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Does Lightroom really need a Standard preview anymore?

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clee01l

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Now that LR is using Smart Previews to speed up processing performance, is there really any need for LR to still keep the regular Preview folder. I know the current code is probably tied to the Previews folder so at least for now we are stuck with it. So Does LR really need standard previews and could it be replaced by Smart Previews in some future version?
 
Previews are needed. A better question is if they can combine the standard previews and the regular previews with additional options for even higher resolutions. This will be needed for 4K and 5K monitors.
 
They could, but at the cost of slowing down the display of images in the Library module. Smart previews are never updated to contain your edits, so the edits would have to be applied in the Library module in the same way they have to be applied in the Develop module before the image would show. It's a classic trade-off between storage and speed.
 
The other thing is that using smart previews is only an option. Not everyone will do this, so it can never fully replace standard previews.
 
The other thing is that using smart previews is only an option. Not everyone will do this, so it can never fully replace standard previews.
Standard Previews is not an option. IF Smart Previews replaced the Standard Preview functionality, and were updated with the frequency that Standard Previews were updated, then it seems to me that there would not need to be both. And then Smart Previews would not be an option either.

I just (overnight) created Smart Previews for all of my ~34,000 cataloged images. The folder size is 39GB. My Standard Previews folder which presumably contains Previews in different sizes and thumbnails and probably not all of my images is (coincidentally?) 39GB.
All I'm asking is whether there is a reason that the Smart Previews folder could not in some future version of LR become the only Previews folder.
 
Where would you then put the 1:1 previews?
 
If the smart previews have your edits applied, then they can no longer act as proxies for your master images. They wouldn't be smart previews anymore.
 
Where would you then put the 1:1 previews?
How essential are 1:1 previews? My Smart Previews have a long edge of 2560px or about 1/3 of normal. Yet these same Smart Previews can be used fully in the develop module. What does LR do for 1:1 previews if the Original image is not present and there is no 1:1 Preview in the Standard previews folder? I suppose if there is some critical need for a 1:1 preview, this functionality could be included as a new feature of Smart previews.

My Previews folder contains 532 (out of ~34,000) previews that are 1:1. As a test, I took an original off line. Then I discarded the 1:1 preview and entered the Develop module (At this point, I only have what ever previews remain and a Smart Preview that is 1/3 the size of the original.) LR did not blink. At 1:1 if you look closely there is pixelation, more pronounced at 2:1. But LR gives no indication that I'm viewing anything less than a full sized image and I have all of the develop tools available to me.

I guess the reason that I am asking is to find out if Smart Previews and perhaps whatever 1:1 previews LR might require would be more efficient and have a smaller footprint than a standard Preview folder and a smart preview folder. When Smart previews were first introduced, the default was to automatically build Smart Previews along with whatever standard previews were requested. In an effort to speed up the import process, I stopped creating Smart Previews at import and create only minimal standard previews. At this point LR is forced to create a 1:1 only when I request a view that needs it and Smart Previews only for those image that are placed into LR Mobile Sync's collection. With the latest release of LR, Smart Previews are being used as performance tool. So, it makes sense to create them now on import, even for images that will get deleted within 24 hours of import. Now, I'm giving up speed on import for some unspecified performance boost during post processing. Now LR on import will create both standard previews and Smart previews causing my imports to take longer.
 
If the smart previews have your edits applied, then they can no longer act as proxies for your master images. They wouldn't be smart previews anymore.
My Smart previews act as proxies for my edited images sent to LR Mobile. How is this any different?
 
How essential are 1:1 previews?

For a lot of users the answer is "very".

I'm sure that the preview footprint could be reduced if LR was engineered to use a single preview type. Doesn't Capture 1 do that? The question would be all about the amount of work to do that re-engineering. I suspect it would be non-trivial.

Regarding your longer imports, have you yet decided if the time investment is worth it? I routinely build Smart and 1:1 Previews during import, and I can certainly see the loading improvement when using them in Develop. However, the new improved Develop caching trumps the Smart Preview for me, so I doubt I'll use that performance option regularly.
 
Standard Previews is not an option. IF Smart Previews replaced the Standard Preview functionality, and were updated with the frequency that Standard Previews were updated, then it seems to me that there would not need to be both. And then Smart Previews would not be an option either.

I just (overnight) created Smart Previews for all of my ~34,000 cataloged images. The folder size is 39GB. My Standard Previews folder which presumably contains Previews in different sizes and thumbnails and probably not all of my images is (coincidentally?) 39GB.
All I'm asking is whether there is a reason that the Smart Previews folder could not in some future version of LR become the only Previews folder.

If you use a 4K or 5K screen, smart previews will not be big enough to act as substitute for standard sized previews.
 
Regarding your longer imports, have you yet decided if the time investment is worth it? I routinely build Smart and 1:1 Previews during import, and I can certainly see the loading improvement when using them in Develop
I started importing with Minimal previews and not Smart previews when I had my older iMac. I now have a new 5K iMac and importing is speedier. So, in light of the new use for Smart Previews, I'm re-assessing. This was part of the reason for this topic.
 
If you use a 4K or 5K screen, smart previews will not be big enough to act as substitute for standard sized previews.
I have a new 5K iMac. Except for the pixelation that I noted earlier The Smart preview was an acceptable image for development Throw in a 1:1 and I think there is no issue.
 
Well, I don't have a 5K screen, but I'm a bit surprised. A smart preview is only 2540 pixel wide, a 5K screen is 5120 pixels wide. Even if you have both panels on screen (I often only use the right panel to create more room for the image) I would expect to see that difference. If I do use only the right panel, I would definitely expect to see that.
 
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