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Lightroom Classic (LrC) has three important tools to help you explore different editing looks, create different versions of your photos, to go back in time, and to compare where you are now to where you were before. Some of these tools only exist in the Develop module, but one of them is visible in all modules, and one can even travel with your photo outside of LrC. What am I talking about here? I am referring to the ability to create virtual copies and snapshots, as well as utilize the functionality found in the History panel of the Develop module. These features can work together but can also be used separately.

[Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the October 2021 issue of Photoshop User.]

The History panel and virtual copies are unique to LrC because they only exist in the catalog file that contains all the work you do inside of LrC. Snapshots can be created inside of LrC’s Develop module but can also be written to a photo’s own XMP metadata (virtual copies and history cannot be written to XMP), which allows snapshots to be saved with the photo and even accessed in Adobe Camera Raw (we’ll explore this later). Let’s drill down a little into each of these features to better understand them, and then look at how they can be used in your workflow.

Virtual Copies

The key to understanding virtual copies is remembering that all the work you do in LrC is stored in the catalog file, and that the catalog file is only ever referencing each imported photo wherever it may be stored on your system. In other words, each imported photo has a record in the catalog (database) that contains all the information about that photo, and all edits are stored as a set of instructions that are applied to all copies created on export/output. By default, each photo has one set of instructions (represented by the preview we see inside LrC), but the virtual copy functionality allows us to create multiple sets of instructions that all reference the same source photo. Each time we create a new virtual copy we see what looks like a duplicate of the photo in LrC, but it is only the set of instructions that are duplicated along with a corresponding preview that is stored in the preview cache.

A virtual copy is visually identified by the page curl icon in the lower-left corner of the thumbnail (whereas the original has no such icon), as well as the Copy Name field of the Metadata panel will be automatically populated with the word Copy and a number that increments with each virtual copy made.

The moment the virtual copy is created we have free reign to take the edits in any direction that is separate from the original and any other virtual copies of that original. Because LrC does not duplicate the source photo this is a huge savings in disk space (keeping in mind the preview created does take up a relatively small amount of disk space in the preview cache).

Because the virtual copy appears as a duplicate copy in LrC it allows for easy side-by-side comparisons of multiple versions of the same photo. This also allows for virtual copies to exist separately from the source photo in different collections if that is useful to you (knowing that all virtual copies can easily be found in the source folder next to the original). And since these are all just separate sets of instructions for the same source photo you can even select a virtual copy and go to Photo > Set Copy as Original, which will designate that set of instructions (virtual copy) as the original photo and what was formerly the original instructions will become a virtual copy. This is useful if you prefer the edits in that virtual copy and want to ensure they are kept while relegating any edits made to the original as a separate virtual copy.

Snapshots

A snapshot is a way to preserve an editing state, or version, without creating a duplicate iteration of the photo. Located on the left side of the Develop module, the Snapshots panel is where you will find the functionality to create and manage snapshots. You can also find the command to create a new snapshot under the Develop menu (along with its shortcut).

Because snapshots are only visible within the Develop module you can think of these as a means to track or preserve different steps in your editing workflow, as well as a way to create different versions of edits as you explore possibilities with an easy way to go back to a former state.

History

The History panel is always quietly working in the background and is easy to overlook. Again, thanks to the fact that we’re working in this catalog file all the work we do is recorded to the catalog as we go without us having to manually save that work. If you switch to the Develop module and expand the History panel you will see all the individual edit steps, the import state, and more, recorded in an ever-growing list. Some steps are easy to discern, like Exposure +1, but others may indicate nothing more than that an adjustment brush stroke was applied.

The important thing to know about the History panel right now is that we can go back in time in our editing history of a selected photo just by clicking a previous step in the history panel. This can be useful when we’ve made a mistake (or made a creative exploration of settings) and want to go back to a last known good state, or even if we just want to compare where we are now with where we were before. By default, the Before/After view function compares where we are now with how the photo looked at import. That may be helpful sometimes, but there may also be times when we want to compare where we are now with a more recent point in our history, and that’s where this panel can help. If you right-click any step in the History panel, you’ll see an option to Copy History Step Settings to Before appear in the contextual menu.

