Preferences Archives - Lightroom Killer Tips https://lightroomkillertips.com/preferences/ The Latest Lightroom Tips, Tricks & Techniques Mon, 19 Feb 2024 21:46:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 Three Default Settings Worth Changing https://lightroomkillertips.com/three-default-settings-worth-changing/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/three-default-settings-worth-changing/#comments Wed, 12 May 2021 20:18:33 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=15079 For the most part, I find that Lightroom Classic’s and Lightroom’s default settings are pretty good, but there are three places that I think you should consider changing as they can cause more harm than good. Two of those are in Lightroom Classic, and one is in Lightroom on mobile. Default Catalog By default, Lightroom Classic is configured to “Load most recent catalog” when the program is launched. This works fine for most people … until it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t, things go horribly wrong. The thinking is that if you only have a single LrC catalog, then it would be the most recent one used, so it would be the one that opens on next launch. And that is true for most people most of the time. Until that is, they decide to go look at an old backup copy of the catalog out of curiosity or necessity. They then quit LrC to close that copy of the catalog, and the next time they launch the program it opens that old catalog. All LrC catalogs tend to look the same unless you are paying attention, and I’ve seen this issue catch so many people out over the years, to no end of tears and frustration, as they think their original catalog was lost or changed by LrC. The worst version of that story is from people who had opened a backup copy of the catalog in the backup location, exit LrC, then launch LrC and never realize that they are now using a catalog stored among their backup catalogs, and that they’ve orphaned their master catalog in its original location. Now all new work is added to the one in the backup location, and then they learn about the need to delete old backup copies of the catalog, and … yes, they delete the catalog they had been using, and all the new work. So, to avoid that scenario, just set a specific catalog as the default, or if you want to choose each time LrC is launched, set it to Prompt me when starting Lightroom (good for multiple catalog users). Backup Catalog Default Location Speaking of catalog backups … Now, this isn’t really so much a bad default setting, but rather a hard to find option. If you decide to utilize the automated backup catalog function in LrC (and I recommend that you do), then you set a frequency option and forget about it, until LrC reminds you it is time to run on a future exit from the program. What a lot of people don’t realize is that prompt is the only place where you can configure the location for where the backup copies of the catalog are stored. We just see the Skip or Back up buttons and seem gloss over the Choose button for backup folder location. If you don’t make a specific choice LrC simply creates a folder alongside the actual catalog and dumps all backups in there. The problem with this is that if you experience drive failure that backup copy of the catalog is lost along with the working catalog. A better choice is to specify a folder on a different drive, or in my case because I only have a single internal drive, I point it to a folder in my Dropbox folder so that it is automatically synced to the cloud (and my other computer). You just want to have it duplicated to another drive as quickly as possible, however that can be best achieved on your system. Wouldn’t it be great if that Choose button for backup location was right on the same dialog for choosing the frequency of the backup?!? I mean, there’s plenty of room, so why make us go looking for it on a dialog that only appears when you exit the program on the chosen frequency schedule? Anyway … Auto Add from Camera Roll Talk about the road to heck being paved with good intentions … sure, automatically importing all photos on someone’s camera roll when they have the 1TB plan for cloud storage may really help them when first starting to use Lightroom on their mobile devices. Maybe. I guess. But for every person subscribed to the Creative Cloud Photography plan who only have 20GB of cloud storage, and just want to try Lr out, it is an absolute time wasting freakout session. I’ve written specifically about the dangers of this option, but it is worth another reminder. Pay attention to all checkboxes when first using an app. Some options are designed to “help” you, but in reality, if you do not understand the repercussions, simply create a new problem for you to resolve. All too often I hear from people who finally got around to trying the new Lr app on their phone only to find that the contents of their entire Camera Roll is now being uploaded to the cloud and has completely filled up their 20GB of storage, and they are in a panic. A common next step is to delete the Lr app, which may stop the upload of new photos, but doesn’t do anything to remove the photos already uploaded. It just creates a completely avoidable mess and unfavorable new experience with an app they were previously looking forward to using. So, until such time as that option gets unchecked by default (slim chance I suppose), do yourself a favor and uncheck it yourself. You can always import photos from your Camera Roll yourself when you are ready. Are there any other default options you think should be changed or considered before they cause a problem? Let me know in the comments. Hope this helps someone avoid a problem in the future!

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For the most part, I find that Lightroom Classic’s and Lightroom’s default settings are pretty good, but there are three places that I think you should consider changing as they can cause more harm than good. Two of those are in Lightroom Classic, and one is in Lightroom on mobile.

Default Catalog

By default, Lightroom Classic is configured to “Load most recent catalog” when the program is launched. This works fine for most people … until it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t, things go horribly wrong. The thinking is that if you only have a single LrC catalog, then it would be the most recent one used, so it would be the one that opens on next launch. And that is true for most people most of the time. Until that is, they decide to go look at an old backup copy of the catalog out of curiosity or necessity. They then quit LrC to close that copy of the catalog, and the next time they launch the program it opens that old catalog. All LrC catalogs tend to look the same unless you are paying attention, and I’ve seen this issue catch so many people out over the years, to no end of tears and frustration, as they think their original catalog was lost or changed by LrC.

The worst version of that story is from people who had opened a backup copy of the catalog in the backup location, exit LrC, then launch LrC and never realize that they are now using a catalog stored among their backup catalogs, and that they’ve orphaned their master catalog in its original location. Now all new work is added to the one in the backup location, and then they learn about the need to delete old backup copies of the catalog, and … yes, they delete the catalog they had been using, and all the new work. So, to avoid that scenario, just set a specific catalog as the default, or if you want to choose each time LrC is launched, set it to Prompt me when starting Lightroom (good for multiple catalog users).

Backup Catalog Default Location

Speaking of catalog backups … Now, this isn’t really so much a bad default setting, but rather a hard to find option. If you decide to utilize the automated backup catalog function in LrC (and I recommend that you do), then you set a frequency option and forget about it, until LrC reminds you it is time to run on a future exit from the program.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that prompt is the only place where you can configure the location for where the backup copies of the catalog are stored. We just see the Skip or Back up buttons and seem gloss over the Choose button for backup folder location. If you don’t make a specific choice LrC simply creates a folder alongside the actual catalog and dumps all backups in there. The problem with this is that if you experience drive failure that backup copy of the catalog is lost along with the working catalog. A better choice is to specify a folder on a different drive, or in my case because I only have a single internal drive, I point it to a folder in my Dropbox folder so that it is automatically synced to the cloud (and my other computer). You just want to have it duplicated to another drive as quickly as possible, however that can be best achieved on your system.

