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Preview Unavailable For This File

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Preview Unavailable For This File

What’s going on when Lightroom’s import preview window says, “Preview Unavailable For This File?” You shoot camera raw and, you probably have a new camera. 

Preview Unavailable For This File

The Adobe DNG Converter (Mac + PC) may be the solution. But first, let’s look at two reasons this could be happening:

  1. Adobe can’t update a new camera’s updated proprietary raw data the moment it comes out. You usually have to wait for these camera raw updates to be added to the next “dot” version release. This would be for Creative Cloud apps of Lightroom and Photoshop.
  2. The other reason could be that you’re using Lightroom 6, Photoshop CS6 or earlier. Lightroom 6, the last version of Lightroom that was sold as a DVD installation (AKA “perpetual version”). This was last updated on December 17th, 2017 and there will be no more updates, ever. If you’ve not updated your original Lightroom 6 to 6.1.4, there are updates and you can find the Lightroom 6 updates here. The update offers some bug fixes and adds the camera raw updates current at that time.

There’s a pretty good chance that converting the proprietary camera raw files of a camera manufacturer to DNG, will eliminate the “Preview Unavailable For This File” warning. DNG is the universal camera raw format, that both Lightroom and Photoshop can recognize.

In this video, you’ll learn how to download the Adobe DNG Converter, change your proprietary camera raw files to universal DNGs that Lightroom can “see” and import them to Lightroom.

What’s the workaround if the Adobe DNG Converter doesn’t solve the issue of importing your new camera photos into Lightroom? Camera manufacturers usually have their own software, like Nikon’s ViewNX-i. They update the software with each new camera release to include camera raw formula changes and can also convert to DNG. Check your camera manufacturer’s website. Their software should hold you until Adobe does their next dot release update.

Prevent Catastrophic Data Loss…

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prevent catastrophic data loss

©2018 D.A.Wagner

…Using a NAS

Prevent Catastrophic Data Loss

It has now become “Prevent Catastrophic Data Loss Month” at Lightroom Guy.

It was barely three weeks ago that I wrote about the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy. This week, the #2 in my strategy, my 8-year old RAID (an OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2) died. Not the four hard drives inside, but the enclosure unit itself died, which has been running non-stop since 2010. Not a bad lifespan for a physical device! Still, the data on these drives are lost without taking extreme measures.

Before going out and spending  any money on a replacement system, I did extensive research on the current state of backup hard drive systems and this blog post is the result of my research. We’re nothing if not particular about the hardware we use and recommend and figured this topic would make a great post since it is such a critical aspect of digital photography!

Based on my research, I have decided on getting a new NAS RAID system as my primary backup for my 2012 Mac Pro Tower. Fortunately, the #3 in my backup strategy has saved me from potential catastrophe! All of my computer hard drives are backed up in the cloud, using Backblaze.

prevent catastrophic data loss

It’s time to replace my local backup device. ©2018 D.A.Wagner

I realize all of the acronyms can be a little confusing, so read on for further explanation …

What’s a RAID?

A RAID (stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks) enclosure contains two or more hard drives that can be used for storage or for backup. Using multiple hard drives increases the amount of storage over using the limited space (and sometimes speed) of single hard drive. We recommend our clients to use one of two RAID setup methods: RAID 1 or RAID 5 (explanations below).

And, things have changed considerably in the past 8 years. This time around I decided to get a NAS (Networked Attached Storage) RAID enclosure (NAS explanation also below).

RAID 1

Simply put, a RAID 1 is about redundancy. It works like two separate external hard drives, but it’s all in one enclosure and looks like one hard on your desktop. This is also known as mirroring. If a drive fails, you have a full backup on the other half of the RAID 1.

RAID 5

RAID 5 is about speed. Failure of one hard drive will not result in the loss of data. It’s pretty safe, but it’s not quite as safe as mirroring. It treats a group of hard drives like one drive. This makes for increased speed in data saving and recovery, while the failure of any one drive.  In a RAID 5, if one hard drive fails (sometimes two, depending up configuration), the failed drives can be replaced without losing any data. In the rare event two drives fail at the same time, then there’s a problem with backup recovery.

