Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: I know I need to plug in my external hard drive when I want to work in the Develop module, but is it OK to make changes in the Library module without connecting the drive?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can most certainly apply metadata and other updates in the Library module, with the exception of the Quick Develop section. There’s no need to worry about applying updates in the Library module when the source photos aren’t available.

More Detail: All updates you apply in Lightroom Classic are saved to the catalog, so technically the source photos don’t have to be available to apply updates. You can view the images based on the previews that have been rendered, and then update metadata via the catalog.

By default the exception to this is when applying adjustments to an image in the Develop module or with the Quick Develop section in the Library module. To provide the most accurate preview possible, adjustments are based on the source image on the hard drive. That is why adjustments in the Develop module are disabled by default when you select a photo that is not currently available.

For the metadata updates in the Library module the source files don’t need to be available. You can update any metadata you’d like, and those updates will be preserved in the catalog. If you have enabled the option to automatically save metadata updates to XMP, then the metadata for the source files will be updated automatically whenever the source images are available to Lightroom Classic again.

Note, by the way, that with the XMP option enabled, metadata updates for proprietary raw captures will be saved to an XMP sidecar file, while updates for other supported image formats will be saved directly within the source image file.

Today’s Question: Can you explain the Masking slider for sharpening in Lightroom Classic? The other sharpening adjustments are familiar from similar options in Photoshop, but I can’t figure out Masking.

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Masking slider enables you to prevent smooth areas of the image from having any sharpening applied. A higher value will increase the degree to which areas with relatively low edge contrast will be protected from being sharpened. Note that this same control is available in Camera Raw for Photoshop users, in addition to being available in Lightroom Classic.

More Detail: Applying sharpening to an image enhances contrast along existing contrast edges in a photo. In other words, contrast is enhanced for the detail within a photo. For areas of a photo that have relatively smooth texture, such as the sky, sharpening can be problematic. The enhancement of the very subtle texture in these areas can create the appearance of noise or grain, which can be problematic. The Masking slider enables you to prevent smooth areas from being sharpened.

One of the great ways to get a better sense of which areas of the image will be sharpened based on the Masking slider is to hold the Alt key on Windows or the Option key on Macintosh while adjusting the slider value. This will provide a black-and-white preview of the image, where white represents areas being sharpened and black represents areas not being sharpened.

So, for example, you might increase the value for Masking until the sky area is entirely black, with the foreground being all (or mostly) white. This would cause the sky to not be sharpened, while the rest of the image still has sharpening applied.

You can refine the setting for Masking based on your priorities in terms of applying sharpening areas of the image where detail is important versus mitigating that sharpening for areas of the image with smooth textures.

Today’s Question: What’s the difference between a Smart Object in Photoshop and a Smart Filter layer?

Tim’s Quick Answer: There is no difference at all. When you use the command to convert an image layer for a Smart Filter, you’re simply converting the layer to a Smart Object.

More Detail: A Smart Object in Photoshop enables you to apply adjustments with greater flexibility. For example, if you apply a creative filter to a Smart Object layer, the filter doesn’t actually alter the source pixel values. Instead, the filter operates something like an adjustment layer, in that the adjustment settings are separate from the source pixels.

One of the key benefits of a Smart Object is that you can return to the settings at any time to make changes, much as you can modify the settings for an adjustment layer at any time.

In Photoshop the use of a filter on a Smart Object is often referred to as using a Smart Filter. When you want to apply a filter effect as a Smart Filter, you can convert the current image layer for Smart Filter use by going to the menu and choosing Filter > Convert for Smart Filters. However, what this command is really doing is converting the current layer to a Smart Object. Then, when you apply a filter to that Smart Object layer, you’ll effectively be applying a Smart Filter.

In other words, instead of using the Convert for Smart Filters command you could use the normal command for converting an image layer to a Smart Object. That command is found on the menu at Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object.

Both the “Convert to Smart Object” and “Convert for Smart Filters” commands to the exact same thing. The result in both cases will be that the current layer will be converted to a Smart Object, and if you then apply a filter to the Smart Object layer it will be applied as a Smart Filter.

So, the two commands are duplicative, just available in both places on the menu as something of a convenience, so that whether you’re thinking from the perspective of a layer or a filter, you’ll still have access to the Smart Object feature.

Today’s Question: When I create a virtual copy in Lightroom Classic it gets called “Copy 1”, and a second virtual copy of the same source photo becomes “Copy 2”. Is there a way to use a more descriptive name for virtual copies?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes! You can rename a virtual copy by updating the Copy Name field in the Metadata section of the right panel in the Library module.

More Detail: A virtual copy enables you to create more than one interpretation of a single source image in Lightroom Classic. For example, you can optimize an image in color, and then create a virtual copy that you convert to black and white. You can create a new virtual copy by right-clicking on an image and choosing “Create Virtual Copy” from the popup menu.

When you create a virtual copy, it will be given a copy name of “Copy 1”, with the number updating based on how many virtual copies you’ve created for the same image. This name is shown after the filename for the virtual copy, but the text can be found in the Copy Name field in the Metadata section of the right panel in the Library module.

