Category: Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: While working in the Develop module [in Lightroom Classic], is there any way to see the information that is displayed in the Library module (lens, focal length, exposure, etc.) without having to switch back and forth between the modules?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can display the information overlay on the image in the Develop module of Lightroom Classic by pressing the letter “I” on the keyboard to cycle through the information options. You can configure which information is displayed in the View Options dialog.

More Detail: In Lightroom Classic you can display an information overlay on an image in the loupe view, and you can configure two different options for which information is displayed. Pressing the letter “I” on the keyboard will cycle you between the three options, which are information #1, information #1, and no overlay display.

To configure the information overlay options, choose View > View Options from the menu while working from either the Library module or the Develop module. If you selected the menu command while in the Library module, be sure to select the Loupe View tab from the top of the dialog.

You can then configure the three metadata options for both “Loupe Info 1” and “Loupe Info 2”. The option selected from the first of the three popups will appear in a larger font than the other two, so you may want to select what you consider to be the more important metadata value from that popup.

So, for example, you might configure the settings for Loupe Info 1 to include “File Name and Copy Name”, “Capture Date/Time”, and “Camera + Lens”.. You might set Loupe Info 2 to include “File Name and Copy Name”, “Exposure Settings”, and “Title”. The options you select depend on what information is most helpful for you to view, and which metadata fields you tend to update. For example, if you don’t add text to the Title field in metadata there’s no sense adding that to the information overlay.

Once you’ve configured the info overlay settings the way you’d like them, you can close the View Options dialog. From that point forward you can cycle through the info overlay displays by pressing the letter “I” on the keyboard while working in either the Develop module or the Library module.

Today’s Question: You have recommended creating a separate catalog for Lightroom Classic while traveling and then merging that catalog with your main catalog when you get home. When traveling recently I wanted to share a collection of wedding photos with guests the day after. However, I couldn’t sync the collection with Adobe Cloud unless I disabled sync for my main catalog. I used my SmugMug plugin instead. Are there any other methods you would suggest? Also, any collections I create while on the road are not copied over to my main catalog. Do you have any suggestions for how to re-create those collections?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Both issues can be avoided if you bring your main catalog with you when you travel, but there are other options available as well.

More Detail: While it is indeed possible to use a separate catalog when traveling and then merge that catalog with your primary catalog when you return home, it can be helpful and convenient to instead travel with your primary catalog.

For example, a laptop has been my primary computer for about twenty years, (I don’t even own a desktop computer). Therefore, I keep my Lightroom Classic catalog on my laptop, so that the catalog is always with me. This eliminates the need to merge catalogs later, and also means that all features are readily available, including cloud-based synchronization that can only be enabled for a single catalog at a time.

If you want to be able to work from a desktop computer at home and a laptop computer when traveling, you can also keep your catalog on an external hard drive. You can then connect that hard drive to whichever computer you’re using at the time and open the catalog directly from the external drive.

If you prefer to use a separate catalog when traveling, the cloud-based synchronization will still be an issue. I don’t recommend switching between different catalogs for synchronization, because that can lead to confusion and duplication of images that are synchronized. In this scenario I would suggest using an online service such as SmugMug when you need to share images online from your traveling catalog.

If you’re working with a traveling catalog, you can absolutely bring collections and all other features of Lightroom Classic into your primary catalog when you return home. You just need to be sure to use the “Import from Another Catalog” command to merge the catalogs, so that all information about your photos will be reflected in the primary catalog.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to easily keyword new photos to match those in the same folder that had previously been keyworded in Lightroom Classic?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can synchronize keywords across multiple photos in Lightroom Classic using the Sync Metadata command.

More Detail: I should first note that it is important to be careful when synchronizing metadata across multiple photos, especially in the context of keywords. You’ll want to be sure you’re only selecting the photos to which the keywords actually apply. As helpful as keywords can be in terms of organizing photos, that value is greatly diminished if keywords are assigned to the wrong images.

To synchronize keywords across multiple photos first select all the photos to which you want to assign the keywords. You can simply select all photos that do not have the applicable keywords yet, or you can select both those with the keywords and those without. The difference relates only to whether the Keywords field will include the keywords that have already been assigned to some images.

