Applying settings to multiple photos
Lightroom a batch processing application at heart allows you to very easily apply Develop adjustment settings to many photos at one time using a variety of methods. Any Develop setting on one photo can also be applied to other photos for example, you could replicate your application of Spot Removal or dodging and burning to multiple images. Select photos from the Filmstrip or collections While working in Develop, you don't need to go back to Library to load different images.
Collecting Photos For The Print
Whether you're making your own prints or preparing files for a lab, you'll want to spend a little time in Library organizing the photos you want to print. You can use a collection (which I normally do), or a Folder. The Print module includes the Collections panel on the left panel group. You can make a new Print Collection by selecting photos from the Filmstrip, clicking the + button on the Collections panel header, and selecting Create Print from the popup menu. This creates a new Print...
Modifying An Instance Of The Spot Removal Tool
After applying the Spot Removal tool, you can adjust each instance of it in the tool overlay. Start by clicking a circle to select it. The active circle has a heavier outline than the other see Figure 4-102. With any instance of the Spot Removal tool selected, you can modify it in several ways Click and drag the edge of the circle to change its size Click and drag the center of the circle to move it. (This can be used to move the source circle to a different point for better results.) Click and...
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Chromatic aberration (ca) is ca used by the camera lens (see Figure 4-66). Under certain lighting conditions, when the light comes through the lens, the light rays are scattered at the point where they hit the sensor, causing colored edges to appear in the image. ca is easiest to find near the corners of the image, along edges of high contrast. Use the Chromatic Aberration adjustments in the Lens Corrections panel to remove ca. Z oom in very close (even up to 11 1 can be helpful). Drag the...
Export Images For Copyright Submission
For most photographers, registering photographs with the U.S. Library of Congress is an essential activity. I recommend that at least once per year you export finished photos from Lightroom to submit to the copyright office. The easiest way to do this is to export small jpgs and burn them to disc you can submit many files to the copyright office using just one form. You can also use the online registration system at http www.copyright.gov.
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Toggle hide show node pins or overlay Toggle show never show the overlay for selected tool graphics, because their values can be specified to conform to operating system color palettes. Many Web designers specify colors as Hex values and there are lots of online resources for color pickers in Hex and other color modes. (Adobe's very useful Kuler application, for example.) To switch between Hex and rgb values click each respective text button in the palette (see Figure 4-83). When you're done...
Local Adjustment Presets
You can save presets for graduated filters and local adjustment brushes. The presets simply contain values for the sliders and the list on the popup menu is shared by both tools. With the desired settings applied, click the Effect menu (see Figure 4-92) and select Save Settings as New Preset.
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Profile Co a I so n Ed it i ' Rendering Intent Relative N Next, choose the Rendering Intent see Figure 6-40. This setting determines translated to the printer's color space The two available rendering intents in . . Lightroom are Perceptual and Relative. There's more about color management and rendering intents in Chapters 1 and 5. Your printer (and the printer at the lab) has a specific range of colors it can print, called its color gamut. Perceptual rendering compresses the range of colors in...
Tool Overlays
All the tools in the strip Crop, Spot Removal, Red-Eye, Graduated Filter and Adjustment Brushes provide a tool overlay when activated. The tool overlays provide controls for manipulating each instance of the tool application or deleting it. The overlays can also be hidden or shown while the tool is active. Graduated filters and brushes provide a node pin, used for selecting each individual instance of the tool within the overlay. For brushes, you can click and drag your cursor over the node pin...
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Calibrating and profiling your display 30 camera raw 38, 39, 52, 53, 61, 78, 79, 114, 147, 148, 162, 256 Candidate 103 capture time 109 Catalog Panel 80 Catalogs 7, 8, 9, 38, 43, 44, 45, 46, 53, 61, 67, 72, 73, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 87, 89, 90, 91, 93, 105, 115, 119, 123, 124, 129, 138, 141, 372, 375, 376, 377 Catalog backups 9 Catalog corruption 8 Catalog locations 7 Catalog names 9 Catalog Settings 12. See also Preferences Switching between catalogs 8 Using multiple catalogs 8...
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Figure 4-49 high saturation, low saturation In the Basic panel, drag the Saturation slider to the left for less saturation, and to the right for more, to see its effect on the photo. Stop where you like. See Figure 4-50. The Vibrance control in Lightroom works similarly to Saturation, in that it makes colors more or less vivid, with a couple of important differences. First, Vibrance will not affect colors that are already highly saturated. This non-linear behavior helps avoid that...
Clone Textures And Patterns
Clone is best used for replicating textures, patterns and hard lines in the photo. It makes exact copies of the sampled pixels and pastes them at the destination. Whereas the Heal brush evaluates the surrounding areas when applying the new pixels to the destination, the Clone tool does not it just copies pixels. If you need to retouch over the slats of a picket fence, replicate leaves and grass, or place a third eye on your mother-in-law, the Clone tool is the right tool for the job see Figure...