Wouldn’t it be great if that Choose button for backup location was right on the same dialog for choosing the frequency of the backup?!? I mean, there’s plenty of room, so why make us go looking for it on a dialog that only appears when you exit the program on the chosen frequency schedule? Anyway …

Auto Add from Camera Roll

Talk about the road to heck being paved with good intentions … sure, automatically importing all photos on someone’s camera roll when they have the 1TB plan for cloud storage may really help them when first starting to use Lightroom on their mobile devices. Maybe. I guess. But for every person subscribed to the Creative Cloud Photography plan who only have 20GB of cloud storage, and just want to try Lr out, it is an absolute time wasting freakout session.

I’ve written specifically about the dangers of this option, but it is worth another reminder. Pay attention to all checkboxes when first using an app. Some options are designed to “help” you, but in reality, if you do not understand the repercussions, simply create a new problem for you to resolve. All too often I hear from people who finally got around to trying the new Lr app on their phone only to find that the contents of their entire Camera Roll is now being uploaded to the cloud and has completely filled up their 20GB of storage, and they are in a panic. A common next step is to delete the Lr app, which may stop the upload of new photos, but doesn’t do anything to remove the photos already uploaded. It just creates a completely avoidable mess and unfavorable new experience with an app they were previously looking forward to using.

So, until such time as that option gets unchecked by default (slim chance I suppose), do yourself a favor and uncheck it yourself. You can always import photos from your Camera Roll yourself when you are ready.

Are there any other default options you think should be changed or considered before they cause a problem? Let me know in the comments. Hope this helps someone avoid a problem in the future!

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Lightroom Classic’s Hidden “Swipe Between Images” Feature https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-classics-hidden-swipe-images-feature/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-classics-hidden-swipe-images-feature/#comments Fri, 12 Oct 2018 10:35:31 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=11375 If you’re using Lightroom Classic on a Laptop (or you have a separate trackpad or even mouse with a scroll wheel) check this out — you can quickly scroll through your images by swiping with your finger right to left on your trackpad. See the 7-second quick video below (no audio). Here’s where you turn it on: You turn this feature on in Lightroom Classic’s Preferences; click on the Interface Tab, and the checkbox to turn this feature on/off is at the bottom of the window: “Swipe between images using mouse/trackpad.” (as seen above). Hope you find that helpful. Going to Adobe MAX next week? I’m teaching a class on their Career Track called “How to Present Like a Pro” and I’d love it if you came by. This isn’t the same stuff you read about presenting on the Internet — I’ll be sharing concepts and ideas and tips and tools I haven’t seen shared by anyone anywhere. I promise — you’ll super-dig it. I’m teaching the class twice — once each day, and I already have over 1,100 people signed by,j so come by and spend an hour with me — I’ll make it worth your while. Going to Photo Plus Expo in New York City? If you want a free Expo Pass to the Photo Plus Expo in NYC later this month, I can hook you up. Use this link to get in the Expo for free (or you can get 15% off a conference pass using the same link), or you can even sign up for my “Advanced Lightroom Workshop” I’m teaching at the expo, too. Hope I see you at the show in NYC. https://l.feathr.co/PPE18_Scott-Kelby-O Have a great weekend everybody. I’m off to LA on Sunday — hope to see you at Adobe MAX. 🙂 Best, -Scott

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If you’re using Lightroom Classic on a Laptop (or you have a separate trackpad or even mouse with a scroll wheel) check this out — you can quickly scroll through your images by swiping with your finger right to left on your trackpad. See the 7-second quick video below (no audio).

Here’s where you turn it on:

You turn this feature on in Lightroom Classic’s Preferences; click on the Interface Tab, and the checkbox to turn this feature on/off is at the bottom of the window: “Swipe between images using mouse/trackpad.” (as seen above).

Hope you find that helpful.

Going to Adobe MAX next week?
I’m teaching a class on their Career Track called “How to Present Like a Pro” and I’d love it if you came by. This isn’t the same stuff you read about presenting on the Internet — I’ll be sharing concepts and ideas and tips and tools I haven’t seen shared by anyone anywhere. I promise — you’ll super-dig it. I’m teaching the class twice — once each day, and I already have over 1,100 people signed by,j so come by and spend an hour with me — I’ll make it worth your while.

Going to Photo Plus Expo in New York City?
If you want a free Expo Pass to the Photo Plus Expo in NYC later this month, I can hook you up. Use this link to get in the Expo for free (or you can get 15% off a conference pass using the same link), or you can even sign up for my “Advanced Lightroom Workshop” I’m teaching at the expo, too. Hope I see you at the show in NYC. https://l.feathr.co/PPE18_Scott-Kelby-O

Have a great weekend everybody. I’m off to LA on Sunday — hope to see you at Adobe MAX. 🙂

Best,

-Scott

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Lightroom Plug-in Giving You Problems? Try This! https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-plug-giving-problems-try/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-plug-giving-problems-try/#comments Mon, 25 Jun 2018 08:16:19 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=10971 First, a quick shout out, and thanks to all the great folks who came out to the Out of Chicago conference this past weekend. I had such a great time, and Chris Smith and his team are top-rate, and they put together a wonderful, fun, and informative conference and I was proud to be a small part of it. Just a quick one today — if you feel for any reason that a plug-in might be causing your crashes or problems in Lightroom (or there’s a plug-in you just don’t want to use at this point, but you don’t want to go through an uninstall), you can disable it (without uninstalling it), to see if it’s the Culprit. Here’s how: go under the File menu and choose Plug-in Manager (the keyboard shortcut is Shift-Option-Command-, [PC: Shift-Alt-Ctrl-‘]). When Lightroom’s Plug-in Manager Window appears (shown above), click on the circle to the immediate left of the plug-in you want to disable (basically, you’re un-checking it), and then click the Done Button. Now that the plug-in is disabled, I would recommend re-starting Lightroom and see if the problem persists. H0pe you found that helpful, and here’s to an awesome week! 🙂 Best, -Scott

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First, a quick shout out, and thanks to all the great folks who came out to the Out of Chicago conference this past weekend. I had such a great time, and Chris Smith and his team are top-rate, and they put together a wonderful, fun, and informative conference and I was proud to be a small part of it.

