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Lightroom Classic

Lightroom Classic

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  1. Lightroom Classic User Guide
  2. Introduction to Lightroom Classic
    1. What's new in Lightroom Classic
    2. Lightroom Classic system requirements
    3. Lightroom Classic | Common Questions
    4. Lightroom Classic Key Concepts
    5. Lightroom Classic tutorials
    6. Set Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
    7. Reset Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
  3. Workspace
    1. Workspace basics
    2. Display the Library on a second monitor
    3. Personalize identity plates and module buttons
    4. Watermark your photos in Lightroom Classic
    5. Color management
  4. Import photos
    1. Specify import options
    2. Set import preferences
    3. Import photos from a camera or card reader
    4. Import photos from a folder on a hard drive
    5. Import photos automatically
    6. Import photos from Photoshop Elements
    7. Import photos from a tethered camera
    8. The Filename Template Editor and Text Template Editor
  5. Organize photos in Lightroom Classic
    1. Face recognition
    2. Work with photo collections
    3. Group photos into stacks
    4. Flag, label, and rate photos
    5. Use keywords
    6. Metadata basics and actions
    7. Find photos in the catalog
    8. Work with video in Lightroom Classic
    9. Advanced metadata actions
    10. Use the Quick Develop panel
  6. Process and develop photos
    1. Develop module basics
    2. Create panoramas and HDR panoramas
    3. Flat-Field Correction
    4. Correct distorted perspective in photos using Upright
    5. Improve image quality using Enhance
    6. Work with image tone and color
    7. Masking
    8. Apply local adjustments
    9. HDR photo merge
    10. Develop module options
    11. Retouch photos
    12. Cure red eye and pet eye effects
    13. Use the Radial Filter tool
    14. Adjustments with Lens Blur
    15. Edit and Export in HDR
    16. Remove Tool
  7. Viewing photos
    1. View photos
    2. Browse and compare photos
    3. Set Library view options
    4. Share photos for comments and feedback
    5. Smart Previews
  8. Export photos
    1. Export files to disk or CD
    2. Export photos from Lightroom Classic
    3. Publish photos online
    4. Export to hard drive using publish services
    5. Presets for export, and other settings
  9. Work with external editors
    1. External Editing preferences
    2. Open and edit Lightroom Classic photos in Photoshop
  10. Manage catalogs and files
    1. How Lightroom Classic catalogs work
    2. Create and manage catalogs
    3. Back up a catalog
    4. Locate missing photos
    5. Create and manage folders
    6. Manage photos within folders
  11. Maps
    1. Work with the Map module
  12. Photo books
    1. Create photo books
  13. Slideshows
    1. Create slideshows
    2. Slideshow module panels and tools
    3. Specify the slide layout
    4. Add overlays to slides
    5. Play and export slideshows
  14. Print photos
    1. Print module basics
    2. Print module layouts and templates
    3. Work with print job options and settings
  15. Web galleries
    1. Create web galleries
    2. Use the Web module panels and tools
    3. Work with web gallery layouts
    4. Work with web gallery templates and settings
    5. Preview, export, and upload web photo galleries
  16. Keyboard shortcuts
    1. Keyboard shortcuts
  17. Content Authenticity 
    1. Content Authenticity in Lightroom Classic
  18. Lightroom and Adobe services
    1. Creative Cloud Libraries
    2. Using Adobe Stock in Creative Cloud apps
  19. Troubleshooting 
    1. Fixed Issues
    2. Known Issues
  20. Technical Support
    1. Performance Guidelines
      1. Basic troubleshooting steps to fix issues in Lightroom Classic
      2. Optimize performance
      3. Keep Lightroom up to date
      4. Preference file and other file locations | Lightroom Classic
      5. Allow Permissions to Lightroom Classic on macOS
    2.  Technical issues
      1. GPU Issues
        1. Troubleshoot graphics processor (GPU) and graphics driver issues | Lightroom Classic
        2. Lightroom Classic GPU FAQ
      2. Startup Issues
        1. Windows | Lightroom doesn't start
        2. Error: Lightroom catalog cannot be opened
        3. Error: 'Unexpected error opening catalog' occurs in Lightroom after Windows 10 upgrade
        4. "Assertion failed" update error | Windows
        5. Error MSVCR110.dll opening apps in Windows 10
      3. Rendering Issues
        1. Troubleshoot issues with Develop module
      4. Stability Issues
        1. Troubleshoot crash or freeze in Lightroom Classic
      5. Miscellaneous Issues
        1. FAQ | Color in Lightroom Classic
        2. Lightroom desktop and mobile apps unavailable to Education memberships | Kivuto
    3. Workflow Issues
      1. Catalog Issues
        1. Error : Lightroom catalog cannot be opened
        2. Troubleshoot corrupt catalog
        3. Locate missing photos
        4. Recover catalog and images after resetting preferences
        5. Lightroom Classic catalog FAQ
      2. Sync Issues
        1. Lightroom Classic sync FAQ

The folders that contain your photos are displayed in the Folders panel of the Library module. The folders in the Folders panel reflect the folder structure on the volume itself and appear in alphanumeric order. Click the disclosure triangle to the right of a volume name to see the folders on that volume. Click the triangle to the left of a folder to see any subfolders it contains.

