Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I wonder if you could clarify the benefits of exposure bracketing. Is the benefit simply to have more options? If I take three bracketed shots and then merge those photos in Photoshop, will the result simply be the same as the middle exposure? Or is there a gain to taking and then merging bracketed shots?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There are two key reasons to bracket exposures. The first is to have an additional option in case the base exposure isn’t optimal. The second is to be able to blend exposures for a high dynamic range (HDR) result.

More Detail: Bracketing exposures simply means that rather than capturing just a single exposure, you will capture additional exposures that are either brighter or darker (or both) compared to the baseline exposure. A standard approach, for example, would be to capture both an exposure that is one stop darker and an exposure that is one stop brighter, along with the standard exposure.

One of the primary reasons photographers might bracket exposures is if they are dealing with a tricky lighting situation (such as backlighting) and they aren’t confident that they will get the exposure right. In some situations you may obviously have the time to capture a test exposure and then capture additional photos with adjustments as needed. But in many cases you may not have that flexibility. For example, with concert photography things may be changing so rapidly that if you don’t get the shot right the first time, you won’t get the shot at all.

So, bracketing exposures helps give you options so that if the baseline exposure is problematic, you have other exposures that will likely have worked out better. Note, by the way, that while bracketing with a total of three exposures is pretty standard, many cameras will enable you to automatically bracket with five, seven, or even more exposures.

The other common reason to bracket exposures is for scenes where the overall tonal range exceeds what can be captured in a single exposure. For example, when including the sun in the frame it is often impossible to capture a single exposure without clipping the highlights or the shadows (or both).

When bracketing for HDR I generally recommend separating the exposures by two stops. In many cases three exposures may be enough, but in extreme cases you may need to bracket with more exposures. The bracketed exposures can then be assembled after the capture to create a final HDR image that contains more detail than a single exposure would have been capable of. Note, by the way, that if the tonal range of the scene doesn’t exceed what your camera can capture with a single frame, there won’t be a benefit to creating an HDR image. In fact, in this situation creating an HDR image may result in more noise than would be present in a single exposure.

Today’s Question: I was intrigued by your mention of “the default panel configuration” in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic. I didn’t think there was a way to change the panel configuration, but is that actually possible?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, it is possible to reconfigure all panels in Lightroom Classic by choosing which sections will be visible. For the right panel in the Develop module you can also change the order of the panel sections.

More Detail: For all modules in Lightroom Classic you can choose which panel sections you want to hide or reveal. By default all panels are revealed, but you can hide panels that you know you’ll never need to use. To do so, right-click on the header for any panel section to view a popup with all sections listed. You can choose a panel by name to turn it off or on. A checkmark icon appears to the left of panels that are currently visible, so it is easy to review the current configuration.

With the right panel in the Develop module you have even greater flexibility, in that you can change the order of the panel sections. To get started, right click on a section header on the right panel in the Develop module and choose “Customize Develop Panel” from the popup menu.

In the Customize Develop Panel dialog you can then configure the panel sections. There is a checkbox to the right of each section name, and you can turn the checkbox off to hide a section or on to reveal a section. You can also drag the handle (the three horizontal lines icon) to the left of any section name and drag the section upward or downward in the list to change the section order.

When you’re finished configuring the right panel you can click the Save button to apply the changes. Note that there is also a “Default Order” button you can click to reset the panel section order to the default configuration.

Hiding or rearranging panels can help reduce clutter and streamline your workflow within Lightroom Classic. Just keep in mind that it also means your interface won’t look the same as for other Lightroom Classic users. For example, if you watch my video training courses, I generally have the panels in the default configuration, and that can lead to a little bit of confusion if you’ve changed your configuration.

Today’s Question: Is there a way in Lightroom to quickly jump back to the “Basic” tab in the Develop module? I spend a lot of time in the Masking areas and other parts of the Develop module while developing my photos, and I’d be even happier if there were a keyboard shortcut to open that Basic tab.

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can switch to (or expand) the Basic section of the right panel in the Develop module by pressing Ctrl+1 on Windows or Command+1 on Macintosh.

More Detail: You can switch between sections on the right panel in all modules in Lightroom Classic by holding the Ctrl key on Windows or the Command key on Macintosh while pressing the number associated with the particular section. In the Library and Develop modules the Histogram is assigned the number zero, so you could press Ctrl+0 on Windows or Command+0 on Macintosh to expand or collapse the Histogram section, for example.

For all other sections in all modules, the numbering starts with one and goes from there. So, in the context of the Develop module with the default panel configuration the Basic section has a keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+1 or Command+1, the Tone Curve section has a keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+2 or Command+2, and so on.

