Category: Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: Can you get the original capture from an iPhone shooting in Raw to your computer by using AirDrop? That is what I have been doing so hope I haven’t been losing quality.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You may have been losing quality. In some cases, you will need to manually choose the option to share the original file format to ensure the image is not converted to a JPEG, for example. In other cases you may need to revert adjustments first.

More Detail: The iPhone Camera app offers several possible capture format options, including JPEG and HEIC, along with Apple ProRAW for compatible iPhone models. The default option when sharing images via AirDrop is “Automatic”. However, in some cases this will cause the file to be shared with a different format than the original on your device, such as a JPEG image.

If you want to be sure to copy the photos with the same file format as they were captured in, I recommend setting the Format option to “Current” rather than “Automatic”. To do so, select the photos you want to send via AirDrop, and tap the share button. At the top of the sharing screen click the Options button. Then, in the Format section, choose “Current”.

However, there’s an additional potential issue if you’re capturing in Apple ProRAW on a compatible iPhone model. If you have edited the image on your iPhone with the Photos app you’ll need to revert the adjustments in order to send the original capture via AirDrop.

In this case I recommend creating a copy of the original ProRAW capture. To do so, tap on the photo, tap the “More” button (the three dots) at the top-right, and choose Duplicate. Then go to that duplicate photo and tap the Edit button, then tap Revert. You can then share this copy of the image using AirDrop to retain the original file format in the process.

Needless to say, Apple hasn’t made it particularly easy to ensure you always retain the original file format when sending photos via AirDrop. I therefore recommend instead connecting your iPhone to a computer via a USB cable and then using an application such as Adobe Bridge or Apple Image Capture to download the images in their original file format to your computer.

Today’s Question: I rarely use the “sky replacement” feature in Photoshop. But, on occasion, I just need to do “something”. I just realized that I can actually take my own photos (of the sky) and use them if I’m so inclined. While I haven’t done this (yet), I like the idea of not having to use and re-use the same, finite skies that Photoshop offers. Can you offer any suggestions for taking and using my own sky photos for this purpose? Would Photoshop be able to use a raw image or would I have to save it in some other format?

Tim’s Quick Answer: For sky replacement images I recommend capturing photos where the sky fills the frame, and with a variety of different configurations and conditions. And yes, you can use a raw capture or other image formats for this purpose.

More Detail: The Sky Replacement command (Edit > Sky Replacement) streamlines the process of replacing the sky in the current image using a different photo that includes the sky. For photographers who are inclined to use this feature, it can be helpful to assemble a library of photos that feature the sky.

There are a few things I would tend to focus on if you set out to capture photos for a library of sky photos to use with the Sky Replacement feature. First, to the extent possible, I recommend filling the frame with the sky, so you don’t have to worry about non-sky areas of the image you’re using showing up in the sky area of the photo you’re applying the adjustment to.

I also recommend capturing a variety of images, both in terms of the overall composition and the sky conditions.

In terms of composition, I suggest having photos captured at various focal lengths, from wide angle to telephoto. You can also vary the angle, such as pointing the lens more toward the horizon versus perhaps straight up. The key is to try to ensure that you have a sky photo that matches the perspective of the sky you’re replacing. You can consider your typical photography habits in this regard to get a sense of whether you should focus on specific focal lengths or perspectives.

It can also be very helpful to have photos that feature the sky with various weather conditions and times of day. It is quite common, for example, to replace a dreary sky with a more dramatic sky. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you want to focus exclusively on beautiful and colorful sky conditions. If you are replacing the sky in a photo captured during overcast conditions, for example, it won’t look very realistic to replace the sky with a beautiful sunset with scattered clouds, as there will be a mismatch between the color and contrast for the sky versus landscape. You could obviously apply adjustments to the non-sky portion of the image, but even then there may be a clear mismatch.

Keep in mind, by the way, that after replacing the sky using the Sky Replacement feature, you’ll still be able to modify the replacement sky, such as by using the Free Transform command (Edit > Free Transform) to alter the shape and perspective of the sky you’ve added to the image.

Today’s Question: The new landscape masking feature in Lightroom Classic includes the ability to detect the sky in a photo. Is there any reason to use this rather than the existing Select Sky option?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The only reason to use the new Select Landscape feature instead of the Select Sky feature when applying a targeted adjustment with the masking adjustment is if you also want to create a mask for other portions of the image, such as water, vegetation, or mountains.

More Detail: If you use the Sky option with the Select Landscape feature, you’ll get the same mask shape for the sky in the image as you would if you used the Select Sky feature. You can therefore create a mask for a targeted adjustment for the sky in an image using either option.