Just a quick one today — if you feel for any reason that a plug-in might be causing your crashes or problems in Lightroom (or there’s a plug-in you just don’t want to use at this point, but you don’t want to go through an uninstall), you can disable it (without uninstalling it), to see if it’s the Culprit.

Here’s how: go under the File menu and choose Plug-in Manager (the keyboard shortcut is Shift-Option-Command-, [PC: Shift-Alt-Ctrl-‘]). When Lightroom’s Plug-in Manager Window appears (shown above), click on the circle to the immediate left of the plug-in you want to disable (basically, you’re un-checking it), and then click the Done Button.

Now that the plug-in is disabled, I would recommend re-starting Lightroom and see if the problem persists.

H0pe you found that helpful, and here’s to an awesome week! 🙂

Best,

-Scott

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Writing XMP Files in Lightroom (why you shouldn’t and when you should) https://lightroomkillertips.com/writing-xmp-files-shouldnt/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/writing-xmp-files-shouldnt/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2018 08:16:15 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=10600 This is a follow-up for reason #7 from my post on Monday called “If your Lightroom is running slow, it’s probably one of these seven reasons” (here’s the link in case you missed the other 6). #7 was about turning off having Lightroom automatically write .xmp files each time you make an adjustment in Lightroom and I mentioned that most Lightroom users should probably turn this auto writing of xmp files off. So, after some questions, I thought today I’d do a quick Q&A about XMP, when you should use them, and why in most cases you shouldn’t). Q. What is a .xmp file? A. It’s a separate text file that holds any edits or metadata changes you made to your RAW file. That’s one seen above — the .xmp file for the RAW file with the same name, but its file extension is .xmp. Q. Is that text file referred to as an .xmp file? A. You’ll hear it called either an xmp sidecar, just a ‘sidecar file’ or simply an xmp file. So, if somebody says to you, “Send me the RAW and the sidecar” you know they need your RAW file and that .xmp sidecar file — two files. Q. I thought Lightroom kept all those changes stored right in the catalog? A. It does. Q. So why would you also need to have a .xmp file? A. If you made edits to a RAW file (let’s say you make the Exposure brighter, you pulled back the highlights, added some Clarity and cropped the image), and you needed to give this RAW image to someone else; maybe a retoucher or another photographer in your studio, and you needed that RAW file to have all those edits you made to the file — that’s when you would need to create a .xmp file. That .xmp text contains instructions for all those changes to your RAW image. Now, when they open that RAW file in a program that supports .XMP (like Photoshop for example, or the Adobe Bridge, or even a different copy of Lightroom) as long as both the RAW file and the .xmp are there together, they would see the RAW file with all your edits. Q. So, I don’t need the ‘Automatically Write Changes to’ .XMP preference turned on? A. I wouldn’t recommend it — it slows Lightroom down. In fact, most likely you’ll only need a .xmp sidecar file if and when you’re sharing a RAW image you’ve edited with someone else. Q. Do I need an .xmp file with my JPEG, TIFF, or PSD files? A. You do not — those edits you make are baked in the single file when you export them from Lightroom. Q. Is there a way to create just one .xmp file without having Lightroom slowing things down all the time by writing to a .xmp file every time I move a slider?  A. Absolutely, when you’re done editing, and you’re ready to share the file with someone, in Lightroom just click on the file and then press Command-S (PC: Ctrl-S) and it creates a separate .xmp sidecar file with all your changes written into it. Q. What would happen if I gave someone one of my RAW files without a .xmp sidecar file? A. Then none of your edits/changes/metadata would appear when they opened the file on their computer. It will be as though they downloaded the original RAW image from your camera’s memory card. Q. Is there a way to share a RAW file, with my edits included, but without the 2nd sidecar file? A. Actually, there is. Convert the file to a .DNG file. That way, the .xmp data is written right into the DNG file itself — no 2nd file needed. You would do this in the Library module, under the Library menu up top; choose ‘Convert Photo to DNG’ Q. How do I turn off Lightroom’s Automatic writing of .xmp sidecar files again? A. You turn it off by going to the Lightroom menu (PC: Edit), go Catalog Settings; click the Metadata tab, and turn off the checkbox beside “Automatically write changes into XMP” Q. Hey, isn’t tonight the live broadcast of British photographer Ian Munro’s gallery opening at The Gallery at KelbyOne? A. It is, and you’re invited to come check out Ian’s interview; see his amazing work, and learn about the man behind the camera — all tonight at 8 PM ET. It’s free and open to everyone. All the details are over on my daily blog today at scottkelby.com – no .xmp file required.  Hope you found that helpful. Have a great weekend, everybody! 🙂 Best, –Scott

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This is a follow-up for reason #7 from my post on Monday called “If your Lightroom is running slow, it’s probably one of these seven reasons” (here’s the link in case you missed the other 6). #7 was about turning off having Lightroom automatically write .xmp files each time you make an adjustment in Lightroom and I mentioned that most Lightroom users should probably turn this auto writing of xmp files off. So, after some questions, I thought today I’d do a quick Q&A about XMP, when you should use them, and why in most cases you shouldn’t).

Q. What is a .xmp file?
A. It’s a separate text file that holds any edits or metadata changes you made to your RAW file. That’s one seen above — the .xmp file for the RAW file with the same name, but its file extension is .xmp.

Q. Is that text file referred to as an .xmp file?
A. You’ll hear it called either an xmp sidecar, just a ‘sidecar file’ or simply an xmp file. So, if somebody says to you, “Send me the RAW and the sidecar” you know they need your RAW file and that .xmp sidecar file — two files.

Q. I thought Lightroom kept all those changes stored right in the catalog?
A. It does.

Q. So why would you also need to have a .xmp file?
A. If you made edits to a RAW file (let’s say you make the Exposure brighter, you pulled back the highlights, added some Clarity and cropped the image), and you needed to give this RAW image to someone else; maybe a retoucher or another photographer in your studio, and you needed that RAW file to have all those edits you made to the file — that’s when you would need to create a .xmp file. That .xmp text contains instructions for all those changes to your RAW image. Now, when they open that RAW file in a program that supports .XMP (like Photoshop for example, or the Adobe Bridge, or even a different copy of Lightroom) as long as both the RAW file and the .xmp are there together, they would see the RAW file with all your edits.

Q. So, I don’t need the ‘Automatically Write Changes to’ .XMP preference turned on?
A. I wouldn’t recommend it — it slows Lightroom down. In fact, most likely you’ll only need a .xmp sidecar file if and when you’re sharing a RAW image you’ve edited with someone else.