Crop and straighten
As the first step in evaluating each image, carefully consider whether it could be made stronger with different cropping (see Figure 4-11). Since cropping removes parts of the photo and thus changes the composition this can be the most significant modification you make to an image. Before you go much further into processing, take a few moments to crop and or straighten the photo as necessary. (Note that because all digital images are rectangular, straightening a photo in Lightroom always...
Postprocessing
Lightroom can integrate its export operations with those of other software applications. When Lightroom is done with the export, the files are handed off to the other program(s) for further processing, often which themselves can also be automated, such as with Photoshop actions. Use the controls in the PostProcessing panel of the Export screen (see Figure 5-18) to set options for this. More about post-processing can be found in Chapter 9.
Stepbystep Workflow For Road Trips
Following is the set of procedures I use when out shooting on location, and download using a laptop computer. Depending on your own computer hardware and software setup, you can follow this workflow verbatim, or use it as a basis for developing your own methods. In any event, the basic steps remain the same. 1. On my laptop, I create a new, empty Lightroom catalog for each trip. 2. While on the road, I import all new captures into the trip catalog. 3. After returning home, I import the photos...
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Show hide the adjustment brush mask overlay You can refine brush masks by erasing from them. Like the A and B brushes, the eraser has its own settings. To erase from a mask, first click its node point to activate it (see Figure 4-88). Show the overlay, if you like-this can make erasing lots easier. Make sure the eraser is active and set the eraser brush settings as necessary (size, feather, etc.). Paint to erase from the selected mask (see Figure 4-89). Hiding and showing local adjustments Use...
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Change the default settings used by Lightroom and Camera Raw for negative files with the following properties Model dnori EOS 5D Mack I Serial Number B20603477 Please note that these changes are not undoable Restore Adobe Default Settings ' ' Cancel ' Update to Current Settings You'll notice the message stating that the changes are not undoable this means just what it says you won't be able to use Undo to reverse your action here. However, you could always just save a new default, or revert to...
Metadata Presets
As with all presets in Lightroom, metadata presets can save you huge amounts of time. In addition to working with metadata presets in the Import screen, you can create and modify them using the menu on the Metadata panel (see Figure 3-42). Setting up standardized metadata Figure 3-42 Like the other parts of the workflow, you should establish and use a consistent system for your metadata presets. Use the same diligence in maintaining your presets and templates as you do with your file and folder...
Page Setup
The most important control for specifying the size of the printed pages, and thus the size of the photos that can fit on them, is Page Setup. You need to apply a Page Setup as one of the first steps in the printing workflow all the other measurements will be determined based on the Page Setup. Click the Page Setup button at the bottom of the left panel group (see Figure 6-3). In the Page Setup dialog box, choose the correct paper size and orientation for the current print job. Depending on your...
The Recent Sources menu
The Source Indicator is shown in text along the top of the Filmstrip. Clicking on this opens the Recent Sources menu. Use it to jump to any of the twelve most recently used sources plus the built-in Catalog sources and Favorite Sources. You can also clear the Recent Sources list. See Figure 3-3. foicfers Oregon California Selects Add to Favorit Clear Recent bOurc foicfers Oregon California Selects Add to Favorit Clear Recent bOurc Favorite Sources new in Lightroom 3, you can also save and...
Comparing before and after
In Develop you can see left right or top bottom comparisons of the before and after states of the photo. You can also toggle the Develop loupe preview to show before after. To see both Before After previews at one time, click the button on the toolbar (see Figure 4-116) or use the shortcut. The triangle button next to the Before After button opens a popup menu with options for arranging the before and after views. The image as it came into the catalog during import, including any Develop...
Page Up Page Down in Loupe
Using these keys allows you to scroll over a Loupe preview in equal columns whose widths are determined by the zoom ratio and the width of the Loupe preview. Start at the top left of the image, and press Page Down repeatedly. When you've reached the bottom of the photo and you press Page Down again, Lightroom will jump the preview to the top of the next column to the right. This is very useful when checking photos for artifacts and doing retouching such as removing dust spots, as it ensures you...
Smart Collections
Smart collections are configured with options similar to filters. You can set up smart collections to source images from anywhere in the catalog, using a wide variety of metadata criteria. As you work with photos and their settings are changed, Lightroom will dynamically add or remove them from the smart collections. You could make smart collections for photos made in the last 30 days, photos that need keywords, photos to prepare for a client, photos to be sent to a lab for printing, etc. All...
Setting Up The Printer And Choosing A Paper
When printing your own photos, everything you can do starts with the printer you'll use. These days, the average minimum cost for a printer capable of high quality output is around 500. At this point, you really can expect to get beautiful, long-lasting prints. Below that price, not so much. (This entry level price point continues to decline just a few years ago, comparable technology would cost twice as much.) The primary shortcoming with printers below this price point is that the...
Show Photos in Subfolders
When the Show Photos in Subfolders menu option is active (see Figure 3-9), selecting a folder in the Folders panel will show its contents and also the contents of any subfolders it contains. You can also enable or disable this option from the menu that appears when you click the + button on the panel header. Though this is the default condition, depending on your folder structure, this may be neither necessary nor desirable. For one thing, showing all the contents of subfolders can slow...
