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Posts Tagged ‘Previews’

Why Using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC is a Good Idea (and How to Set Them Up)

25 Nov

The post Why Using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC is a Good Idea (and How to Set Them Up) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

smart-previews-in-lightroom-cc

Smart Previews in Lightroom CC will help enhance your workflow. They are a smaller file you can work with rather than working on full-sized RAW files.

One of the biggest advantages of using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC is when you work remotely. You can store your RAW files on your main hard drive and keep the smart previews on your portable drive. So if you have your RAW files imported to your main computer hard disk, you can make smart previews for your laptop or external drive. You can even store them on a flash memory device like a thumb drive, SD card, or the cloud.

Smart Previews Lightroom CC

How to use Smart Previews in Lightroom CC

Creating Smart Previews in Lightroom CC is easy and can be done when you import your files or at a later time. Lightroom makes a smaller DNG file (an Adobe Digital Negative RAW image file.) These are compressed and take up a fraction of the space RAW files do. The DNG files are located in a separate folder than the RAW files of the same images.

To configure Lightroom CC to create Smart Previews when you import photos, go to the File Handling panel. This is on the right of your screen after you have clicked on the Import button. Make sure that the Build Smart Previews box is checked.

Smart Previews Lightroom CC

You can create Smart Previews in Lightroom CC when you’ve already imported your photos.

Select the files you want to make Smart Previews of in the Grid mode. Go to Library in the top menu and choose Previews->Build Smart Previews. When an image has a Smart Preview, there is an icon indicating this in the Histogram window.

Why Using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC is a Good Idea (and How to Set Them Up)

Working on a smart preview in the Lightroom Develop Module, you will be working on the compressed DNG file. This means your computer will run faster. To ensure you have this enabled, go to Edit->Preferences. Check the box ‘Use Smart Previews instead of Originals for image editing.’

Why Using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC is a Good Idea (and How to Set Them Up)

What are the main advantages of Smart Previews

The three main advantages of using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC are:

  1. Speed up your workflow
  2. Save hard drive space
  3. Easier remote editing

Once you have created the Smart Previews, your computer manages the image files using fewer hardware resources. The file sizes are smaller, so they draw less of the computer’s CPU, GPU and RAM.

Working with Lightroom CC on a laptop or with an external drive is better with Smart Previews. You do not need to have all your RAW files on a remote hard drive to be able to keep editing. Your edits will be auto-synced (keep reading to learn how to do this).

Remote editing from a laptop or classroom computer is much easier. This is because catalogs with smart previews are so much smaller. By only exporting the DNG files with your catalogs, you are saving a huge amount of space.

Smart Previews Lightroom CC

How to export and re-sync using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC

Once you have imported your photos and created Smart Previews in a Lightroom CC catalog, you can export the catalog or part of it. Simply go to File->Export as catalog and make sure to check these boxes:

  • Export selected photos only
  • Build/Include Smart Previews
  • Include Available Previews

You don’t have to check the ‘Include Available Previews’. But if you have already made adjustments to some images, it’s a good idea to.

Uncheck the ‘Export Negative Files’ box.

NOTE: If you leave this one checked, you’ll be including all the RAW files. This is what you are wanting to avoid.

Why Using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC is a Good Idea (and How to Set Them Up)

Save the file where you can locate it again easily. Now you can copy it to another storage device or the cloud.

When opening Lightroom on your laptop or another computer, select the catalog from your storage device. You can work from your device or copy the catalog to the drive of the computer you are working on.

If you open the catalog from where it’s stored, all the changes you make in Lightroom will be saved there. Copying the catalog file to the hard drive of the computer you are now working on requires you to export it again when you’re finished.

To bring the files you have worked on back to your main computer, simply connect the portable storage. Copy the Lightroom catalog with the images you’ve been working on back onto your main computer’s hard drive.

To do this, go to File->Import from Another Catalog. Now locate the catalog from your portable storage. From the drop-down box, select ‘Replace: metadata and develop settings only.’ Click OK. Your Smart Previews will appear in your catalog, including the changes you made.

Smart Previews Lightroom CC

Conclusion

Using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC is a game-changer if you often work on your photos from more than one computer. Being able to make use of your laptop because the file sizes are smaller and more portable is a great advantage. It may seem like a little more work to set up to use Smart Previews, but once you have done it a few times, it will seamlessly become part of your post-processing workflow.

Do you use Smart Previews? What are your thoughts? Share with us in the comments.

 

The post Why Using Smart Previews in Lightroom CC is a Good Idea (and How to Set Them Up) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.


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Adobe previews improved Photoshop Content-Aware Fill capabilities that are coming ‘soon’

28 Sep

Adobe has offered a sneak peek look at the Content-Aware Fill update it will be bringing to Photoshop in the near future. The changes are introduced by Photoshop Product Manager Meredith Stotzner, who explains that Adobe plans to add new ‘Auto’ and ‘Custom’ sampling area options to the tool when it is opened using the application’s Edit menu, these joining the existing ‘Rectangular’ option.