NAS

NAS is hard drive enclosure for storing data that can be attached to your home network for wireless access. This can be a single hard drive or a RAID with multiple drives. Unlike a hardwired RAID though, you can setup a NAS to backup all the devices in your home. You access a NAS via your home network wirelessly over WiFi.  That would be your home modem or router.

The Search for a Reliable NAS Was Too Easy!

prevent catastrophic data lossWe’ve installed quite a few of them for our clients – mostly Asus (1), QNAP (3),and Synology (7). However, this search was short work. It didn’t take long for me to discover that Synology, which has been the easiest to install is also top rated on nearly every review site we looked at, including the New York Times’ Wirecutter website, PC Magazine online and CNET. The list goes on and on with Synology consistently coming in at the top of nearly every list with multiple models.

The biggest challenge after deciding on Synology was, which model to purchase. I had the options of choosing a 4 or 5 bay NAS enclosure. With the price of large capacity hard drives dropping nearly monthly, I opted for Synology’s DS416 Slim, a 4 bay NAS Diskstation, a low-profile, space-saving enclosure that will fit right into my Mac Pro Tower’s Metroshelf unit.

The Hard Drives

prevent catastrophic data lossNext, was to decide on a new set of hard drives. My last RAID had 4TB hard drives and was getting full. Since a local backup is my first line of defense, I wanted a larger capacity hard drives with an excellent warranty. Drives fail, especially when they’re running 24/7. And, for the record, I’ve replaced a number of failed drives within that warranty period with no manufacturer problems. My final decision was based on Tom’s Hardware review of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro Hard Drives with a 5-year warranty. The review was of the 12TB drive, but included positive commentary on 6, 10 and 12TB drives as well. I trust Tom’s advice. These drives are not a cheap solution, they’re a reliable one. That’s the most important consideration.

Now, with 4-Seagate 10TB Ironwolf Pro drives in my new Synology NAS, I have sufficient space to backup of my large library of photos on my Tower, and the 4 other Macs in the house without having to worry about space issues for years to come.

Struggling to find a backup solution for your growing photo library? Consider upgrading to a NAS and, if you need installation or setup help, contact us here at Lightroom Guy for an estimate.

Note: We receive a commission when you make a purchase through one of our Lightroom Guy links. It won’t cost you more and it helps support Lightroom Guy.

Lightroom Classic CC Version 8 is Here …

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… and we’re not sure why.

Lightroom Classic CC Version 8

Lightroom Classic CC Version 8

Lightroom Classic CC Version 8 Splash Screen

Adobe is branding this as a full version update of Lightroom Classic. However most of the updates and changes are under-the-hood improvements with a few important, feature specific improvements. Since this release coincides with the start of the 2018 Adobe MAX conference, we assume the marketing department wanted to have a bigger sounding headline. Nevertheless, these updates are welcome and demonstrate Adobe’s ongoing commitment that Lightroom Classic CC isn’t going away.

Given the total number of updated features and bug fixes we thought it best to give you a review what we feel are the four most notable improvements. The laundry list, with short notes, of everything else is at the bottom of this post for those interested in more details about this “major” release.

And, unlike previous major releases, version 8 will not upgrade your current catalog by creating a new “-2” catalog. Your catalog and its name will remain unchanged.

Luminance Range Mask

If you have been using the new Range Masking features, you’ll appreciate this useful update. The Luminance Range Masking panel now includes an eyedropper tool for faster sampling of a single point or a range of luminance. Along with this added feature, there is now a “Show Luminance Mask” checkbox. This shows a preview your luminance mask selection against a monochrome version of your photo.

