be alarmed at all. But I would calibrate again just to be sure I could remain confident in the accuracy of my display.

One of the most important things is to make sure you don’t adjust the brightness, contrast, or color on the display. If you do, it is best to run the calibration again so you can adjust everything back to an accurate appearance, and build a new profile for the display.