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B 01 _fl9B.dr g pmdanJ 01_107jdn Bandon. B 01 _fl9B.dr g pmdanJ 01_107jdn Or, with a large Loupe preview showing for a single image, click the checkbox in the Toolbar to include or exclude the file from the import (see Figure 2-14 on previous page). You can also sort the previews by their Checked State. 10. With photos checked, a display at the bottom left corner of the Import screen indicates how many photos are marked for import and the total aggregate file size of the batch (see...
Select
There are many situations where you will want to select all the images in the current source, such as when adding to a collection, modifying keywords and Saving Metadata to File. Use the Select All command under the Edit menu, or use the shortcut. All images in the current source become selected (see Figure 3-25). If you had an image selected before running the Select All command, it becomes the active photo. If no image was previously selected, the first image in the source order becomes the...
Hard Disk Drives and Volumes
At the top level of the folder file hierarchy is the volume. A volume is usually an individual hard disk drive, but could also be a partition on a single disk or a multiple-disk array. Volumes (and folders) shown in Lightroom correspond directly to the drive volumes on your computer's file system (Mac os x Finder or Windows Explorer). Volumes are listed in the Folders panel with their folders underneath see Figure 3-6.
Combine Multiple Filter Types
Hold Shift or Ctrl when clicking the filter names to add controls for multiple filter types at the same time. For example, you could use a Text filter with Attributes added. Or Text with Metadata, etc. A highlighted label indicates that filter is active see Figure 3-80. Click the name of the filter to enable or disable it in the current filter set. If you spend time configuring a complex filter set, you might consider saving it for later see next page. Tort J ( Any Scofchnfalc Held t ContainT
Grid Overlays
Lightroom's crop tool provides the following overlays (see Figure 4-20). These are based on long-held principles of design and are included to aid composition while cropping You can use the crop tool to turn a landscape-oriented image to a portrait and vice versa see Figure 4-21 and 4-22. Press the X key it toggles the crop overlay between portrait and landscape orientation. With the crop frame tool (see Figure 4-23), you can draw a freehand crop in either portrait or landscape orientation....
Icc Profiles
An ic c p rofile is a small computer file that describes the color space of an image or imaging device. A color-managed workflow uses profiles for each file and device in the imaging pipeline. Profiles are stored in specific places within your operating system so they are made available to any program using the cms. The cms uses the profile to handle the translation of numeric color values between devices. Profiles may end in the extensions .icc or .icm (International Color Consortium, or Image...
Auto stack by capture time
First, choose a folder, then control+Click or right-click on one of the thumbnails. From the contextual menu, choose Stacking Auto Stack by Capture Time. Set your desired time Figure 3-29 interval by adjusting the slider the number of stacks that will be created will show underneath. Press Return or Enter. Lightroom will create stacks in the current source for all photos matching the given criteria. See Figure 3-29. 8 stacks, 90 unstacked f Cancel ) Stack
Moving Presets And Profiles Between Machines
You'll also need to be sure that your presets and profiles (especially camera and lens correction profiles) are the same on all affected machines. You can easily copy the contents of your Lightroom presets and profiles folder from one machine to another the challenge may be keeping them in sync, for which there is no automated method. The easiest way to do this is to right-click or Ctrl+click on a preset and choose Show in Finder or Show in Explorer to find the presets folder. You can then copy...
Export To
Within the default Lightroom installation, you have two simple choices for the destination of the exported derivatives Hard Drive or cd d vd. (When you install other Export plug-ins, as explained later, more options may show here.) The Export To menu at the top of the dialog box shows which option has been selected (see Figure 5-3). Thi s selection determines the options available in the rest of the dialog box.
History
Everything you do to a photo in Lightroom is tracked in the History panel (see Figure 4-112). This is one of the great benefits of using a database-based image editor. You can go back to any point in time. (Unless you clear the history, which I generally don't recommend, since the textual history data being used to store each adjustment hardly takes up any disk space at all.) Clicking any step in the History panel will return the image to that state. History is linear, however if you make...
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Inset drag the sliders or type numbers to set the spacing between the watermark and the horizontal and vertical edges. Anchor determines the point from which the watermark is placed on the photo. The other controls will work relative to the anchor point, unless it's set to the center. Rotate click the buttons to rotate the watermark clockwise or counterclockwise in 90 degree increments. When you're done setting up your watermark, click the Save button at the bottom right and give your watermark...
Aspect Ratios
The aspect ratio of an image refers to its length and width, expressed as a ratio. For example, 2 3 means that the photo's short side is 2 units and the long side is 3 units. These units can later be translated into real world measurements, such as size in inches for printing. When cropping in Lightroom, you can constrain the crop to a precise aspect ratio or apply a free-form crop that is not locked to any aspect ratio. The padlock button (see Figure 4-17) toggles
Working in Grid view
Much of your work in Library will be done using thumbnails of your photos. In Library, the Grid view (see Figure 3-18) shows thumbnails inside cells arranged in rows and columns. There are two parts of the thumbnail the image preview itself and the cell (the gray area surrounding a thumbnail). They behave differently and provide different options. Thumbnails are useful for seeing groups of photos together and contemplating their relationships to one another and when applying settings to...