That means you can set the behavior of the Before state to display the way the photo looked at the selected history step. For example, say you completed the edits in the Basic panel and applied a B&W profile, and as you continue to refine your edits with other tools you want to be able to use the Before/After function to compare against the moment after you converted to B&W not back to when it appeared in color after import. Simply right click the Convert to Black & White step in the History panel and set it as the Before state. Now when you invoke Before/After view (press the key) you will compare against that history step until you change it to something else.

Using These Together

You might be thinking that there are some similarities in purpose between snapshots and virtual copies, and you would be right. The main difference is that virtual copies appear as separate files within LrC and snapshots can only be accessed from within the Develop module. However, because virtual copies of a single photo all reference the same source photo they also all have access to the same snapshots created for that photo.

So, let’s say you created two virtual copies of a single source photo, which would appear as three separate previews/instances/photos within LrC. You could edit each one independently in LrC, and when you’ve finished editing you could preserve the final state of each one in a snapshot from within each instance of that photo. It can be very useful to see those different instances side-by-side, but that can also really clutter up the folder or collection you are viewing. If you no longer need to see the separate virtual copies you can simply delete them knowing that you’ve preserved the different versions in the Snapshots panel accessible from the original.

What about making snapshots from a history step? Yes, that’s possible too! Earlier I showed you how to set the Before state to a history step. In that same contextual menu when you right-click a history step you’ll see the option to Create Snapshot. This can make accessing a step in your development history a lot easier as a means to go back to a known good point or to preserve a creative exploration before going in a different direction.

Additionally, if you are the type of person who likes to have LrC write to each photo’s XMP metadata you can take comfort in knowing that your snapshots are included in that process. This is not something everyone needs to do (or wants to do), but it is worth knowing if that fits your workflow. To have LrC write the data stored in the catalog to a photo’s metadata just select that photo in Library and use the Metadata > Save Metadata to File(s) menu. You may get prompted by LrC to let you know that it will create sidecar .XMP files for non-DNG raw files but can write to the file itself for all other file types. Click Continue if that works for you.

Access Snapshots in Photoshop

Another cool thing about snapshot functionality is that if you use the Photo > Edit in > Open as Smart Object in Photoshop command to embed a copy of the raw photo in a smart object layer while opening it in Photoshop, then you can access your snapshots in the Camera Raw plug-in too! When you send a copy to Photoshop in this way all the edits that can be written to XMP should go along for the ride (no need to manually invoke the write to metadata command first). So when the copy opens in Photoshop, just double-click the smart object icon in the Layers panel to open the embedded copy of the raw photo into the Camera Raw plug-in. Open the Snapshots panel in Camera Raw, and there you will find all the snapshots you created in LrC, which can open up new creative possibilities for working with different versions of your photos in Photoshop too.

Hopefully this has shown you that when used together these three features have the ability to really enhance each other’s strengths and your workflow.

The post Virtual Copies and Snapshots and History, oh my! appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

I love the new Masking tools in the latest version of Lightroom Classic, Lightroom, and Adobe Camera Raw, but I admit, it can take a bit of getting used to when you first see the change to the icons in the Develop module. If you’re a KelbyOne member, be sure to check out Scott’s latest class on Masking to get the full scoop. This week, I just want to help you get oriented to the new icons, the new panel, and some of the features you’ll find within.

The most disorienting change is the replacement of the old Adjustment Brush, Graduated Filter, and Radial Filter icons with the single new Masking icon. Hopefully, once you click that Masking icon you are relieved to see tools you were looking for. However, they did get a slight refresh on the names, and while the names have changed, the basic functionality is the same. Here’s the cheat sheet with the old name first:

• Adjustment Brush = Brush
• Graduated Filter = Linear Gradient
• Radial Filter = Radial Gradient

Why the name change? I suppose to bring it in line with the names used in the cloud-based version of Lightroom. Thankfully the keyboard shortcuts remained the same for all three.