Q. Do I need an .xmp file with my JPEG, TIFF, or PSD files?
A. You do not — those edits you make are baked in the single file when you export them from Lightroom.

Q. Is there a way to create just one .xmp file without having Lightroom slowing things down all the time by writing to a .xmp file every time I move a slider? 
A. Absolutely, when you’re done editing, and you’re ready to share the file with someone, in Lightroom just click on the file and then press Command-S (PC: Ctrl-S) and it creates a separate .xmp sidecar file with all your changes written into it.

Q. What would happen if I gave someone one of my RAW files without a .xmp sidecar file?
A. Then none of your edits/changes/metadata would appear when they opened the file on their computer. It will be as though they downloaded the original RAW image from your camera’s memory card.

Q. Is there a way to share a RAW file, with my edits included, but without the 2nd sidecar file?
A. Actually, there is. Convert the file to a .DNG file. That way, the .xmp data is written right into the DNG file itself — no 2nd file needed. You would do this in the Library module, under the Library menu up top; choose ‘Convert Photo to DNG’

Q. How do I turn off Lightroom’s Automatic writing of .xmp sidecar files again?
A. You turn it off by going to the Lightroom menu (PC: Edit), go Catalog Settings; click the Metadata tab, and turn off the checkbox beside “Automatically write changes into XMP”

Q. Hey, isn’t tonight the live broadcast of British photographer Ian Munro’s gallery opening at The Gallery at KelbyOne?
A. It is, and you’re invited to come check out Ian’s interview; see his amazing work, and learn about the man behind the camera — all tonight at 8 PM ET. It’s free and open to everyone. All the details are over on my daily blog today at scottkelby.comno .xmp file required. 

Hope you found that helpful. Have a great weekend, everybody! 🙂

Best,

Scott

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If Your Lightroom Is Running Slow…It’s Probably One Of These 7 Reasons https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-running-slowits-probably-one-7-reasons/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-running-slowits-probably-one-7-reasons/#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2018 08:16:07 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=10579 Well, I guess it should read, “one or MORE of these seven reasons: 1) Your Lightroom Catalog (and preview files) are NOT on your computer (you’ve stored them on an external hard drive). It’s fine for photos to be stored on an external hard drive (in fact, I recommend it), but not your Lightroom Catalog file or previews files. Things will run much faster with those files right on your main internal hard drive. 2) You have less than 16GB of RAM (that’s not the minimum it takes for Lightroom to run, but it’s what Adobe recommends). 3) Your internal hard drive is slow. Having a really fast drives make a big difference, so if you saved a few dollars buying a cheaper, slower drive, now you’re paying the price. When you order your next computer (of it you can upgrade) get fast SSD drives – the difference is pretty amazing. BONUS: Also, Lightroom requires lots of free space on your hard drive. If you don’t have at least 20% of your overall storage space free, that’s affecting your Lightroom’s performance, so free up some space asap. 4) You are not on the most recent version of Lightroom Classic. It’s the fastest version yet (with big speed boosts in some critical areas). Make sure you have Lightroom Classic version 7.2. If not, go to the Help menu and choose Updates (as seen above). (5) Your computer is more than four or five years old. Computer years are close to dog years, and your old computer probably runs like our doggo here. You can’t expect Lightroom to run at full speed on an old outdated computer (and yes, if your computer is four or five years old, it’s outdated). (6) You haven’t Optimized your catalog in a while (or ever). This is easy to do, and could very well make a difference. Go to Lightroom’s File menu and choose Optimize Catalog (as shown above). 7) You have “Automatically write changes into XMP” turned on (most Lightroom users will not need this specialized feature turned on). Imagine if every time you moved a slider, Lightroom had to write that change into a separate text file. Imagine how that would slow Lightroom down? Well, if you have this turned on, you’re living that speed hit all day every day. Turn it off by going to the Lightroom menu (PC: Edit), go Catalog Settings; click the Metadata tab, and turn off the checkbox beside “Automatically write changes into XMP” (as shown above). That’s my top seven – hope that helps speed up your daily Lightroom experience. I’m up in NYC today for meetings – maybe I’ll see you there! 🙂 Best, -Scott P.S. I did a fun interview with the awesome Ross Chevalier (from the Photo/Video Guy Podcast) all about photography and Photoshop education. It’s an audio-only podcast so you can just let it run in the background while you work in Lightroom. Here’s the link if you’ve got a sec. 

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Well, I guess it should read, “one or MORE of these seven reasons:

1) Your Lightroom Catalog (and preview files) are NOT on your computer (you’ve stored them on an external hard drive). It’s fine for photos to be stored on an external hard drive (in fact, I recommend it), but not your Lightroom Catalog file or previews files. Things will run much faster with those files right on your main internal hard drive.

2) You have less than 16GB of RAM (that’s not the minimum it takes for Lightroom to run, but it’s what Adobe recommends).

3) Your internal hard drive is slow. Having a really fast drives make a big difference, so if you saved a few dollars buying a cheaper, slower drive, now you’re paying the price. When you order your next computer (of it you can upgrade) get fast SSD drives – the difference is pretty amazing.

BONUS: Also, Lightroom requires lots of free space on your hard drive. If you don’t have at least 20% of your overall storage space free, that’s affecting your Lightroom’s performance, so free up some space asap.

4) You are not on the most recent version of Lightroom Classic. It’s the fastest version yet (with big speed boosts in some critical areas). Make sure you have Lightroom Classic version 7.2. If not, go to the Help menu and choose Updates (as seen above).

(5) Your computer is more than four or five years old. Computer years are close to dog years, and your old computer probably runs like our doggo here. You can’t expect Lightroom to run at full speed on an old outdated computer (and yes, if your computer is four or five years old, it’s outdated).

(6) You haven’t Optimized your catalog in a while (or ever). This is easy to do, and could very well make a difference. Go to Lightroom’s File menu and choose Optimize Catalog (as shown above).

7) You have “Automatically write changes into XMP” turned on (most Lightroom users will not need this specialized feature turned on). Imagine if every time you moved a slider, Lightroom had to write that change into a separate text file. Imagine how that would slow Lightroom down? Well, if you have this turned on, you’re living that speed hit all day every day. Turn it off by going to the Lightroom menu (PC: Edit), go Catalog Settings; click the Metadata tab, and turn off the checkbox beside “Automatically write changes into XMP” (as shown above).