Keywords As Sources
You can create image sources using the Keyword List panel see Figure 3-17. When you place your cursor over a keyword an arrow appears to the right. Click the arrow to view images containing that keyword. Note that this will only find photos with that keyword in the current source. In other words, if you want to search for photos with a specific keyword within a folder, make sure that folder is selected first before clicking the keyword arrow.
Metadata
Metadata is one of the most useful, important properties of any digital image. Literally, it means data about data. Metadata is plain text information embedded in a special section of the image file's program code. Metadata can describe all kinds of things about an image file and is used in a variety of ways by a computer system processing that file. Because metadata is stored in a different part of the file than the pixel data it can be created and manipulated independently from the pixel...
When importing existing files from disk be careful applying metadata
Most times, you shouldn't apply metadata presets to existing files on your hard drive during import because the files might already contain custom metadata. The import screen doesn't indicate whether or not any metadata has already been applied to the files being imported, and if the files do have custom metadata applied, it isn't shown. You'll only know what metadata the files previously contained after they get into the catalog. For images already on your hard drive, it's usually safer to...
Spot removal
Are there elements in the image you'd like to remove or otherwise clean up Examples are spots caused by dust on the sensor, a branch appearing to stick out from someone's head, red-eye from flash, etc. (see Figure 4-97). Determine what elements you want to remove from the photo, but plan to re-assess the need for retouching after completing all the other steps. As you work on the image, you're likely to discover artifacts and other flaws you didn't notice earlier, or find that your processing...
Add Subtract Intersect
These specialized selection commands allow you to make complex photo selections quickly based on several criteria. These selections commands are Boolean think of them in terms of yes no, on off or active inactive. You can start with one selection and then modify it to include only the images you want. Many selection commands will invert the selection status of the any photos already selected selected images become deselected deselected images become selected. Under the Edit menu there are a...
Top Panel
The top panel contains the Module Picker (right) and the Identity Plate (left). During processing, Lightroom's progress indicators are also displayed in the Identity Plate area. At the far left of the top panel is the main Identity Plate (see Figure 1-15). You can customize it with your own text or graphic files. The main Identity Plate can be used in slideshows, Web galleries and print layouts, and in those modules you can also create additional Identity Plates.
Choosing The Photos For Your Web Gallery
As with Slideshow and Print, in Web you can use folders and collections as sources for the gallery. Put simply, you have two basic options use a folder with filters applied to only show the photos that will go into the gallery and hide the rest, or create a collection specifically for this gallery. Using a collection as the basis for your Web gallery has some distinct advantages. I most often recommend making a smart collection using workflow keywords (as described in Chapter 3) but you could...
Folder structures
Deciding how to organize the folders in your image library can be the most daunting aspect of designing a digital asset management (dam) system, but with careful consideration, you can implement a system that will serve you well for years. Here are a few things to keep in mind 1. The number of folders in your image library will increase dramatically over time. The system must scale effectively with this growth. 2. Working with Lightroom, it's often advantageous to have all your photos organized...
Attribute Filter
This is the core set of filters used for the Lightroom editing sequence outlined at the beginning of this chapter star ratings, pick flags, and color labels. Step One. As before, start by selecting the main image source you'll be filtering if you want to filter the entire catalog, use the All Photographs catalog source. Otherwise, choose a folder or collection to start with. Step Two. In the Filter Bar, click Attribute to enable the filter (see Figure 3-73).
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Default Settings 240 Defringe 199 Density 213 dentity Plates 18 derivative files 32, 69, 71, 83, 255, 256, 262, 264, 265, 275, 277, 332, 366 Detail panel 192, 193, 194 Develop 16, 156, 157, 158, 159, 163, 165, 173, 179, 191, 192, 207, 221, 224, 229, 230, 231, 232, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240 Develop presets 52, 60, 65, 145, 154, DNG 30, 32, 33, 38, 43, 45, 52, 53, 55, 57, 61, 62, 69, 71, 79, 114, 147, 148, 159, 162, 163, 255, 256, 261, 262, 264, 267, 363, 375, 377 Don't re-import...
Keywords
Keywords (also often called tags) are words and short phrases used to describe the content, theme and subject of a photo. Keywords can also be used to address metaphors, abstract concepts and graphical elements of the composition. In most cases, keywords are essential metadata that should be applied to every photo, especially those that will be posted online search engines commonly read keywords embedded in image files, and display search results based on the contents of this metadata. Keywords...
Quick Develop
The Quick Develop panel in the Library module (see Figure 3-96) contains a limited subset of the image adjustment controls available in the Develop module. Using the Quick Develop panel is very different from using the full Develop module. Though the names of the adjustments are the same, and those adjustments produce essentially the same visual changes in the individual photo(s), it's how the adjustments are applied that makes all the difference. In Library's Quick Develop panel, all the...