After selecting the photos, click the “Sync Metadata” button at the bottom of the right panel in the Library module. This will bring up the Synchronize Metadata dialog. Within this dialog you can turn on the checkboxes for the metadata fields you want to synchronize to the selected photos, and update the metadata values as needed.

In this particular case I would suggest first clicking the “Check None” button so that none of the metadata fields are selected for synchronization. Then scroll to the very bottom of the dialog and turn on the checkbox to the right of the Keywords field. If some of the selected photos already had keywords assigned, all those keywords will be listed in the Keywords field. Edit this list so that it only includes the keywords you want to apply to all selected photos, with keywords separated by commas. You can then click the Synchronize button at the bottom-right of the dialog to apply the keywords to the selected photos.

Today’s Question: Is it possible to back up external hard drives with the Backblaze service you have recommended? If so, how?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can back up an external hard drive to online storage using Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/cloudbackup) by simply enabling the drive in Settings.

More Detail: You can use Backblaze to back up both internal and external hard drives, simply by selecting the drives you want to back up in the Preferences dialog for Backblaze.

To get started first make sure the external hard drives you want to back up are connected to the computer. You can then click the Backblaze icon on the taskbar on Windows or the menu bar on Macintosh and choose Backblaze Preferences from the popup menu. In the Preferences dialog click the Settings button, and then go to the Settings tab within the dialog that appears.

In the “Select Hard Drives to Backup” section toward the bottom of the Settings tab, turn on the checkbox for the hard drives you want to back up with Backblaze. Then click the OK button to apply the change. It may take considerable time for the initial backup to finish depending on your internet speed and how much data is on the drive, but the selected hard drives will then be included in your normal online backup with Backblaze.

Note that I strongly recommend upgrading to the one-year version history option, rather than the default option of thirty days. Without this upgrade, if you leave an external hard drive disconnected for more than thirty days Backblaze will assume you no longer have the hard drive and will delete the backup data associated with that drive.

You can learn more about backing up your photos and other important data to online storage with Backblaze here:

https://timgrey.me/cloudbackup

Today’s Question: Your answer about working on an image from a collection versus a folder [in Lightroom Classic] was very helpful, including the details about working on a virtual copy rather than the original source image. But how would I know if I am working on a virtual copy rather than the original?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can identify a virtual copy in Lightroom Classic based on the Copy Name indication after the filename on the filmstrip, or by the turned page corner icon that appears on the thumbnail as long as you have the display of badges enabled.

More Detail: One of the more obvious indications that an image in Lightroom Classic is a virtual copy is the turned page corner icon that appears as a badge on the thumbnail of a virtual copy in the grid view or on the filmstrip. This icon appears at the bottom-left corner of the thumbnail as long as the feature is enabled.

To ensure the badge for a virtual copy is displayed on the filmstrip go to the Interface tab of the Preferences dialog and make sure the “Show badges” checkbox is turned on in the Filmstrip section. To enable the badges for the grid view choose View > View Options from the menu while in the Library module and go to the Grid View tab. Make sure the “Thumbnail Badges” checkbox is turned on in the Cell Icons section.

In addition to the thumbnail badge for virtual copies, these images will have a Copy Name associated with them. The default Copy Name for the first virtual copy for an image will be “Copy 1”, and the number will increment for additional virtual copies based on the same source image. This Copy Name value will be displayed after the filename for the selected virtual copy above the thumbnail filmstrip on the bottom panel, appearing after the source image filename and a slash.

Note that you can change the value for the Copy Name field, which in turn will update the text associated with the filename for virtual copies. This enables you to assign a more meaningful name to virtual copies, so that you can remind yourself of the purpose of the virtual copy, for example.

The Copy Name field can be found toward the top of the Metadata section of the left panel in the Library module, but only with some of the metadata field options you can select from the popup to the left of the Metadata heading. For example, if you choose “EXIF and IPTC” from that popup the Copy Name field will be displayed. Note that if you clear out all the text from the Copy Name field the word “Copy” will still display after the filename on the bottom panel, so you can still identify the image as a virtual copy.

