Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: When I edit photos in Lightroom Classic and use the Clarity slider, the numbers showing the strength of the adjustment are white except for +30, which is gray. An adjustment of +30 still works, so it is not a real problem, but it is curious why that should occur.

Tim’s Quick Answer: The gray color for the value at +30 indicates that is the default value. In other words, you have changed the default from zero to +30 for the Clarity adjustment.

More Detail: A gray number for the value of an adjustment in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic indicates the slider is at its default value. A white number indicates the value has been changed from the default for the adjustment.

Normally, the value for Clarity would appear in gray when set to zero, and white when the slider is set to any other value. That is because the default value for the Clarity adjustment is zero.

If you see a gray number for something other than zero for the Clarity adjustment, that means you have changed the default value for Clarity to that gray value. In this case, the default value for Clarity has been changed to +30.

You can reset the value for various adjustments quite easily in Lightroom Classic. Start by selecting an image for which you have not already applied adjustments you care about, so you can adjust the settings freely. Then click the Reset button at the bottom of the right panel in the Develop module.

Next, change the value for the sliders for which you want to change the default values. For example, I often like to apply at least a slight increase in Clarity as well as Vibrance for most images, so I might want to change the default values for those sliders.

After changing the values for the adjustments you want to change the default value for, hold the Alt key on Windows or the Option key on Macintosh. While holding the Alt/Option key, you’ll notice the Reset button changes to a Set Default button. Clicking that button while continuing to hold the Alt/Option key will cause the current adjustment settings to be used as the new default values in the Develop module.

Today’s Question: Is there a way to move DNG files from [Lightroom mobile on an] iPhone [or Android smartphone] to Lightroom Classic on a MacBook, other than via Adobe Creative Cloud?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can use the option in the Lightroom mobile app to export photos in the original DNG capture format to the photos app on your smartphone. That, in turn, will enable you to import the original DNG files directly into Lightroom Classic on your computer.

More Detail: The Lightroom mobile app is really designed to synchronize images from the Lightroom or Lightroom Classic desktop applications. That means that when you capture photos using the Lightroom mobile app, the photos will appear automatically in your catalog in the Lightroom desktop application you’re using to manage your photos.

It is possible, however, to directly download the photos to your computer. You would just want to be sure you aren’t creating duplicate images by having the Lightroom mobile app synchronize to your Lightroom application on the desktop. This can be a bit tricky if you will otherwise be keeping your smartphone connected to the Internet.

That said, it is possible to export the DNG files. If you want to export multiple images, first browse your photos in the grid view display and tap the ellipsis icon (the three dots) at the top-right of the Lightroom mobile interface. From the popup menu that appears, choose Select. This will put you into select mode, so you can tap or tap and swipe) to select photos.

When you are finished selecting the photos you want to export, tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen. From the popup menu that appears, choose “Export as”. From the File Type popup choose “Original”, and then tap the checkmark icon at the top-right of the screen.

This will export the selected photos in their original capture format (such as Adobe DNG) to the photo app on your camera (meaning Photos on iPhone or Photo Gallery on Android). You can then connect your phone to your computer and use the Import command to import all images, including the DNG captures from the Lightroom mobile app.

Today’s Question: In Friday’s answer you said you would recommend using raw capture for photography with a smartphone. But how can you capture raw with a smartphone? I thought they only captured in JPEG.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can capture in a raw format with a variety of smartphone apps. Perhaps most notably, the Adobe Lightroom app for iOS and Android smartphones enables you to capture in the Adobe DNG raw capture format.

More Detail: Most smartphones and compact cameras will capture in the JPEG format by default. This is largely a matter of convenience, since JPEG images provide relatively small file sizes and are compatible with a large variety of software and devices.

More recently, HEIC (High Efficiency Image Coding) is available as an alternative capture format for updated iPhone models and some Android devices. The HEIC format employs improved compression compared to JPEG images, providing smaller file sizes with higher image quality. HEIC files are not supported as widely as JPEG images, but most of the latest operating systems and imaging software do support HEIC.

While HEIC is an improvement over JPEG, it is still possible to achieve even better image quality through the use of raw capture with a smartphone or compact camera. In the case of a smartphone, raw capture generally requires a third-party camera app.