That’s my top seven – hope that helps speed up your daily Lightroom experience.

I’m up in NYC today for meetings – maybe I’ll see you there! 🙂

Best,

-Scott

P.S. I did a fun interview with the awesome Ross Chevalier (from the Photo/Video Guy Podcast) all about photography and Photoshop education. It’s an audio-only podcast so you can just let it run in the background while you work in Lightroom. Here’s the link if you’ve got a sec. 

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Understanding the Lightroom Classic to Photoshop Workflow https://lightroomkillertips.com/understanding-lightroom-classic-photoshop-workflow/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/understanding-lightroom-classic-photoshop-workflow/#comments Wed, 17 Jan 2018 08:00:10 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=10371 Understanding the basics of how to take your photos from Lightroom Classic (works the same in earlier versions of Lightroom Classic too) to Photoshop and back again (and possibly back and forth more than once) can reduce frustration and increase efficiency. Configuring Preferences Let’s take a look at the External Editing options, which can be found by going to Lightroom > Preferences > External Editing (PC: Edit > Preferences > External Editing). By default Lightroom will detect the most current version of Photoshop (or even Photoshop Elements) that you have installed (Photoshop trumps Photoshop Elements if you have both) and make that application the primary external editor, which is displayed at the top of the dialog box. You can optionally configure additional external editors in the Additional External Editor section. Tip: After configuring an additional editor you can click the Preset drop-down menu and save those settings with that editor as a preset to easily reuse again in the future. Regardless of whether you are using the primary external editor or an additional external editor you need to configure Lightroom to choose the File Format, Color Space, and Bit Depth of the copy that is sent to that editor. There is also a field for specifying the resolution value for the copy, but this has no effect on the pixel dimensions of the copy created, and it can be changed again at any time in the future based on your output needs, so simply choose a default value that you like at this stage. File type is also a personal preference, so choose TIF or PSD based on what you prefer, or just stick with the default setting. If you do go with PSD, make sure Photoshop’s File Handling preferences are set to always maximize PSD and PSB compatibility. The biggest choice you need to make is around bit depth. If you shoot raw and want to have the most data available for editing in Photoshop then choose 16 bit. If you are satisfied with the amount of image data available in an 8 bit file, and prefer a smaller file size then choose 8 bit. If you go with 16 bit then ProPhoto RGB is the best choice for color space, but if you go with 8 bit then I would suggest using Adobe RGB (ProPhoto RGB is a wide gamut color space that is better suited to 16 bit data). Lightroom will then use these settings for all copies sent to the external editor. At the very bottom of the External Editing dialog box is the place where you can customize the file naming convention applied to the copies sent to the external editor. By default the word Edit is simply appended to the existing file name. This works for me, so I just leave it as-is, but you can click the Template drop-down menu and choose an existing filename template or choose Edit to create a custom filename template that better suits your needs. When? One of the questions I get asked the most is about when in the workflow to send a photo from Lightroom to Photoshop. Well, if you are starting with a raw photo then it makes the most sense to do all your basic raw processing in Lightroom first (white balance, exposure, capture sharpening, lens corrections, etc.) and then send a copy with your Lightroom adjustments to Photoshop to do whatever work you need to do there. In this situation it is important to keep in mind that the copy that appears in Photoshop is not saved to your hard drive until you use the File > Save menu in Photoshop, so don’t be surprised if you still see the file extension of the original raw photo at first. As soon you save the copy in Photoshop the file extension will update to reflect the file format and file name template you choose in Lightroom’s External Editing preferences, and at the same time the copy is saved to the same folder as the source photo and added to the Lightroom catalog. Once you are done editing in Photoshop be sure to save one last time, then close the photo and switch back to Lightroom. What about preserving layers? Another frequent question I get is how to open a layered TIF or PSD file from Lightroom to Photoshop without flattening the image. If you select a non-raw photo (TIF, PSD or JPG) in Lightroom and go to Photo > Edit in > Edit in Photoshop then you will be prompted to make a choice. If you simply want to edit the original layered version in Photoshop without creating a new copy or applying any additional Lightroom adjustments then choose Edit Original. This would be the equivalent of opening that file from Bridge or Photoshop itself. Once you are done editing in Photoshop, just go to File > Save, then close the photo and return to Lightroom. Lightroom can only ever apply its Develop adjustments to a new copy, and that copy will be flattened. For example, if you brought that layered photo into the Develop module and applied new adjustments to it, and then wanted to see the end result applied to a new copy that you could edit in Photoshop you would choose Edit a copy with Lightroom adjustments, which will result in a new flattened copy being sent to Photoshop. These are two different workflows with two different results, and the choice is yours.

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Understanding the basics of how to take your photos from Lightroom Classic (works the same in earlier versions of Lightroom Classic too) to Photoshop and back again (and possibly back and forth more than once) can reduce frustration and increase efficiency.

Configuring Preferences

Let’s take a look at the External Editing options, which can be found by going to Lightroom > Preferences > External Editing (PC: Edit > Preferences > External Editing).

By default Lightroom will detect the most current version of Photoshop (or even Photoshop Elements) that you have installed (Photoshop trumps Photoshop Elements if you have both) and make that application the primary external editor, which is displayed at the top of the dialog box. You can optionally configure additional external editors in the Additional External Editor section.

Tip: After configuring an additional editor you can click the Preset drop-down menu and save those settings with that editor as a preset to easily reuse again in the future.

Regardless of whether you are using the primary external editor or an additional external editor you need to configure Lightroom to choose the File Format, Color Space, and Bit Depth of the copy that is sent to that editor. There is also a field for specifying the resolution value for the copy, but this has no effect on the pixel dimensions of the copy created, and it can be changed again at any time in the future based on your output needs, so simply choose a default value that you like at this stage. File type is also a personal preference, so choose TIF or PSD based on what you prefer, or just stick with the default setting. If you do go with PSD, make sure Photoshop’s File Handling preferences are set to always maximize PSD and PSB compatibility.

The biggest choice you need to make is around bit depth. If you shoot raw and want to have the most data available for editing in Photoshop then choose 16 bit. If you are satisfied with the amount of image data available in an 8 bit file, and prefer a smaller file size then choose 8 bit. If you go with 16 bit then ProPhoto RGB is the best choice for color space, but if you go with 8 bit then I would suggest using Adobe RGB (ProPhoto RGB is a wide gamut color space that is better suited to 16 bit data). Lightroom will then use these settings for all copies sent to the external editor.