These keyboard shortcuts serve as a toggle beyond just navigating to a section. They will also expand or collapse the section. So, for example, if you were currently looking at the Basic section you could press Ctrl+4 or Command+4 to quickly scroll to the Color Grading section. At that point if you were to press Ctrl+4 or Command+4 again the Color Grading section would collapse. You could then press the keyboard shortcut yet again to expand the section once more.

These shortcuts will work even if you haven’t collapsed the panel associated with one of the special tools, such as the Crop or Masking tool. The only issue is that if you haven’t collapsed the section for the tool, that section will take away from the space that is available for the other sections on the right panel.

Today’s Question: I thoroughly enjoyed watching your presentations and have learned a few tips along the way. I would also be grateful if you could share how you managed to show your logo in the panel of Lightroom Classic.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can add a custom panel end mark in Lightroom Classic by creating a PNG file for this purpose, saving it to the appropriate folder, and selecting it from the “End Marks” popup in Preferences.

More Detail: Panel end marks are graphics that appear at the bottom of the left and right panels in all modules in Lightroom Classic. By default you can choose between a small flourish or “None”. But you can also create your own custom graphic for these end marks. I use my GreyLearning logo as the end mark as a bit of branding, but you can create any end mark you’d like.

The first step is to create a PNG file of no more than 250 pixels wide (I find that a width of 150 pixels works great). You can use transparency for this PNG file if you’d like a logo to blend into the background of the panel. You can also use a simple graphic and save it as a PNG. Photoshop is a good tool for creating, editing, and saving an image as a PNG.

With the PNG file created, you can go to the Preferences dialog in Lightroom Classic and select the Interface tab. Click the End Marks popup in the Panels section and choose “Go to Panel Marks Folder”. This will take you to the applicable folder in the operating system, creating it in the process if it doesn’t exist. Copy your PNG file to that folder, and then restart Lightroom Classic.

Return to the Preferences dialog, and on the Interface tab you’ll now be able to choose your image from the End Marks popup. Once you’ve done so, your graphic will appear at the bottom of the left and right panels.

Today’s Question: My Lightroom Classic catalog shows fewer photos than the folder on the hard drive where the photos are kept. What makes this issue even more confusing is that when I try to import photos from the folder, Lightroom Classic indicates that the photos have already been imported. So, where are they?

Tim’s Quick Answer: This scenario suggests that the photos had previously been imported to a different folder, even though there are copies on the hard drive in the folder where some of the images are shown in Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: If the folder on the hard drive contains more photos than are present in that folder in the Lightroom Classic catalog, that generally means that either only some of the photos had been imported in the first place, or that some of the photos had been removed from the catalog without deleting the source files.

In this case there is the added twist that when an attempt is made to import the photos from the folder that aren’t in the Lightroom Classic catalog, the photos are being reported as already being present in the catalog. While it is possible to override this issue by turning off the “Don’t import suspected duplicates” checkbox on the right panel in the Import dialog, I recommend first figuring out where the photos actually are.

One quick way to find the applicable photos is to sort by capture time and browse all images. So, while browsing the affected folder in Lightroom Classic in the grid view, set the Sort popup on the toolbar below the image preview area to “Capture Time”. Then be sure to select one of the photos in the folder where there are “extra” photos on the hard drive not shown in Lightroom Classic.

Next, navigate to the “All Photographs” collection in the Catalog section at the top of the left panel. Also make sure the Library Filter bar at the top of the grid view is set to “None” so that all photos are displayed. At this point, assuming the photos expected in the folder were captured around the same time, you should be seeing all the photos, including those that are in the folder on the hard drive but not in Lightroom Classic. Assuming that’s the case, right-click on one of the “missing” photos and choose “Go to folder in Library” from the popup menu. That will take you to the location where the photos are actually stored within the Lightroom Classic catalog, which will partially reveal the mystery.

You’ll still need to resolve this issue, which I recommend doing by consolidating photo storage within Lightroom Classic. You may even want to consolidate to a completely new folder within the catalog, and then go look at the two source folders in Lightroom Classic and on the hard drive to deal with the leftover images. But at least at this point you’ll know where the images are that prevent you from importing duplicate copies from a different folder.

Today’s Question: Can you clarify what you mean when you say that using a Smart Filter [in Photoshop] can cause problems with a layer-based workflow? The feature sounded great until I read your warning!

Tim’s Quick Answer: The problem with using Smart Objects (including Smart Filters) in Photoshop is that making changes to that Smart Object can cause other pixel-based layers to no longer match the overall image.

More Detail: Smart Objects in Photoshop represent a powerful and helpful feature. However, there is an important shortcoming that can lead to significant problems with layer-based images.

When you create a Smart Object (or apply a Smart Filter) you are effectively embedding an image within the overall document. The benefit of this approach is that you maintain the ability to modify the embedded image, since the original is there as a reference.