Lightroom Classic CC Version 8

Luminance Range Masking Now Includes an Eyedropper and Mask Preview

Depth Range Mask

Lightroom has added Depth Range Masking support for HEIC format images. HEIC is a new format which we expect will slowly replace the JPG format. The HEIC format has a lot of advantages, least of which is the ability to record how far away objects are from the camera.

This version of Lightroom will be able to read that information which will allow users to be able to select the different depths and selectively apply local adjustments. Depth Range Masking will work the same way Luminance Range masking works, with an eyedropper to sample points and similar set of sliders.

Currently, the only cameras that use depth range information are Apple iPhones shooting in the Portrait mode (7+, 8+ and X’s). Read more about this feature here.

Negative Dehaze Improvements

Ever since its introduction, the Dehaze slider has been hugely popular! It was initially designed to help compensate for the perceived effect of humidity/moisture in the air. However, the actual effect is so dramatic that many users love to use the slider to quickly punch up their images.

In this release, significant improvements have been made to Dehaze when making negative adjustments (moving the slider to the left). These changes are reflected in something called Process Version and Adobe has updated this release to Process Version 5 (PV5). In PV4, negative Dehaze adjustments would make an image appear to have an overall milky haze. In PV5 we see a notable change with contrast, color and details far better preserved. Positive Dehaze slider results remain the same.

Negative Dehaze is Improved in Lightroom Classic Version 8

Using Negative Dehaze Slider Settings No Longer Add a Milky Haze

Improved Tether Support for Canon

Professional photographers will appreciate that the Lightroom development team have been working on a complete overhaul of the tethering features, to be released in future updates. That said, Adobe has decided to throw some direct support  to only Canon users for the moment. With this version, Canon users have improved tethering, faster performance and shorter time between capture and loupe view of images with improved reliability with less hanging or crashes. Nikon’s tether performance enhancements (as well as support for other cameras) will be in upcoming releases. We expect to see additional improvements and features for tethering in the near future.

Adobe has released more details on tethering support here.

Now, for the Version 8 Laundry List …

New camera support

The new Nikon Z7 and Canon EOS-R mirrorless cameras are supported in this release. For a full list of camera raw supported cameras click here.
Updated Lightroom/ACR Lens correction support 

Process Version Update

There is now process version 5. With significant improvements made for high ISO RAW files and the Dehaze slider. Negative Dehaze slider adjustment results are improved, making for better perceptual changes. High ISO files show less color aberration and improved shadow detail.

Single Step HDR Panorama Merge

This is a great addition for photographers who shoot Panoramas and use multiple exposure HDR techniques for expanded range of tone. As a result, this feature simplifies the merging and stitching process into a single menu item. Read more about this feature here.

Video and Slideshow Library
These are under-the-hood performance updates that should improve usability.

Playing AVI files on macOS
Older AVI format video files will now open and play in a pop-up window.

HEVC Support for macOS 10.13 or higher
Support has been added for new HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) video format being used by Apple on newer iPhones.  Read more about this feature here.

System Requirements Update – Not supported in Lightroom Classic version 8:

  • MacOS 10.11.x
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 10 v1511 and v1607

Read more about Lightroom system requirements here.

New Licensing Library

You must be logged in to the Creative Cloud to use the program in this and all future versions.

Compiler Upgrade on macOS and Windows

This relates to performance optimization – hopefully we will see some more speed improvements with this version!

Jeffrey Freidl (or other) Lightroom Plugins

If you have any of Jeffrey’s excellent Lightroom plugins (or other third party plugins), you may have to update them to work with this version.

Click here for Adobe’s “What’s New” page with full notes

Click here for Adobe’s official blog post on the Lightroom Classic CC version 8 release

3-2-1 Backup Strategy

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The Number One Reason to Backup Your Photos!

“About half of all computer users either know someone or they themselves have recently lost photos or data.”

After two completely different experiences this year, one of which happened just this week, I’m writing about why backup of photos (and other files!) is so critical. Actually, to be safe, you’ll want to have three copies: one on your computer, one on a backup drive locally (in your location – traveling with you, home, office, etc.) and one in the cloud (AKA online). It’s called the 3-2-1 backup strategy and you can read more about it here.