Folders panel in Lightroom Classic CC
Folders panel displaying folders and many photos they contain

You can add and move folders in the Folders panel, rename folders, and delete them. Changes you make to folders in Lightroom Classic are applied to the folders themselves on the volume.

Add an existing folder that contains images

Whenever you import photos, the folders in which they are located are added automatically to the Folders panel. You can add folders and import the photos they contain using the Folders panel.

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, click the Plus icon (+) and choose Add Folder.
  2. Do one of the following:

    • (Windows) In the Browse For Folders dialog box, navigate to the location you want, select the folders you want, and then click OK. Or, navigate to the location you want and click Make New Folder. Type a name to replace the New Folder name.

    • (Mac OS) In the Choose Or Create New Folder dialog box, navigate to the location you want, select the folder you want, and then click Choose. Or, navigate to the location you want and click New Folder. Type a name for the folder and then click Create. Then click Choose.

  3. If necessary, specify options in the Import Photos dialog box, and click Import.
Note:

If you have multiple copies of a folder and you want to change the location that Lightroom Classic points to, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the folder and choose Update Folder Location.

Add a subfolder

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, select the folder in which you want to create the new folder. Then, click the Plus icon (+) at the top of the Folders panel and choose Add Subfolder.
  2. In the Create Folder dialog box, type the Folder name.
  3. If photos are selected, determine whether you want to copy the selected photos to the new folder, and then click Create.

In the Folders panel, the new folder appears in the hierarchy you specified. The new folder also appears in Windows Explorer or Mac OS Finder.

Note:

You can tell if a folder contains subfolders by looking at the disclosure triangle to the left of the folder icon. If the triangle is solid, the folder contains subfolders. If the triangle is faint and dotted, the folder doesn’t contain subfolders.

Add a parent folder

  1. To add a new parent folder to the Folders panel hierarchy, select a top-level folder, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS), and choose Add Parent Folder.

Create collections or collection sets from folders

Create a collection from a folder

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, select a folder.

  2. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) and choose Create Collection "[Folder Name]" from the context-menu.

  3. The Create Collection dialog box appears.

    Follow the instructions to Create a collection from Step 2 onwards.  

  4. All the photos contained in the selected folder, including its subfolders (if any), are added to the collection.

    The collection appears in the Collections panel.

    Note:

    In the Create Collection dialog box, the Name field picks the selected folder's name by default. If a collection already exists with the same name, Lightroom Classic displays 'The name is already in use.' message at the lower-left corner of the dialog box and the Create button is disabled. Specify a different name to proceed.      

Create collections from multiple folders

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, select two or more folders.

  2. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) and choose Create Collections From Selected Folders from the context-menu.

  3. Lightroom Classic creates a collection corresponding to each of the selected folders. The collections appear in the Collections panel.

    All the photos contained in the selected folder, including its subfolders (if any), are added to the collection.

    Note:

    While creating collections corresponding to your selected folders, Lightroom Classic assigns them the folder's name by default. If a collection already exists with the same name, Lightroom Classic displays a dialog prompt:'There is already a collection at the top level with the same name'.

    To proceed, consider renaming the existing collection or renaming the folder and then create collections from the selected folders again.        

Create a collection set from a folder

In the Folders panel, you create a collection set from a folder that contains subfolders. The collection set created in the Collections panel have the same hierarchy as that of the folders and its subfolders.

Note:

You can't create a collection set from a folder that doesn't contain any subfolders. 

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, select a folder that also contains subfolders.

  2. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) and choose Create Collection Set "[Folder Name]" from the context-menu.

  3. The Create Collection Set dialog box appears.

    Follow the instructions to Create a collection set from Step 2 onwards.  

  4. The collection set appears in the Collections panel.

    Note:

    In the Create Collection Set dialog box, the Name field picks the selected folder's name by default. If a collection set already exists with the same name, Lightroom Classic displays 'That name is already in use.' message at the lower-left corner of the dialog box and the Create button is disabled. Specify a different name to proceed.      