You can simply edit the text in the Copy Name field to rename the virtual copy. That updated text will then appear after the filename for the virtual copy.

Note that you can even add text to the Copy Name field for the original image, such as to designate it as “Original”. However, the text in the Copy Name field will only appear after the filename for virtual copies, not for the source image.

Today’s Question: You’ve talked about using the Alt/Option key to enable a clipping preview when adjusting tone for a photo in Lightroom Classic. But why not just click the triangles at the corners of the histogram so the clipping preview display is always on?

Tim’s Quick Answer: While the clipping preview options associated with the histogram in the Develop module of Lightroom Classic can be helpful, it doesn’t provide as much detail related to clipping compared to holding the Alt/Option key while applying an adjustment.

More Detail: Clipping refers to the loss of detail for the darkest shadows or brightest highlights for an image. A clipping preview display can help you decide on the specific adjustments you’ll apply to an image to avoid the loss of detail in the darkest and brightest areas of a photo.

At the top corners of the histogram at the top of the right panel in the Develop module you’ll find triangles representing the clipping preview feature. The triangle at the top-left represents black clipping, and the triangle at the top-right represents white clipping.

You can hover the mouse pointer over one of these triangles to see a clipping preview overlay in areas of the image where detail is being lost based on the exposure and the current adjustment settings. You can click on a triangle to turn the clipping preview on so the overlay remains until you turn the feature off.

However, the clipping preview associated with the histogram does not provide as much detail as you get when holding the Alt/Option key while applying a tonal adjustment. The histogram clipping preview only shows the overlay in areas that have clipped to pure black or white based on all three channels. The clipping preview associated with the Alt/Option key shows you clipping on a per-channel basis, so you can see areas that are losing detail on only one or two channels, not just areas that are clipped on all three channels.

Having this additional level of detail can be helpful to ensure you are not losing too much detail in a photo when applying tonal adjustments. For example, for a photo of a red rose you may lose considerable detail in the red channel before you reach the point where all three channels have been clipped. The detail on the red channel would be very important in this context, and so I would want to have the benefit of a preview that illustrates clipping for each channel individually, not just when all three channels get clipped.

Today’s Question: What is the benefit of creating a saved location in the Map module in Lightroom Classic? If my photos already have location metadata, why would I want to save a location on the list rather than just refer to the info in metadata for the photos?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The Saved Locations feature for the Map module in Lightroom Classic provides an easy way to quickly navigate to locations on the map you might want to reference more frequently, even when you aren’t currently browsing photos that were captured in that location.

More Detail: On the left panel in the Map module in Lightroom Classic there is a “Saved Locations” section, and you can click the plus symbol (+) to the right of that heading to create a new saved location. You can give the location a name, adjust the radius of the area, and move the circle representing the location on the map. This can be used to effectively put a ring around photos on the map that were captured in a particular area.

To me the primary reason to create a Saved Location is to create a shortcut that makes it easy to navigate to a particular location on the map regardless of which photos you’re currently browsing.

When you hover the mouse pointer over a saved location in the Saved Locations list a right-pointing arrow will appear to the right of the count of how many photos were captured within that location. You can click that arrow to quickly navigate to the position on the map represented by that saved location. The saved location also provides a visual indication of the position on the map, which can be helpful.

Of course, you could always click on the GPS location metadata badge on the thumbnail of a photo to navigate to the position on the map represented by that location metadata. You can also use the search field at the top-right of the map to search by location name. However, for locations on the map that represent photos you may like to review in that context relatively frequently, it can be helpful to create saved locations for that purpose.

I also find that simply having a saved location on the list sometimes reminds me of photos I may want to consider using for a particular project. So, saved locations can be helpful in the context of photos for which the location you captured them is meaningful or serves as a good reminder of the photos you captured there.

Today’s Question: Is it true that data recovery only works for traditional hard drives and not for an SSD drive? If so, shouldn’t SSD drives be avoided for photo storage?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Data recovery is possible from SSD drives. It is a bit more challenging, and I would say there’s a somewhat greater risk of data being lost forever. But I do consider SSD drives safe for photo storage.

More Detail: Especially in the early days of having SSD drives available for computer storage, there had been talk about data recovery being impossible from SSD drives. This related to the way SSD drives store data and manage the use of the flash memory on the drive. This makes it more complicated to recover data from an SSD drive compared to a traditional hard drive, but recovery is still possible.

First and foremost, when it comes to the storage of photos and other important data I strongly recommend having a consistent and through backup workflow. For example, I use GoodSync (http://timgrey.me/greybackup) to create local backup copies of my data and I use Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/onlinebackup) to create an offsite backup. With a good backup workflow a hard drive failure is merely an inconvenience rather than a crisis.

If you do have a hard drive fail and you lose data due to an insufficient backup workflow, there are options for data recovery even from an SSD drive. There are software tools that enable you to recover data from a drive that is experiencing problems, and in many cases these software tools can recover files that were accidentally deleted.