The Secondary Window
Lightroom offers support for dual monitors and, even with only one display, you can use the second window in a variety of ways. The second window (see Figure 1-10, next page) is a pared-down version of the main Library window and has its own layout and controls. (You can also play slideshows in the second window see Chapter 8.) . 14 nhnlm > ' 1 wlerrpd .' nMth_Vnlipy_rHiO n _n Hfl ring * . 14 nhnlm > ' 1 wlerrpd .' nMth_Vnlipy_rHiO n _n Hfl ring *
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The grid you see in the panel represents rows and columns on your thumbnail pages. Click in the grid to change the number of rows and columns and the preview is updated immediately. (Don't click and drag just click.) more pages and links to them Figure 7-11 thepage footer see Figure 7-11. (Make sure you can see the bottom of the page in the main preview area.) One trick to setting up the thumbnail index page is deciding the right number of rows and columns for the number of photos you're...
Zooming In And Out Of Images In Loupe View
Lightroom gives you several ways to zoom in and out of images. Each method has its own usefulness in some situations, one way is easier or faster than the others, so it's worthwhile to learn all the methods for zooming. To show an image full size in Loupe view, double click it, or press E or Return Enter. To go back to Grid, double click again, or press G. Pressing Return Enter cycles through Fit Fill, most recent zoom and Grid. Toggles between Fit or Fill and the most recently used zoom level...
Some thoughts about deleting photos from the master catalog
Many photographers permanently delete rejected images to conserve disk space and maybe also to conserve a little ego (none of us wants to look at our worst images). If you choose to do this, I recommend giving it some time before you do. During editing it is faster, cheaper, easier and safer to simply hide unwanted photos from view rather than actually delete them. Deleting images in the heat of the moment introduces the risk of accidentally trashing something important. If you wait to do it at...
Guidelines for folder and file naming
Even in this age of metadata, where software can perform all kinds of functions using information embedded inside image files, the names you give your files and folders is still very important. The main reason careful naming matters is the frequent need to find, open and save files using your computer's file system. Navigating through dialog boxes, copying files between media and sending images as email attachments are commonplace activities. Using well-conceived names will make these tasks...
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Exposure Brightness Contrast Saturation Clarity Sharpness Color The graduated filter creates linear gradients that are applied in a straight line between two points start and end. (Unlike Photoshop, you can't add additional control points between the start and end of the gradient.) The graduated filter smoothly transitions from full effect to no effect. Put another way, the strength of the adjustment at the start of the gradient is 100 , and at the end is 0 . The transition is always soft you...
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Stroke Border enable this option to add a solid, outline border to the printed photos see Figure 6-14. Use the slider or type in a numeric value to set the 6 width of the border. Click the rectangular color swatch to open the color picker and set a color. (The color picker is explained in detail in Chapter 4.) Right-click or Ctrl+click on any panel header and click the popup menu option to enable Solo Mode.
Solo Mode
When you enable Solo Mode, opening one panel closes all the others. This is my preferred way of working, except in the Library left panels, where it's often advantageous to have Folders and Collections open at the same time. Right-click or Ctrl+click on any of the panel headers select the option from the popup menu to enable Solo Mode. Option+click or Alt+click on any panel header to open that panel and simultaneously toggle Solo Mode. Shift+click on a panel header to open it without closing...
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Lightroom slideshows (and slideshow previews) use the Adobe rgb (1998) color space to render the files to screen. For this reason, in very rare cases, your photos might look different in the slideshow than they do in the other modules. Adobe rgb is a larger color space than srgb (which is used for the Web module) but smaller than ProPhoto, which is used for high quality previews in Develop. Usually, only some colors will be affected those with extreme saturation in certain hues like pure blues,...
Exif
The camera writes exif met adata into the image file when you take the picture. exif inc ludes all the camera settings at the time of capture. Most exif met adata cannot be edited in Lightroom but it can be useful when making processing decisions. Examples of some exif met adata (see Figure 3-39) shown in the Metadata panel are Dimensions - resolution in pixels Exp osure Exp osure Bias Flash Exp osure Program M etering Mode ISO Speed Rating F ocal Length L ens Capture date time (Date Time...
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Convert selected photo(s) to black and white This button on the Quick Develop panel (see Figure 3-97) resets the settings for all the photos selected when in Grid view, or the single photo showing in Loupe view. Using the Quick Develop panel or the keyboard shortcut you can convert color photos to black and white from within the Library module. Black and white conversions are discussed further in Chapter 4. Ex poiure l< v v ITiSi CI a rity fP JP RMPP I Vi bra nee T'V Reset to Adobe Default...
Quick Collection
The Quick Collection is a built-in collection that is best used as a temporary holding place during editing or organizing. It's a useful tool for combining search results and filtered views. For example, during editing, you could add photos to the Quick Collection as an intermediate step to getting them all into one permanent collection later. There is only one Quick Collection available in each catalog. Access the Quick Collection in the Catalog panel see Figure 3-84. To add or remove photos...
More Publish Service Settings
There are a couple of menus containing additional options for creating and modifying publish services. Click the button on the right side of the Publish Service panel header. The first item is a link to open the Publishing Manager. Below that are listed any services you've set up. You can also change the sort order and turn on off the service icons. .on a publish service in the panel. A popup menu opens to provide the following options Edit Settings opens the Lightroom Publishing Manager with...
