Ask Tim Grey

Today’s Question: Here’s a situation that happens with me occasionally: I have a large batch of photos from some event. I download them and start the culling/processing. Then I need to go out of town, so I export the folder to a drive and take it with me where I can continue the work from the portable drive. When I get back to my home computer, I have to re-import this catalog, which has my latest edits. Then I end up deleting the original folder (which is now old). I’m guessing there’s a better way. Suggestions? I know there’s a way to remotely edit using smart previews, but I prefer to work on the raw files.

Tim’s Quick Answer: I would recommend either taking the original catalog with you or, even better, synchronizing the photos to the cloud and doing the additional work either in a web browser or using the Lightroom mobile app.

More Detail: I think this type of scenario is a very good example of a situation where synchronizing photos from Lightroom Classic to the cloud is a great solution. All you need to do is add the photos to a new collection and enable synchronization for that collection.

When you’ve synchronized photos in this way, you can then access those images through the Lightroom cloud-based ecosystem. That includes being able to see the photos as an album in a web browser by visiting the Lightroom site (https://lightroom.adobe.com) or in the Lightroom app on a mobile device.

The feature set when working with Lightroom in the cloud is not as feature-rich as using Lightroom Classic, but I think it is more than adequate for a typical image-review workflow. You can, for example, assign star ratings and pick or reject flags, add keywords, apply adjustments, and more.

If you didn’t want to use cloud-based synchronization for some reason, I recommend either keeping your catalog on an external hard drive permanently, or at least doing so temporarily. What I don’t like about this approach is the risk that you might get confused about which copy of the catalog is the “real” updated version, and accidentally revert to an older version of the catalog. Still, I think this is better in general than having to export and then re-import photos.

To move the catalog to a different location you first want to make sure Lightroom Classic isn’t running. Then copy the folder containing the catalog and all related files to an external hard drive you’ll have with you when traveling. Open the catalog directly from that external hard drive while traveling, and you’ll have access to all the organizational features even if you don’t have the source image files with you. If you want to work in the Develop module you can simply generate Smart Previews for the photos in question before transferring the catalog to an external hard drive.

Today’s Question: You’ve answered several questions about recommendations for backing up your photos both locally and remotely. But I don’t believe I’ve seen you recommend RAID as a backup solution. Wouldn’t that provide an easier approach, at least for some aspects of a backup workflow?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I actually tend to prefer not to use RAID as a backup solution, or more to the point not as an exclusive backup solution. I always prefer to have my data backed up instead to a completely separate storage device from the original.

More Detail: RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks (or Drives). To oversimplify, you can think of RAID as providing an option to have your data written to two (or more) drives at the same time. The drive only appears as a single drive on your computer, but the data is being stored redundantly on two (or more) drives within the RAID device.

While RAID provides an option for a completely automatic real-time backup, it also includes some risks. There are various levels of RAID, which include different levels of redundancy and error-checking, among other factors. The overall specifications of a RAID storage device can be fantastic. However, there are limitations.

The primary reason I prefer not to use RAID for data backup is that the drives are all within a single device and all those drives are connected to the computer at the same time. That means if there is a serious issue that causes the RAID device to be damaged beyond repair, you would lose all your data and the backup stored on the same RAID device.

Because of this concern, I don’t recommend using RAID as an exclusive backup solution. My personal preference is to not use RAID redundancy at all, but if you’re going to use it I still recommend also backing up to at least one additional separate drive that you manage locally, and at least one offsite backup such as with a cloud-based backup solution.

Today’s Question: I don’t understand why the options in the Catalog Settings dialog in Lightroom Classic aren’t just included in the Preferences dialog. Why do we need two dialogs to establish different settings?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The key difference is that the Preferences dialog contains settings that relate to Lightroom Classic on the computer it is installed on, while the Catalog Settings dialog relates only to the current catalog. In other words, if you had more than one catalog, the Catalog Settings options would be unique for each catalog.

More Detail: As many of my readers know, I strongly recommend using a single catalog in Lightroom Classic. That would mean that the distinction between Preferences and Catalog Settings would not be applicable, since you would only have one catalog to manage settings for.

However, if you ever need to use a different catalog, such as when traveling, it is important to realize that the options in the Catalog Settings dialog only relate to the currently open catalog. If you create a new catalog to temporarily manage photos during a trip, for example, you would want to evaluate the Catalog Settings for that catalog.

If you are using multiple catalogs on the same computer, the settings in Preferences would apply equally regardless of which catalog you were using. Of course, if you’re using Lightroom Classic on more than one computer, you would need to configure Preferences individually for each of those computers.

So, in summary, Preferences are applicable to a single computer for Lightroom Classic, and Catalog Settings are specific to an individual catalog.

Today’s Question: Does the “Automatically write changes into XMP” feature also save any editing I’ve done in the Develop module such as exposure, clarity, lens correction, etc.?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, adjustments you apply in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic (or with Adobe Camera Raw) are preserved in the XMP sidecar file as long as the metadata is saved to that sidecar file either automatically or manually.

