19 Replies Latest reply: Feb 22, 2012 2:12 PM by b_gossweiler RSS

    Before-after shortcut on European keyboard

    Bent Nielsen Community Member

      LR 4 Beta seems great.  Wondering if a European keyboard offers shortcut for before/after option in Develop Mode (backslash on American keyboard).

        • 1. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
          b_gossweiler Community Member

          Are you using LR in English?

           

          Beat

          • 3. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
            b_gossweiler Community Member

            Bent,

             

            If you cannot enter a shortcut on your (non-English) keyboard and you want to assign a different key to it, you have 2 options:

            • Use the KeyboardTamer plug-in (which is limited to remapping some of the keys, and I generally haven't been to successful with it, but this could be me)
            • Create a TranslatedStrings.txt file for the English version as follows (I'm refering to Win7):
              • Create a folder "en" within "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4\Resources"
              • Within folder "en", create a file "TranslatedStrings.txt" using any text editor with the remapped keyboard shortcuts. For Before/After toggle this would be:
                "$$$/AgDevelop/Menu/View/BeforeAfter/Before/Key=<"
                

            to assign "<" for Before/After instead of backslash

             

            Please note that you have to run KeyboardTamer as administrator when applying changes. Please also note that any new installation of LR will overwrite the directory created, so you should keep it in some other place as well.

             

            Beat

            • 4. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
              Cornelia-I Community Member

              Hi Bent,

               

              I am using the same: LR in English, OS=Windows7 in German, with a German keyboard.

               

              No original short-cut works, which would need an additional modifier key on a German keyboard. Therefore I have needed several entries:

               

              "$$$/AgDevelop/Menu/View/BeforeAfter/Before/Key=<"

              "$$$/AgDevelopShortcuts/Create_Virtual_Copy/Key=Befehl + t"

              "$$$/AgLibrary/Menu/Shared/CreateVirtualCopies/Key=Cmd+t"

              "$$$/AgLibrary/Menu/View/ShowFilterBar/Key=ü"

              "$$$/LibraryMenus/MenuShortcut/DecreaseRating=,"

              "$$$/LibraryMenus/MenuShortcut/IncreaseRating=."

              "$$$/AgDevelop/Localized/BrushDecreaseKey=,"

              "$$$/AgDevelop/Localized/BrushDecreaseKeyShifted=;"

              "$$$/AgDevelop/Localized/BrushIncreaseKey=."

              "$$$/AgDevelop/Localized/BrushIncreaseKeyShifted=:"

              "$$$/AgLibrary/Exif/DimensionsTemplate=^1^U+00D7^2"

              "$$$/AgLibrary/Exif/FStopTemplate=^U+0192^U+2044^0"

              "$$$/AgLibraryImages/DefaultCopyName=VC^1"

              (sorry, could not attach the file, so the content which you can paste into your txt-editor to create TranslatedStrings.txt

              The last 3 lines are not needed for keyboard topics, but control display of f-stops and default naming of virtual copies.)

              • 5. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                b_gossweiler Community Member

                Cornelia-I wrote:

                 

                Hi Bent,

                 

                I am using the same: LR in English, OS=Windows7 in German, with a German keyboard.

                 

                No original short-cut works, which would need an additional modifier key on a German keyboard.

                Yes, I know. In my case it's even worse because I can't even enter certain shortcuts when using LR in German, because I have a Swiss keyboard (i.e. # is not accessible without modifier). So I have quite a lot of modifications even in the German TranslatedStrings.txt, which is kind of annoying to re-do with each release.

                 

                Beat

                • 6. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                  john beardsworth Community Member

                  Would there not be a Y on German keyboards?

                  • 7. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                    b_gossweiler Community Member

                    johnbeardy wrote:

                     

                    Would there not be a Y on German keyboards?

                    Yes, there is a Y on German (and Swiss) keyboards, but no \ without using a modifier key.

                     

                    Beat

                    • 9. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                      Cornelia-I Community Member

                      I use the Y key to see both versions at the same time: before + after, side by side left-right (suitable for portrait orientation).

