In the Grid view or the Filmstrip in
the Library module, select one or more photos and then choose Library >
Rename Photo(s).
Last updated on
May 16, 2021
- Lightroom Classic User Guide
- Introduction to Lightroom Classic
- Workspace
- Import photos
- Organize photos in Lightroom Classic
- Process and develop photos
- Develop module basics
- Create panoramas and HDR panoramas
- Flat-Field Correction
- Correct distorted perspective in photos using Upright
- Improve image quality using Enhance
- Work with image tone and color
- Masking
- Apply local adjustments
- HDR photo merge
- Develop module options
- Retouch photos
- Cure red eye and pet eye effects
- Use the Radial Filter tool
- Adjustments with Lens Blur
- Edit and Export in HDR
- Remove Tool
- Viewing photos
- Export photos
- Work with external editors
- Manage catalogs and files
- Maps
- Photo books
- Slideshows
- Print photos
- Web galleries
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Content Authenticity
- Lightroom and Adobe services
- Troubleshooting
- Technical Support
- Performance Guidelines
- Technical issues
- GPU Issues
- Startup Issues
- Rendering Issues
- Stability Issues
- Miscellaneous Issues
- Workflow Issues
Video tutorial: How to add, edit, and sync photos
Rename photos
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In the Rename Photos dialog box, choose an option from the File Naming menu. Choose Edit to specify a custom name using the Filename Template Editor. See Naming options and The Filename Template Editor and Text Template Editor.
If you specify a naming option that uses a sequence, Lightroom Classic numbers the photos sequentially. If you don’t want the numbering to begin with “1,” type a different number in the Start Number box.
Note:
To quickly rename a single photo in the Library module, select it and type the new name in the File Name field of the Metadata panel.
Move photos to a different folder
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(Optional) If you’re not moving photos to an existing folder, create a new folder. See Create and manage folders.
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In the Grid view of the Library module, select the photo or photos you want to move.Note:
If the photos you're moving are on an external hard drive, make sure the drive is powered on before you try to move them.
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Drag the photo or photos to the destination folder in the Folders panel: Drag from the center of the thumbnail, not from the edge.Note:
You cannot copy photos in Lightroom Classic.
The photos are moved to the destination folder in Lightroom Classic as well as on the hard drive.
Open a photo in its folder in the Library module
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Select the photo and choose Photo > Show In Folder In Library.
The photo is selected in the Grid view and its folder is selected the Folders panel.
Open a file in Explorer or Finder
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Select the photo and choose Photo > Show In Explorer (Windows) or Show In Finder (Mac OS).
The file is selected in an Explorer or Finder window.
Rotate photos
Photos imported into the catalog are automatically rotated if the Exchangeable Image Format (EXIF) data includes orientation metadata. Otherwise, you can manually rotate photos.
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In the Library module, do one of the following:
In Grid view, select one or more photos, move the pointer over a thumbnail, and click one of the rotate icons in the lower corner of any cell. Or, choose choose Photo > Rotate Left or Photo > Rotate Right. All selected photos are rotated.
In Loupe or Survey view, click a rotate icon in the toolbar to rotate the active photo.
note: If the toolbar doesn’t show the Rotate icons, choose Rotate from the toolbar pop-up menu.
In Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, choose Photo > Rotate Left or Rotate Right to rotate the active photo.
Flip photos
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In the Grid view or the Filmstrip of the Library module, select one or more photos.
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Choose one of the following from the Photo menu:
Flip Horizontal
Flips photos horizontally along the vertical axis.
Flip Vertical
Flips photos vertically along the horizontal axis.
In Loupe, Compare, and Survey views, only the active photo is flipped.
Note:
Choose View > Enable Mirror Image Mode to flip all photos in the catalog horizontally along the vertical axis.
Rotate or flip photos using the Painter tool
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In the Grid view, select the Painter tool in the toolbar, and then choose Rotation from the Paint menu in the toolbar.Note:
If the Painter tool does not appear in the toolbar, choose Painter from the toolbar menu.
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Choose the one of the Rotate or Flip options in the toolbar, and then click or drag across photos to apply the setting.
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To disable the Painter, click the circular well in the toolbar. When disabled, the Painter icon is visible in the toolbar.
Remove photos from catalogs
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Select one or more photos in the Grid view, or select a single photo in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view in the Library module.
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Do one of the following:
Press the Backspace key (Windows) or Delete key (Mac OS).
Choose Photo > Delete Photo(s).
Note:When viewing a collection, pressing the Backspace key (Windows) or Delete key (Mac OS) removes the selected photo(s) from the collection, not from the catalog, and no Confirm dialog box appears. To remove a photo from a collection as well as from the catalog, select the photo and press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift+Delete (Mac OS). See Remove photos from a collection.
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In the Confirm dialog box, click one of the following:
Remove
Removes photos from the catalog but doesn’t send them to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac OS).
