Category: Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: Why does the Denoise with AI feature in Photoshop [via Camera Raw] cause the result to be saved as a new DNG file? Is the “old” way with Noise Reduction slider still available but hidden somewhere?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you don’t want to use the Denoise feature in Camera Raw or Lightroom you can indeed use the Manual Noise Reduction option so you can control the noise reduction effect yourself.

More Detail: With some of the advanced features in Lightroom and Camera Raw, such as Denoise and Super Resolution, the processing requires that the raw capture data be processed and demosaiced. As part of this process the image is saved as an Adobe DNG file.

The new Denoise feature leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to process the image, and involves using just a single slider for the overall strength of the effect. If you prefer to use the manual noise reduction (as I do for most images) you can simply make use of the Manual Noise Reduction feature.

If the sliders for Manual Noise Reduction are not shown, you can click the triangle to the right of that heading to display them. This includes sets of sliders for both luminance and color noise reduction, which you can fine-tune based on the image and your preference in terms of balancing noise reduction with the potential degradation in the image that noise reduction can cause.

Today’s Question: When I open an image in Photoshop it “nests” behind my toolbar hiding the close or minimize buttons. Do you know of a fix for this?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can force images to open into a tab rather than a floating window in Photoshop by turning on the “Open Documents as Tabs” checkbox in Preferences.

More Detail: While Photoshop enables you to open images in floating windows, doing so can often lead to issues where parts of the window or of the Photoshop interface are blocked. Having your documents open in tabs helps avoid this issue, and in my view streamlines the process of working with images in Photoshop.

If you already have open documents that are in windows, you can consolidate all of them to tabs by going to the menu and choosing Window > Arrange > Consolidate All to Tabs.

To have Photoshop always open images into tabs rather than floating windows, you can enable an option in Preferences. Start by choosing Edit > Preferences > Workspace from the menu on Windows, or Photoshop > Settings > Workspace on Macintosh. On the Workspace tab of the Preferences dialog turn on the “Open Documents as Tabs” checkbox in the Options section. This will cause all new documents or images you open to be opened in tabs rather than as floating windows.

You can then switch between open images by clicking on the applicable tab, similar to how you might switch between tabs in a web browser. This makes it convenient for working with multiple images, while also making it more streamlined even when only working with a single image.

Today’s Question: When editing JPEGs that I used in my early days of digital photography I’ve always opened them in Photoshop and used “Save As” to get a TIFF file and then edited from there. Is that not a good option?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Saving a JPEG image as a TIFF file before editing is a good approach, as it ensures you won’t create additional degradation of the image by saving multiple times with JPEG compression.

More Detail: JPEG images exhibit visible artifacts based on the way JPEG compression works. This can lead to a somewhat obvious grid pattern in the image, which can be distracting. The pattern is often quite difficult to see, but once you notice it you may find it difficult to ignore.

If an image was captured or saved as a JPEG, there will always be a degree of artifacts from the JPEG compression that you really can’t do anything about. In other words, saving a JPEG file as a TIFF won’t remove the JPEG artifacts, it will simply prevent them from getting worse.

Each time you make changes to a JPEG image and save it again, the JPEG compression algorithm processes the image data, which can lead to further degradation of image quality. It is therefore best to avoid saving updates to a JPEG image when applying adjustments, in the interest of maintaining maximum image quality.

Saving the JPEG as a TIFF image either without compression or with a lossless compression option (such as ZIP or LZW) will ensure that additional image degradation will not occur from compression, since no additional lossy compression is being applied after that point.

Of course, as a result of saving the image as a TIFF file the file size will be significantly larger. For example, a JPEG image that might be less than two megabytes in size might translate to a TIFF image of around twenty megabytes. In other words, you’ll be consuming quite a bit more storage space when saving a TIFF based on a JPEG image. This is certainly something to consider, especially since the reality is that if you use a high setting for the Quality option when saving an updated JPEG file, the degradation in image quality is quite minor.

Today’s Question: Now that Lightroom Classic has this new AI Generative Remove feature, should I be using that instead of Generative Fill in Photoshop?

Tim’s Quick Answer: While you can certainly use either Generative Remove in Lightroom Classic or Generative Fill in Photoshop, I prefer to use Generative Remove in order to streamline my workflow, only sending images to Photoshop when I can’t achieve my goals for an image in Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: Over time, new features have been added to Lightroom Classic to the point that there are fewer reasons to send an image to Photoshop. There are certainly still reasons you may want to leverage Photoshop in a workflow that revolves around Lightroom Classic, but I would say that AI-based cleanup no longer needs to be on that list.

The addition of the Generative Remove feature in Lightroom Classic means you can perform advanced image cleanup work based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology right from within Lightroom Classic. This feature is very similar to the Generative Fill command in Photoshop, with the key difference being that in Lightroom Classic you paint over the area you want to work on while in Photoshop you use a selection for this purpose.

There’s no need to favor one of these options over the other in terms of the quality of the results. Therefore, I recommend making the decision based on preference and workflow. If you don’t have any other reason to send the image to Photoshop, I would perform all the work in Lightroom Classic. If you have a reason you want to send the image to Photoshop, you can choose whether you want to use Photoshop or Lightroom Classic for the AI-based cleanup depending on which tool you find you are more comfortable using.