The Adobe Lightroom app for mobile devices (iOS and Android) enables you to capture photos directly through the app, and you can choose to capture in the Adobe DNG format if you prefer. This enables you to capture more image data for your photos, and to avoid the potential for compression artifacts that can result from the compression used for JPEG and HEIC images.

Today’s Question: I’m planning to buy a medium-priced superzoom compact to photograph birds while hiking and I intend to shoot in RAW. In researching cameras one reviewer made a passing comment wondering why anyone would bother to shoot RAW, noting the small sensor found in superzooms. This surprised me. What are the pros and cons of the claim and would JPEGs be better? I don’t expect the quality I would get from my mirrorless system, but I would still aim to get the best results possible.

Tim’s Quick Answer: I would actually argue the opposite of what that reviewer suggested. With a smaller sensor on a compact camera, I’d be even more interested in shooting raw to help overcome some of the limitations of a smaller sensor.

More Detail: I too have heard photographers suggest that there is no point in using raw capture for compact cameras or smartphones, because the quality of the sensor in such a camera is so inferior that there’s no benefit in using raw capture. I don’t agree with that notion at all.

To be sure, there are disadvantages to a small sensor size. If you had two sensors with the same resolution, with the only real difference being the size of the sensor, the smaller sensor would generally produce an image with more noise and less dynamic range. The reduced dynamic range could, among other things, result in gradations within the image that are not as smooth as they could be.

The higher bit depth of raw capture helps to maintain smooth gradations. In addition, raw processing can help produce an image of better quality than what could be achieved with an in-camera JPEG capture. Furthermore, JPEG captures involve lossy compression and the potential for compression artifacts that are visible in the final image.

When image quality is a top concern, I recommend using raw capture regardless of what type of camera you’re using. That includes the use of a compact camera or smartphone, for example. I would only use JPEG capture if you want to prioritize smaller file size, wider compatibility with other software and devices, and a more streamlined workflow after the capture.

Today’s Question: Would this transfer strategy [discussed in yesterday’s Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter] function as a “backup” strategy as well? I’ve honestly never felt that I’ve had a solid understanding of backing up photos. Over the years I’ve used a “drag and drop” process outside of LR. Luckily I haven’t experienced a hard drive meltdown, yet.

Tim’s Quick Answer: No, the process of migrating photo to a new hard drive in Lightroom Classic does not provide an option for backing up your photos. Lightroom does not include a proper backup feature for photos, so I recommend using third-party software such as GoodSync (http://timgrey.me/greybackup) to create a backup of your photos.

More Detail: When you drag-and-drop photos or folders within Lightroom Classic, you are moving the photos (or folders) to a new location. There isn’t exactly an option to copy photos within Lightroom, which is actually a good thing because I think having the option to copy photos within Lightroom would greatly increase the risk of confusion and unwanted duplication within Lightroom.

Lightroom includes an option to backup the catalog, but not exactly an option for backing up your photos. You could use the “Export as Catalog” command to create a full backup of all photos and your catalog, but this would be a time-consuming process. You would need to go to the All Photographs collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module. Then choose Edit > Select All to select all of the photos in your catalog. Then choose File > Expor as Catalog from the menu. You can then navigate to the location (such as another external hard drive) you want to use to store this backup. Make sure the “Export negative files” checkbox is turned on, as that is what causes your photos to be exported along with the new copy of your catalog. Click the Export Catalog to initiate this export to create a full backup.

A better solution, in my mind, is to use third-party software to maintain an ongoing backup of your photos. I highly recommend making use of the built-in feature for backing up your catalog within Lightroom Classic. Then, I recommend using software such as GoodSync (http://timgrey.me/greybackup) to backup your photos. This software is able to intelligently synchronize your data, such as to keep a backup external hard drive updated so it is an exact match of the external hard drive you’re using for primary photo storage.

If you’d like help learning how to make use of GoodSync in your workflow, you can find my “Backing Up with GoodSync” course in the GreyLearning library here:

https://timgrey.me/goodsync

Today’s Question: In Lightroom [Classic] I was exporting files from a smaller 8 TB external hard drive to a new larger (10 TB) drive. I plan to keep the older 8 TB drive as my new backup drive. I’m exporting all files to the new drive. In the new drive all the images are jumbled into the same folder, which I would have to re-separate if I want to keep the sub-folders. Do you have any suggestions for this workflow?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You actually don’t need to export the photos at all, but instead should transfer the photos from the “old” drive to the “new” drive directly within Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: Today’s question is related to yesterday’s question about moving a catalog and photos to a new external hard drive. However, I wanted to address this question as well because it relates to a common issue that I find many photographers experience at some point in their workflow.

