Lightroom Killer Tips https://lightroomkillertips.com/ The Latest Lightroom Tips, Tricks & Techniques Wed, 23 Oct 2024 21:25:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 Creating Smart Albums in Lightroom https://lightroomkillertips.com/creating-smart-albums-in-lightroom/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/creating-smart-albums-in-lightroom/#respond Wed, 23 Oct 2024 21:25:09 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18304 One of the new additions to the Lightroom app for Windows and Mac is the ability to create what they are calling smart albums which you should think of as saved searches (just like smart collections in Lightroom Classic). A smart album is simply a set of customized search criteria that you employ to automatically (and continuously) gather photos and videos that meet those criteria. The first method of creation is to click the + sign at the top of the Albums section and choose Create Smart album from the contextual menu. This opens the dialog for giving your smart album a descriptive name, placing it within a folder to stay organized, and adding the rules to be followed for gathering the files you want to see. Note, you’ll want to create the parent folder first, as there is not a way to create a new folder from within the Create Smart album dialog at this time. Then, click the +Add New Rule button at the bottom of the dialog to access the list of available criteria. Currently, you can create a smart album based on any combination of the following: For example, I wanted to monitor all of the videos I have imported into Lightroom as those will always be stored full resolution in the cloud and counting against storage quota (unlike smart previews synced from Lightroom Classic). So, I chose Type as the criteria, and then chose Video from the list of possible Types. Once you’ve added all of the desired criteria, entered a name, and (optionally) put it in a folder (you can always drag and drop it into a folder later), click Create to exit the dialog and put that smart album to work. It will appear in the left panel within the chosen folder. Over time, it continually updates to add any new files that match the criteria and remove any files that no longer meet the criteria. Another way to create a smart album is to use the filter next to the search field at the top. Clicking that filter icon reveals all of the criteria you can filter your library against, and for the most part it is the same as the list of criteria you can find within the Create Smart album dialog box except for Sync Status (which is not something you can use in a smart album). Note, if you want to have your smart album search your entire library, click All Photographs first, then use the filter. If you want to filter within a specific album or folder, click that album/folder first, then open the filter to add the criteria for the smart album. For example, to create a filter on the photos with a rating equal to or greater than 1 within the folder containing all of my family albums, I’ll click on the Family folder first to view the content of all the albums within it, then engage the filter at the top. With the filter open, I’ll click the 1 star and choose the greater than or equal icon, and a blue Create Smart Album button appears. Click that blue button to complete the creation of the smart album, where you can give it a name, choose to put it in a folder, verify the criteria you’ve chosen, and even edit the criteria further if desired. Once named, click the Create button to complete the process. This is still early in the development of this feature, so I’m sure there will be refinements in the future. For now, you’ll need to keep in mind that these smart albums on exist in the Windows/Mac version of Lightroom. They do not sync across to other Lightroom apps on mobile or web, and they do not sync to Lightroom Classic. So while limited, it is a welcome addition to the Lightroom feature set.

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]]> One of the new additions to the Lightroom app for Windows and Mac is the ability to create what they are calling smart albums which you should think of as saved searches (just like smart collections in Lightroom Classic).

A smart album is simply a set of customized search criteria that you employ to automatically (and continuously) gather photos and videos that meet those criteria. The first method of creation is to click the + sign at the top of the Albums section and choose Create Smart album from the contextual menu.

This opens the dialog for giving your smart album a descriptive name, placing it within a folder to stay organized, and adding the rules to be followed for gathering the files you want to see. Note, you’ll want to create the parent folder first, as there is not a way to create a new folder from within the Create Smart album dialog at this time.

Then, click the +Add New Rule button at the bottom of the dialog to access the list of available criteria. Currently, you can create a smart album based on any combination of the following:

  • Album
  • Camera
  • Capture Date
  • Commented
  • Contributors
  • Depth Map
  • Edited
  • Extension
  • F-Stop
  • Favorited
  • Flag
  • Flash
  • Focal Length
  • ISO
  • Keyword
  • Lens
  • Location
  • Orientation
  • People
  • Rating
  • Search
  • Shutter Speed
  • Type

For example, I wanted to monitor all of the videos I have imported into Lightroom as those will always be stored full resolution in the cloud and counting against storage quota (unlike smart previews synced from Lightroom Classic). So, I chose Type as the criteria, and then chose Video from the list of possible Types.

Once you’ve added all of the desired criteria, entered a name, and (optionally) put it in a folder (you can always drag and drop it into a folder later), click Create to exit the dialog and put that smart album to work. It will appear in the left panel within the chosen folder.

Over time, it continually updates to add any new files that match the criteria and remove any files that no longer meet the criteria.

Another way to create a smart album is to use the filter next to the search field at the top. Clicking that filter icon reveals all of the criteria you can filter your library against, and for the most part it is the same as the list of criteria you can find within the Create Smart album dialog box except for Sync Status (which is not something you can use in a smart album). Note, if you want to have your smart album search your entire library, click All Photographs first, then use the filter. If you want to filter within a specific album or folder, click that album/folder first, then open the filter to add the criteria for the smart album. For example, to create a filter on the photos with a rating equal to or greater than 1 within the folder containing all of my family albums, I’ll click on the Family folder first to view the content of all the albums within it, then engage the filter at the top.

With the filter open, I’ll click the 1 star and choose the greater than or equal icon, and a blue Create Smart Album button appears. Click that blue button to complete the creation of the smart album, where you can give it a name, choose to put it in a folder, verify the criteria you’ve chosen, and even edit the criteria further if desired. Once named, click the Create button to complete the process.

This is still early in the development of this feature, so I’m sure there will be refinements in the future. For now, you’ll need to keep in mind that these smart albums on exist in the Windows/Mac version of Lightroom. They do not sync across to other Lightroom apps on mobile or web, and they do not sync to Lightroom Classic. So while limited, it is a welcome addition to the Lightroom feature set.