                      Or <alt>y on top of each other (suitable for landscape orientation).

                      But if you want to toggle to see only one, either before or after, it does not work.

                       

                      (Y and Z are exchanged in places from English to German keyboard as we have rather a lot of z's and pretty few y's in German.)

                       

                      But John's hint is good: Bent - do you insist on toggling or would double display be a hitherto unkown feature to you?

                      • 10. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                        Bent Nielsen Community Member

                        In LR3, I already use TranslatedStrings.txt for shortcut for Brush size, so I thought it would be a piece of cake to add a line to make shortcut to toggle Before-After in Develop mode.

                         

                        It worked beautifully for a few moments, then LR crashed and has been acting unpleasantly since.  I have optimized catalog, removed TranslatedStrings.txt, re-booted but to no avail.

                         

                        Beat: Do I really have to run KeyboardTamer in order to use TranslatedStrings.txt?  I'm on a mac, and LR3 works just fine with TranslatedStrings.txt placed in the Contents/Resources folder (not in the "en" folder).  Also I haven't been real lucky with KeyboardTamer.

                         

                        Cornelia: I much prefer toggling. I was inspired by Adobe TV (http://tv.adobe.com/watch/photoshopcafe-tv/lightroom-4-beta-image-processing/) at about 3 min. 45 sec.

                         

                        Will mix a Bloody Mary now, enjoy the rest of the evening and re-install LR4 tomorrow and try again.  Because toggle Before-After would be great.

                         

                        Thanks for your posts!!

                         

                        p.s. I agree it is somewhat a nuisance having to replace the TranslatedStrings.txt file for each LR upgrade.  Wonder why LR doesn't have a Keyboard Shortcuts function like Photoshop - not to be ungrateful, but I wonder.  Then it would also be possible to add a program shortcut for a function I use a lot in LR: Library/Folder/Go to folder in library. 

                        • 11. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                          b_gossweiler Community Member

                          Bent Nielsen wrote:

                           

                          Beat: Do I really have to run KeyboardTamer in order to use TranslatedStrings.txt?  I'm on a mac, and LR3 works just fine with TranslatedStrings.txt placed in the Contents/Resources folder (not in the "en" folder).  Also I haven't been real lucky with KeyboardTamer.

                          No, KeyboradTamer is just a GUI to the TranslatedStrings.txt file. Updating the file manually is just as good, but requires a little more knowledge.

                           

                          I've heard before that placing the TranslatedStrings.txt file into the Contents/Resources folder (without creating an "en" folder) works on Macs, and that its content then will override whatever is in language specific TranslatedStrings.txt. On Windows, you have to put it into a language specific folder.

                           

                           

                          Will mix a Bloody Mary now, enjoy the rest of the evening and re-install LR4 tomorrow and try again.  Because toggle Before-After would be great.

                          I kind of doubt that re-installing will do a lot of good. I'd try renaming the LR Preferences file instead, so a new one is built when LR is started.

                           

                           

                          p.s. I agree it is somewhat a nuisance having to replace the TranslatedStrings.txt file for each LR upgrade.  Wonder why LR doesn't have a Keyboard Shortcuts function like Photoshop - not to be ungrateful, but I wonder.  Then it would also be possible to add a program shortcut for a function I use a lot in LR: Library/Folder/Go to folder in library. 

                          Agreed!

                           

                          Beat

                          • 12. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                            Bent Nielsen Community Member

                            Hello Beat:

                             

                            Deleting the TranslatedStrings.txt brought LR 4 back on its feet. 

                             

                            Turns out, there was an incompatibility between your BeforeAfter and my Brushdecrease and Spotdecrease, they all utilize the same key, "<".

                             

                            I'd like to use shortcuts for Brush and Spot sizes AND your BeforeAfter.  How can I assign a different key to your BeforeAfter?  I have tried several keys, but they turn out to be already used - is there maybe a list somewhere, that show unused keys?

                             

                            You may have guessed that I'm new to writing shortcuts, but I'm trying because the advantages are so great.