When you want to upgrade to a new and larger hard drive, or expand storage to an additional hard drive, one of the challenges is that you can’t browse (or copy to) a hard drive for which Lightroom Classic isn’t managing any photos. The solution is to create a new folder on that hard drive first.

I think it is also worth pointing out that this migration can be managed directly within Lightroom Classic. There’s no need to export photos from your catalog just to import them again to a different hard drive. In fact, this could create a variety of problems and confusion in terms of potential duplicate images in your catalog.

So, to get started you simply need to add a new folder on the new hard drive, with that new folder serving as the “parent” folder for all of the folders and photos you’ll store on the new drive. To create the new folder click the plus symbol (+) to the right of the Folders heading on the left panel in the Library module. From the popup that appears, choose “Add Folder”. Then navigate to the new hard drive, and click the New Folder button at the bottom-left of the dialog. Type a name (such as “Photos) for the new folder, click Create to create the new folder, and click the Choose button to finalize the process.

You will now see the new hard drive and the new folder listed in the Folders section of the left panel in the Library module. At that point you can drag folders from the existing drive to the new folder you created on the new hard drive. You can even select multiple folders at a time if you prefer. I do, however, recommend moving folders in small batches to help ensure everything goes smoothly.

Today’s Question: In an “Ask Tim Grey” in November you discussed the subject of moving your Lightroom Classic catalog to an external drive. I will soon be ordering a new fast external SSD drive so I’m confident I will not have any speed issues. What I was wondering is, other than moving the catalog and my photos, are there any other files that need to reside on the external storage device, like presets or third-party plugins? Also, what is the best way to go about moving those files or folders?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can move the Lightroom Classic catalog files without needing to move anything else, as long as you move the entire folder that contains the catalog. If you also want to move photos, you should do that within Lightroom.

More Detail: The Lightroom Classic catalog can be stored on an external hard drive, as long as that drive has excellent performance. If the external hard drive isn’t fast, overall performance within Lightroom can suffer significantly when the catalog is on an external drive.

To move the catalog to another location, you actually just want to move the folder that contains your catalog. That will ensure all of the support files will be included in the same location. If you have turned on the option in Preferences to store presets with the catalog, those will be included in the same folder.

Before you move the folder containing your catalog, be sure to quit Lightroom. Then move the entire folder containing the catalog to the desired location. After moving the folder, double-click the catalog file (it has a filename extension of “lrcat”) to launch Lightroom with your catalog in the new location.

If you also want to move photos to a different hard drive, that should be done within Lightroom. With a new external hard drive you would first need to create an empty folder on the drive, so that that folder (and therefore the hard drive itself) will be visible within Lightroom.

To create a new folder, click the plus (+) button to the right of the Folders heading on the left panel in the Library module and choose “Add Folder” from the popup that appears. In the dialog, navigate to the new hard drive, and click the New Folder button at the bottom-left of the dialog. Type a name for the folder, such as “Photos”, and click the Create button. Then click the Choose button to close the dialog.

With the new folder created, you can then drag-and-drop the folders containing your photos to that new folder. You can move multiple top-level folders (and their contents) at once by clicking on one of the folders on the list and then holding the Shift key while clicking on the last folder in a series. You can then drag-and-drop the one of the selected folders to the folder you created on the new hard drive to move all of the selected folders at once.

Today’s Question: I just noticed the “Purge Unused Keywords” on the Metadata menu in Lightroom Classic. How would you have any unused keywords in the first place, since they are created by being added to a photo? Do you recommend using this command?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Unused keywords would result from either removing a particular keyword from all photos it had been assigned to or importing keywords that you haven’t yet assigned to any photos. As long as you don’t use a controlled vocabulary in your workflow, I would generally consider it safe to purge unused keywords from Lightroom Classic to reduce clutter on the Keyword List.

More Detail: When you add a keyword to a photo in Lightroom Classic, that keyword will be added to the Keyword List if it wasn’t already on the list. In addition, it is possible to import keywords from a “controlled vocabulary”, so that you can pick and choose keywords without having to type them in yourself. In either case, you can populate the list of keywords on the Keyword List found on the right panel in the Library module in Lightroom Classic.