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]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/creating-smart-albums-in-lightroom/feed/ 0 How to Add “Generative Expand” to Camera Raw https://lightroomkillertips.com/how-to-add-generative-expand-to-camera-raw/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/how-to-add-generative-expand-to-camera-raw/#comments Fri, 18 Oct 2024 08:16:00 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18294 You might have already heard from Adobe’s Photoshop update announcement on Monday, but a Beta version of Generative Expand is now available inside Photoshop’s Camera Rawr (and coming to Lightroom next, since all the stuff added to ACR also comes to Lightroom, but usually it’s Lightroom that gets the feature first, then ACR, but let’s not quibble). Anyway, it’s pretty incredible, but you WON’T SEE THIS FEATURE until you turn this feature on first. Here’s how: STEP ONE: Launch Photoshop (after, of course, you’ve downloaded the latest update which was released on Monday), and from the bottom of the Settings menu, choose “Camera Raw’ (as shown above). STEP TWO: In the list of Camera Raw preferences that appear on the left side of the window, click on “Technology Previews” to bring up the window you see here. Then, turn on the checkbox for “New AI Features and Settings Panel,” as shown above. STEP THREE: Once you do that, open an image in Camera Raw (the full plug-in, not as a filter from Ps) and click on the Crop tool. It will now say “Crop & Expand” at the top of the panel, and you’ll see some new features below. Turn on the checkbox for “Enable Expand” (as shown here), and now you’re ready to rock. In the next two steps, we’ll look at how it works now that you have it turned on. STEP FOUR: with ‘Enable Expand’ turned on, you can now drag the cropping border outside the edges of the image (instead of just cropping in tighter like normal). So, if you wanted to make this image wide or square (instead of tall), you could drag out the side handles (as shown here). STEP FIVE: once you have the borders where you want them, click the ‘Generate Button’ (as shown here), and it generates what it needs to fill in those empty spaces to give you the wide image you see above. You have three variations to choose from, using the Variations arrows to toggle through each to find the one that looks best. If you don’t like any of them, hit the Generate button again. And that’s all there is to it. Can’t wait until this gets added to Lightroom in an update. 🙂 Join Us For “The Wildlife Photography Conference” coming in December It’s just a little over a month from now, and it’s two days, all online, and everyone’s invited to spend a few days with us learning, laughing, and making new connections. The conference is Dec. 10-11, 2024 (Tuesday and Wednesday), but we kick the conference off a day early on Monday with a special pre-conference session from the brilliant teacher and photographer Rick Sammon called “WILDLIFE PSYCHOLOGY, PHOTOGRAPHY & PHILOSOPHY” and you don’t want to miss it. with Rick Sammon?” This is such an important and eye-opening topic to kick things off, and we can’t wait to share it and 20 more classes in two simultaneous tracks with you in early December. Plus, you get access to the entire event to stream live on-demand for an entire year! We’ve put together an absolutely top-notch team of instructors — some of the most passionate, gifted communicators, who are there for one reason — to help you take your wildlife photography up a big notch. Here’s a sneak peek at who’s teaching: Here’s a sneak peek: This event is packed with expert-led inspiration and insights for every wildlife photography niche. Sign up today to secure your spot and save $150 (here’s the link for tickets and more details). Have a great weekend, everybody! #RollTide and #GoBucs! -Scott

The post How to Add “Generative Expand” to Camera Raw appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> You might have already heard from Adobe’s Photoshop update announcement on Monday, but a Beta version of Generative Expand is now available inside Photoshop’s Camera Rawr (and coming to Lightroom next, since all the stuff added to ACR also comes to Lightroom, but usually it’s Lightroom that gets the feature first, then ACR, but let’s not quibble). Anyway, it’s pretty incredible, but you WON’T SEE THIS FEATURE until you turn this feature on first. Here’s how:

STEP ONE: Launch Photoshop (after, of course, you’ve downloaded the latest update which was released on Monday), and from the bottom of the Settings menu, choose “Camera Raw’ (as shown above).

STEP TWO: In the list of Camera Raw preferences that appear on the left side of the window, click on “Technology Previews” to bring up the window you see here. Then, turn on the checkbox for “New AI Features and Settings Panel,” as shown above.

STEP THREE: Once you do that, open an image in Camera Raw (the full plug-in, not as a filter from Ps) and click on the Crop tool. It will now say “Crop & Expand” at the top of the panel, and you’ll see some new features below. Turn on the checkbox for “Enable Expand” (as shown here), and now you’re ready to rock. In the next two steps, we’ll look at how it works now that you have it turned on.

STEP FOUR: with ‘Enable Expand’ turned on, you can now drag the cropping border outside the edges of the image (instead of just cropping in tighter like normal). So, if you wanted to make this image wide or square (instead of tall), you could drag out the side handles (as shown here).

STEP FIVE: once you have the borders where you want them, click the ‘Generate Button’ (as shown here), and it generates what it needs to fill in those empty spaces to give you the wide image you see above. You have three variations to choose from, using the Variations arrows to toggle through each to find the one that looks best. If you don’t like any of them, hit the Generate button again. And that’s all there is to it. Can’t wait until this gets added to Lightroom in an update. 🙂

Join Us For “The Wildlife Photography Conference” coming in December

It’s just a little over a month from now, and it’s two days, all online, and everyone’s invited to spend a few days with us learning, laughing, and making new connections.

The conference is Dec. 10-11, 2024 (Tuesday and Wednesday), but we kick the conference off a day early on Monday with a special pre-conference session from the brilliant teacher and photographer Rick Sammon called “WILDLIFE PSYCHOLOGY, PHOTOGRAPHY & PHILOSOPHY” and you don’t want to miss it.

with Rick Sammon?” This is such an important and eye-opening topic to kick things off, and we can’t wait to share it and 20 more classes in two simultaneous tracks with you in early December.