Sync Settings
You can synchronize Develop settings between multiple files in Lightroom. This produces the same results as Copy Paste the settings from the active photo will be applied to the other selected photos. It's just another way of applying one batch of settings to multiple photos. You can also sync settings from a vc back to the original. Sync settings from the active photo to other selected photos With multiple photos selected (pay attention to which is the active photo), click the Sync button on...
Syncing drives
Use backup software that can synchronize data between hard drives. Sync your master and backup drives after every major work session. You can also set up the software to automatically sync at specific times. For Mac, I recommend Carbon Copy Cloner and ChronoSync on Windows I use Microsoft Robocopy and SyncToy. Carbon Copy Cloner for Mac http www.bombich.com Chronosync for Mac http www.econtechnologies.com Microsoft SyncToy
Make A Plan For Processing
Before beginning your processing in Develop, take a few minutes to evaluate the photo and make a quick plan for the work you're going to do. (You could instead do this in Library, as the last step of editing.) It might help to jot down some notes to help visualize the sequence of steps you will take. This doesn't need to be elaborate just take a moment to envision the final result you're looking for. As every image is unique, each will benefit from different enhancements to make the photograph...
The Print Job panel
After laying out your page(s), configure the options on the Print Job panel (see Figure 6-36). The choices you make here will determine the destination and quality of the printed output. This popup menu allows you to spool the job to your printer or to generate a jpg file. (Printing jpg files from Lightroom is very useful when preparing files to be printed by a lab or service bureau, which is explained in detail at the end of this Print section.) Changing the Print To setting will determine the...
A quick note about camera raw files and xmp sidecars
Because a raw file straight from the camera typically cannot be modified using software, any metadata applied to the file that you want to save on disk must be stored elsewhere. The most common method is the use of sidecar files in .xmp (Extensible Metadata Platform) format. A sidecar file is associated with a specific, individual image file and contains metadata changes made to the raw file in software such as Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw. The sidecar must always accompany the original file...
Customize The Slideshow
Customize your slideshow design using the panels on the right side of the screen. I almost always work from top to bottom, but inevitably there will be some going back and forth. If you're not sure how a specific control works, try it Just keep tweaking the controls until you like the way the slideshow looks. Details for each of the panels are below. Starting in the Options panel (see Figure 8-4), set how the photos are placed on the slides. Zoom to Fill Frame will enlarge (and most likely...
Develop Presets
Develop presets allow you to automatically apply Develop module settings to photos as they are imported. This provides more control over your baseline image settings at the outset of the editing workflow and saves time in processing. You can't configure Develop presets from the import screen you must do this in the Develop module prior to starting an import (see Chapter 4). Before you start saving Develop presets, you will likely need to manually process a few photos and take note of the common...
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A Lightroom catalog can only contain one instance of each photo if the photo is already listed in the catalog, you can't import it again. Use the scroll bar at the right side of the preview area to view all the thumbnails (see Figure 2-12). It's a good idea to at least take a quick look at the previews to confirm what photos will be imported. 8. To see a larger preview of a single photo, double-click the thumbnail, or press the E key, or click the Loupe view button on the toolbar. You can zoom...
Treat jpg as separate files
If you capture raw+jpg, and want to import both files for each capture, you need to enable this option in Lightroom Preferences Import (see Figure 2-20). M Auta Mlli* lhc< k tor upd*lr> y Stri* import dulog when rtomOrr card 11 d*t Ud loner Iirr fi r-trntj hj tSf < i mtt nmilni fe n t TI.JI JffC fll TO rJw In M fMitr phiMCn ji jii uulotf-ipvtifit jnd arc uungcd m Ciulog itamf*. f Co w Cmlafl hciiwflt
Saving Filter Presets
To save a filter preset, get the filter set up the way you want, then click the menu at the right side of either the top Filter Bar or the filters section on the Filmstrip (see Figure 3-83). From the menu, select Save Current Settings as New Preset. Give your preset a meaningful name it will then be listed in the filters menu. Camera Info Default Columns Exposure Info niters Off Fagged Location Columns NC 1 Star Green NC DNGonly NC Pick t Star NC Pick 2 Star NC Pick 3 Star NC Pick 4 Star NC TIF...
Local adjustments
Selectively lightening or darkening localized areas in the photo has traditionally been referred to as dodging (lightening) and burning (darkening). Most photos can benefit from some amount of dodging and or burning Figure 4-70 shows a subtle example. Evaluate whether or not the photo could be enhanced with Lightroom's localized adjustments. For example, are there light or dark areas that distract from the subject Could the appearance of depth and dimension be enhanced Dodging and burning can...
Naming Your Image Files And Arranging Them In Folders
Your image files will be contained in folders, of whose structure you need to be acutely aware. Before importing photos into Lightroom it's best to establish a system for organizing your folders and files on the hard drive. Otherwise, you're likely to waste a lot of time looking for images, moving files around, and wondering which file is what. How we arrange and name our files is one of the more subjective aspects of the digital photography workflow. While it stands to reason that you should...