If you only want to apply an adjustment to the sky, and not any other areas that could be masked using the Select Landscape feature, then it is slightly more efficient to use the Select Sky feature. But either option is perfectly fine and will result in the same mask shape for the sky.

Of course, one of the advantages of the Select Landscape feature is that you can select other portions of the image beyond the sky. For example, the Select Landscape feature can identify areas of mountains, vegetation, water, natural ground, and more. If you want to apply a targeted adjustment for multiple areas that the Select Landscape feature can detect, it is more efficient to use Select Landscape to create a sky mask in addition to the other masks you want to create, rather than using Select Sky for the sky and then Select Landscape for other portions of the image.

If you’d like to learn more about the AI-powered masks in Lightroom Classic, be sure to sign up for my free webinar on the subject, which I’ll present live on Friday, May 30th, starting at 12pm Eastern Time. You can sign up to join me or to get access to a recording of the full presentation after it concludes by filling out this form:

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/fL9XlHa/aimasks

Today’s Question: When exporting from Apple Photos to Lightroom Classic by choosing File > Export from the menu, what options do you recommend selecting? The size is a question I am wondering about. I would guess Actual Size but that of course takes much longer and I would imagine requires more space. But if the goal is to get the best quality to edit in Lightroom Classic, what is the best way to proceed?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you’re exporting from Apple Photos to import into Lightroom Classic, I recommend using the File > Export > Export Unmodified Original command so you can import a copy of the original capture into Lightroom Classic. You could also import directly from your iPhone to Lightroom Classic to bypass the export process.

More Detail: When importing photos into Lightroom Classic that are being managed by another workflow, such as with Apple Photos, I recommend importing the original capture exactly how it was saved by the camera into Lightroom Classic. You can import directly into Lightroom Classic, such as by connecting a smartphone to your computer, or by downloading photos from the smartphone to your computer using other software so the images can then be imported.

I don’t recommend making a copy of the original photos in a different file format, as there will generally be some disadvantage to doing so. For example, exporting to TIFF files won’t provide an improvement in image quality, and will dramatically increase the size of the file for each image.

In Apple Photos you can export copies of the original image in the original capture format using the File > Export > Export Unmodified Original command. This will enable you to import into Lightroom Classic copies of the original images exactly as they were captured by the camera.

If you had been using the JPEG format for capturing photos on your smartphone, for example, then you’ll be getting copies of those original JPEG images, complete with the risk of potentially visible compression artifacts in the images.

If you want to optimize image quality in this context, the key is to use the optimal capture format at the time you take the photo. For a smartphone, the best option would be to use a raw capture format, which could include using the option to capture images as Adobe DNG images in the Lightroom mobile app. If you want to capture images with smaller file sizes, I suggest using the HEIC option rather than JPEG. But whatever format you’re using when the photo is captured, I recommend importing that same file into Lightroom Classic.

Today’s Question: What is your take on using an external NVMe [Non-Volatile Memory Express] drive for image/backup storage, as opposed to traditional hard drives or SSD storage? Are they sufficiently dependable?

Tim’s Quick Answer: An NVMe (NVM Express) storage device can indeed be used effectively for storage or backup, typically providing considerably faster performance than other storage devices.

More Detail: Technically, NVMe is an interface specification for storage devices, not an actual storage device. In other words, an NVMe device is typically an SSD drive, just like the SSD internal drive on many computers or an SSD external drive. An NVMe device connects directly to a PCI Express bus in a computer, which enables it to achieve considerably faster speeds than an external drive or even an internal drive using a SATA connection.

Therefore, overall I’m completely comfortable using NVMe devices for storage or backup, with two caveats.

First, an NVMe device connects to a PCI Express port, which means it is located inside your computer. That does create the risk of excessive heat buildup, which can reduce the lifespan of an NVMe storage device. As long as your computer has a good ventilation system with temperature monitoring, this shouldn’t be a significant issue. It could even be argued that the risk of overheating is less likely to cause a failure compared to physically damaging or losing an external storage device.

The second caveat relates to best practices when it comes to backing up data. One important rule of a good backup workflow is that the backup should not be stored on the same physical device as the source data. If you use an NVMe device as primary storage and back up that data to an internal SSD drive, the data is on two different storage devices, but they are both contained within the same computer. Therefore, there is a risk that a major issue with the computer such as a power surge could cause both storage devices to be lost.