Plus, you get access to the entire event to stream live on-demand for an entire year!

We’ve put together an absolutely top-notch team of instructors — some of the most passionate, gifted communicators, who are there for one reason — to help you take your wildlife photography up a big notch. Here’s a sneak peek at who’s teaching:

Here’s a sneak peek:

This event is packed with expert-led inspiration and insights for every wildlife photography niche. Sign up today to secure your spot and save $150 (here’s the link for tickets and more details).

Have a great weekend, everybody! #RollTide and #GoBucs!

-Scott

The post How to Add “Generative Expand” to Camera Raw appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/how-to-add-generative-expand-to-camera-raw/feed/ 5 Lightroom Classic Bug Fix Update and Photoshop MIA https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-classic-bug-fix-update-and-photoshop-mia/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-classic-bug-fix-update-and-photoshop-mia/#comments Wed, 16 Oct 2024 19:16:42 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18289 Well, that was fast. Adobe released a new update to Lightroom Classic today that addresses at least 3 bugs: The bulleted links above will take you to the Adobe forum page where the bug was first reported if you need more info on any of them. Likewise, if you encounter any issues when using Lightroom Classic that same Adobe forum is the place to report those problems. That team is very responsive and the forum has other members who are quite knowledgeable and provide assistance with a lot of common problems people encounter. Photoshop Missing? One issue I encountered after updating Lightroom Classic to 14.0 and Photoshop to 26.0 is that I lost the ability to send copies from LrC to Ps for editing. Photoshop was just no longer listed as an external editor, as if I didn’t have it installed. Typically this can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling Photoshop, so I did that, but it did not restore Ps to the LrC preferences for external editing. So, I tried uninstalling and reinstalling LrC, but that did not work either (that rarely fixes things in my experience, but it is painless so I tried it). As a last resort I reset LrC’s preferences and that actually did the trick (or maybe it was all of the above). So, if this happens to you, give that a try. However, be warned that a lot of annoying things get reset when you reset the preferences. Here’s hoping your upgrade experience is going smoothly!

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]]> Well, that was fast. Adobe released a new update to Lightroom Classic today that addresses at least 3 bugs:

The bulleted links above will take you to the Adobe forum page where the bug was first reported if you need more info on any of them. Likewise, if you encounter any issues when using Lightroom Classic that same Adobe forum is the place to report those problems. That team is very responsive and the forum has other members who are quite knowledgeable and provide assistance with a lot of common problems people encounter.

Photoshop Missing?

One issue I encountered after updating Lightroom Classic to 14.0 and Photoshop to 26.0 is that I lost the ability to send copies from LrC to Ps for editing. Photoshop was just no longer listed as an external editor, as if I didn’t have it installed. Typically this can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling Photoshop, so I did that, but it did not restore Ps to the LrC preferences for external editing. So, I tried uninstalling and reinstalling LrC, but that did not work either (that rarely fixes things in my experience, but it is painless so I tried it). As a last resort I reset LrC’s preferences and that actually did the trick (or maybe it was all of the above). So, if this happens to you, give that a try. However, be warned that a lot of annoying things get reset when you reset the preferences.

Here’s hoping your upgrade experience is going smoothly!

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]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-classic-bug-fix-update-and-photoshop-mia/feed/ 5 Adobe MAX Release Updates https://lightroomkillertips.com/adobe-max-release-updates/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/adobe-max-release-updates/#comments Mon, 14 Oct 2024 18:37:52 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18271 Happy Adobe MAX day to all who celebrate! If you check your Adobe Application Manager app you should start to see new versions of your favorite Adobe software starting to appear. Don’t worry if you don’t see it right away as they tend to roll software out to different global regions at different times in a staggered approach, but it will show up soon. Look for a new Lightroom Classic version 14, Lightroom for Mac/Windows version 8, Lightroom for Android/iOS version 10, and Camera Raw version 17 (as well as a new version of Photoshop). Along with support for new cameras, new lenses, and bug fixes, there are a few important new features to be aware of in both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom. Some of the new features are the same in both, but some are also unique to each application. Let’s start with some new features you’ll find just in Lightroom Classic (LrC). New Catalog Upgrade (LrC) As with each new version number change (from 13 to 14 in this case), you will be required to upgrade a copy of the LrC catalog you want to open in the new version. As soon as you launch the new LrC you’ll be prompted through this process. Once new aspect this time around you won’t see the option to rename the new catalog here, but don’t worry as there is a new feature for renaming catalogs we’ll look at in a bit. Additionally, note that this process now includes a step where a compressed copy of the old catalog is created at the same time. This is only to preserve your old catalog in case you need to roll back to the previous version of the software for some unforeseen reason. It is worth checking the new minimum requirements for running the new version before you install. Click Upgrade to begin. When finished, the upgraded copy of the catalog will open in the new version. Rename Catalog (LrC) If you now wish to rename your LrC catalog file (which is entirely optional and only for your benefit), head over to the File menu and look for the new Rename Catalog option there. Clicking that will open the Rename Catalog dialog box, which will auto-populate with the current name of the catalog. Enter in your new name and click the Rename button, which causes LrC to quit and restart with the new name. Optionally, you can check the box to rename the parent folder too. Before relaunching it will confirm the catalog has been renamed, then click OK to have the program launch. Thankfully, the process is also smart enough to update the preferences to use the renamed catalog if you have changed the Default Catalog setting (Preferences > General) to open the specific catalog instead of Most recent. I don’t know why it took 14 versions to get this, but grateful it is here. Preview Cache Size Limit (LrC) On the subject of catalogs and preferences and such, on the General tab of the Catalog Settings dialog, there is a new option in the Preview Storage Management section that allows us to set an upper limit on the size of the preview cache. The goal of the preview cache is to speed up performance by storing ready made versions of imported photos so they load fast in Library while moving through folders and collections (as well as modules other than Develop), so having a large cache is a good thing for performance. However, if left unchecked (as it has been all this time) it can get very large over time. The idea is that you set a storage size limit that you are comfortable with from the perspective of available disk space on the drive where your catalog is stored, and once that limit is reached LrC will automatically purge the oldest preview files to make room for new ones. In my case, my preview cache is currently 14GB (as shown above). I try to keep 300GB or so of free space on that drive, so I do have room to grow. I decided to check the box and limit that cache to 20GB and we’ll see how that goes. Note that you will be notified when the cache reaches 90% of that amount, and again when older previews are about to be purged. Keep in mind that LrC will automatically generate missing previews when you view an older folder. The only problem I can foresee is if you have older photos stored offline, as LrC can’t create previews of offline photos until you bring them online again. One last LrC only thing to note is for Nikon photographers who shoot tethered on Silicon Macs is that you no longer need to run LrC in emulation mode, and support for the Zfc, Z9, and Z6 III has been added. Let’s look at a few things added to both LrC and Lightroom (Lr). Generative Remove out of Early Access (LrC and Lr) Originally added as an Early Access feature, the Generative Remove feature within the Remove suite of tools is a full-functioning feature. The first time you use it you’ll be asked to agree to Adobe’s User Guidelines for generative AI and then see a few tips to get started. The panel has been refined, and I’m sure we’ll do a deeper dive on the way it works here soon, but Scott wrote about it when it first added. Content Credentials (LrC and Lr) This is being introduced as an Early Access feature, so not fully developed yet. Content credentials is a new type of metadata that allows content creators to add more information about themselves and their work as part of the export/output process. This is a new endeavor through the Content Authenticity Initiative that will likely become more important as the amount of generative AI content grows. You can find the option to include content credentials on the Export dialog in LrC: Or as part of the Share dialog […]