In addition, there are a variety of service providers that can use advanced tools to recover data from an SSD drive. There aren’t as many options compared to traditional hard drives, but it is still possible to recover lost data from an SSD. There are also a variety of advantages with SSD drives over traditional hard drives, so I consider SSD drives to be an excellent storage option, provided you use a good backup workflow to protect your primary storage.

Today’s Question: If I put six small prints on my scanner and scan them all at once with the white background like below, is there a way to tell Photoshop to find the six images and make each its own JPEG?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can extract the multiple images from a scanned image using the “Crop and Straighten Photos” automation script in Photoshop.

More Detail: With a flatbed scanner it is obviously possible to set multiple prints onto the glass and scan all the images at once, creating a relatively large scanned image that is comprised of multiple photos. Fortunately, Photoshop is capable of then automatically cropping and straightening all the photos from that larger scanned image to create individual images.

The process is very simple. Open the image that represents the multiple scanned photos in Photoshop, and then go to the menu and choose File > Automate > Crop and Straighten Photos. No input is required from you, and Photoshop will automatically create a new image for each photo that was found in the original. You’ll still need to save those files manually, but the individual images will be created quickly and completely automatically.

Today’s Question: I have Time Machine backups dating back to 2020. I am sure the backups are taking up disk space. What is your recommendation for how many backups should be kept? What is the best method for deleting the old backups?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I do not recommend attempting to delete old backups with Time Machine. The backups are incremental, and Time Machine will automatically (and safely) delete old backups when the drive starts to get full.

More Detail: Time Machine is the backup application included with the MacOS operating system. It is an incremental backup application that preserves versions of files over time as space allows. This can be tremendously helpful for recovering files that were deleted accidentally, recovering an older version of a file from before a problem occurred, or even restoring to a new computer based on the backup of a previous computer.

Time Machine creates and preserves backups based on space being available on the hard drive being used for the backup. Those backups are created hourly for the past 24 hours, daily for the past month, and weekly going back as far in time as storage space on the drive allows.

I recommend using a dedicated hard drive for each Time Machine backup, with a drive that has about double the storage capacity of the drive being backed up. That way there’s no need to be concerned about old backups taking up space, because the entire drive is dedicated to the backup task.

When the hard drive starts to get full, Time Machine will automatically remove older backups. All files that are currently on the hard drive will be retained on the backup drive, but older versions of files that are represented by a more recent backup will be discarded to recover storage space.

In other words, as the drive fills you will lose the ability to go back in time to the oldest versions of files because those older backups will have been discarded. However, you will still retain a current backup of all files as they are on the hard drive. The bottom line is that if you’re using a dedicated hard drive for a Time Machine backup you don’t need to clear out old backups. You just need to make sure the drive is connected on a regular basis so the backup can be updated.

Today’s Question: I’ve been shooting with a Canon cropped frame sensor and decided to move to a Canon mirrorless full-frame sensor. If I shoot an image at 200mm on a full-frame camera and then crop it in Lightroom so it looks the same as if I shot it at 200mm on a cropped frame camera, will I be losing quality? Will it be lesser quality than what I get from the cropped frame camera? I’m trying to decide if I can do that to get the same quality results I’m currently getting or if I need to invest in a lens for the full-frame camera that will give me 320mm.

Tim’s Quick Answer: The key issue to consider here is the resolution of the final image. If the two image sensors are of the same resolution, there will be more pixels available with the cropped sensor since the full-frame image would need to be cropped to achieve the same field of view. That doesn’t automatically translate to image quality, but it could depending on how large the image was going to be printed or otherwise shared.

More Detail: Comparing different sensor sizes in the context of focal length and effective resolution can be a bit of a challenge when the sensors are of a different size. The issue is simpler to understand when we assume the two sensors have the same resolution.

We commonly use the 35mm format as the basis of comparing different sensor sizes. As a result, a full-frame sensor is one that matches the dimensions of a single frame of 35mm film. A sensor smaller than this size is referred to as a “cropped sensor”, with a cropping factor that represents the relationship in size to a full-frame sensor.

A smaller sensor is cropping the image circle relative to a lens that could otherwise be used on a full-frame sensor. For example, if you have a 1.6X cropping factor, a 100mm lens from a full-frame camera will provide the same field of view as a 160mm lens (100mm X 1.6) when used on the cropped sensor.

In both cases the full image sensor is being used to capture the image, but a different portion of the scene is being captured. You would therefore need to crop the image from the full-frame camera to match the field of view from the cropped sensor. If the sensors had the same resolution, that would mean the image from the full-frame camera when cropped to the same field of view as the cropped sensor would have fewer pixels.

Of course, then you have to consider how many pixels are needed. If both images even after cropping provide enough pixels for the intended output, then they will effectively have the same image quality all other things being equal. If the images need to be enlarged to produce a print, the cropped sensor image will provide better output quality because it is closer to the final resolution. The more an image needs to be enlarged, the more the quality will be degraded.

Put simply, if you need to crop after the capture because you didn’t have a long enough lens focal length for the intended framing, it would be advantageous to buy a lens with a longer focal length in order to achieve better image quality. But this depends on both how large you need to print or otherwise share the image, along with how willing you are to spend more money to achieve improved image quality.