Today’s Question: Let’s say I am about to export an image [from Lightroom Classic] that I have in one of my Collections. But then I notice something that needs a quick cleanup or removal and I make that correction, but am doing so in my Collections, not going back to the image in my Folder. I am assuming with some testing that I have done, there is no problem in making the correction in Collections but just want to be sure that something is not going to be amiss in not making the correction in my Folder.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Making changes to an image that has been selected from a collection rather than a folder will cause the changes to be reflected in the source image in the folder. Just keep in mind that the source image could be a virtual copy rather than the original capture.

More Detail: When you add a photo to a collection in Lightroom Classic you are not making a copy of the source image file. Rather, you are simply adding a reference to the image in the collection, so that you can group various photos together and make it easier to locate certain images quickly.

As a result, when you modify an image in a collection, you are in effect actually altering the source image in the folder. For example, whether you assign a star rating or a keyword by first selecting the image from a folder versus a collection, the result is exactly the same. When you later locate the image by selecting it in either a folder or collection, you’ll see the metadata updates. The same applies to adjustments made in the Develop module.

However, it is important to keep in mind that virtual copies can be added to collections, and virtual copies represent a separate version of the original image. For example, if you create a virtual copy and then add a keyword to the original image, the virtual copy will not contain that new keyword. This feature is primarily aimed at enabling you to create different versions of photos in the Develop module.

If you add a virtual copy to a collection you would then be adjusting the virtual copy if you selected it in the collection. In the source folder you would be able to locate both the source image and the virtual copy, but you might have only added the virtual copy to the collection.

So, any work you perform on an image in a collection will be reflected for the same image in the source folder. Just make sure you know when you’re working on a virtual copy rather than the source image file, so that you know which specific image you’re actually affecting when selecting an image from a collection.

Today’s Question: Would syncing the parent folder (such as Pictures) within Lightroom Classic identify any photos that have not been imported and add them to the catalog?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, adding photos to the catalog is one of the key features of the “Synchronize Folder” command in Lightroom Classic. This command provides the option to add photos to the catalog that are within the folder structure you applied the command to but that aren’t currently in the catalog.

More Detail: There are a variety of reasons that not all photos that are contained within a folder on your hard drive would be included in your Lightroom Classic catalog. You may have only imported some of the photos from a given folder, you may have removed photos from the catalog without deleting them, or you may have added photos to a folder outside of Lightroom Classic.

Regardless of the reason that a folder in Lightroom Classic doesn’t match in terms of the photos actually included in the folder on your hard drive, the “Synchronize Folder” command provides a solution.

To get started, right-click on the folder you want to synchronize and choose “Synchronize Folder” from the popup menu. This command will check all subfolders within the folder you selected for synchronization, so you can apply the command to a parent folder if you want to check all subfolders within.

After selecting the “Synchronize Folder” command Lightroom Classic will analyze the folder and provide a summary with several options. If there are photos on the hard drive that aren’t in the catalog, the “Import new photos” checkbox will be enabled, with a count in parenthesis indicating how many photos were found. Turn on this checkbox if you want to add those photos to the catalog.

If there are photos in your catalog that are not contained in the folder on your hard drive, the “Remove missing photos from catalog” checkbox will be enabled, also with a count of the number of missing photos. Turn on this checkbox if you want Lightroom Classic to remove those missing photos from the catalog.

You can also turn on the “Scan for metadata updates” checkbox if you want Lightroom Classic to check for metadata that was updated directly in the photos on the hard drive without being updated in Lightroom Classic. Turning on this checkbox will update the metadata in the catalog accordingly.

After selecting the options you want to enable, click the Synchronize button and the applicable updates will be applied to your catalog.

Today’s Question: I made a series of adjustments in Lightroom Classic, with one of the steps along the way being a content-aware cleanup. After applying more adjustments, I realized the cleanup wasn’t good. Is there any way to go back and fix just that one step without losing all the work I had done after that step?

Tim’s Quick Answer: No, you can’t undo a single history state without also undoing the adjustments that were applied after that history state. However, you can reset an individual adjustment based on a review of the history states.