At the very bottom of the External Editing dialog box is the place where you can customize the file naming convention applied to the copies sent to the external editor. By default the word Edit is simply appended to the existing file name. This works for me, so I just leave it as-is, but you can click the Template drop-down menu and choose an existing filename template or choose Edit to create a custom filename template that better suits your needs.

When?

One of the questions I get asked the most is about when in the workflow to send a photo from Lightroom to Photoshop. Well, if you are starting with a raw photo then it makes the most sense to do all your basic raw processing in Lightroom first (white balance, exposure, capture sharpening, lens corrections, etc.) and then send a copy with your Lightroom adjustments to Photoshop to do whatever work you need to do there. In this situation it is important to keep in mind that the copy that appears in Photoshop is not saved to your hard drive until you use the File > Save menu in Photoshop, so don’t be surprised if you still see the file extension of the original raw photo at first.

As soon you save the copy in Photoshop the file extension will update to reflect the file format and file name template you choose in Lightroom’s External Editing preferences, and at the same time the copy is saved to the same folder as the source photo and added to the Lightroom catalog.

Once you are done editing in Photoshop be sure to save one last time, then close the photo and switch back to Lightroom.

What about preserving layers?

Another frequent question I get is how to open a layered TIF or PSD file from Lightroom to Photoshop without flattening the image. If you select a non-raw photo (TIF, PSD or JPG) in Lightroom and go to Photo > Edit in > Edit in Photoshop then you will be prompted to make a choice.

If you simply want to edit the original layered version in Photoshop without creating a new copy or applying any additional Lightroom adjustments then choose Edit Original. This would be the equivalent of opening that file from Bridge or Photoshop itself. Once you are done editing in Photoshop, just go to File > Save, then close the photo and return to Lightroom.

Lightroom can only ever apply its Develop adjustments to a new copy, and that copy will be flattened. For example, if you brought that layered photo into the Develop module and applied new adjustments to it, and then wanted to see the end result applied to a new copy that you could edit in Photoshop you would choose Edit a copy with Lightroom adjustments, which will result in a new flattened copy being sent to Photoshop. These are two different workflows with two different results, and the choice is yours.

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Do You Know Where Your Catalog Is? https://lightroomkillertips.com/do-you-know-where-your-catalog-is/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/do-you-know-where-your-catalog-is/#comments Wed, 23 Aug 2017 08:16:46 +0000 https://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=9925 One of the most important things a Lightroom user should know is the location of where his or her working catalog is stored on his or her system. Now there’s no shame if you don’t know, because its location is pretty transparent when you use Lightroom; however, if you should ever run into a problem, you’ll be glad to know where it is. I also regularly encounter people who discover that their working catalog isn’t where they thought it was, which can be problematic when a drive fails. Here’s how to find your catalog: Launch Lightroom. Go to Lightroom (PC: Edit)>Catalog Settings and click on the General tab.     Once the Catalog Settings dialog opens, you’ll see the location of the open catalog displayed at the top, as well as its file name, date created, date of last backup, date of last optimization, and its file size on disk. If that location is where you expected, then great. Gold star for you! If not, you might want to consider putting it in a location you prefer. You can keep your catalog on any locally connected drive (you can’t open a catalog over a network), so whether it’s an internal drive or an external drive is entirely up to you. There are pros and cons to both options. Storing a catalog locally means you can always open the catalog without having to connect an external drive. Storing a catalog on an external drive gives you the flexibility to open that catalog from any computer (running Lightroom) on which that drive is mounted. I’ve used both options at different times over the years, and all things being equal, performance is usually at least a little better when stored on an internal drive. Should you need to relocate your catalog to a different drive, or just a different folder on the same drive, here’s how: Close Lightroom. Open your operating system’s file browser (Finder or Windows Explorer), and navigate to the folder containing the catalog (.lrcat) and its associated preview caches (.lrdata). You can click the Show button in the Catalog Settings dialog (before closing Lightroom) to open your file browser to that folder. Copy the folder containing the catalog to your desired location. When the copy operation is complete, double-click the catalog file (.lrcat) to open it into Lightroom. Take a look around and make sure all is well (and it should be). Set that catalog in its new location as the Default Catalog. By setting that catalog as the Default Catalog, the next time you launch Lightroom it will open that catalog. Once you’re satisfied all is well, and you have a good backup in place, you can remove the original catalog from its previous (unwanted) location. If you want to take things to the next level to ensure you always open the correct catalog, you can create an Alias (PC: Shortcut) directly to the catalog file and leave that on your desktop. On Mac, Right-click the catalog file and choose Make Alias, then drag the Alias to your desktop (or wherever you wish). On Windows, Right-click the catalog file and choose Send to>Desktop (create shortcut), and it will create a shortcut on your desktop. From then on, when you want to open Lightroom, just double-click that Alias/Shortcut and you’ll know that you’re always opening that specific catalog at that specific location.

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One of the most important things a Lightroom user should know is the location of where his or her working catalog is stored on his or her system. Now there’s no shame if you don’t know, because its location is pretty transparent when you use Lightroom; however, if you should ever run into a problem, you’ll be glad to know where it is. I also regularly encounter people who discover that their working catalog isn’t where they thought it was, which can be problematic when a drive fails.

Here’s how to find your catalog:

  1. Launch Lightroom.
  2. Go to Lightroom (PC: Edit)>Catalog Settings and click on the General tab.

 

 

Once the Catalog Settings dialog opens, you’ll see the location of the open catalog displayed at the top, as well as its file name, date created, date of last backup, date of last optimization, and its file size on disk. If that location is where you expected, then great. Gold star for you! If not, you might want to consider putting it in a location you prefer.

You can keep your catalog on any locally connected drive (you can’t open a catalog over a network), so whether it’s an internal drive or an external drive is entirely up to you. There are pros and cons to both options. Storing a catalog locally means you can always open the catalog without having to connect an external drive. Storing a catalog on an external drive gives you the flexibility to open that catalog from any computer (running Lightroom) on which that drive is mounted. I’ve used both options at different times over the years, and all things being equal, performance is usually at least a little better when stored on an internal drive.