More Detail: When you save metadata to the source image files in Lightroom Classic, for the most part only standard metadata fields are preserved. Features specific to Lightroom Classic such as collections and virtual copies (among others) are only saved in the catalog and can’t be saved to the source image files.

However, adjustment settings are saved to the source files along with standard metadata, which in my view is a pleasant surprise. If you have enabled the “Automatically write changes into XMP” option on the Metadata tab of the Catalog Settings dialog the metadata will be saved automatically whenever you make changes in Lightroom Classic. If that option is not enabled, you can still save the metadata manually by selecting images and choosing Metadata > Save Metadata to Files from the menu.

One of the reasons I prefer to enable the option to automatically save metadata is that it provides something of a last-ditch fix should you somehow lose your catalog and all useable backups of the catalog. In that (hopefully unlikely) scenario you could simply create a new catalog and import all existing photos, and all standard metadata along with the adjustment settings from the Develop module will be included with your photos upon import.

For Photoshop users who aren’t using Lightroom Classic, the same basic concept applies, with the difference that the sidecar file will be created or updated automatically when you process an image using Camera Raw. This does not apply, however, to the Camera Raw filter within Photoshop.

Today’s Question: With more than a dozen hard drives, how do you keep them attached to your computer? Do you use daisy chained hubs? And how do you manage the spaghetti of cables and cords?

Tim’s Quick Answer: I generally don’t need to connect more than three hard drives at a time to my computer, and when I do I need to use a hub (https://bhpho.to/3hX1QDJ) that provides both additional ports and power.

More Detail: Today’s question was in response to a previous answer about hard drive failures where I mentioned that I have more than a dozen hard drives in active use. However, what I didn’t mention in that answer was that most of those drives are backup drives, not primary data drives.

For each hard drive that stores primary data, I maintain at least two local backups on separate hard drives, as well as an online backup via Backblaze (https://timgrey.me/onlinebackup). So, I have about four key hard drives, plus a couple of other secondary drives, which I would call primary drives in the context of not being backup drives.

As I’ve noted in previous answers, my primary computer is a laptop. In many cases when I’m working, I don’t need an external hard drive connected at all. Sometimes I might need one or two drives connected, and in general I never need more than about three hard drives connected at one time.

Still, with a laptop, that does require that I use a USB hub in most cases when I’ll be using more than one external hard drive. Because I use bus-powered hard drives, that hub also needs to be powered, so that it is able to provide power to the hard drives I connect.

There are seemingly countless hubs to choose from, and of course each photographer will have slightly different needs. You need to consider how many ports and of what types you’ll need, and whether you need to have accessory power supplied to the hub as well, such as if you’ll be using bus-powered hard drives.

You can find an example of a USB hub that provides multiple ports and includes accessory power support here:

https://bhpho.to/3hX1QDJ

Today’s Question: Since my last Photoshop update, I now get a screen with the last 20 files that I opened displayed as thumbnails on the home page. I find this annoying. Is there any way of preventing that from occurring?

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can disable the home screen you’re referring to by turning off the “Auto show the Home Screen” checkbox on the General tab of the Preferences dialog in Photoshop.

More Detail: Photoshop includes a home screen that shows a list of recently opened photos, along with options for creating a new file, opening an existing file, and more. While I’m sure some Photoshop users find this home screen helpful, I find it to be cluttered and not helpful at all. I therefore prefer to prevent the home screen from appearing automatically when I launch Photoshop (or when I’ve closed all open documents).

To disable the home screen from appearing automatically go to the General tab in the Preferences dialog. Turn off the “Auto show the Home Screen” checkbox in the Options section and click the OK button to close the Preferences dialog.

I’ve also found that this setting won’t function properly unless you open an image or create a new image, so I then recommend creating a new image by choosing File > New from the menu. You can then close the image without saving it and quit Photoshop. The next time you launch Photoshop the home screen will not appear.

Note, by the way, that for anyone who likes the home screen in Photoshop, you can bring it up at any time by clicking the house icon at the far left of the Options bar.

Today’s Question: Can you explain how to go about customizing the metadata fields shown in the Metadata section of the right panel in Lightroom Classic? You referred to this in a previous answer and I’d appreciate the details on how to go about making this change. Thanks!

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can customize which fields are displayed and in what order using the Customize option when you have selected the Default metadata field set for the Metadata section of the right panel in the Library module.

More Detail: The metadata fields can only be customized for the Default configuration option for the Metadata section. So, the first step is to select “Default” from the popup found to the left of the Metadata heading on the right panel in the Library module within Lightroom Classic.

After selecting “Default” from the popup you will find the Customize button at the bottom of the Metadata section. Click that button to bring up the “Customize Metadata Default Panel” dialog.