Delete From Disk
Removes photos from the catalog and sends them to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac OS).
If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, only the active photo is deleted.
Note:Selecting photos and pressing the Delete key (Windows) or Forward Delete key (Mac OS, full-size keyboards only) also removes photos from the catalog but doesn’t send them to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac OS).
Update photos changed by another application
In the Grid view, Lightroom Classic displays alerts in image cells when the photos in your catalog have been changed by another application. For example, if a photo has a one-star rating in Lightroom Classic, and the photo has been updated to a two-star rating in another application, you need to decide which rating to respect. Both cannot co-exist together. Lightroom Classic lets you resolve conflicting photo metadata by either overwriting its data in the catalog with metadata from the photo or its sidecar XMP file, or overwriting the metadata in the photo file or sidecar XMP file with its stored data in the catalog.
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In the Grid view, click the alert icon in a cell.
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In the Confirm dialog box, select one of the following:
Import Settings From Disk
Imports the metadata from the photo or its sidecar XMP file, which overwrites the photo’s data in the catalog.
Overwrite Settings
Exports metadata from the catalog to the photo file and overwrites the data in the photo or its sidecar XMP file.
Do Nothing
Takes no action. If you select this option, be sure that the photo’s metadata in the catalog doesn’t conflict with data in the photo or its sidecar XMP file.
For more information, see Synchronize Lightroom Classic metadata with Camera Raw and Adobe Bridge.
Convert photos to DNG
Lightroom Classic lets you convert camera raw files to DNG for archiving and taking advantage of DNG features. When photos are converted to DNG, the DNG files replace the originals in the catalog. You have the option of deleting or preserving the originals on disk after the conversion.
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Select one or more photos in the Grid view, or select a single photo in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view. Then, choose Library > Convert Photo(s) To DNG.Note:
If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, only the active photo is converted to DNG.
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In the Convert Photo(s) To DNG dialog box, select any of the following conversion options:
Only Convert RAW Files
Ignores photos that are not camera raw files. Deselecting this option converts all selected photos, including JPEGs, TIFFs, and PSDs.
Delete Originals After Successful Conversion
Deletes the original photo file after the conversion process ends. Deselecting this option preserves the original file on disk.
File Extension
Makes the file extension .dng or .DNG.
Compatibility
Specifies the versions of Camera Raw and Lightroom Classic that can read the file. Use the tool tips to help you choose.
JPEG Preview
Determines whether the exported JPEG preview is full sized, medium sized, or not created.
Embed Fast Load Data
Allows images to load faster in the Develop module but increases file size slightly.
Use Lossy Compression
Significantly reduces file size but may cause a decrease in image quality.
Embed Original Raw File
Stores all of the original camera raw data in the DNG file.
For more on DNG, see Supported file formats.
Create virtual copies
You can have multiple versions of photos by applying different adjustment settings to virtual copies of the original (master) photos. Virtual copies don’t exist as actual photos or duplicates of photos. Virtual copies are metadata in the catalog that stores the different sets of adjustments.
You create a virtual copy of a photo and then apply adjustment settings to it. If you want another version of the master photo, you create another virtual copy and apply the new settings to it. You can create as many virtual copies of a master photo as you wish. You can even make one of the virtual copies a master, making the previous master a virtual copy.
If you create a virtual copy while in a collection, the copy is stacked with the photo in its folder, not in the collection; this stacking is not visible when viewing the collection.
In the Grid view or the Filmstrip, the master photo displays the number of images in the upper-left corner of the thumbnail. The virtual copies display page-turn icons on the left side of their thumbnails.
A. Original (master) photo B. Virtual copies indicated by page-turn icon
Virtual copies become actual photos when they are exported as a copy of the master photo or edited as a copy in an external editor.
When you create a virtual copy of a photo, “Copy 1” (or “Copy 2,” “Copy 3,” and so on) is added automatically to the Copy Name field in the Metadata panel.
- In the Grid view in the Library or in the Filmstrip in any module, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a photo and choose Create Virtual Copy from the context menu.
- In the Grid view in the Library or in the Filmstrip in any module, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) to select multiple photos and choose Create Virtual Copies from the context menu.
Tip: If the copy does not appear in the Grid view, the photos may be part of a collapsed stack. Try choosing Photo > Stacking > Expand All Stacks. If that doesn’t work, make sure the Library > Enable Filters option is unchecked. Try using a different display method, such as choosing All Photographs in the Catalog panel.
- In the Library module, select a virtual copy of a photo in the Grid view or the Filmstrip and choose Photo > Set Copy As Master.
- To delete or remove a virtual copy, expand the virtual copy stack in its folder in the Library module (press S). Then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the virtual copy in the Grid view or the Filmstrip and choose Delete Photo.
Note: A stack created using the Create Virtual Copy option is not visible unless you've selected the folder containing the master or you're in All Photographs. You cannot view, expand, collapse, or edit such a stack when viewing a collection.