Additionally, we gained completely new AI-based tools for selecting the sky and a subject. While the sky sort of goes without saying, the subject, in my experience, seems optimized on people and animals, but if there aren’t either of those in the scene it will grab the most prominent subject (YMMV). Experimentation is the best way to learn the limits and power of those tools.

In the previous version we were able to apply a Range Mask within one of the three local adjustment tools (brush, grad, and rad), but now the former range mask tools can be used on the entire photo by themselves. To learn how to mimic the old Range Mask behavior check out my post from last week on Intersect Mask. I’m sure there will be many more tutorials exploring how to use those tools in the future as well.

The other new functionality we gained is in how we interact with the masks we create. In this case I applied a Select Sky and Select Subject mask to help me edit this photo. We can rename individual mask groups by double-clicking the name or clicking the three-dot menu and choosing rename. This is a huge help when you have multiple masks on an image (and you will have multiple masks).

Then there are the options for the overlay. We still have the default colors of red, green, white, and black, but now we can also apply a completely custom color of our choosing (click Color Overlay Settings to access color picker). Beyond colors we display the color overlay on a B&W image, image on B&W, image on black, image on white, and white on black. If you’ve ever used the Select & Mask feature in Photoshop you’ll understand these options right away, but if you haven’t simply try each one in turn and you’ll quickly get the hang of it. The goal of each of these overlays is to give us more power to evaluate what is affected by the mask so that we can refine it further.

By default, the overlay will appear as soon as the mask is applied to show you where it is, but then will automatically disappear as soon as you move any of the adjustment sliders. You can disable that behavior by unchecking Automatically toggle overlay. When disabled, you can toggle the overlay manually by pressing O just as you could in the previous version.

For a full look at associated keyboard shortcuts for Masking, click the question mark icon at the top of the Masks panel. While you’re up there, notice the Turn off masks icon at the top-left of the Masks panel for a quick way to see the Before/After view of your masking edits.

One last tip, another new default behavior is to automatically reset all editing sliders to 0 for each new mask. If you want to retain the mask settings from the last mask uncheck Reset Sliders Automatically at the bottom of the panel containing the adjustments. This way you can select a preset from the Effects drop-down menu for the mask you create, and those settings will remain for the next mask you create, and so on. However, if you want to start with a clean slate for each mask leave that box checked.

Ok final note, if you don’t see your local adjustment presets under Effects after upgrading to the new version, the most likely suspect is the Store presets with this catalog checkbox on the Presets tab of the Preferences. That setting may have been changed/lost in the upgrade to the new version, and if that happens your presets appear to have vanished. Changing the setting on that preference to what it was in the previous version should bring your presets back.

The post Get Oriented to Masking appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Vaporwave has been robbed of its rightful place in art history. Take a look at its origins—and what it tells us about the future of design.

Vaporwave, a product of the 2010s internet, isn’t just one thing. It’s a musical genre, a visual art form, an aesthetic. Perhaps because it’s so hard to define, the movement has been widely dismissed as meaningless and fleeting.

But, in fact, vaporwave has had a lasting impact on design. Here we take a look back at the movement, its themes, and what it tells us about how the internet shapes creativity.

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What Is Vaporwave?

Vaporwave has its roots in sound. Musically, vaporwave is a slowed down, remixed, and chopped genre that reconfigures dance music of the ’80s and ’90s, lounge-y elevator tunes, and samples from television, infomercials, and video games. 

The movement’s equally recognizable visual language is deeply entwined with the audio that preceded it. Aesthetically, vaporwave provides a distorted and melancholic look of the ’80s and ’90s. It often incorporates web design from the early days of the internet, imagery from music videos, and other pop culture elements of the era.