                             

                            The following shows your BeforeAfter in the first line, the next lines show what I have been using so far:

                             

                            "$$$/AgDevelop/Menu/View/BeforeAfter/Before/Key=<"

                            "$$$/AgDevelopShortcuts/Rotate_left/Key=Command + <"

                            "$$$/AgDevelopShortcuts/Rotate_right/Key=Command + $"

                            "$$$/AgLibrary/Help/Shortcuts/RotateLeftKey=Command + <"

                            "$$$/AgLibrary/Help/Shortcuts/RotateRightKey=Command + $"

                            "$$$/AgLibrary/Menu/Photo/RotateLeft/Key=Cmd+<"

                            "$$$/AgLibrary/Menu/Photo/RotateRight/Key=Cmd+$"

                            "$$$/AgLibrary/Menu/Photo/Stack/MoveDown/Key=Shift+$"

                            "$$$/AgLibrary/Menu/Photo/Stack/MoveUp/Key=Shift+<"

                            "$$$/AgDevelop/Localized/BrushIncreaseKey=$"

                            "$$$/AgDevelop/Localized/BrushDecreaseKey=<"

                            "$$$/AgDevelop/Localized/SpotIncreaseKey=$"

                            "$$$/AgDevelop/Localized/SpotDecreaseKey=<"

                            "$$$/AgLibrary/Help/Shortcuts/IncreaseTheRatingKey=$"

                            "$$$/AgLibrary/Help/Shortcuts/DecreaseTheRatingKey=<"

                            "$$$/LibraryMenus/MenuShortcut/IncreaseRating=$"

                            "$$$/LibraryMenus/MenuShortcut/DecreaseRating=<"

                            • 13. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                              uvagris Community Member

                              Hi,

                               

                              I use the German version of LR4b on a German Macbook (MAC OS 10.7.3). I use "Shift-S" like in LR3 as a before-after shortcut.

                               

                              Uli

                              • 14. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                                Bent Nielsen Community Member

                                In my version of LR4, "Shift-S" takes you to View/Soft Proofing/Destination Gamut Warning

                                • 15. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                                  b_gossweiler Community Member

                                  Bent Nielsen wrote:

                                   

                                  In my version of LR4, "Shift-S" takes you to View/Soft Proofing/Destination Gamut Warning

                                  In German versions, Shift+S has been "Before" for a long time:

                                  $$$/AgDevelop/Menu/View/BeforeAfter/Before/Key=Shift+s

                                  Now, with LR4 Beta, Shift+S has also been assigned to Destination Gamut Warning:

                                  $$$/AgDevelop/Menu/View/OutputGamutWarning/Key=Shift+s

                                  But this second line not get active in the German version because of the prior "Before only" assignement.

                                   

                                  So you can call it a but, but as long as there is no published list of shortcuts, I guess we cannot do anything against it.

                                   

                                  Beat

                                  • 16. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                                    b_gossweiler Community Member

                                    Bent Nielsen wrote:

                                     

                                    How can I assign a different key to your BeforeAfter?  I have tried several keys, but they turn out to be already used - is there maybe a list somewhere, that show unused keys?

                                    Unfortunately, there is no such list (AFAIK), so you just have to try (I think Shift+a is not used yet in Develop ....)

                                     

                                    Beat

                                    • 18. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                                      Bent Nielsen Community Member

                                      Would like to do some work on the English version of translatedstrings.txt file, but where is this file located on a mac?

                                       

                                      I use English version of LR, and all other languages have their translatedstrings.txt file located in their respective folders in  //Resources//, whereas  //en.lproj// only contain a license file.

                                      • 19. Re: Before-after shortcut on European keyboard
                                        b_gossweiler Community Member

                                        I have heard that on a Mac, you can just put a TranslatedStrings.txt into folder "Resources", i.e. "above" the language specific subfolders. On Windows, this does NOT work.

                                         

                                        If that does not work, try putting one into the "en" subfolder.

                                         

                                        Beat