So, while I would be perfectly comfortable using an NVMe for storage or backup, I would also want to be sure to use a backup workflow that ensures the source data and backup data are on different devices. For example, I would suggest using an external hard drive and perhaps an online backup service to back up the NVMe drive so that the redundant data is stored on separate drives.

Today’s Question: Suddenly, in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic, at the top of the right panel is a “Create Proof Copy” button. Whenever I make an adjustment, a box pops up telling me to create a proof copy. “Undo” undoes the adjustment, which makes LrC useless with no adjustments.

Tim’s Quick Answer: The issue you describe indicates that the “Soft Proofing” checkbox on the toolbar below the image preview is turned on. Simply turn that checkbox off and you’ll be back to the normal behavior in the Develop module.

More Detail: The Develop module in Lightroom Classic includes a soft proofing feature, which enables you to simulate what the printed output for an image will look like using your monitor display. This can be helpful for choosing which paper might work best for a photo, for example, or to troubleshoot a print that didn’t look right.

When you turn on the Soft Proofing checkbox, applying any adjustments will cause you to be prompted to make a virtual copy if you are working on the original image. That is so adjustments for a specific print configuration are applied to a virtual copy, without altering the adjustments for the original image that would be the basis of most other output such as printing or online sharing.

In this case, of course, the soft proofing feature was enabled by mistake, so the solution is to simply turn off the “Soft Proofing” checkbox on the toolbar below the image preview. That will return you to the normal behavior in the Develop module, with no prompt to create a virtual copy when you apply adjustments.

Today’s Question: I’ve noticed that sometimes a white dot and sometimes a red dot appears below the Masking button on the right panel in the Develop module. What do those dots mean?

Tim’s Quick Answer: A white dot indicates a tool that has been used for the current image, and a red dot below the Masking button indicates there are AI masks that need to be updated.

More Detail: In Lightroom Classic there are various indications of which specific adjustments have been applied. For example, the numerical value associated with a slider will appear brighter (white rather than light gray) to indicate the adjustment has been changed from the default value.

The toolbar below the Histogram section on the right panel in the Develop module includes five buttons associated with the various editing tools. Those buttons are: Edit, Crop, Remove, Red Eye Correction, and Masking. For each of these buttons, if any adjustments in that category have been applied a white dot will appear below the button to indicate that adjustment has actually been used in some way.

For Masking there are a series of AI-based masks, such as Select Sky and Select Subject. In some cases the AI masks may need to be updated, and that is indicated by a red dot under the Masking button. To update the masks, click on the “more” button (the three dots) to the right of a mask and choose “Update AI Masks” from the popup. You can also update by selecting one or more photos in the grid view in the Library module and choose Photo > Develop Settings > Update AI Settings from the menu to update the AI masks for all selected photos in batch.

Note, by the way, that there is a similar issue with the Remove tool where the Generative AI cleanup may need to be updated, in which case a red dot will appear under the button for the Remove tool.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to set the initial Lens Blur setting [in Lightroom Classic] to another default value other than 50? I usually find that when I use that feature that a value of 30 is generally where I end up and I would like to not have to fiddle with it if I can.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can’t change the default setting for the Lens Blur adjustment in Lightroom Classic directly, but you could use a preset to achieve a similar result without much difficulty.

More Detail: A Develop preset in Lightroom Classic enables you preserve settings for some (or all) adjustments found on the right panel in the Develop module. In this case, you could create a preset that includes only the Lens Blur adjustment.

Start by selecting a representative image, ideally one you haven’t worked on yet so you don’t need to worry about altering any existing adjustments. Then turn on the Apply checkbox in the Lens Blur section of the right panel, and adjust all other settings the way you’d like them by default when applying the preset.

Next, click the plus symbol (+) to the right of the Presets heading on the left panel and choose “Create Preset” from the popup menu. In the dialog that appears, enter a meaningful name in the Preset Name field, and choose which group you’d like to save the preset to. Then click the “Check None” button at the bottom-left of the dialog. You can then turn on the “Lens Blur” checkbox in the Settings section, and click the Create button.

When you want to apply the Lens Blur effect to an image, instead of turning on the Apply checkbox in the Lens Blur section of the right panel, select your preset from the Presets section on the left panel, and then adjust the settings to your liking on the right panel.

The above process obviously isn’t as convenient as simply changing the default setting for the adjustment. But keep in mind that you could also apply the preset in bulk to multiple photos by selecting the images in the grid view in the Library module and then selecting the preset that includes the Lens Blur effect from the Saved Preset popup in the Quick Develop on the right panel in the Library module.