For example, let’s assume you’re using the Camera Raw filter as a Smart Filter, as explained in yesterday’s Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter. You use the Camera Raw filter to convert the image to black and white. However, since you used a Smart Filter, you can go back and change the adjustments at any time. So, you double-click the Camera Raw Filter layer and switch the image back to color.

This is all perfectly fine, and it helps illustrate the power of Smart Filters. However, there is a potentially significant problem.

Let’s assume that after using Camera Raw as a Smart Filter to convert the image to black and white, you decided to perform some image cleanup work to get rid of some blemishes and distractions in the image. Wanting to maintain a non-destructive workflow, you create a new empty image layer to use for the image cleanup work.

After performing the image cleanup work, you go back to the Camera Raw Filter layer, bringing up the Camera Raw dialog. At that point you convert the black and white image back to color and apply the change.

At this point the underlying image based on the Smart Filter is a color image. However, the image cleanup work performed on a separate layer was done while the image was in black and white. Therefore, the cleanup pixels are in black and white, but the image is in color, so there is a very problematic mismatch.

So, while Smart Objects in general and certainly Smart Filters in particular can be incredibly helpful, they can cause problems in a layer-based workflow. In the example above, I would want to spend time fine-tuning the Smart Object to perfection so I feel reasonably confident that no further adjustments will be necessary. I would then move forward with any work that required other pixel-based layers, such as to perform image cleanup with the tools in Photoshop that are more powerful and flexible than what is available in Camera Raw.

Today’s Question: I can easily create a mask in Lightroom Classic to create a vignette using a radial gradient. The nice thing is the mask can be edited at any time. But I can’t figure out how to something equivalent using gradient tool in Photoshop. As soon as I save the file and re-open it, I can’t seem to edit the gradient any longer, and have to start with a new mask and new gradient. Is there a way to do what is so easy to do in Lightroom Classic masks?

Tim’s Quick Answer: What you’re referring to is the “live gradient” feature. This is preserved for Gradient adjustment layers, but not for layer masks. To maintain editing ability in Photoshop as in Lightroom Classic I would use the Camera Raw filter as a Smart Filter.

More Detail: The Gradient tool in Photoshop includes the option to use the live gradient feature, as long as the popup on the Options bar is set to “Gradient” rather than “Classic gradient”. This enables you to modify the overall gradient shape with ease. When used with a Gradient adjustment layer, you can return to the layer at any time (even after closing and re-opening the file) and modify the live gradient controls.

When you use the live gradient feature with a layer mask, however, the editing capability is only temporary. As soon as you close and re-open an image that included a live gradient on a layer mask, the live gradient will no longer be “live”. In other words, the layer mask will simply be a grayscale pixel-based layer that you can only modify directly, not using the live gradient feature.

If you want the same flexibility for a gradient mask as is possible in Lightroom Classic, you’ll find the exact same capabilities in Camera Raw. The trick is that if you use Camera Raw to open a raw capture and then save the resulting image, you can’t get back to Camera Raw to modify the resulting image. If you wanted to make changes you would need to re-open the original raw capture and refine your original adjustments.

However, you can also use the Camera Raw filter as a Smart Filter in Photoshop to retain the flexibility of being able to modify the mask. Start by opening an image and with the Background image layer selected on the Layers panel go to the menu and choose Filter > Convert for Smart Filters, clicking the OK button in the confirmation dialog to convert the layer to a Smart Object. Then choose Filter > Camera Raw Filter from the menu to bring up the Camera Raw dialog.

You can then use the Masking features to create a variety of masks, including a Radial Gradient or any other shape. You can use this to apply targeted adjustments, as well as the many other adjustments available in Camera Raw. Click the OK button when you’re finished.

If you later want to modify the adjustments, simply double-click the Camera Raw Filter item shown below the Smart Filters thumbnail associated with the Smart Object. This will bring up the Camera Raw dialog, where you can modify the adjustments including the mask. As long as you save the source file as a TIFF or Photoshop PSD file, you’ll retain this editing ability after closing and re-opening the file.

Just keep in mind that this approach of using Smart Filters can create challenges in a layer-based workflow. For example, making changes to the Camera Raw adjustments applied as a Smart Filter can cause other pixel-based layers to no longer match the overall image.

Today’s Question: Adobe allows Lightroom Classic to be “active” on two machines at a time. I have three computers, but really only need Lightroom Classic active on any two at a time. Is there a way to “deactivate” Lightroom Classic on a computer and “reactivate” it on another, thereby satisfying Adobe’s limit of two computers at a time?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can sign out of your Creative Cloud account through Lightroom Classic to reduce the number of active computers at a time. The next time you launch Lightroom Classic on that computer you’ll be prompted to sign in again. Just keep in mind that when using Lightroom Classic on more than one computer it is important to make sure that you’re always using the same catalog, such as by keeping the catalog files on an external hard drive along with your photos.