What We Do to Keep Our Photos and Files Safe

Don't fall for quick backup strategies

NOTE

Before leaving on any trip, I always copy my important workshop files to my laptop from my desktop computer and create a backup to a Time Machine drive that I take with me. My wife follows the same routine. We shut down our respective computers at home and unplug them as a matter of practice. So far, that’s one copy on the laptop, one on Time Machine. Two copies, both local.

Backblaze to backupWe also have all of our computers, laptops and desktops, backed up to the cloud with Backblaze as an additional precaution. Backblaze is automatic and backups happen in the background while we work (just like Time Machine on Macs). We never have to consciously do anything; it’s a set it and forget application that works on both Macs and PCs. That’s three copies now: a belt, suspenders and a safety pin. With this much backup, what could go wrong?

Plenty, if I only had the first two copies.

Unexpected Disaster

The first time was in Paris in April (sounds romantic, doesn’t it?), shooting reference photos for a children’s book. I could never have imagined that both my external library drive and my Time machine drive could fail in the same day but fail they did. And I have the bad habit of reformatting my memory cards after they’ve been backed up to Time Machine. Duh. My photos were gone!

Backup your photos

So, without getting into the details of what exactly happened, this would have been a disaster (not to mention unprofessional) without a cloud backup. To make this potential misfortune even worse, the subject of the shoot was a crotchety 91-year-old toy repair man. He wasn’t about to let me take over his shop yet again, I’m sure of that. I located the photos on Backblaze and downloaded them to a new set of drives. Cloud backup to the rescue. Catastrophe #1 averted.

Workshop Files Not Transferred

Restoring from Backblaze backup

This week and next I’m in Doha, Qatar, doing research for a future photo tour, while my wife, Vicki, works at the American School here. In our rush preparing for the trip, the wrong workshop folder went to Vicki’s laptop while the correct folder remained on her turned off and unplugged home computer. From our hotel in Doha, a simple login to Backblaze gave access to her backed up files. Catastrophe #2 averted.

Moral of the Story

Catastrophic failures happen.

Both David Mark Erickson and I cannot emphasize to our readers just how important it is to use the 3-2-1 strategy. We recommend Backblaze because of its reliability, reasonable price and set it and forget it simplicity. But it doesn’t matter which cloud backup program you decide to use, no matter where in the world you may be, as long as you have internet, you have access to that third copy of your files. That means if your computer is lost or stolen (especially while traveling), you still have your photos and data.

Note: Lightroom Guy is a Backblaze and Amazon affiliate. We receive a commission when you make a purchase through one of our links, but it doesn’t cost you anything while helping support Lightroom Guy.

Hold Off On Updating to MacOS Mojave

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As I wrote in an earlier post, please hold off on updating to MacOS Mojave, which is the Mac operating system number 10.14. Apple announced its release today, September 24th at 5pm. And although you may not see it featured yet in the App Store, it’s there and available for download. Hold off on updating to MacOS Mojave

You’ll also want to hold off on updating to MacOS Mojave until you have checked to see if your particular model of Macintosh can upgrade to this version.

A really good example of “Why Not?” is compatibility issues with BookWright, Blurb’s excellent book design and publishing software. The folks at Blurb recommend to complete making any books in progress before updating toMacOS Mojave. If you have a book in progress in Lightroom’s Book Module and update to MacOS Mojave, your current book will be unaffected. Now, Blurb is a company willing to admit their software is not ready. There will be software that doesn’t work with Mojave, so hold off on updating to MacOS Mojave and save yourself some grief. We’ll try to keep you posted in the coming weeks. If you must and you’re tech savvy, we recommend going to the Eclectic Light Company’s app page and checking out 32-bitCheck to see which programs are 32 bit and Taccy to check your privacy settings and notarization.

Uninstall AdWare Doctor Now!