Create collection sets from multiple folders

In the Folders panel, you can create collection sets from folders that contain subfolders. The collection sets created in the Collections panel have the same hierarchy as that of the corresponding folders and its subfolders.

Note:

You can't create a collection set from a folder that doesn't contain any subfolders. 

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, select two or more folders that also contain subfolders.

  2. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) and choose Create Collection Sets From Selected Folders from the context-menu.

  3. Lightroom Classic creates a collection set corresponding to each of the selected folders. The collection sets appear in the Collections panel.

Add a color label to folders

Updated in Lightroom Classic 9.0 (November 2019 release)

In the Folders panel of the Library module, you can organize your images by assigning a color label to the folders. Beginning with Lightroom Classic CC 8.1 (December 2018 release), you can also assign color labels to the offline folders.

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, select one or more folders and right-click (Win) / Control-click (Mac) to bring up the context-menu.

  2. From the context-menu, choose Add Color Label and then select any color from the submenu.

    Folders with a color label in the Folders panel
    Red and Green color labels assigned to the folders

    A vertical color strip appears next to the image count of the folder.

Remove color labels from folders

Select one or more folders that have a color label. Right-click (Windows) / Control-click (macOS) and choose Add Color Label > None from the context-menu.

Filter color labeled folders

To filter all the folders that have been assigned a color label:

  1. In the search bar of at the top of the Folders panel, click the () icon.

  2. Choose Color Labels from the drop-down list and select a color.

Filter color labeled folders in the Folders panel
Filter color labeled folders in the Folders panel

Mark favorite folders

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, select one or more folders.

  2. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) and choose Mark Favorite (if you've selected a single folder) or Mark Favorites (if you've selected multiple folders) from the context-menu.

    Folders marked as favorite in the Folders panel
    Folders marked as favorite in the Folders panel

    A star icon appears over the folder that you've marked as favorite. 

Unmark favorite folders

Select one or more folders marked as favorite. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) and choose Unmark Favorite (if you've selected a single folder) or Unmark Favorites (if you've selected multiple folders) from the context-menu.

Unmark folders marked favorite as a group

If you had selected a group of folders and collectively marked them as 'Favorites', Lightroom Classic doesn't display the option to 'Unmark Favorite' if you try to individually unfavorite any of these folders. You will have to unfavorite these folders as part of the original group.

To identify the folders marked favorite as a group and unmark them, do the following:

  1. In the Folders panel, select the folders that you marked favorite as a group.

     

    Alternatively, click the Source Indicator in the Filmstrip to quickly identify the group of favorite folders.

    Source Indicator in the Filmstrip - Library module
    Source Indicator in the Filmstrip - Library module

    In the Source Indicator pop-up menu, identify and choose the group of favorite folders listed under Favorite Sources.

    Favorite Sources in the Source Indicator pop-up menu - Filmstrip
    Favorite Sources in the Source Indicator pop-up menu - Filmstrip

    When you choose group of folders from the Source Indicator pop-up menu, all the folders in that group get selected in the Folders panel.

  2. In the Folders panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) the selected favorite folders and choose Unmark Favorites from the context-menu.

Filter favorite folders

Filter favorite folders in the Folders panel
Filter favorite folders in the Folders panel

To filter the folders marked as favorite:

  1. In the search bar of at the top of the Folders panel, click the () icon.
  2. Choose Favorite Folders from the drop-down list. 

Search folders

Use the search field at the top of the Folders panel to find folders based on the entered text.

  1. In the Library module, click the Filter Folders field at the top of the Folders panel.

    Search field in the Folders panel
    Search field in the Folders panel

  2. Enter the search text. 

    Folders panel showing filtered result based on the entered text.
    Folders panel showing filtered result based on the entered search text.

    The Folders panel displays a filtered list of folders matching the entered search text.

    To remove the filtering, click the cross icon in the search field.  

Move folders

You can move folders into other folders in Lightroom Classic. You cannot copy folders in Lightroom Classic.

  • In the Folders panel of the Library module, select one or more folders and drag into another folder.

Video tutorial: Move folders around in Lightroom Classic

Keep the Lightroom Classic database up-to-date with your photos' locations, by using Lightroom Classic to move your photos and folders.

Rename folders

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, select a folder.
  2. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) and choose Rename from the menu.
  3. Overwrite the folder name.

View the contents of a folder

Lightroom Classic displays the number of photos in a folder to the right of the folder name. If you later add photos to a folder in the Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS), you’ll need to import the new photos into Lightroom Classic or synchronize the folder to update the number displayed in the Folders panel.