The post Adobe MAX Release Updates appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> Happy Adobe MAX day to all who celebrate! If you check your Adobe Application Manager app you should start to see new versions of your favorite Adobe software starting to appear. Don’t worry if you don’t see it right away as they tend to roll software out to different global regions at different times in a staggered approach, but it will show up soon. Look for a new Lightroom Classic version 14, Lightroom for Mac/Windows version 8, Lightroom for Android/iOS version 10, and Camera Raw version 17 (as well as a new version of Photoshop).

Along with support for new cameras, new lenses, and bug fixes, there are a few important new features to be aware of in both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom. Some of the new features are the same in both, but some are also unique to each application. Let’s start with some new features you’ll find just in Lightroom Classic (LrC).

New Catalog Upgrade (LrC)

As with each new version number change (from 13 to 14 in this case), you will be required to upgrade a copy of the LrC catalog you want to open in the new version. As soon as you launch the new LrC you’ll be prompted through this process.

Once new aspect this time around you won’t see the option to rename the new catalog here, but don’t worry as there is a new feature for renaming catalogs we’ll look at in a bit. Additionally, note that this process now includes a step where a compressed copy of the old catalog is created at the same time. This is only to preserve your old catalog in case you need to roll back to the previous version of the software for some unforeseen reason. It is worth checking the new minimum requirements for running the new version before you install. Click Upgrade to begin.

When finished, the upgraded copy of the catalog will open in the new version.

Rename Catalog (LrC)

If you now wish to rename your LrC catalog file (which is entirely optional and only for your benefit), head over to the File menu and look for the new Rename Catalog option there. Clicking that will open the Rename Catalog dialog box, which will auto-populate with the current name of the catalog.

Enter in your new name and click the Rename button, which causes LrC to quit and restart with the new name. Optionally, you can check the box to rename the parent folder too.

Before relaunching it will confirm the catalog has been renamed, then click OK to have the program launch.

Thankfully, the process is also smart enough to update the preferences to use the renamed catalog if you have changed the Default Catalog setting (Preferences > General) to open the specific catalog instead of Most recent. I don’t know why it took 14 versions to get this, but grateful it is here.

Preview Cache Size Limit (LrC)

On the subject of catalogs and preferences and such, on the General tab of the Catalog Settings dialog, there is a new option in the Preview Storage Management section that allows us to set an upper limit on the size of the preview cache. The goal of the preview cache is to speed up performance by storing ready made versions of imported photos so they load fast in Library while moving through folders and collections (as well as modules other than Develop), so having a large cache is a good thing for performance. However, if left unchecked (as it has been all this time) it can get very large over time. The idea is that you set a storage size limit that you are comfortable with from the perspective of available disk space on the drive where your catalog is stored, and once that limit is reached LrC will automatically purge the oldest preview files to make room for new ones.

In my case, my preview cache is currently 14GB (as shown above). I try to keep 300GB or so of free space on that drive, so I do have room to grow. I decided to check the box and limit that cache to 20GB and we’ll see how that goes. Note that you will be notified when the cache reaches 90% of that amount, and again when older previews are about to be purged. Keep in mind that LrC will automatically generate missing previews when you view an older folder. The only problem I can foresee is if you have older photos stored offline, as LrC can’t create previews of offline photos until you bring them online again.

One last LrC only thing to note is for Nikon photographers who shoot tethered on Silicon Macs is that you no longer need to run LrC in emulation mode, and support for the Zfc, Z9, and Z6 III has been added. Let’s look at a few things added to both LrC and Lightroom (Lr).

Generative Remove out of Early Access (LrC and Lr)

Originally added as an Early Access feature, the Generative Remove feature within the Remove suite of tools is a full-functioning feature. The first time you use it you’ll be asked to agree to Adobe’s User Guidelines for generative AI and then see a few tips to get started.