Should you need to relocate your catalog to a different drive, or just a different folder on the same drive, here’s how:

  1. Close Lightroom.
  2. Open your operating system’s file browser (Finder or Windows Explorer), and navigate to the folder containing the catalog (.lrcat) and its associated preview caches (.lrdata). You can click the Show button in the Catalog Settings dialog (before closing Lightroom) to open your file browser to that folder.
  3. Copy the folder containing the catalog to your desired location.
  4. When the copy operation is complete, double-click the catalog file (.lrcat) to open it into Lightroom.
  5. Take a look around and make sure all is well (and it should be).
  6. Set that catalog in its new location as the Default Catalog.

By setting that catalog as the Default Catalog, the next time you launch Lightroom it will open that catalog. Once you’re satisfied all is well, and you have a good backup in place, you can remove the original catalog from its previous (unwanted) location.

If you want to take things to the next level to ensure you always open the correct catalog, you can create an Alias (PC: Shortcut) directly to the catalog file and leave that on your desktop. On Mac, Right-click the catalog file and choose Make Alias, then drag the Alias to your desktop (or wherever you wish). On Windows, Right-click the catalog file and choose Send to>Desktop (create shortcut), and it will create a shortcut on your desktop. From then on, when you want to open Lightroom, just double-click that Alias/Shortcut and you’ll know that you’re always opening that specific catalog at that specific location.

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Importing In The Background (While You Work On Other Stuff) https://lightroomkillertips.com/importing-background-work-stuff/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/importing-background-work-stuff/#comments Mon, 22 May 2017 08:16:01 +0000 http://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=9625 Welcome to a brand spankin’ new week — fresh and full of wonderful possibilities. Let’s make the most of it! 🙂 We kick this just-baked week off with a look at how to change a simple setting so you can import in the background while you’re working on something else. (of course, you won’t always want to do this, but when you, this is well worth knowing). Here’s how it’s done: SCENARIO: Let’s say you’re working on sorting some files in the Library module. Maybe you’re cleaning up your catalog, and combining other catalogs and images all into one single catalog (which is an awesome idea by the way – good on ya!), and you want to import some images, either from a memory card or maybe they’re already on an external hard drive, and you want to bring them into Lightroom. So far, so good, right? Well, as soon as you hit the Import button in the Import window, and those images start coming in, of course, Lightroom takes you to a screen displaying those images as they appear (as shown here, where I’m importing a folder full of different travel photos). So, it interrupted what you were doing, so show these images coming in, and that’s probably normally what we want to do, right — see the photos we’re importing now, ya know…unless we don’t. We could, instead keep right on working on our images, and just have them all import, and create all their previews and stuff in the background while we continue to work on what we were working on. You’re just one setting away.   STEP ONE: Go under Lightroom’s Preferences; click on the General Tab, and turn OFF the checkbox for ‘Select the “Current/Previous Import” collection during import’ checkbox (as shown here). Above: Now in that same scenario; it doesn’t switch to show the images that are importing — they continue to import in the background (shown circled here in red) and you can continue to work on what you were working on uninterrupted (as seen here). STEP TWO: When you’re finished working in that collection, and you want to go and see the images you imported in the background, click and hold on the name of the currently selected file down at the top left side of the Filmstrip and from the pop-up menu that appears choose “Previous Import” (as shown here). Hope you found that helpful. 🙂 I’m off to Indianapolis today for my Lightroom seminar there tomorrow. A big thanks to all the photographers who came out to my Minneapolis seminar on Friday — nearly 300 strong! (including eight or nine folks from Adobe’s own Lightroom team, who are based right there in Minneapolis). Great crowd – really friendly and fun. Also, I did get to meet directly with some of the Adobe folks while I was there and I carried your banner, sharing many of the thoughts, feature requests, and suggestions that you guys post here on the blog, or email me about, or hit me up on Twitter or FB about. They were very open and receptive, and I think it’s going to be a great year for Lightroom users everywhere. 🙂 Here’s to a heck of great Monday! Best, -Scott

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Welcome to a brand spankin’ new week — fresh and full of wonderful possibilities. Let’s make the most of it! 🙂

We kick this just-baked week off with a look at how to change a simple setting so you can import in the background while you’re working on something else. (of course, you won’t always want to do this, but when you, this is well worth knowing). Here’s how it’s done:

SCENARIO: Let’s say you’re working on sorting some files in the Library module. Maybe you’re cleaning up your catalog, and combining other catalogs and images all into one single catalog (which is an awesome idea by the way – good on ya!), and you want to import some images, either from a memory card or maybe they’re already on an external hard drive, and you want to bring them into Lightroom. So far, so good, right?

Well, as soon as you hit the Import button in the Import window, and those images start coming in, of course, Lightroom takes you to a screen displaying those images as they appear (as shown here, where I’m importing a folder full of different travel photos). So, it interrupted what you were doing, so show these images coming in, and that’s probably normally what we want to do, right — see the photos we’re importing now, ya know…unless we don’t. We could, instead keep right on working on our images, and just have them all import, and create all their previews and stuff in the background while we continue to work on what we were working on. You’re just one setting away.

 

STEP ONE: Go under Lightroom’s Preferences; click on the General Tab, and turn OFF the checkbox for ‘Select the “Current/Previous Import” collection during import’ checkbox (as shown here).

Above: Now in that same scenario; it doesn’t switch to show the images that are importing — they continue to import in the background (shown circled here in red) and you can continue to work on what you were working on uninterrupted (as seen here).

STEP TWO: When you’re finished working in that collection, and you want to go and see the images you imported in the background, click and hold on the name of the currently selected file down at the top left side of the Filmstrip and from the pop-up menu that appears choose “Previous Import” (as shown here).

Hope you found that helpful. 🙂

I’m off to Indianapolis today for my Lightroom seminar there tomorrow.
A big thanks to all the photographers who came out to my Minneapolis seminar on Friday — nearly 300 strong! (including eight or nine folks from Adobe’s own Lightroom team, who are based right there in Minneapolis). Great crowd – really friendly and fun.

Also, I did get to meet directly with some of the Adobe folks while I was there and I carried your banner, sharing many of the thoughts, feature requests, and suggestions that you guys post here on the blog, or email me about, or hit me up on Twitter or FB about. They were very open and receptive, and I think it’s going to be a great year for Lightroom users everywhere. 🙂

Here’s to a heck of great Monday!

Best,

-Scott

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I’m Back, and It’s Time for a Quick Lightroom Tip https://lightroomkillertips.com/back-time-quick-mobile-lightroom-tip/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/back-time-quick-mobile-lightroom-tip/#comments Mon, 24 Apr 2017 08:16:46 +0000 http://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=9547 Here's how to make Lightroom show both your RAW image, plus your JPEG image as two separate files (for those folks who shoot RAW + JPEG on their camera).