By tapping its Sensei AI technology, the Content-Aware Fill’s new Auto option will analyze the image, find the pixels immediately bordering a selection and then apply the fill using those pixels for an improved final result. The Custom option, meanwhile, gives users complete control over the sampling area selection so that users can ‘brush [their] sampling area from scratch,’ according to Stotzner.

A demonstration of both of these new capabilities have been shared by Adobe in the video above. The company says it will be introducing Auto and Custom to Content-Aware Fill soon, but it hasn’t provided a specific release date at this time. The video indicates the update will arrive before the end of the year.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Microsoft releases Raw Image Extension to get raw image previews on Windows 10

06 Jun

Windows 10 does not ship with native support for previewing raw image files, meaning users can’t view thumbnails or metadata in the Photos app or Windows File Explorer. Microsoft has a solution for photographers in need of this capability, however, and it’s called the Raw Image Extension.

A screenshot of the download page for Raw Image Extension.

The Raw Image Extension gives Windows 10 native support for previewing raw file formats from ‘many mid- to high-end digital cameras,’ according to Microsoft. Once installed, both Windows File Explorer and the Photos app in Windows 10 will support displaying thumbnails and metadata for these raw image files.

The extension is only supported on systems that have installed the Windows 10 May 2019 Update version 1903. Microsoft utilized the libraw open source project for this extension; a full list of supported formats is available here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Twitter is using AI to intelligently crop image previews

26 Jan

Twitter added the ability to upload images back in 2011, and while many people take advantage of that feature, one of its big drawbacks is crappy cropping. As Twitter engineers explained in a recent post, the platform automatically crops image previews for the sake of consistency, but these crops usually focus on the center of the image… often at the expense of the photo’s subject.

A poorly cropped image may hide the most interesting aspect of the photo—instead presenting a glimpse of a wall, empty sky, or something else similarly boring. And that adorable photo of Fido is a lot less adorable when it’s cropped right through the center of his head.

According to Twitter engineers Zehan Wang and Lucas Theis, the company at one point used facial recognition to somewhat solve this issue. With that, the system would identify the most prominent face in an image and base the crop around it. The system wasn’t perfect, though, nor relevant to images without faces.

A better system, the researchers explain, is one that focuses on saliency—that is, on the parts of the image that are prominent and mostly likely to be noticed. In other words: the most ‘eye-catching’ part of the photo.

“In general, people tend to pay more attention to faces, text, animals, but also other objects and regions of high contrast,” the duo explain. While a neural network can be trained to identify the salient parts of an image, it presents its own issue: it is too slow to put into production.

However, the team found a solution to that problem—one that enables Twitter’s platform to immediately detect the most ‘eye-catching’ part of an image and then crop with that at its center. The end result are image previews more likely to contain interesting elements that, as demonstrated in the screenshots above.

Twitter began rolling out its improved image preview cropping earlier this week, which means all of those really pretty landscape photos and product shots that pop up on the DPReview Twitter should be cropped a lot better in short order.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The New Canon 6D Mark II – Hands-On Previews and Thoughts

04 Aug

Recently Canon announced the release of their update to the 6D, its popular full frame camera body, with the Canon 6D Mark II. It’s getting some mixed reviews – let’s see what these reviewers thought:

PhotoRec TV – too many deal breakers?

Things many consider this camera to be lacking include:

  • No 4K video capability
  • No headphone jack (but there is one for a microphone)
  • Flash sync speed of only 1/180th of a second
  • Only one memory card slot

Pros:

  • Finally a fully reticulating/tilting (touch) screen on a full frame camera
  • A full frame Canon body that includes WiFi and Bluetooth finally (and GPS)

digiDIRECT – hands on first impressions

Some points from this review:

  • Improved battery life
  • Body has improved weather sealing
  • New 26.2 megapixel sensor
  • Increased low light performance (native ISO up to 40,000)
  • 45 cross-type autofocus points (over 11 on the original 6D)
  • Dual pixel focus
  • A burst rate of 6.5 fps (compared to the 6D which does 4.5 fps)
  • This camera is aimed more towards still photographers, not those doing video because of some thing it lacks (no 4K video, no headphone jack)
  • It does, however, have a new time-lapse feature

Thorough overview of the 6D Mark II by Tony Northrup

In this video, Tony goes over most of the new features of the Canon 6D Mark II as compared to other camera bodies in the Canon line-up and other brands. See what he thinks are the pros and cons of this new Canon.

Ready to buy the 6D Mark II?

If you feel this is the camera for you – they are supposed to be available by the end of July, order yours on Amazon now.