The panel has been refined, and I’m sure we’ll do a deeper dive on the way it works here soon, but Scott wrote about it when it first added.

Content Credentials (LrC and Lr)

This is being introduced as an Early Access feature, so not fully developed yet. Content credentials is a new type of metadata that allows content creators to add more information about themselves and their work as part of the export/output process. This is a new endeavor through the Content Authenticity Initiative that will likely become more important as the amount of generative AI content grows. You can find the option to include content credentials on the Export dialog in LrC:

Or as part of the Share dialog in Lr (settings are controlled in Preferences > Export):

We’ll do a deeper dive into the options, what’s included, and how to get it set up in a future blog post.

Denoise Linear Raw Files (LrC and Lr)

One last thing to note that has been added to both LrC and Lr for Mac/Windows is that the Denoise tool can now be used on linear raw DNGs, which includes merged Pano DNGs, merged HDR DNGs, and other linear raw formats. Let’s wrap up with a look at a few new features added just to Lr.

Smart Albums (Lr Windows/Mac)

If you’ve used Smart Collections in LrC then you know exactly what Smart Albums are in Lr. However, if you are new to the concept you can think of them both as a sort of saved search where you define the search criteria and then photos (and videos) appear in the saved search (smart album) automatically. Just as Smart Collections don’t sync from LrC to Lr, Smart Albums do not sync from Lr to LrC. You can create a Smart Album by clicking the + sign next to Albums and choosing Smart Album from the list. This opens the Create Smart Album dialog where you configure the search criteria and give the smart album a meaningful name.

You can also select All Photos, then use the Filter above the thumbnails to filter your entire library on desired criteria, then save that as a Smart Album.

I’m sure we’ll be taking a closer look at how to best use these down the road. This is only in the Windows/Mac (aka Desktop) version of Lr right now.

Edit 3rd Party Apps (Lr Windows/Mac)

Another new feature only for the Windows/Mac version of Lr is the ability to edit photos in external editors beyond Photoshop. This has been a big limiting factor for a lot of folks who use products like Topaz, On1, Affinity, etc. and want to integrate them with the editing they are doing in Lr. To do this, you can use the File > Edit in, then browse to the application file for the program you want to send the copy to for editing. This can also be accessed by right-clicking the photo and using the Edit in option that appears in the contextual menu.

Quick Actions (Lr Android/iOS and web)

I recently wrote about Quick Actions in Lightroom for web, and this is that same feature evolved and added to Lr for Android/iOS. This is an Early Access feature, so it will continue to evolve over future releases. For now, look for the magic wand icon to have the selected photo analyzed and ready for quick AI-powered edits.

I’m sure we’ll see this feature added to Lr for Windows/Mac in the future as well.

So that’s the highlights for LrC and Lr, but be sure to check out Adobe’s own rundowns for what’s new in Lightroom Classic and Lightroom, and check back here for deeper dives into all the new features in coming days.

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]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/adobe-max-release-updates/feed/ 1 How To Turn Any Collection Into a Favorite https://lightroomkillertips.com/how-to-turn-any-collection-into-a-favorite-2/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/how-to-turn-any-collection-into-a-favorite-2/#respond Fri, 27 Sep 2024 08:16:00 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18266 This is one of those little-known but oh-so-handy features in Lightroom Classic that once you use it, you’ll wonder how you lived without it, because it puts your most-used collections at your fingertips without having to scroll through the Collections panel. Check out the 60-second video below: Give this one a try, and you’ll super dig it. 🙂 Thanks To Everybody Who Join Us For Photoshop World 2024 The conference wrapped up yesterday (Hurricane and all), and I’m very grateful to all the folks who spent 3+ days with us learning, and laughing, and making friends. The weather here proved to be a challenge, but our team did an amazing job of keeping the trains on the tracks. I’m very grateful to Erik Kuna, Ron Ducan, Christina Sauer, Jason Stevens, Eric Hathaway, Juan Alfonso, Dobson “Gibmaster,” Kathy P (K-Pop), and our whole crew, who worked through it all and delivered an amazing conference with lots of “Lightroom learnin’.” Here’s wishing you a safe, dry weekend. #GoBucs, and #RollTide! -Scott

The post How To Turn Any Collection Into a Favorite appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> This is one of those little-known but oh-so-handy features in Lightroom Classic that once you use it, you’ll wonder how you lived without it, because it puts your most-used collections at your fingertips without having to scroll through the Collections panel. Check out the 60-second video below:

Give this one a try, and you’ll super dig it. 🙂

Thanks To Everybody Who Join Us For Photoshop World 2024

The conference wrapped up yesterday (Hurricane and all), and I’m very grateful to all the folks who spent 3+ days with us learning, and laughing, and making friends. The weather here proved to be a challenge, but our team did an amazing job of keeping the trains on the tracks. I’m very grateful to Erik Kuna, Ron Ducan, Christina Sauer, Jason Stevens, Eric Hathaway, Juan Alfonso, Dobson “Gibmaster,” Kathy P (K-Pop), and our whole crew, who worked through it all and delivered an amazing conference with lots of “Lightroom learnin’.”

Here’s wishing you a safe, dry weekend. #GoBucs, and #RollTide!

-Scott

The post How To Turn Any Collection Into a Favorite appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/how-to-turn-any-collection-into-a-favorite-2/feed/ 0 Photography Education and the Lightroom Help Desk (video) https://lightroomkillertips.com/photography-education-and-the-lightroom-help-desk-video/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/photography-education-and-the-lightroom-help-desk-video/#respond Wed, 25 Sep 2024 16:16:44 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18264 This past Sunday I had the absolute pleasure and honor of getting to hang out (virtually) with my friend Glyn and talk about Lightroom Classic as part of a series of live photography education broadcasts he’s doing on his channel. The recording from that live broadcast is now available, and I thought it relevant to the types of topics I write about here at Lightroom Killer Tips, so I wanted to share that with you all. I hope you find it helpful! Many thanks to Glyn for having me on as a guest!

