How to choose Render Previews in Lightroom?

Question

During import, I had selected Render Previews » Minimal. Now I want to select the keepers, but every time I go to the next photo, it's first pixelated, then it's loaded.

I usually shoot a couple hundred frames each time, and many are similar. I would prefer a faster transition, since the differences are in the smaller details, rather than in the concepts/big picture.

Considering that, what previews would be better to render on inport? Is there a way to render the previews after import, in the background?

Since the pick/rejected ratio is rather small, if I would render 1:1 previews, are they also deleted when I delete the corresponding photos?

Thanks

Answer 1

You should choose a default preview size that best approximates your monitor's resolution[1]. If you frequently want to zoom in, then rendering 1:1 on import might be a good idea. Be aware though, that even when the previews are already rendered 1:1, there still is some load time, because the files have to be fetched from your disk.

Considering your second point. Previews are always rendered in the background after import. You can see the current job on the top left. There will be one for import first, and afterwards another job will start for rendering the previews.

If you want to start a render job, some time later after import and maybe a program restart, select your photos then got to 'Library -> Previews' and select the desired size.

I would assume previews are discarded with their full size counterparts upon deletion. If not 'File > Optimize Catalog' should take care of this for sure, there is no reason to keep them if you deleted the photos from disk. There is also 'Library -> Previews -> Discard 1:1 Previews' if you want to be sure.

[1] Adobe says: 'Note that when using a 23" or larger monitor it to is best to set the Standard sized previews so that they are rendered at 2048 pixels', see here: http://forums.adobe.com/thread/358026

Answer 2

The best way is... import them let them render and if you are able to disconnect the source ie. an external hard-drive back server etc. then you can rifle through them very quickly.

It will show file not found, but the preview is clean and clear. There is no load time to de-pixalate the image.

After you made your selections plug the source back in an begin the hard part:P