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The world of vaporwave is full of neon-lit, futuristic dreamscapes, cotton candy skies, and Japanese iconography, all set to the sound of smooth elevator jazz chopped and screwed to 80’s synths. It’s modern and retro, and evokes both comforting and deeply uncomfortable nostalgia. 

Some argue that the genre offers a critique of consumerism, globalization, and capitalism. In that respect, vaporwave connects with punk, a genre typically aligned with anarchy and anti-capitalism. Only, it’s the punk of the internet era.

So, what are the design elements that define this unapologetic, polarizing movement?

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The Internet 

Without the internet, vaporwave would quite simply not exist. It’s perhaps unsurprising then that early internet imagery features in vaporwave design. Late 1990s web design, glitch art, 3D-rendered objects, animation, and cyberpunk tropes all serve as visual references to the worldwide web. 

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Japanese Iconography

From 1967 to the early 1990s, Japan developed the most cutting-edge technologies and, eventually, the country’s GDP skyrocketted to become the second-highest in the world. Economists around the world referred to this time period in Japan as the Japanese Economic Miracle, and the era hit its peak in the ’80s and ’90s.

Vaporwave, with its bright neon city lights, cropped anime girls, and 16-bit Nintendo video games, is a nod to Japan at the height of its economic power. It freezes the country during its two decades of unrestrained consumption, critiquing its consumerist era under the guise of idealizing it. 

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Ancient Greek and Roman Busts 

Greek and Roman busts feature predominantly in vaporwave design to represent the reappropriation of classical art into popular culture.

It’s a playful reference to classical aesthetics, combining highbrow classical imagery with lowbrow modern elements. The Helios statue featured on the cover of Floral Shoppe’s album, Macintosh Plus, offers the most notable use of Greek imagery in vaporwave art. 

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High-Tech and Low-Tech Digital Art Mashups  

Vaporwave design often incorporates pixel art and pixelated text. The use of heavy outlines, isometric shapes, and extruded letters, grids, and dots provide an element of depth to what would otherwise be a flat composition.

Designers often deploy shadows and outlines to suggest a 3D space and create digital compositions. 

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Final Thoughts 

As new technologies such as virtual reality and blockchain promise to become ubiquitous in our lives, it’s essential that we—especially designers—embrace these new technological landscapes to usher in and encourage new eras in design.

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Vaporwave was the result of the internet. If this aesthetic has taught us anything, it’s that we should give the benefit of the doubt to any movement born from such technological landscapes, and to anticipate a new era of design in their wake.

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Cover image via local_doctor.  

The post Long Live the Vaporwave Aesthetic appeared first on The Shutterstock Blog.

Datacolor is famous for helping creatives bring out the best colors in their work. And right now, they’re giving you the opportunity to save up to $80 on the Datacolor Spyder and ColorReader range. But don’t wait around! This special is only on offer until December 3rd or while stocks last.

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I’ve shot thousands of pics of insects without flash and tens of thousands with flash. When the lighting is bright and sunny, the results can be good without flash. But when I venture out in pursuit of photo ops, I often encounter poorly lighted situations which are better with flash. If you study the work of experienced insect photographers, you’ll find that most of them use flash.

A very important advantage of flash is it captures motion. I use f/11 for depth of field and ISO 100 or less for quality. Without flash, that calls for approximately 1/100s. But flying insects are very fast and that shutter speed is too slow. So I use the fastest shutter speed possible with flash (1/250 on my Sony a7R IV and 1/400 with my Sony a1). At these settings, the ambient light contributes a fraction of what’s needed for exposure, so the remainder comes from the flash. And with a flash duration of about 1/10,000s, even the speediest flying insects are frozen sharply. It also eliminates camera shake.

When I began photographing bees, I thought the pop-up flash on my Sony a6400 would be perfect. The distance was short and low power was adequate. But there were two problems:

1. Longer lenses cast a shadow blocking the low flash head from illuminating the subject.

2. The recycle time was 4 seconds, causing me to miss opportunities while waiting for recycling (which is the charging of the capacitor in the flash).