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Hi Gang – I’m back from a wildly fun week at the Photoshop World 2017 Conference in Orlando, so I should be back on my regular blogging schedule again. Such a great conference – met so many great people, including lots that read the blog (btw: I posted a ton of photos today over on my daily blog at http://scottkelby.com if you want to see what it was like). A big shoutout of thanks for everybody who came out! 🙂

Today, just a quick tip – but it’s a thing I get asked about a lot, and that question is…

Q. I shoot in RAW + JPEG mode on my camera. Is there a way that I can see both files, the RAW and the JPEG as separate files, rather than just the RAW file?

A. Absolutely! It’s actually a preference setting (see below):

Just go to Lightroom’s preferences, under General, and turn on the checkbox for ‘Treat JPEG files next to raw files as separate photos’ as seen above. Now, your JPEG file will appear right beside your RAW file, as its own separate thumbnail.

Hope that helps. 🙂

It’s great to be back, and I’m already working on “Part Two” of my “Everything Else in Lightroom” course. Can’t wait! 🙂

Best,

-Scott

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5 Tips For Using a Wacom Tablet With Lightroom https://lightroomkillertips.com/5-tips-using-wacom-tablet-lightroom/ https://lightroomkillertips.com/5-tips-using-wacom-tablet-lightroom/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2017 08:16:33 +0000 http://lightroomkillertips.com/?p=9296 This is one of those classic "best of" articles (from Matt) that was so good, and still so perfectly relevant, that I wanted to share it with all our new readers (and folks who missed it the first time around).

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Hi Gang: This is one of those classic “best of” posts from Matt that was so good, and so helpful, that I wanted to share it with all the new folks here on blog (and for those who might have missed it the first time around. If you’re using a tablet with Lightroom (or even thinking about it), this is still so relevant — definitely worth the read.

I always try to sit down and think up things that have become totally vital to my Lightroom workflow. Sometimes those things are right inside Lightroom, but I have to say if there’s one non-Lightroom thing that I can’t live without for my photos, it’s my Wacom tablet. No joke. I know I shouldn’t have to say this, but Wacom doesn’t pay me a penny to write about them. And honestly, if you don’t own a tablet then this post isn’t even for you because it’s probably hard for you to envision where you’d use the tips/settings I’m about to give. This is for people that are as addicted as I am. I’ve just come to rely on my tablet so much, that I literally feel lost when I have to edit without it. I’ve even changed my preferences on which tablet I use because I travel a lot, and just got used to the Small Intuos Pro tablet because it fits right in to my laptop bag. Anyway, on to my point here.

Before the 5 Tips, Let Me First Explain Where They Came From
First off, let me acknowledge that everyone works different (obviously). And the tablets have a TON of ways for you to customize them. You could literally come up with a hundred shortcuts for your tablet for Lightroom, Photoshop and anything else you want. Me, I can’t remember that many things so I try to keep it simple. My preferences aren’t fancy and I don’t think they touch a fraction of the things they could. I’m okay with that though, because they work for me.

My Tablet/Lightroom Workflow
For me, I usually don’t feel I need a tablet when I’m going through my photos and finding favorites. I actually don’t mind just putting my hand on the keyboard, hitting the right arrow key, and pressing P (for Pick), or X to reject. I (again, personally) find the keyboard faster for this. The tablet just doesn’t feel right for it.

But once I have my picks and go in to Edit mode, I like to sit back with my tablet on my lap in front of the computer, and start working. The keyboard is usually in front of me, out of immediate easy reach. At that point, any time I have to go to the keyboard for something, it takes extra time. For me, that’s where the tablet comes in to play. To do things that I can’t do quickly otherwise or would slow down my workflow.

Okay… On to the 5 Tips/Ways I Use My Wacom Tablet in Lightroom

1. Adjustment Brush
This one is a gimmee. The Adjustment Brush has pressure sensitive settings with it. So as I paint on an effect with my pen/tablet, I can control how much of the effect I add by changing how hard I press on the tablet. If you look at the screen shot below, you can see what I mean. Just as an example, I dramatically changed the Exposure setting to show it off. On the left is the result of when I press very lightly with the pen on to the tablet. On the right is when I press hard. Now think of how this could help you if you were retouching portraits or dodging and burning on a photo.

2. Touch Ring for Brush size (Adj. Brush and Spot Removal tool)
The touch ring is this touch-sensitive circular ring that lets you put your finger on and move it clockwise or counter-clockwise around it. I use this, again, with the Adjustment Brush to control the size of the brush. I also use it with the Spot Removal brush to control the size of the brush as I clone or heal.

3. Before/After View
This is one of those things I do all of the time when I’m editing. I want to see the Before/After view. The keyboard shortcut for it is the backslash key (\). Since I don’t want to interrupt my work, I set up one of the ExpressKeys to a custom keystroke of (you guessed it), the backslash key. Then I just press that ExpressKey when I want to toggle to the Before and After.

4. Express Key for Previous Button
One of my favorite buttons in Lightroom is the Previous button in the lower right corner of the Develop module. Basically, it applies the settings from the previous photo to your current photo. While they may not work exactly perfect on the photo, they’re usually a good starting point. While the Previous button doesn’t have a keyboard shortcut, if you go to the Settings menu you’ll find what’s just as good. It’s under Settings > Paste Setting from Previous. So it pastes the settings from the previously edited photo on to my currently selected photo. Pretty much the same thing as the Previous button. Again, I set that up as an ExpressKey.

5. Full Screen View
Finally, I’m always pressing F on the keyboard to see my photo full screen, without the interface around it. I know it’s a simple one, but I use it all the time so I just set up another ExpressKey with a custom keystroke of the F key.

I’d love to hear any essentials you have for working with your tablet. I know mine are simple and I hope you didn’t come here thinking I’d give you some crazy secret long Wacom shortcut list. Honestly, I feel really safe in saying that, while I don’t use a fraction of the features that they offer, the ones I do use are absolutely essential to me. So if you’re a tablet user, I hope they help you out. Thanks — Matt

That’s it for today (it’s me Scott now); thanks to all the great folks who tuned in for yesterday’s first episode of “The Grid” for 2017 — we had such a great time (and I really love my guest). 😉

Have a great Thursday everybody, and we’ll catch you back here tomorrow. 🙂

Best,

-Scott

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