You can, of course, also remove keywords from photos. If you remove a given keyword from every photo it had been assigned to, that keyword will obviously then not be assigned to any images in your catalog. That would represent an unused keyword.

Similarly, if you import a keyword list (by choosing Metadata > Import Keywords from the menu) you will find all of those imported keywords on the Keyword List. It is quite possible to import a large number of keywords that you never end up adding to any photos, which again would result in unused keywords.

On the Metadata menu, as noted in today’s question, you can find a “Purge Unused Keywords” command. If you issue this command, any keywords on the Keyword List that have not been assigned to any photo will be removed from the list. Note that on the Keyword List the number to the right of each keyword indicates how many photos that keyword has been assigned to.

If you have unused keywords because you removed keywords from some photos, you may very well want to purge those keywords from the list. If you have imported a keyword list as a controlled vocabulary, you may not want to purge unused keywords, because you may eventually put some of those keywords to use.

Note, by the way, that it is also possible to delete individual keywords from the Keyword List by right-clicking on a keyword and choosing Delete from the popup menu. Keep in mind that deleting a keyword from the Keyword List will also cause that keyword to be removed from metadata for any photos to which the keyword has been assigned.

Today’s Question: I planned to sync 20 photos to put on the web [in Lightroom Classic]. Instead, 248 photos started syncing to the cloud. I can’t get it to stop and it goes on and on. Is there any way to stop this and also get my photos out of the Lightroom cloud? Thanks for all you do.

Tim’s Quick Answer: In Lightroom Classic synchronization of photos to the cloud is managed by collections. You can simply turn off synchronization for the applicable collections to disable synchronization and remove the photos from your cloud storage.

More Detail: Because synchronization to the cloud in Lightroom Classic revolves around collections, you must first create a collection and add photos to that collection if you want to synchronize images. You also need to enable synchronization for the collection. It is easy to enable some of these options without intending to, because there are options for adding selected photos and enabling synchronization in the dialog for creating a new collection.

Any “normal” collection (as opposed to “smart” collections) can be set to enable or disable synchronization. When you hover over a collection in the Collections list on the left panel in the Library module, you’ll see an icon to the left of the collection. If synchronization is not enabled, that icon will look like a checkbox that is turned off (meaning just a square). If synchronization is enabled, the icon looks like a lightning bolt turned on its side.

You can click where that icon appears to enable or disable synchronization. So, in this case you would see the lightning bolt icon for the affected collection, since synchronization is obviously being attempted in the background. You can click that lightning bolt to turn off synchronization. That will stop the attempted synchronization, and also remove the applicable photos from your cloud storage if some of them had already been synchronized.

Note that you can also pause synchronization by clicking on the identity plate at the top-left of the Lightroom Classic interface and then clicking the option to pause synchronization.

Today’s Question: A follow-on question [to the question about Lightroom Classic no longer being available with a perpetual license]. What happens if I stop paying the monthly charge for Creative Cloud? I assume I can no longer utilize Photoshop, but how about my Lightroom catalog information that I have invested a lot of time in?

Tim’s Quick Answer: When you cancel an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you will actually still have access to Lightroom Classic on your computer, though some features would be limited. Photoshop would no longer be available after your subscription ends.

More Detail: I think many photographers would be surprised to learn that they can continue to make use of Lightroom Classic to manage their photos, even after they have canceled their subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud. Of course, some features would be unavailable, and you would not be able to upgrade the software. That means, for example, you would not be able to get the latest updates for new camera raw capture formats.

Here is how Adobe describes the limitations of using Lightroom Classic after you’ve canceled your subscription:

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You continue to have access to all your photos on your local hard drive through Lightroom [Classic] for the desktop. You can continue to import and organize photos and output your edited photos through Export, Publish, Print, Web, or Slideshow. Access to the Develop & Map modules and Lightroom for mobile is not available after your membership ends.

After cancellation, your allowed cloud storage is reduced to 2 GB. If you are over your storage limit, you have 90 days to reduce your online usage.

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What this all means is that you would be able to continue managing your existing catalog of photos with some limitations, and your online storage allowance would be reduced. However, the feature that remain available would enable you to continue managing your workflow as you transition to other software.