Other Sort Orders
Image files that get added to the catalog during editing or synchronizing (often with varying file types) may appear in the Grid in an order that can be confusing. If you look for a photo thumbnail in a certain place in the order and it's not there, try looking at the last images in the source. Newly added photos often end up there. Once you find the new photos at the end, you can modify the sort order or tag them differently to change where they appear in the sort order. S+Option+Shift+H or...
Organize Photos For The Slideshow
In Library, organize photos for your slideshow in Library first, including adding any metadata you want to use in the slideshow, such as titles and captions. In the Library Metadata panel, you can insert line breaks if you want to have multiline captions. After switching to the Slideshow module, start your work with all the panels open. The left panel set contains Preview, Templates and Collections. The right panels contain all the controls for customizing the slideshow see Figure 8-1.
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Or, delete presets from the list by clicking the present and then the Remove button. Start with a preset Often, the easiest way to set up an export is to select a preset and then customize the settings from there. The left side of the Export dialog box lists all the export presets that have been saved. Under Lightroom Presets, there are a few built-in presets for some common tasks. (When you're just starting with a new installation of Lightroom, there won't be any User Presets.)
Targeted Adjustment Tool
The Tone Curve, hsl a nd B& W controls provide a targeted adjustment tool (or tat) t hat you can use to edit the image interactively (see Figure 4-48). Click the S+Option+Shift+T or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T Activate the targeted adjustment for the Tone Curve When you're done, click the target again (or use the shortcut or press Esc) to deactivate the tool. Now in Lightroom 3, when you switch panels, any tat that was in use on another panel becomes inactive.
The Compact Import window
At the bottom left of the Import screen is a large triangle button that toggles between Show More Options and Show Fewer Options see Figure 2-27. Sometimes you don't need to see all the thumbnail previews or options in the expanded Import screen. Showing fewer options compacts the Import screen to just show the essential elements see Figure 2-28. For example, if you're pressed for time, a manual download using Finder or Explorer is the fastest way to simply copy the files from the card to the...
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Zoom clicked point to center 101 zoom ratios 20, 21 Nat Coalson is not only a passionate photographer, but also an accomplished digital professional. This combination makes him the perfect instructor, with his new Lightroom 3 book lending expert guidance through the digital maze along with a healthy dose of inspiration to become a better photographer. George Jardine, Former Pro Photo Evangelist at Adobe Systems and member of the original Lightroom development team
Import photos from your camera
After you've completed a shoot or filled up a memory card, you should get the files copied to your computer and backed up as soon as possible. Lightroom facilitates this and much more you can use Lightroom to handle the transfer of files from your camera to your hard disk and automatically import them into the Lightroom catalog. The one required step in this workflow is for Lightroom to physically copy the files from the memory card to the hard disk. You can also optionally have Lightroom 2....
Select None
This is one of the most important commands used throughout the editing workflow. It's a very good habit to deselect any previously selected images before moving on to work on others. Otherwise, you might accidentally apply adjustments or other changes to a photo without intending to If your thumbnail Grid shows some empty space with no thumbnails at the end, you can click there to Select None see Figure 3-26. Otherwise, use the shortcut. (HL BJIMMI'JU& VW . )lwiI JiW Mg
Output Sharpening
In modern digital photo workflows, we usually use three types of sharpening capture sharpening, creative sharpening and output sharpening. In Lightroom, the first two are applied in the Develop module (see Chapter 4). At export time, Lightroom provides the capability to automatically apply output sharpening see Figure 5-11. With this method, the new files are sharpened at the ideal point in the processing and at the proper amount for the image size and intended media. Sharpen For 1 Glojsy Paper...
Single Image Contact Sheet
Use a Contact Sheet Grid when you want all the photos to be printed in the same size cells. This determines the maximum possible size for the longest side of the photo(s). This style is also ideal for printing one single image, including making fine art prints. (The term contact sheet comes from the old days of film and photo paper. Strips of processed film were placed in rows on the photo paper, which was then exposed. This produced a sheet of thumbnail images for proofing and client...
Global Adjustments To Saturation And Vibrance
Because these two adjustments are applied globally, it's very easy to overdo them with destructive effect on the appearance of the photo. (Set the Saturation and Vibrance sliders all the way to the right to see what I mean.) In this age of digital photography, in my opinion, there is a preponderance of over-saturated, garish images out there. Of course, sometimes this is the appropriate treatment for the photo, but more often, I believe, the photographer doesn't intend it. In critiquing images...
Show import dialog when a memory card is detected
This setting, in Lightroom Preferences General (moved to the General tab in v3 see Figure 2-20 on previous page), is intended to automatically open Lightroom's import screen when you insert a memory card or connect a camera directly to your computer. However, this can be overridden by your operating system and other programs may also get in the way. If you want to use this feature you might need to change your system settings. On OS X, use the Image Capture application preferences and specify...