Have you tried it out, is it on your wish list? Share your thoughts on the Canon 6D Mark II below.

The post The New Canon 6D Mark II – Hands-On Previews and Thoughts by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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MIT previews autonomous tracking drone

23 May

Despite camera drones becoming more and more intelligent, high-quality aerial tracking shots normally still require a large degree of human input. A research project at the MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is aiming to change that. The team has developed a drone that does not require any human control for recording tracking shots. 

Users can specify a viewing angle as well as the position and size of the target’s face on the screen and the drone will remain locked onto its target while also avoiding any obstacles in its flight path. Tracking parameters can be changed in-flight and the drone will adjust its position accordingly. Users can also attach a weighting to parameters, so the drone can prioritize in situations when it’s impossible to maintain all specified parameters. 

The MIT drone and tracking system will be presented at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Singapore at the end of the month. You can see the MIT drone in action in the video below and find more information on the MIT website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Why There are 6 Types of Lightroom Previews and How to Use Them

13 May

Previews are an essential part of the Lightroom workflow. But with so many different types of Lightroom previews, it’s easy to get confused. For example, do you know the difference between minimal, standard and 1:1 previews? Or what a Smart Preview does? Or why 1:1 previews are useless in the Develop module?

The differences are more than academic. The way you use previews makes a big difference to Lightroom’s speed and efficiency. If you want Lightroom to run at optimal speed, you need to build the right previews. Let’s take a look at how to do that.

Lightroom Previews

Why does Lightroom build previews?

If you open a photo in Photoshop, there is no preview. You are looking at the photo itself. So why does Lightroom need previews? The answer lies in the fact that Photoshop and Lightroom edit photos in different ways.

Photoshop is a pixel editor. It changes the pixels of your photo and saves those changes in the file. Lightroom is a parametric editor. It doesn’t change the original photo file in any way. Instead, it keeps a record of any changes made to the photo in the Catalog. As the original photo is unchanged, Lightroom needs to use previews to show you how your photos look after you have edited them.

Let’s take a look at each of the different types of Lightroom previews.

Library module previews

There are several types of preview you can build in the Library module. Previews are used by Lightroom to display your photos in the Library module. They help you view, zoom, rate, and flag photos – all the organizational stuff you want to do in this section.

Whenever you import photos into Lightroom it gives you the option of selecting the type of preview to build. There are four choices. The first two (Minimal and Embedded & Sidecar) are relevant if you want to import photos quickly and are happy with a low-resolution preview.

Lightroom previews

Minimal previews:

These are the smallest previews possible. Minimal previews save space and time but don’t give you a high-quality Library module preview.

Embedded & Sidecar previews:

This option uses the preview built into the Raw file if there is one.

Minimal and Embedded & Sidecar previews are temporary. If you choose either of these options Lightroom builds its own better quality previews as soon as it can. This slows down the browsing process in the Library module. For this reason, I only recommend selecting Minimal or Embedded & Sidecar previews when you need to import photos rapidly.

The next two options are ones you are most likely to use. They give you good quality previews that you can use to view photos.

Standard previews

Builds a preview for viewing images in Loupe View, but without zooming in. You can set the size of standard previews in the Catalog Settings. The best option to pick is Auto. With Auto, Lightroom builds previews that match your monitor resolution.

Lightroom takes longer to build Standard previews than it does to create Minimal or Embedded & Sidecar previews. But the benefit is that the Library module runs much faster.

Lightroom previews

The only problem with Standard previews is that they are not designed for zooming into your photos. When you zoom in, Lightroom has to build a 1:1 preview. So there’s a delay that slows the Library module down in displaying your image full size.

1:1 previews

The best quality previews of all are 1:1, but it’s the one that takes longest to build. This is a full-size preview that lets you zoom into your photos at 100% when looking at them in Loupe view. With 1:1 previews there is no delay when you zoom into a photo.

The only drawback of 1:1 previews is that they take up a lot of hard drive space. Lightroom handles that by discarding 1:1 previews after a set amount of time. The default is 30 days, but you can change that in the Catalog settings if you need to.

Lightroom previews

Smart Previews

Adobe introduced Smart Previews in Lightroom 5. A Smart Preview is a high-quality, highly compressed preview that measures 2540 pixels along the longest edge. Smart Previews are used by Lightroom CC to synchronize with Lightroom mobile and Lightroom web.

The option to create Smart Previews is available in the Import window.

Lightroom previews

Smart Previews are different from the other Library module previews because they can also be used in the Develop module. The advantage of this is that you can develop photos using Smart Previews when the hard drive containing your original photo files isn’t connected to your hard drive.

This feature lets you use Smart Previews to develop photos while you are traveling. All you need is a laptop, a copy of your Lightroom Catalog and the preview files containing Library module previews (1:1, standard, etc.) and Smart Previews. So you don’t have to take the hard drive containing the original photos and worry about losing it while on the road.