The post Photography Education and the Lightroom Help Desk (video) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> This past Sunday I had the absolute pleasure and honor of getting to hang out (virtually) with my friend Glyn and talk about Lightroom Classic as part of a series of live photography education broadcasts he’s doing on his channel. The recording from that live broadcast is now available, and I thought it relevant to the types of topics I write about here at Lightroom Killer Tips, so I wanted to share that with you all.

I hope you find it helpful! Many thanks to Glyn for having me on as a guest!

The post Photography Education and the Lightroom Help Desk (video) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/photography-education-and-the-lightroom-help-desk-video/feed/ 0 I’m Back From Norway (and here’s some photos) https://lightroomkillertips.com/im-back-from-norway-and-heres-some-photos/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/im-back-from-norway-and-heres-some-photos/#comments Mon, 23 Sep 2024 08:16:00 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18258 It’s the longest I’ve been away from home (and work) – a whole month, and while I had an absolutley fantastic time, it’s great to be back. First, I taught a workshop in Norway, then after a few days with some dear friends in England. After that my wife flew over to London to meet me, where we boarded a cruise ship for a trip around England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, and back to Norway to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. I put together a Web page (using Adobe Express) with some of my favorite images from before the workshop (during our scouting days) and then from the workshop (including lots of behind-the-scenes images). Lots to share and the story behind it all, if you’ve got a sec. Here’s a link to the images: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/r3WsEHRGQfqdj Thanks for giving ’em a quick look. 🙂 It’s great to be back, and I’ll be hitting ya with some more Lightroom tips later this week. 🙂 Cheers, -Scott

The post I’m Back From Norway (and here’s some photos) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]>

It’s the longest I’ve been away from home (and work) – a whole month, and while I had an absolutley fantastic time, it’s great to be back.

First, I taught a workshop in Norway, then after a few days with some dear friends in England. After that my wife flew over to London to meet me, where we boarded a cruise ship for a trip around England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, and back to Norway to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary.

I put together a Web page (using Adobe Express) with some of my favorite images from before the workshop (during our scouting days) and then from the workshop (including lots of behind-the-scenes images). Lots to share and the story behind it all, if you’ve got a sec.

Here’s a link to the images: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/r3WsEHRGQfqdj

Thanks for giving ’em a quick look. 🙂

It’s great to be back, and I’ll be hitting ya with some more Lightroom tips later this week. 🙂

Cheers,

-Scott

The post I’m Back From Norway (and here’s some photos) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/im-back-from-norway-and-heres-some-photos/feed/ 2 Adaptive Presets on Lightroom Web https://lightroomkillertips.com/adaptive-presets-on-lightroom-for-web/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/adaptive-presets-on-lightroom-for-web/#respond Wed, 18 Sep 2024 16:16:00 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18250 While exploring the Quick Actions on Lightroom web I also played around with the newly added adaptive presets you can access while editing in your web browser. Anyone needing to make quick edits can take advantage of these to leverage the power of subject detection to make adjustments in a single click. Open a photo into the editing space by clicking on it, then click the Presets icon to open the Presets panel. Among all the Premium (subscription required to access) presets, you’ll find the adaptive presets for portrait, sky, subject, and now blur background. Each of those represents a group of presets to achieve certain looks or starting points. The newest take advantage of the new Lens Blur panel (also accessible in Lightroom web), so let’s explore those. Click each preset to see how it affects your photo, and note there is a Reset Blur preset at the bottom to clear those adjustments. Also, you can click the undo arrow icon at the top of the panel to undo any change. You also need to click the Save button at the top to apply the settings in the preset and move on. Once you click a preset you’ll see an Amount slider allowing you to dial in the intensity of the settings. Once you are happy with the amount, click Save, then click the Edit icon to access all of the editing tool panels and fine tune the results. In the case of Lens Blur, you can further refine the Amount, Bokeh, and Focus Range to get the photo looking just the way you want. Click Save to finalize your settings, which will be synced across all other Lightroom apps, and you’re ready to move on to the next photo. Give it a spin! Photoshop World is fast approaching (September 24-26), and I hope you’ll join me and about 30 world-class instructors for multiple days of learning on Lightroom, Photoshop, and photography! The best part of it being virtual is that you get access to the recordings of all classes you can access for one year after the conference! You can get all the details, schedule, and register here: https://photoshopworld.com

The post Adaptive Presets on Lightroom Web appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> While exploring the Quick Actions on Lightroom web I also played around with the newly added adaptive presets you can access while editing in your web browser. Anyone needing to make quick edits can take advantage of these to leverage the power of subject detection to make adjustments in a single click. Open a photo into the editing space by clicking on it, then click the Presets icon to open the Presets panel.

Among all the Premium (subscription required to access) presets, you’ll find the adaptive presets for portrait, sky, subject, and now blur background. Each of those represents a group of presets to achieve certain looks or starting points. The newest take advantage of the new Lens Blur panel (also accessible in Lightroom web), so let’s explore those.

Click each preset to see how it affects your photo, and note there is a Reset Blur preset at the bottom to clear those adjustments. Also, you can click the undo arrow icon at the top of the panel to undo any change. You also need to click the Save button at the top to apply the settings in the preset and move on. Once you click a preset you’ll see an Amount slider allowing you to dial in the intensity of the settings. Once you are happy with the amount, click Save, then click the Edit icon to access all of the editing tool panels and fine tune the results.

In the case of Lens Blur, you can further refine the Amount, Bokeh, and Focus Range to get the photo looking just the way you want. Click Save to finalize your settings, which will be synced across all other Lightroom apps, and you’re ready to move on to the next photo. Give it a spin!