Docking folders
To make folder lists more manageable, Lightroom 3's Import screen includes a Dock Folder option. This hides the subfolders above the chosen folder, making it easier to navigate within the panel. Double-click a folder to dock and undock it, or right-click or Ctrl+click on a folder name, and from the popup menu, check or uncheck Dock Folder. 4. When you're choosing the folder containing photos to import, if you have multiple subfolders below an upper-level folder you selected, by default, the...
Preparing print files to send to a lab
You can very effectively use Lightroom to generate print-ready files for printing by a lab. All photographic print labs accept jpg files for output. Lightroom's Print module has controls for you to save out jpg files using the current print layout and settings, instead of spooling the job to your own printer. Perform the workflow steps as usual, up to the point where you are setting the options in the Print Job panel. Then, set the popup menu for Print To jpeg File see Figure 6-45. Print...
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S+Ctrl+0, 1, 2, 3 etc. or Ctrl+Shift+0, 1, 2,3 etc. The Navigator (see Figure 1-18) is in the first position of the left panel group in the Library and Develop modules (it's called Preview in the output modules, where it functions a bit differently). The Navigator shows a preview of the selected photo, or the active photo if multiple photos are selected. The Navigator panel can be used to select zoom ratios, or levels of magnification. Selecting a zoom ratio in the Navigator enlarges the photo...
Use dedicated disk drives for your image library
It's better to not store your image files on your system disk. I recommend you store your photos (and usually, your Lightroom catalogs) on disk drives used only for that purpose. If you currently are storing your photos on a single internal disk, I recommend you set up new drives to use only for your imaging work. Whenever possible it's easiest to use just one large disk for your entire image library. Fewer, larger disks are easier to manage than many small ones. A single disk also provides for...
Export postprocessing
You can apply post-processing actions in the Export window (see Figure 9-10). These can be Photoshop actions saved as droplets, or in many cases, actual standalone programs on your computer. In these cases, Lightroom will fully complete all its processing, then hand off the file to the specified application or script. For example, if you run a Open in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Open in Adobe Photoshop C53
Red Eye Correction
Red-eye in photography is a phenomenon caused by light from a flash bouncing off the inside of a person's (or animal's) eyeball. Usually, it's an undesirable effect. looks for red-colored pixels and changes them to neutral gray or black. Its application is similar to that of the Spot Removal tool. Drag from the center of the eye or click to use current size To remove red-eye from a photo, Figure 4-103 zoom in close to see the affected eye work on one at a time. Click to activate the red-eye...
Original And Derivative Files
When you export photos from Lightroom, the original is the photo from which the new files are being made. An original can be any photo or virtual copy in your catalog. For this reason, you might have more than one original version of a photo in your catalog, all made from a single file on the hard disk. In this case, each variation could be considered an original in terms of exporting. For example, if you use virtual copies vcs to produce three versions of a photo with different crops, each vc...
Selective Color Adjustments
In addition to the global Saturation and Vibrance settings, you can adjust colors in the image based on their named hue orange, purple, aqua, etc. . Ths e colors may seem arbitrary, but quite the opposite is true Lightroom's color ranges are loosely based on the color wheel as defined more practically by Mark Hamburg at Adobe and divided into distinct hues that blend together in between. The defined colors are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Aqua, Blue, Purple and Magenta. You may be surprised to...
GPS and Altitude
If there is gps and or altitude metadata embedded in the file, Lightroom will display it. If no gps and or altitude metadata is found, the fields do not show in the panel. If gps data is shown, click the button next to the coordinates. This opens your default Web browser and loads that location on the Google Maps Web site. To go to Yahoo maps instead of Google, hold the Option or Alt key while clicking. If you recorded voice notes with your image files, Lightroom will show and allow you to play...
Tone Curve
After adjusting the settings on the Basic panel, you can further refine the photo's contrast by manipulating specific tone ranges with the Tone Curve panel see Figure 4-43 . Get as close as you can to your desired result with the controls on the Basic panel before moving on to settings in the other panels. If you've used curves in Photoshop or other software, the Tone Curve panel will be familiar to you. The horizontal axis represents the original, unaltered values in the image, with the black...
What Happens During The Import
Depending on the type of import you're doing and the options you've selected, Lightroom will read each of the files in the selected folder s , copy the files if directed to do so, create records in the catalog and builds previews for all the photos in the import. As soon as you begin the import, the Import screen closes and the Library module loads with the Current Import image source selected. Photo thumbnails begin appearing in Grid view immediately as each file is imported. When the top...
Scrolling Panel Tracks
When multiple left and right panels are open, it's likely their contents will be too long for all the panels to show on the screen. In this event, scroll bars appear to allow you to move up and down within the panel track see Figure 1-23. Click and drag the bar to scroll, or use your mouse wheel. Exposure Program Aperture priority
Panel End Marks
The panel end mark ornaments at the bottoms of the left and right panel groups see Figure 1-24 are designed to let you know there are no more panels below. You can change the graphic used for the panel end marks, you can add your own, or you can remove them completely. Once you get used to the panels, these end marks become unnecessary. I prefer to leave them hidden to reduce screen clutter. Right-click or Ctrl click on or around the end mark and select a panel end mark from the list. From the...