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We don’t usually raise alarms like this, but if you have Adware Doctor (formerly known as Adware Medic), the #1 selling app in the Apple App Store, uninstall Adware Doctor now! It is malware and this news is extremely important.

Why? Adware Doctor (also App Store’s Dr. Antivirus and Dr. Cleaner) has been stealing your browser history if you use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. What does it do with your browser history? It sends that data to China. And it’s been doing that for years. How did we find out? On Patrick Wardle’s website, Objective-See. A site dedicated to developing Mac OS X security tools. He’s looked deep inside Adware Doctor and discovered that, under the hood, the app was deceitfully bypassing Apple’s security restraints. This is a astronomical privacy issue and we want you to know about it. So, please uninstall Adware Doctor, Dr. Antivirus and Dr. Cleaner if you have them.

What I’ve discovered in my search for uninstalling Adware Doctor is, lots of very dicey “uninstall software” websites. They run down a list of procedures for removal that would be complicated for most users and pepper the text with ads for (you guessed it!) their recommendation for “easy” to use removal software. Please, don’t download these.

Removing apps from your Mac is relatively easy. MacWorld UK has a step-by-step article on how to uninstall software apps on mac. This will get you started, but these kinds of malicious apps can go unnoticed for years. So, please read on.

uninstall Adware Doctor

Malwarebytes Labs’ most recent September 7th blog post has noted this very important privacy issue and will be updated to include all the above mentioned offenders and more in their soon to be released next version of Malwarebytes.  Our recommendation has always been Malwarebytes for all our clients. There’s a 30 day free trial of this highly regarded and easy to use software. We implicitly trust Malwarebytes for all desktop Macs and PCs and we’ve used it to save our client’s from grief many a time.

They’ve also introduced Malwarebytes for iOS. However, we haven’t used it yet and the reviews are mediocre (3.3 star rating) at the time of this writing. However, I do want to note here that, every comment on the Malwarebytes for iOS page in the App Store has a Developer Response. Those guys keep on top of their product.

And, for the record, we don’t profit from recommending Malwarebytes.

Will Your Current Mac Run Mac OS Mojave?

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Will your Macintosh desWill your mac run Mac OS Mojavektop computer or laptop run Mac OS Mojave?

In my previous post, I wrote about the Mac OS Mojave software issues with links to help you find out which software you currently have that is Mojave compatible.

Now, here’s a list of Mac OS Mojave compatible Macs:

  • MacBook models introduced in early 2015 or later
  • MacBook Airs andMacBook Pros introduced in mid 2012 or later
  • Mac minis and iMacs introduced in late 2012 or later
  • Mac Pros late 2013
  • Mac Pros mid 2010 or mid 2012 models with recommended Metal-capable graphics processor, including the 4GB MSI Gaming Radeon RX 560 and 8GB Sapphire Radeon PULSE RX 580.

Here’s how to tell which model Mac you have. In the Finder, click on the apple at the top left and select, “About This Mac.”

Mac OS Mojave

Mac OS MojaveThat will open the Overview of your Mac and show what version of the operating system you have installed and the year and model of your Macintosh.

2012 Mac Pro Tower will run Mac OS Mojave

Yes, they call this series of Macs, “cheese graters.” (But I’ve never actually used it for that.)

For those working with 2010 or 2012 Mac Pro cheese grater towers, you’ll need to wait until Apple introduces the next version of the Mac Pro. Or, if you want to update your older tower to Mojave, you’ll need to replace the graphics board with a Metal capable graphics processor. Another few hundred bucks in “life support” expense to keep your cheese grater alive (I know I will be).  If you’re working with earlier models of Apple computers, you’re out of luck for updating your operating system. Your computer will still work, of course. But, you’ll have to stick with High Sierra, or whatever earlier version of the Mac OS you might be using. The full list of what you’ll need to update to Mac OS Mojave is on the Apple website.

