The View Options menu is a powerful, yet often overlooked, part of the User Interface in Adobe Lightroom Classic. It allows you to customize the information that you see around your images in the Library Module. Mastering this simple feature can significantly improve your photo organization workflow.
Key Vocabulary
In the Library module, the images you see in the Grid View are called Thumbnails and the gray space around each thumbnail is called the Cell. Within each cell, you can choose to display a wide variety of information, such as the filename, star rating, colored label, and flag status.
Customizing the Grid View
To control the information around each thumbnail, go to the View > View Options menu. As you make changes, you’ll see the results reflected in real-time on your Grid.
1. Show Grid Extras
This is the main control for the information and buttons visible in the Grid. You have two primary options:
- Compact Cells: This option displays one line of information above and one line below each thumbnail.
- Expanded Cells: This option lets you display more information, which is great for projects that require additional details. You can choose to display up to four lines of information, such as the file’s name, exposure settings, camera model, and the image’s cropped dimensions.
2. Tint Grid Cells with Label Colors
I use Colored Labels to mark the status of my images (e.g., red for “needs work,” yellow for “work in progress,” and green for “finished”). Enabling this setting tints the thumbnail cell with the assigned color, providing an immediate visual cue about the photo’s status.
3. Thumbnail Badges
Thumbnail badges are small icons that provide quick, at-a-glance information about what work has been done to each image. Here are a few examples:
- Develop Changes: Indicates that the image has been edited using the Develop Module tools.
- Cropped: Indicates that the image has been cropped.
- AI Tools: Appears when AI-powered tools like Denoise, Raw Details, or Super Resolution have been applied.
- Collections: Shows that the photo is part of a Collection.
- GPS Coordinates: Appears if the photo has embedded GPS data and is visible in the Map Module.
Badges can also be configured to be clickable buttons. For example, clicking the Develop Changes badge will take you directly into the Develop module to see the changes you’ve made and make additional improvements if needed.
The “J” Key Shortcut: A Blessing and a Curse
One of the most useful—and frustrating—shortcuts in the Library module is the J key. The Adobe UI designers created this shortcut to quickly cycle between the different cell display modes in the Grid View.
Pressing J once cycles from the Compact to the Expanded cell view. Pressing J a second time enters a minimalistic display mode where all information is turned off, including the file’s name, ratings, and badges.
If this happens, don’t panic! Simply press the J key again to cycle back through the cell display modes. This is a common “gotcha” that can make it seem like all your information has vanished.
Customizing the Filmstrip
The thumbnails in the Filmstrip at the bottom of the screen can also be customized, but you won’t find the controls for this feature inside of the View > View Options menu. Instead, go to the Interface tab inside of the Preferences menu. Here, you can choose to enable:
- Show Badges
- Show Ratings and Picks
- Show Stack Counts
Once adjusted, your Filmstrip thumbnails will have similar settings to your Grid View, helping to maintain a consistent visual experience across your workspace.
With the View Options menu, you gain the flexibility to customize your Lightroom Classic workspace to suit your specific workflow, whether you prefer a distraction-free view or a detailed one with all the information at your fingertips.