Within the dialog you’ll see a long list of metadata fields divided into sections. Turn on the checkbox for the metadata fields you want to include in your custom configuration and turn off the checkbox for any fields you want to exclude.

After updating the checkbox status for the metadata fields based on your preference, you can also customize the order in which the fields will appear in the Metadata section. To do so, click the “Arrange” button at the bottom of the “Customize Metadata Default Panel” dialog. This will bring up the “Arrange Metadata Default Panel” dialog.

Within this dialog you can click on the button showing three lines to the left of any metadata field you’d like to move within the list. Then drag on that button to reposition the field to the desired position in the order. When you’re finished adjusting the order of the metadata fields, click the Save button.

Note, by the way, that if you ever want to restore the Default configuration to its default arrangement, you can click the “Restore” button within the “Customize Metadata Default Panel” dialog.

Today’s Question: I have some photos where I do exactly what you suggest [using the “Save a Copy” command], but the save dialog only gives 7 format choices, none of which is a JPEG, even if I uncheck the Layers checkbox. I’ve attached a reduced-size version of the TIFF file.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can’t use the “Save a Copy” command to save a JPEG file when the source image is in the 32-bit per channel mode. I would call this a bit of a glitch, though it is a somewhat understandable issue.

More Detail: In previous answers I’ve explained how you can’t save an image as a JPEG file (among some other file formats) using the “Save As” command if the image includes features not supported by a JPEG file such as layers. Instead, you can use the “Save a Copy” to create a JPEG file without having to make changes to the source image to ensure it is compatible with the JPEG file format.

However, today’s question brought my attention to one exception: You can’t use the “Save a Copy” command to save a JPEG when the image is in the 32-bit per channel mode.

Admittedly, this isn’t likely to be a common issue affecting very many photographers, and it is understandable why Adobe would not enable the “Save a Copy” command for saving a JPEG based on a 32-bit per channel image.

The key reason you would potentially have an image in the 32-bit per channel mode is if you had assembled an HDR image in Photoshop and took advantage of the 32-bit per channel bit depth option. You could then apply tone-mapping using Camera Raw for the 32-bit per channel image, and make some adjustments before converting the image to the 16-bit per channel mode.

I consider the 32-bit per channel mode to be something of a temporary mode, since there are limits to the types of adjustments that can be applied in the 32-bit per channel mode. For example, while you can add adjustment layers to a 32-bit image, you can’t add adjustment layers for Vibrance, Color Balance, and Black & White, among others.

The reason I don’t really consider this to be a bug in Photoshop is that simply converting the image to 16-bit per channel mode without flattening the image first will result in an altered appearance for the image, and generally requires a tone-mapping step. While this could certainly be dealt with as part of the “Save a Copy” command, it is a bit of a unique scenario and doesn’t align with the typical use for a 32-bit per channel image.

So, if you’re working with a 32-bit per channel image you won’t be able to save the image as a JPEG even with the “Save a Copy” command. However, I recommend getting the image to the point that you have apply adjustments to the point that you convert to 16-bits per channel to create a “finished” master image before creating a JPEG copy based on the master image.

Today’s Question: I thought that if you flatten a Photoshop file, you could “Save As” a JPEG. So why use “Save a Copy”? Save As seems to accomplish the same thing?

Tim’s Quick Answer: The “Save As” command in Photoshop will only allow you to save an image as a JPEG if the image is fully compatible with the JPEG format. That means the image can’t have any layers, layer masks, or saved selections, and that it must be in the 8-bit per channel mode, for example.

More Detail: As noted in an answer last week, the “Save As” command in Photoshop will now only allow you to save in a file format that supports all features of the current image. If the image has layers, for example, you can save in the Photoshop PSD or TIFF file format (among others), but you can’t save as a JPEG. To save a JPEG without altering the image to be compatible, you can simply use the “Save a Copy” command.

There are a variety of features in Photoshop that can’t be preserved as part of a JPEG file, among other file formats. The inability to save a file in a format that doesn’t support all features of the file is aimed at helping you ensure you don’t accidentally save a file without preserving all elements of the file.

If you wanted to save a layered image as a JPEG you could certainly flatten the image first. However, this includes the risk that you might accidentally fail to retain the layers in a supported format. The Save a Copy command will cause a new file to be created in any file format, without replacing the primary image.

Layers, however, are not the only feature of Photoshop that can’t be included in a JPEG image. Besides having no layers, JPEG images can only be saved in the 8-bit per channel mode. They can only be set to the RGB or CMYK color mode. They can’t have any layer masks, alpha channels, or saved selections.

You could certainly make changes to the image to make it compatible with the JPEG format so you can use the “Save As” command. However, it is easier to not worry about the specific features you may or may not have taken advantage of for the image, and instead use the “Save a Copy” command when you want to save an additional image file beyond the master image. That master image should generally be saved as a Photoshop PSD or TIFF file in order to preserve all features you’ve taken advantage of.