If you’re a Lightroom CC subscriber Smart Previews also let you use Lightroom mobile and Lightroom web.

Lightroom previews

The Lightroom folder contains the Lightroom Catalog and the preview folders you need to run Lightroom on any computer.

Smart previews save space and can be built later as well

Earlier I said that Smart Previews are both highly compressed and high-quality. This sounds like a contradiction but it’s true. I don’t know how Adobe have done it but the result is that you can’t tell a Smart Preview apart from a full-size preview in terms of image quality. The only difference is that a Smart Preview is smaller.

You can build Standard, 1:1, or Smart Previews at any time in the Library module by selecting the images and going to Library > Previews and selecting the preview type required. The option to build Minimal or Embedded & Sidecar previews only appears in the Import window.

Lightroom previews

Develop module previews

When you switch from the Library module to the Develop module the preview Lightroom uses to display your photos changes. Lightroom renders high-quality previews that let you see the result of actions like adding sharpening, applying noise reduction, and retouching images.

These previews are cached rather than saved in a preview file, otherwise, they would rapidly eat up most of your hard drive space.

Creating 1:1 previews in the Library module makes no difference to the speed at which Lightroom renders previews in the Develop module. But if a Smart Preview exists for the photo Lightroom uses the Smart Preview instead of rendering a Develop module preview under one of two conditions.

a. The hard drive containing the original photo file is disconnected from the computer.

b. You have Lightroom CC 2015.7 or Lightroom 6.7 or later, the hard drive containing the original photo file is connected to the computer, and you have the Use Smart Previews instead of Original for image editing preference enabled in Preferences (see below). Note that if you zoom into 1:1 Lightroom stops using the Smart Preview and renders a full-size preview instead.

Lightroom previews

Smart Previews are smaller than full-size previews. That enables Lightroom to run faster when Smart Previews are used in the Develop module. The speed increase can be quite significant. If you don’t need to zoom into your photos at 100% magnification then the benefits are considerable.

Conclusion

Lightroom previews are somewhat confusing, especially for newcomers to the software. This is hardly surprising considering there are six types of them! So let’s keep things simple. These are my recommended previews to use.

When you import images into Lightroom, choose either Standard or 1:1 previews. If you intend to zoom into your images while viewing them in Loupe view, you definitely want to pick 1:1 previews. Otherwise, pick Standard.

If you’re a Lightroom CC subscriber and you want to view the images in Lightroom mobile or Lightroom web then tick the Build Smart Previews box. Do the same if you intend to use Smart Previews in the Develop module.

Any questions? Let me know in the comments section below.

If you’d like to learn more about Lightroom, then please check out my popular Mastering Lightroom ebooks.

The post Why There are 6 Types of Lightroom Previews and How to Use Them by Andrew S. Gibson appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Adobe announces Technology Previews for Lightroom on the Web with subject-identifying Search feature

19 Mar

Adobe has launched Technology Previews for Lightroom on the Web, allowing Lightroom users to test new features before they are officially rolled out. To get things started, Adobe has released a Technology Preview that introduces ‘Search,’ a feature that uses new image analysis technology to identify photos based on subjects. 

According to Adobe, the search function lets users search for any photograph that has been synced online using Lightroom on the Web, Lightroom for mobile, or one of the Lightroom desktop applications. Search terms like ‘food’ or ‘flowers’ will reportedly be indexed whether or not the photos contain any keywords. Users can access the feature by first logging into Lightroom on the Web, then clicking the ‘Lr’ menu in the top left corner and selecting ‘Technology Preview’ from the menu. Search will then index synced photos.

The new search function is only available in English, though Adobe says it will be provided for other languages once the final version is officially rolled out. Before that happens, though, Adobe plans to expand Search’s functionality, adding support for metadata searches and more. 

Via: Adobe

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Windows 8 – Speed up Your Taskbar Thumbnail Previews

22 Apr

Disable animations when viewing thumbnail previews of open windows via your Windows 8.1 Taskbar to save you time.

Just as with Windows 7, when you hover over Taskbar icons, previews of open windows appear. These don’t normally snap onscreen but fade in and out of view, and if you move between Taskbar icons the previews become animated.

If you don’t care for the Windows 8,1 Taskbar animations and would rather save time by disabling them, the following tweak does so:…

Read more at MalekTips.
New Computer and Technology Help and Tips – MalekTips.Com

 
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Fujifilm UK previews customized X-series cameras at TPS

05 Mar

x20b2.jpg

Fujifilm UK is preparing a new service allowing certain X-series cameras to be customized with a range of different colors and body textures. The company has shown customized cameras at The Photography Show this week in Birmingham, UK, and pages for an ‘X Signature’ service are live on its website, but some pages lead to errors and the company has not enabled purchases yet. Click through for more information.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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