So I tried an external flash.

My first external flash was the small Sony HVL-F32M. The light head is high enough to eliminate the lens shadow and it recycled in 2 seconds when shooting closeups. But I was still missing opportunities while waiting those 2 seconds so I sought even faster recycle time. I soon learned that flashes powered by lithium batteries recycled fastest. That reduced the number of options.

My first lithium-powered flash was a Godox 860 IIs. It offered a lot of performance for the money. But after only five months it began making a loud snapping sound each time it fired. I was advised to stop using it because that was the precursor to an exploding capacitor.

Godox had just brought out the V1s, which was about the same power. With a round head, it looks like a $1,100 Profoto. I bought it but sadly within a month the plastic foot broke. If you read user reviews on flashes, you see many complaints of broken plastic feet on many brands. Why manufacturers continue to use plastic feet is a mystery. For less than $1 they could cure the problem with a metal foot.

I ordered a warranty replacement for the V1s, and also ordered the only flash for Sony I could find with a metal foot, the $1,100 Profoto. It arrived and didn’t work at all. I emailed Profoto but they were of no help so I returned it.

Meanwhile, the replacement Godox V1s arrived and worked well for about two months until its plastic foot also broke. Argh!

Further research led me to discover the Nissin MG80 Pro, with a metal foot – YAY! The Nissin distributor sent me one to review.

Here are some comparisons of the MG80 with the Godox flashes I’ve owned.

Foot. MG80 Pro has metal foot. Having lost two Godox flashes to broken feet, I like this a lot.

Guide number The MG80 and Godox 860 have equal guide numbers (max brightness). The Godox V1s is not rated with a guide number but is probably slightly lower. At my close range, the guide number is not very important, but a high guide number suggests that I’ll be using it at a small fraction of its power and will enjoy a short recycle time.

Battery. The MG80 Pro battery capacity of 360 full power flashes is about half of the Godoxes. This is not an issue for me. My close-up flashes consume a fraction of full power. So I get over 1,000 closeup flashes on a charge. The MG80 can use four conventional AA batteries or four 14500 lithium cells. Users might appreciate this if they run out of juice while away from their home base. They could buy some AAs and keep going until they could charge their depleted lithium cells.

Flexibility. A unique feature of the MG80 is that the concentrating Fresnel lens head can be slid off, revealing the quartz flash tube. This looks like it would allow flash with extremely wide-angle lenses.

I’m buying the MG80. I want that metal foot and the price is less than half of the only other metal-footed Sony flash I know of, the Profoto.

Continuous Shooting With Flash

I thought this was impossible. But I’ve found that with flash-fill in daylight at close range, most flashes can repeat five or more frames for a medium rate burst.

About Flash Diffusers

Many skilled insect photographers construct their own diffusers that they carry out to the field. They primarily shoot at 2x to 3x magnification and are so close to the insect that their diffuser hangs over it, surrounding it with diffuse light and blocking the Sun. They achieve beautiful results under these close conditions.

I’ve opted for a much greater distance because the bees are so fast. They stop off a few seconds, drink, and move on. There’s rarely enough time to get close, so I shoot from several feet away at about 0.3x magnification. I’ve not found a diffuser that is beneficial at that distance. So I currently shoot with undiffused flash to minimize the size of the reflection on the bee’s eyes. (Diffusers enlarge the diameter of the flash light source and thus the diameter of the reflection on the insect’s eyes).

The bright spot on the eye is a reflection of my flash. If I shoot in sunlight there will be two spots, one from my flash and one from the Sun.

I’m also experimenting with a mask over the flash head to reduce the diameter of the reflection.

Good luck with using a flash with your own insect photos!

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About the author: Alan Adler lives in Los Altos, California. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. He has been an avid photographer for 60 years. He is also a well-known inventor with about 40 patents. His best-known inventions are the Aerobie flying ring and the AeroPress coffee maker.