Today’s Question: I was wondering why every time I go to import new images into the Lightroom Classic catalog the images keep moving around. I have sorted by capture time, but it still is happening.

Tim’s Quick Answer: When you initially select a source of photos in the Import dialog the photos will load in the order they are read from the card, but when all photos have been found they will settle on the order you’ve selected from the Sort popup.

More Detail: Lightroom Classic provides several options for how you want your photos sorted. In the Library module, for example, you can set the sort order using the Sort popup on the toolbar below the image preview area. Similarly, you can set the sort order for the grid view in the Impot dialog, which can be helpful when reviewing the photos you’re about to import. For example, I most often prefer to use the “Capture Time” option for the sort order, so that I’m able to review the photos in the same order they were captured.

However, when you initially select a source of photos in the Import dialog, you’ll likely see that the sort order for thumbnails seem to constantly change, bouncing around in a seemingly random fashion.

The issue here is that the thumbnails are being added to the preview area as they are read from the card, and the images are not necessarily read from the card in the order they were captured. This is in part due to how images are saved to a media card in the first place, which involves writing data in what may seem like a bit of a random pattern on the card.

The result is that images are not read from the card in the order you might expect. As the images are read, they will populate the grid view in the Import dialog. Depending on the speed of your computer and the memory card, it may take a few moments for all the images to be located and therefore it may take a little time before all thumbnails are displayed.

Therefore, as the images are read, they will initially appear in the order in which they were read from the card, but then their order will update based on the option you’ve selected from the Sort popup. As soon as all images have been read so that all thumbnails are displayed, the thumbnails will stop changing their sort order, settling on the final sort order based on all images being displayed in the order you’ve selected.

This behavior can be a little distracting, and so I recommend just ignoring the images while you give Lightroom Classic time to locate all images, then finalize your settings for the import and click the Import button to complete the process.

Today’s Question: We just replaced an external hard drive with a new larger drive. The old hard drive is called “LaCie 2 Big”. I want to call the new one “Master Drive”. How do we change the name on the new drive without losing photos and info in Lightroom Classic?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can rename the drive on Macintosh (or change the drive letter on Windows) through the operating system, and then use the “Find Missing Folder” command in Lightroom Classic to reconnect the top-level folder associated with your photo storage.

More Detail: Under normal circumstances, you should make all changes related to your folder structure from within Lightroom Classic, not through the operating system. However, if you need or want to change the address for a hard drive (via the volume label on Macintosh or drive letter on Windows) that needs to be done outside of Lightroom Classic.

When migrating to a new drive the first step is to copy everything from the existing drive to the new drive, making sure to match the folder structure perfectly. You can use a temporary backup job with software such as GoodSync (https://www.timgreyphoto.com/goodsync), for example, to help ensure this step is performed accurately and completely.

You can then disconnect the existing drive and make sure the new drive is connected, updating the volume label or drive letter as desired for that drive. This, of course, will cause all folders and photos to be missing in Lightroom Classic.

At this point you simply need to reconnect the hard drive within Lightroom Classic. To get started, make sure the root (top) level of the hard drive is shown as a folder at the top of the folder list under the heading for the drive in the Folders section of the left panel in the Library module. To do so, right-click on a top-level folder and choose “Show Parent Folder” from the popup menu. Repeat this command until you get to the top level where a folder appears representing the hard drive.

You can then right-click on the folder representing the hard drive and choose “Find Missing Folder” from the popup menu. Navigate to the top level of the hard drive to choose that as the location to reconnect. After reconnecting, which will cause all subfolders to reconnect, you can hide the parent folders as desired by right-clicking and choosing “Hide This Parent” from the popup menu.

Today’s Question: Generally speaking, what contributes more to the sharpness of one’s images, the quality of the camera or the quality of the lens?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In general, I would say that the lens has a more significant impact on image quality than the camera, especially in terms of the latest camera models.

More Detail: Both the camera and the lens have an impact on image quality, but I would say the choice of lens is more important than the choice of camera, all things considered. In other words, if you were going to invest a bit more money in one over the other, I would prioritize getting lenses of higher quality before opting for a better camera.

Of course, there are many variables to consider when it comes to cameras and lenses. For example, if you tend to print your images very large, then investing in a camera with greater resolution and overall image quality can certainly be beneficial.

These days, however, most cameras offer adequate resolution and image quality for printing images at relatively large sizes. Therefore, I would say that the choice of lens is going to have a greater impact on image quality for most photographers. That’s not to say that the choice of camera isn’t important, but that the choice of lens is often going to have a greater impact.

Most lenses offer very good image quality and resolution these days. But there are still considerable differences between the very best lenses and the lower-end lenses. Therefore, if you’re trying to optimize image quality especially in the context of making large prints, I would start by choosing the best lenses you can afford.

You still want to make sure you’re capturing images at an adequately high resolution for the size output you typically create, but I would prioritize lens choice over camera choice if you had to choose one over the other.