It is also possible to apply the preset to all images being imported, but obviously for most photographers in most cases you wouldn’t want to apply Lens Blur to all images being imported, but rather a relatively small percentage of all photos.

Today’s Question: With the ability to select people automatically in Photoshop as well as in Camera Raw [or Lightroom Classic], do you recommend selecting people when processing the raw image in Camera Raw or after opening the image in Photoshop?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you’re using Camera Raw (rather than Lightroom Classic) with Photoshop, I generally prefer to apply targeted adjustments in Photoshop rather than Camera Raw for greater workflow flexibility.

More Detail: There are tools for automatically selecting people (or specific portions of people) in Photoshop, Camera Raw, Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom, and they all produce similar (and generally good) results. Whether you select people in Photoshop or Camera Raw (or Lightroom Classic or Lightroom) depends in part on your workflow preferences.

If you’re using Camera Raw and Photoshop, it is common to only process a single image once in Camera Raw and then work exclusively in Photoshop after that. Because of that, I generally prefer to apply targeted adjustments in Photoshop rather than Camera Raw. That way, you can always return to the targeted adjustment in Photoshop later rather than having to start over with the raw capture if you wanted to make a change to a targeted adjustment.

Note, by the way, that you can use the new option for selecting people with the Object Selection tool in Photoshop. With an image opening people open, and the Object Selection tool active, click the “Select people” button on the Options bar. This will bring up a dialog where you can choose a person and then click on the applicable buttons for the portions of the person you want to select. Then click the Apply button, and you’ll have a selection that you can use as the basis of a targeted adjustment with an adjustment layer, for example.

By creating the selection and targeted adjustment in Photoshop rather than Camera Raw, you have more flexibility in terms of refining those adjustments, as long as you work with adjustment layers and include those layers when saving the image. Later you can open the layered image and refine the layer mask or the adjustment settings for your targeted adjustment.

Note that for Lightroom Classic and Lightroom users, because you can easily return to any image to refine your adjustments, there’s no need to send the image to Photoshop to take advantage of the people selection feature. You can simply use the People option for the masking feature to apply targeted adjustments involving people.

Today’s Question: I sent an image to Photoshop with ‘edit in’ command, did a little work, then saved and it goes back to Lightroom Classic. Then “Edit in” to Photoshop again, did major work with lots of layers and actions, but it wrote over the original when I saved it back to Lightroom with the Save command. I really wanted both copies because they were significantly different. How can I do that?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you want an additional copy of a TIFF (or other non-raw file format) when sending an image to Photoshop from Lightroom Classic, you need to choose one of the “Edit a Copy” options in the dialog that appears.

More Detail: When you send a non-raw image from Lightroom Classic to Photoshop, you’re asked whether you want to edit a copy of the selected image or the original image you’ve selected for editing. The dialog with these options is not shown when you send a raw capture to Photoshop, because in that case the derivative image that is created will be saved based on the settings you have established on the External Editing tab of the Preferences dialog in Lightroom Classic.

When you send a non-raw file, such as a TIFF from Lightroom Classic to Photoshop, you have three options for how to handle the file, which are shown in a dialog that appears after choosing the “Edit In” command.

If you choose “Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments”, you will create an additional copy of the selected image. Note, however, that if the selected image contained layers from Photoshop, those layers will be flattened in the copy in order to apply the adjustments from the Develop module in Lightroom Classic.

If you choose “Edit a Copy”, all layers and other attributes of the selected image will be retained, with a copy of that file being created. In order to support this, however, while you’re working in Photoshop any adjustments you had applied in Lightroom Classic after the source image was created in Photoshop will not be visible while you’re working in Photoshop.

For example, if you convert a color TIFF image to black and white in Lightroom Classic, when you send the image to Photoshop with the “Edit a Copy” option, while you’re in Photoshop the image will appear in color. However after you’ve performed your work in Photoshop and saved and closed the image, it will appear in black and white again when you get back to Lightroom Classic.

The third option for the “Edit In” command in this context is “Edit Original”. This means you are opening the source image in Photoshop without making a copy. Therefore, if you started with only one copy of that image, after working with it in Photoshop you’ll still only have one copy. This could cause you to lose some information from the original, such as if you applied a destructive crop in Photoshop.

So, if you want to retain both the original file and a new derivative copy when sending an image from Lightroom Classic to Photoshop, be sure to choose one of the “Edit a Copy” options. If you want to avoid making an additional derivative copy of the image, you can choose “Edit Original”. Just be sure you understand what the impact of choosing one option or the other will be.