More Detail: The history in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic is linear, meaning you can go back in time to a given history state, but doing so will cause all steps that had been applied after that state to also be undone. So, if you performed ten steps in history, for example, and you realize you want to undo the third step, with the history feature you can only go back to step three so that steps four through ten would also be undone.

However, because all your work in the Lightroom Classic develop module is non-destructive, you can always reset or refine an individual adjustment. This can be based on reviewing the history states to get a sense of what was done, which can inform your decision about what needs to be changed.

Today’s question indicates that a cleanup done with the Healing tool is the history step that represents a mistake. You can therefore simply select the Healing tool again, click on the edit pin for the spot that you want to fix, and press the Delete key on the keyboard to delete that correction. You can then use the Healing tool again in that area to improve the cleanup work as needed.

If you wanted to undo an individual adjustment, you can obviously see what adjustments were applied in the history list. This could help you determine which adjustment you need to reset, for example. In addition, the history states for individual adjustments show the degree to which the adjustment was changed and the new value for the adjustment based on the change.

For example, let’s assume you applied a Clarity adjustment, then went back and increased the value for Clarity to a very high level. If you later decide that was too much, you can look at the history states to determine what the prior value was.

To the right of these history states you will see two numbers. The first number indicates the change in value for the adjustment, and the second number indicates the updated value. So, for example, if you see Clarity listed with the first number being +25 and the second number being 45, then you know that Clarity had been set to 20, but then you increased it by 25 so the new value is 45. Setting Clarity to 20 would therefore set it back to the value it was at before the additional adjustment.

The point is that while you can’t undo individual history states without also undoing all adjustments performed after that state, you can refine or reset individual adjustments based on a review of the history for an image.

Today’s Question: Is there a Book Module in either Photoshop or Bridge?

Tim’s Quick Answer: No, the Book feature available in Lightroom Classic isn’t available in Photoshop or Bridge. However, you can create books without using Lightroom Classic with the free BookWright software from Blurb (https://www.blurb.com).

More Detail: The Book module in Lightroom Classic represents an integration with Blurb (https://www.blurb.com), but you don’t have to use Lightroom Classic to create a Blurb book. Instead you can use the free BookWright software from Blurb.

You can download BookWright for free just by having a Blurb account. If you already have an account you can sign in, and if you don’t you can create an account quickly and easily. You can then use the various “Start Project” links on the Blurb website to get started, downloading the latest version of the BookWright software as part of that process.

The BookWright software provides the same basic features as the Book module in Lightroom Classic in terms of creating a book layout featuring your images, selecting the print options, and ordering your book through the Blurb website. You can also make your book available for sale through Blurb if you’re interested in that option.

Today’s Question: Since Adobe introduced the recent 2024 updates to Photoshop and Bridge, I am getting an error message [indicating Photoshop can’t be found] when I double-click on a thumbnail in Bridge. It seems to be looking for the 2023 version of Photoshop. How can I solve this problem?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can resolve this issue by updating the file type associations in Preferences in Bridge to reflect the latest version of Photoshop.

More Detail: It is possible to have more than one version of Photoshop installed, and sometimes this can lead to issues where Adobe Bridge is looking for a version of Photoshop that is no longer installed. In other words, if you double-click on an image to open it in Photoshop, you may receive an error message indicating Photoshop couldn’t be found.

To resolve this issue, go to the Preferences dialog in Adobe Bridge by going to the menu and choosing Edit > Preferences on Windows or Adobe Bridge > Settings on Macintosh. In the Preferences dialog go to the File Type Associations tab by selecting it from the list along the left side of the dialog.

Within the File Type Associations tab, you’ll see a long list of file types supported by Bridge. You can scroll through or search for a file format and change the popup to the right of the file type to the latest version of Photoshop (currently Photoshop 2024 25.0). You’ll need to repeat this for each of the file types you want to open in the latest version of Photoshop from Bridge, such as proprietary raw capture formats, Adobe DNG files, Photoshop documents, TIFF files, JPEG images, and perhaps other formats.

After updating the file type associations, you can click the OK button to close the Preferences dialog. When you then double-click on a file of a type you updated the file type association for that image will be opened in Photoshop as expected.