  1. In the Library module, do any of the following:

    • Select one or more items in the Folders panel.

    • Select a photo, and in the Metadata panel, click the right-pointing arrow next to the Folder field to display that photo’s folder.

    By default, selecting a folder shows all photos in that folder and all subfolders in the Grid view and the Filmstrip. To show only the photos in the selected folder, choose Library > Include Photos From Subfolders to deselect it.

Synchronize folders

If the contents of a folder in your catalog don’t match the contents of the same folder on the volume, you can synchronize the two folders. When you synchronize folders, you have the option of adding files that have been added to the folder but not imported into the catalog, removing files that have been deleted, and scanning for metadata updates. The photos in the folder and all subfolders can be synchronized. You can determine which folders, subfolders, and files are imported.

  1. In the Folders panel, select the folder you want to synchronize.
  2. Choose Library > Synchronize Folder.
  3. In the Synchronize Folder dialog box, do any of the following:

    • To import photos that appear in the folders but have not been imported in the catalog, select Import New Photos. If you select Show Import Dialog Before Importing, you can specify which folders and photos are imported.

    • To remove photos that have been deleted from the folder but not from the catalog, select Remove Missing Photos From Catalog. If this option is dimmed, no files are missing. (You can choose Show Missing Photos to display the photos in Grid view.)

    • To scan for any metadata changes made to the files in another application, choose Scan For Metadata Updates.

    Note:

    The Synchronize Folder command does not detect duplicate photos in a catalog. When you select Show Import Dialog Before Importing in the Synchronize Folder dialog, you can instruct Lightroom Classic to disregard duplicate files by selecting Don't Import Suspected Duplicates option in the Import dialog. For details, see Ignore duplicates when importing.

  4. Click Synchronize.
  5. If the Import Photos dialog box opens, confirm the folders and files you want to import, and then click Import.
Note:

If you have a missing folder that is also empty, use the Synchronize Folder command to remove it from the catalog.

Locate missing folders

If a folder is moved in the operating system instead of in Lightroom Classic, the link between the catalog and the folder breaks, and a question-mark icon  appears on the folder in the Folders panel.

  1. To restore the link, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) on the folder and choose Find Missing Folder from the context menu.
  2. Navigate to the file path of the moved folder and click Choose.
    Note:

    For instructions on relinking individual missing photos, see Locate missing photos.

Delete folders

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, select one or more folders and click the Minus icon (-). Or, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) and choose Remove.
  2. Click Continue in the dialog box.

    The folder and its photos are removed from the catalog and the Folders panel. The original folder and photos are not deleted from the hard drive.

View volume information

The Folders panel provides information about the storage resources for each volume listed. For example, you can see whether a volume is online or offline and how much disk space is available. Volume information updates dynamically as you import and work with photos in Lightroom Classic.

  • To change the information you see for a volume, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the volume name and choose any of the following:

Disk Space

Displays used/total disk space on the volume.

Photo Count

Displays how many photos in the catalog are on the volume.

Status

Indicates whether the volume is online or offline.

None

Hides all volume information.

  • Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a volume name and choose Show In Explorer (Windows) or Show In Finder (Mac OS) to open that volume in an Explorer or Finder window.
  • Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a volume name and choose Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac OS) to view the Properties (Windows) or Info (Mac OS) window for that volume.
  • To change the information provided by the colored LED next to the volume name, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) it and choose one of the following:

Show Status

Indicates whether a volume is online (green) or offline (red).

Show Status And Free Space

Indicates whether a volume is online or offline, as well as how full the resource is:

Green

10 GB or more of space is free.

Yellow

Less than 10 GB of space is free.

Orange

Less than 5 GB of space is free.

Red

Less than 1 GB of space is free and the tool tip warns that the volume is nearly full. When less than 1 MB of space is free, the tool tip warns that the volume is full.

Gray

Volume is offline and photos on that volume are unavailable for editing. When photos are unavailable, only low-resolution previews display in Lightroom Classic.

Choose how a folder name displays

  1. In the Folders panel of the Library module, click the Plus icon (+) at the top of the panel and choose one of the following Root Folder Display options:

    Folder Name Only

    Displays only the name of top-level folders in the Folders panel. For example, 2011.

    Path From Volume

    Displays the full path and the name of top-level folders in the Folders panel. For example, Users/[user name]/Pictures/2011.

    Folder And Path

    Displays the name of top-level folders followed by the folder’s path in the Folders panel. For example, 2011 - Users/[user name]/Pictures/2011.

    Note:

    You may need to drag the right edge of the panel to expand it to see the full path and name.

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