Holding out on updating your Mac Mini, since hasn’t been updated since 2014? You may be in luck! MacWorld rumors that there’s a Mac Mini update coming in September. On the other hand, the Mac Pro isn’t scheduled for an update until some time in 2019.

You might want to add up all those wasted moments you’ve spent waiting if you’ve been watching the rainbow pizza spinning every time you click your mouse. It could add up to hours of lost work every week. If that’s the case, you may want to seriously consider updating to a new machine.

 

Word of Caution Installing Mac OS Mojave

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Wait to install Mac OS MojaveA word of caution for our readers to consider before installing Mac OS Mojave, which is expected to be released some time in September. We follow a few tech bloggers who are Mac centric and one that we find particularly interesting is The Eclectic Light Company – Macs, Painting, and More, authored by Howard Oakley, one of the most interesting and prolific bloggers we subscribe to. Oakley is a very smart guy. He is a Mac OS app developer, but he’s much more than that and that’s what we love about him.

So, to get to the point, this week Mr. Oakley wrote a blog post, Mojave’s privacy protection is complex and will crash innocent apps, and in it he states: “What I’ve learned is how complex its new privacy protection is, and how users, sysadmins and developers may be in for a shock when they upgrade to Mojave.” Users, that’s us.

The take-away for us at Lightroom Guy is, that the current beta version of Mojave doesn’t run some third party applications. The result is an application crash without any indication of the cause.Oakley says, “Users will see this as a failing in the app, rather than the consequence of their action….” These issues will mostly stem from how Mojave’s new privacy  protection works. And in the current Mojave beta version, so far there’s no simple way to know if an app will work. If this doesn’t change by the release date, expect that some of your apps may crash.

To be clear, Mac OS Mojave is still being tested and not yet released to the general public, but it is expected shortly and these issues may still exist on release. Apple has also warned system administrators to prepare for Mojave, as there will be blowback for many users. MacWorld UK has a must read article – “Apps that won’t work with Mac OS Mojave.” – that includes how to check your current Mac OS to see if your apps are compatible.

The good news however, is that Oakley sees Mac OS Mojave as, “…already a great deal better than High Sierra. We just need to work out how to live with new features/snags!” He also further comments that, “I’m optimistic that, provided some of the current issues get sorted, Mojave is going to be a good release. I also know that a lot of Apple engineers, and third party developers, are currently working very hard to make it so.”

Oakley, as a Mac developer, has an inside perspective that we trust. So, again, we suggest you sit tight when Mojave is released and wait to see what happens. When the smoke clears, we’ll let you know.

And, since you’ve read this far, here’s a side note on Howard Oakley. He’s also an art enthusiast and aficionado, writing weekly on a broad range of topics. From little known women artists, renaissance, post-impressionism and multiplex narratives, he’s an amazing resource of comparative art history. I’m barely touching the surface of his topics! Always a fascinating read.

09/02/2018 Update:

Howard Oakley, has written an app called 32-bitCheck. It’s free for downloading. The program identifies applications that conflict with the soon to be released Mac OS Mojave. 32-bitCheck comes with PDF instructions in the download. Again, hats off to Mr. Oakley for his contributions.

How to Search for Photos in Lightroom Classic CC

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Search for photos in lightroom classic cc

I tend to leave all my folders open

So, you’ve just imported a bunch of photos into Lightroom, but can’t find them. Where’d they go? Here are four ways on how to Search for Photos in Lightroom Classic CC.

It’s not unusual for me to have to search for photos in Lightroom Classic CC. I have a large library and there are way too many master year folders open, revealing a long list of subfolders that are time consuming to sift through. When I import a new batch of images, instead of scrolling through that long list of folders to find out where my new, imported photos went, I locate the folder with a simple right click on one of the “Previous Import” photos. And there are other very useful ways to search for photos in Lightroom Classic CC. The Lr:Shorts video below shows the four search methods I use most: use the contextual menu to take me to a photo’s folder in Library, filter by Edit Status, search by folder name or, search by date, camera model, lens, etc., using a Metadata search that I demonstrated for determining which focal lengths you use most in my previous blog post

These Lightroom features are all very easy to learn, and learning them will make the time you spend working in Lightroom Classic CC faster and simpler. And, who doesn’t like having Lightroom work a little faster? However, please, take note that some of these search features are only available in Lightroom Classic CC version 7.3 or later. Earlier versions of Lightroom Classic CC won’t have most of the features demonstrated in the video.