Photoshop World is fast approaching (September 24-26), and I hope you’ll join me and about 30 world-class instructors for multiple days of learning on Lightroom, Photoshop, and photography! The best part of it being virtual is that you get access to the recordings of all classes you can access for one year after the conference! You can get all the details, schedule, and register here: https://photoshopworld.com

The post Adaptive Presets on Lightroom Web appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/adaptive-presets-on-lightroom-for-web/feed/ 0 Lightroom on the Web Quick Actions https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-on-the-web-quick-actions/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-on-the-web-quick-actions/#respond Wed, 11 Sep 2024 21:23:39 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18244 It’s easy to forget about all the tools found at lightroom.adobe.com (aka, “Lightroom on the web” or just “Lightroom web”) since I have an actual Lightroom app on all of my devices. That said, every now and then Adobe sneaks a feature into Lightroom web that’s worth checking out. Recently, an early access feature (meaning still under development and subject to change) called Quick Actions appeared only in Lightroom web. You’ll need to go there in your web browser and log in with the same Adobe ID and password you use on your computer and mobile device for your subscription. Once logged in, and assuming you’ve imported photos into Lightroom or synced from Lightroom Classic, you’ll see your library. To test drive this new feature, click a photo you’d like to edit to access the editing tools available in the browser-based version of Lightroom. This new tool is the first one at the top, with the magic wand looking icon, and its name is Quick Actions. What makes this tool so different is that once you choose it, Quick Actions analyzes your photo and then shows buttons it thinks you might want to use on this photo to make it better. The buttons shown vary somewhat with the contents of the photo selected, but expect to see some presets, some single-click adjustments (like Auton tone), some adaptative presets based on subject, some background blur presets, and maybe the straightening tool (if the photo is crooked, or maybe that’s just mine). I just used the arrow keys on my keyboard to step through all of the photos in this album to see what adjustment options appeared. For this raw photo below, I clicked Auto light & color, Pop for subject (using a subject-based mask to apply settings to just what it considered the subject), and the Strong background blur button that I dialed back using the slider that appears under the button you click. The eyeball button at the top of the interface is a quick way to see before and after views of your progress. Now, would I have normally just used one of the Lightroom (including LrC in that) apps to make those edits manually? Yes. That said, for someone new to editing with Lightroom (or in a hurry to quickly edit and share out to social media or both), having the app analyze the photo and only surface adjustments it thinks you might want in a simplified format (buttons), this could be very useful. It is early access, so it will undoubtedly change before it becomes final (or maybe it will just go away never to be seen again?), but worth taking for a spin if you are curious. Would love to know what others think after trying. Photoshop World is fast approaching (September 24-26), and I hope you’ll join me and about 30 world-class instructors for multiple days of learning on Lightroom, Photoshop, and photography! The best part of it being virtual is that you get access to the recordings of all classes you can access for one year after the conference! You can get all the details, schedule, and register here: https://photoshopworld.com

The post Lightroom on the Web Quick Actions appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> It’s easy to forget about all the tools found at lightroom.adobe.com (aka, “Lightroom on the web” or just “Lightroom web”) since I have an actual Lightroom app on all of my devices. That said, every now and then Adobe sneaks a feature into Lightroom web that’s worth checking out. Recently, an early access feature (meaning still under development and subject to change) called Quick Actions appeared only in Lightroom web.

You’ll need to go there in your web browser and log in with the same Adobe ID and password you use on your computer and mobile device for your subscription. Once logged in, and assuming you’ve imported photos into Lightroom or synced from Lightroom Classic, you’ll see your library.

To test drive this new feature, click a photo you’d like to edit to access the editing tools available in the browser-based version of Lightroom.

This new tool is the first one at the top, with the magic wand looking icon, and its name is Quick Actions. What makes this tool so different is that once you choose it, Quick Actions analyzes your photo and then shows buttons it thinks you might want to use on this photo to make it better. The buttons shown vary somewhat with the contents of the photo selected, but expect to see some presets, some single-click adjustments (like Auton tone), some adaptative presets based on subject, some background blur presets, and maybe the straightening tool (if the photo is crooked, or maybe that’s just mine).

I just used the arrow keys on my keyboard to step through all of the photos in this album to see what adjustment options appeared.

For this raw photo below, I clicked Auto light & color, Pop for subject (using a subject-based mask to apply settings to just what it considered the subject), and the Strong background blur button that I dialed back using the slider that appears under the button you click. The eyeball button at the top of the interface is a quick way to see before and after views of your progress.

Now, would I have normally just used one of the Lightroom (including LrC in that) apps to make those edits manually? Yes. That said, for someone new to editing with Lightroom (or in a hurry to quickly edit and share out to social media or both), having the app analyze the photo and only surface adjustments it thinks you might want in a simplified format (buttons), this could be very useful. It is early access, so it will undoubtedly change before it becomes final (or maybe it will just go away never to be seen again?), but worth taking for a spin if you are curious. Would love to know what others think after trying.

Photoshop World is fast approaching (September 24-26), and I hope you’ll join me and about 30 world-class instructors for multiple days of learning on Lightroom, Photoshop, and photography! The best part of it being virtual is that you get access to the recordings of all classes you can access for one year after the conference! You can get all the details, schedule, and register here: https://photoshopworld.com