Today’s Question: I used to use a date-based folder structure and then switched to genre-based. Unfortunately, that’s not ideal either, because photos often fit in multiple categories. Location-based folders seem like a good idea, but I’m wondering how to approach that for pictures that are taken in and around my hometown. It could be that I go out and take street photos or insect macros in the garden and many other possibilities. These are all “real” photos, but they all belong to the same location. But somehow it doesn’t feel right to create a folder with thousands of subfolders. Do you have a good suggestion on how to solve this in an elegant and practical way?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In this case I would take a somewhat hybrid approach, creating subfolders for the primary location folder by year, and possibly subfolders for months within the year folders depending on how many photos you tend to capture in that location over the course of a year.

More Detail: In general, I recommend using a folder structure for your photos based on the way you think about your photos, such as by date or location. However, I also recommend that your strategy be defined so that all photos from a single photo outing or trip can be put in folders in a streamlined way. For example, I don’t recommend using a folder structure based on species, because then after downloading a new batch of photos you would need to move individual photos into the appropriate folder. This can be a time-consuming process.

Of course, for many photographers (including myself) a single approach to folder structure won’t work for all photos. When that’s the case, I think a hybrid approach can work very well.

I myself, for example, have a folder that I use for all the random (and sometimes good!) photos I capture near home. If I have a specific outing to a nearby subject or location, I might create a “normal” folder using my typical structure. But for photos that don’t fit into another category I place them in my “home” folder structure. Within the top-level folder I create folders by year, putting photos in the appropriate year-based folder.

I could take that a step further if I wanted to break down the photos into smaller batches, such as by also making folders for the months. But the point is that you can use a basic folder structure to organize photos that don’t fit into your normal structure using this type of hybrid approach.

Note, by the way, that especially when you have this type of approach where a large number of potentially random photos are consolidated in a single overall folder (possibly divided into folders based on dates) that updating metadata such as keywords can be particularly important. Keep in mind that a folder structure is, in my view, only a basic starting point for being able to locate specific photos. Using star ratings, keywords, and other metadata can make it that much easier to locate photos later.

Today’s Question: How do you recommend removing film grain from scanned slides?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If possible, I recommend using the scanner software to reduce film grain. Otherwise, you can often get very good results by using noise reduction to reduce film grain.

More Detail: Film grain is similar in concept to digital noise, but it is different and so it can be a more challenging to minimize when processing an image scanned from an analog original. If the software you’re using for scanning supports a grain-reduction feature, that will often provide excellent results. If your scanner software includes a feature to reduce grain, it may be worthwhile to re-scan the images with that option enabled.

The other option is to use noise reduction software to help minimize film grain. The effectiveness of this approach will vary based on the specific grain structure. For images captured with relatively low-ISO film where the grain structure is relatively small and somewhat uniform, noise reduction is more likely to help. For very high ISO films with a more random grain structure, it can be more difficult to achieve a good result.

In particular, I’ve found that the Denoise feature of Topaz Photo AI (https://www.topazlabs.com/topaz-photo-ai/ref/273/) provides excellent results, especially with a combination of the Strength adjustment (for the overall noise reduction) along with the Original Detail adjustment, which helps maintain and enhance details from the original image.

The key with using noise reduction to reduce film grain is to carefully balance the settings to ensure you are reducing the appearance of film grain without significantly degrading detail in the image. Keep in mind, however, that you can also compensate for some loss of sharpness and detail from grain reduction by applying sharpening as well as adjustments such as Clarity and Texture found in Lightroom Classic and Camera Raw, for example.

Today’s Question: Is there a way in Photoshop to save a PSD file to two locations at once, one on the computer and one on an external backup drive? I currently save to the computer and then copy/paste to the backup drive.

Tim’s Quick Answer: There is not an option to automatically save to two locations at once in Photoshop. I recommend considering a backup solution such as GoodSync (https://www.timgreyphoto.com/goodsync) to help streamline the process of maintaining a backup of your photos.

More Detail: When you save an image in Photoshop, you’re only able to save a single copy of the file at one time. You could conceivably use the Save As command twice to save the image in two different locations, but I strongly recommend against this approach. Manually saving twice creates a risk that you may not save the master image with the latest updates and creates the potential for confusion about which file is the true primary file, even though you’re saving to two different drives.

My preference in this type of scenario would be to use software such as GoodSync (https://www.timgreyphoto.com/goodsync) to create a backup job for this purpose. For example, if you’re saving the master PSD files to the Pictures folder, you could define a job in GoodSync that causes the Pictures folder on the internal hard drive to be backed up to a “Pictures Backup” folder on an external hard drive. You would just need to be sure to set the destination for the backup as a folder, not simply the external drive, because the latter would cause the contents of the drive to be replaced with only the Pictures folder.

You could also employ a RAID solution (Redundant Array of Independent Drives), which can provide automatic redundancy for all files saved to an appropriately configured RAID drive. However, while this provides an automatic solution that operates in real time, it doesn’t create a separate copy of your photos that you can access directly independent of the RAID configuration.

You can learn how to put GoodSync to use in your workflow for backing up your photos and other important data with my video course “Backing Up with GoodSync”, with more information on the GreyLearning website here:

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