See just how easy it is to get Lightroom to behave and show you exactly where your photos and folders are located in this Lr:Shorts video!

 

Lightroom Classic 7.4 Update is Released

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Lightroom Classic 7.4 Update is Released

Fast and furious, Adobe’s been debugging and updating Lr Classic’s features, and so, the Lightroom Classic 7.4 Update is already here. It was only April when the last Lightroom update was released. This Lightroom Classic 7.4 release has bug fixes, catalog management improvements, new file format support and added features. It’s hard to keep up!

Here’s the basic rundown on new features:

Hide and Reveal Presets and Profile Groups

Lightroom Classic 7.4

Choose to Show or Hide Profiles

Lightroom 7.3 introduced Profiles and additional Presets. In this release of Lightroom Classic 7.4 (available only for Creative Cloud members) you can have control over which Presets and Profile Groups are visible. This will allow you to hide what you rarely use and keep the Presets or Profile Groups you use most visible. This will reduce the time spent sifting through the myriad of Presets you’ve accumulated. Of course, the hidden items can be revealed again at a later date if you need them.

Folder: Labels in Color and Faster Searches

Lightroom 7.3 added a Favorites option that added a “star” to a folder icon. Now, using the same shortcut keystrokes, you can add a color label to your Folder (Not available for Collections. Maybe version 7.5?) by selecting a folder in the Folders Panel, Control Clicking (Mac) or right clicking (PC) and choosing a color from the submenu – “Add Color Label.” Once you’ve chosen a color, a color bar will appear on the far right side of your folder title.

Searches will be faster, too. Click the magnifying glass in the Folder search window to see options for filtering by Color, Favorite or All. There’s more on searching Folders here on the Adobe site.

Auto Stacking HDR and Panorama

Check Create Stack to Stack source images with final merged photo

I usually stack the source images I’ve used to create HDRs and Panos, keeping only the final merged image visible on top of the stack. This keeps things more organized (for me, anyway).

Now when merging to HDR and Panorama, Lightroom can automatically stack the source images used by simply checking the new Create Stack checkbox in the HDR/Panorama Merge Preview dialog.

Final Pano/HDR is merged into a stack

 

When the merging is complete, the final merged HDR or Pano image will be displayed at the top of the stack containing the source images used to create the HDR or Pano.

HEIC Image Files Support on MacOS High Sierra

Lightroom Classic 7.4 CC now supports Apple’s HEIC image file format on macOS High Sierra v10.13 or later. For more info on this see the Adobe Tech Note.

There have been bug fixes as well in Lightroom Classic 7.4:

  • Keyboard shortcuts not working for rotate left and right in French, Swedish, Spanish, and Italian – FIXED
  • Crop overlay is hard to see – FIXED
  • Tone curve enabled not copied by sync, auto sync, presets, or snapshots – FIXED
  • Settings are reset when develop preset is applied via script – FIXED
  • When backing up catalogs on macOS, Lightroom Classic doesn’t zip catalogs that have a file size less than 4 GB – FIXED
  • Lightroom unresponsive after Eject SD Card/USB Drive – FIXED
  • Presets no longer record and apply the turn on/off settings in the Develop Module – FIXED
  • Hitting “Previous” and/or Copy/Paste is triggering an bad error message – FIXED
  • Not saving new saving new presets if they contain special characters – FIXED
  • iPhone videos play in wrong orientation (Windows-only) – FIXED

You can read more about the Lightroom Classic 7.4 update and how to use these new features on the Adobe website here.