The post Lightroom on the Web Quick Actions appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-on-the-web-quick-actions/feed/ 0 New Update for Syncing Catalog to Cloud https://lightroomkillertips.com/new-update-for-syncing-catalog-to-cloud/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/new-update-for-syncing-catalog-to-cloud/#respond Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:19:04 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=18232 The August update for Lightroom Classic, version 13.5, included an improvement to the way we can manage files that get stuck syncing. If you haven’t synced your Lightroom Classic catalog, but are curious about how to do it, be sure to check out my previous post on how to get started syncing. Also, be sure you’ve updated to the latest version by checking for updates in the Adobe Application Manager. Now, if you never experience syncing issues, then high five, you are living your best life. For the rest of us, sometimes, for reasons I do not know or understand, some number of photos just seem to be stuck syncing for (ever) a long time. I had this recently happen to me, so here’s how you can now try to resolve that situation. First, check the cloud icon to see what’s up. If it is in mid-sync you’ll see a blue syncing icon and if you hover your cursor over it a tooltip will appear showing how many photos are being synced. If it seems like this has been going on for some time the simplest thing can be to close and restart Lightroom Classic, which can be enough to clear the clog. If that doesn’t work, and you want to take matters into your own hands, click the cloud icon to open the cloud storage window and look for the gear icon. Click that gear icon to open the Lightroom Sync tab of the preferences and see what’s displayed in the Sync Activity section (this was restored with the recent update). If you’re not sure what photo is stuck, click that blue link to view that photo in Grid view of the Library showing the photo within its containing folder. Don’t delete the photo from here unless you want to delete the photo entirely from your catalog and hard drive. If you just want to remove it from being synced to clear that (and resync later if you choose) there are two ways to do this now. First, the old fashioned way, which is to leave the problem photo selected and go up to the Catalog panel and click All Synced Photographs. By leaving the photo selected you’ll see it is still the selected photo when viewing the contents of All Synced Photographs. If you think you will want to add it back to a synced collection later, an easy way to find it again is to drag it to the Quick Collection in the Catalog panel. Now, press Delete to remove it from being synced while leaving the source photo to remain in your catalog. You’ll see this popup telling you what will happen. Click OK to complete the process. The photo will be removed from all synced collections, which is important to realize what that means. In other words, it will clear it from being stuck syncing, but if you had it in more than one synced collection it will be removed from all of them. So make sure you know which synced collections it was in before you hit the delete button if you plan to add it back them all. In my case, this was an old photo that I no longer need synced, so just removing it from being synced solves my problem. Repeat for any other stuck photos and you should see the Sync Activity area clear out. The cloud icon will change to a green check mark showing everything as synced now. Here’s the second, and much simpler way to remove a photo from being synced thanks to this latest update. You’d only use this option once you knew what photo it was (click the link to check) and if it was in more than one synced collection that you may want to add it back into later. Once you know you want to remove it from being synced, just right-click that blue link and you’ll see a new option to Remove from All Synced Photographs. This is just a short cut from the first method I showed above, but it does result in a different looking popup message you have to click through before it is done. Hope that helps anyone with a photo stuck in the endless sync loop. To add it back to be synced, just drag it back to the synced collection it was in before (cross your fingers) and it should sync successfully.

The post New Update for Syncing Catalog to Cloud appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> The August update for Lightroom Classic, version 13.5, included an improvement to the way we can manage files that get stuck syncing. If you haven’t synced your Lightroom Classic catalog, but are curious about how to do it, be sure to check out my previous post on how to get started syncing. Also, be sure you’ve updated to the latest version by checking for updates in the Adobe Application Manager.

Now, if you never experience syncing issues, then high five, you are living your best life. For the rest of us, sometimes, for reasons I do not know or understand, some number of photos just seem to be stuck syncing for (ever) a long time. I had this recently happen to me, so here’s how you can now try to resolve that situation.

First, check the cloud icon to see what’s up. If it is in mid-sync you’ll see a blue syncing icon and if you hover your cursor over it a tooltip will appear showing how many photos are being synced.

If it seems like this has been going on for some time the simplest thing can be to close and restart Lightroom Classic, which can be enough to clear the clog. If that doesn’t work, and you want to take matters into your own hands, click the cloud icon to open the cloud storage window and look for the gear icon.

Click that gear icon to open the Lightroom Sync tab of the preferences and see what’s displayed in the Sync Activity section (this was restored with the recent update).

If you’re not sure what photo is stuck, click that blue link to view that photo in Grid view of the Library showing the photo within its containing folder. Don’t delete the photo from here unless you want to delete the photo entirely from your catalog and hard drive. If you just want to remove it from being synced to clear that (and resync later if you choose) there are two ways to do this now. First, the old fashioned way, which is to leave the problem photo selected and go up to the Catalog panel and click All Synced Photographs.

By leaving the photo selected you’ll see it is still the selected photo when viewing the contents of All Synced Photographs. If you think you will want to add it back to a synced collection later, an easy way to find it again is to drag it to the Quick Collection in the Catalog panel. Now, press Delete to remove it from being synced while leaving the source photo to remain in your catalog. You’ll see this popup telling you what will happen.

Click OK to complete the process. The photo will be removed from all synced collections, which is important to realize what that means. In other words, it will clear it from being stuck syncing, but if you had it in more than one synced collection it will be removed from all of them. So make sure you know which synced collections it was in before you hit the delete button if you plan to add it back them all. In my case, this was an old photo that I no longer need synced, so just removing it from being synced solves my problem. Repeat for any other stuck photos and you should see the Sync Activity area clear out.

The cloud icon will change to a green check mark showing everything as synced now.

Here’s the second, and much simpler way to remove a photo from being synced thanks to this latest update. You’d only use this option once you knew what photo it was (click the link to check) and if it was in more than one synced collection that you may want to add it back into later. Once you know you want to remove it from being synced, just right-click that blue link and you’ll see a new option to Remove from All Synced Photographs. This is just a short cut from the first method I showed above, but it does result in a different looking popup message you have to click through before it is done.

Hope that helps anyone with a photo stuck in the endless sync loop. To add it back to be synced, just drag it back to the synced collection it was in before (cross your fingers) and it should sync successfully.

The post New Update for Syncing Catalog to Cloud appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

]]> https://lightroomkillertips.com/new-update-for-syncing-catalog-to-cloud/feed/ 0