More Detail: The standard license for an Adobe Creative Cloud plan limits you to having applications active on no more than two computers at a time, though you can only run the applications on one computer at a time. If you have a need to use Lightroom Classic or other Creative Cloud applications on more than two computers, you’ll need to deactivate the software on one of the computers to allow another computer to be activated.

In the case of Lightroom Classic this is handled by signing out of Creative Cloud through Lightroom Classic. To do so launch Lightroom Classic on the computer you want to deactivate and go to the menu and choose Help > Sign Out (note that the email address associated with your Creative Cloud account will be shown to the right of the menu command). Click the “Sign Out” button in the confirmation dialog, and Lightroom Classic (and other Creative Cloud applications in your plan) will be deactivated on that computer.

You can then activate Lightroom Classic (or other Creative Cloud applications) on another computer. The next time you launch Lightroom Classic on the computer where you deactivated it, you’ll be prompted to sign in to your Creative Cloud account, which in turn will activate Lightroom Classic again on that computer.

While this process obviously involves a couple extra steps to be able to activate Lightroom Classic on a third computer, it is relatively straightforward and there is no negative impact in terms of your cloud-based services. Just be sure that you are always using the correct catalog files when switching computers, such as by always opening the catalog from an external hard drive.

Today’s Question: I was reviewing my settings in Lightroom Classic for sending photos to Photoshop and noticed a popup for “Photoshop version” that I had not seen before. Clicking it reminded me that I have an older version of Photoshop installed, but my real question is why would I ever want to choose to use an older version of Photoshop when sending an image from Lightroom Classic?

Tim’s Quick Answer: In general, the only reason to send an image from Lightroom Classic to an older version of Photoshop is if there was a compatibility issue related to a feature or plug-in. I would normally recommend always sending images to the most recent release, excluding a public beta release unless you wanted to take advantage of a new feature there.

More Detail: Not too long ago a popup was added to the “Edit in Adobe Photoshop” section of the External Editing tab in the Preferences dialog in Lightroom Classic. This is the “Photoshop version” popup, which enables you to choose which version of Photoshop you want to use when sending images to Photoshop from Lightroom Classic.

For many photographers clicking on this popup might reveal that you only have a single version of Photoshop installed, which is perfectly fine.

For other photographers, clicking the popup might remind them that they still have one (or more) older versions of Photoshop that they don’t really need. If that’s the case, and if you’re sure that the latest version is fully operational in terms of meeting your needs and supporting any plug-ins you use, then you can uninstall older versions of Photoshop.

However, in some cases you may want to choose to use a different version of Photoshop than the most recent official release. This could include using an older version of Photoshop if that is necessary to access a plug-in or feature that isn’t supported or isn’t working properly in the latest version. You might also want to choose the public beta (prerelease) version of Photoshop (if you’ve installed it) in order to make use of a feature that is new to that beta version.

Overall, if you don’t know of a reason that you need to use something other than the latest official release of Photoshop that you have installed, then you can simply leave the popup on the External Editing tab set to the latest version. It is only in situations where what you’re trying to accomplish isn’t possible with the latest version that I would recommend using a different version for External Editing from Lightroom Classic.

Today’s Question: If I apply a Develop preset to images as part of importing them into Lightroom Classic, would the Before view of the image show the original unedited image or the version with the preset applied?

Tim’s Quick Answer: If you apply a Develop preset on import, the Before view will show the version of the image with that preset applied, not the unedited image.

More Detail: When you enable the Before view (such as by pressing the backslash key on the keyboard) in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic, you’ll see the image based on what it looked like when it was imported. For example, if you had applied adjustments to a raw capture using Camera Raw and leave the resulting XMP sidecar file with the raw capture, if you import the image into Lightroom Classic the Before view will show the image based on the adjustments applied with Camera Raw. Similarly, if you apply a Develop preset during import, the Before view will show you the image with the effect of that preset applied to it.

In other words, the Before view doesn’t necessarily show you the original version of the image without any adjustments. Rather, it will show you the version of the image based on any adjustments that had been applied prior to importing or during import through the use of a preset.

Let’s assume, for example, that you had converted a batch of images to black and white, either using Camera Raw before import or by using a preset during import. After applying a variety of adjustments in the Develop module, pressing the backslash key to switch to the Before view will show the black and white version of the image as it looked upon import.

If you want to get to the image without any adjustments, you can click the Reset button at the bottom of the right panel in Lightroom Classic. Even then, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have an image with no adjustments at all, because it is possible to change the default adjustment values for Lightroom Classic. And, of course, if you had clicked the Reset button just to see the image with the default adjustment settings, you could always use the Undo command (or go back in the History section of the left panel) to undo the Reset command and get back to the adjusted version of the image.