the essential guide to lightroom

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDETO LIGHTROOM

Vanelli | Melbourne, FL | v@photofocus.com

What to Expect

• Setting up Lightroom

• Understanding Lightroom Catalog Files

• Where to store your Lightroom Catalog

• Creating Collections and Importing Images

• Cataloging hundreds of images for easy access

• Using the Library module to efficiently sort, rank and catalog images

• Develop module to instantly apply adjustments to multiple photos

• Improve the quality of your photos with presets

• Exporting images to share or print

WHAT IS LIGHTROOM?

Lightroom is a photo processor and image organizer developed by Adobe.

It allows viewing, organizing and retouching a large number of digital images. Lightroom's

edits are non-destructive.

What is a Catalog?

• A Lightroom catalog is a database that stores a record for each of your photos that contains three key pieces of information about each photo:

• A reference to where the photo is on your system

• Instructions for how you want to process the photo

• Metadata, such as ratings and keywords that you apply to photos to help you find or organize them.

Where should I store my Lightroom Catalog?

• Single computer: create a folder on your fastest local hard drive, name it Lightroom Catalog and save the catalog to this location. This is the fastest way Lightroom can access the catalog.

• Multiple computers: create a folder on an external hard drive, name it Lightroom Catalog and save the catalog to this location. This setup trades speed for portability allowing access to any computer connected to the hard drive.

Essential Modules

• Library Module

• catalog hundreds of images for easy access

• organize, sort, and rank your favorite images

• Develop Module

• enhance and manipulate your images

• crop, white balance, adjustment brushes

• Import & Export Windows

UNDERSTANDINGFILE STRUCTURE

Getting Started

• Unless you are collaborating with other photographers, the first rule is to develop a folder structure that makes sense to you

• If you are in a network environment with other photographers this may get a little complicated causing you to compromise

• I’ve found it best to write a brief sentence that describes your type of photography and what or where you photograph.

• Review your sentence and look for common denominators.

Finding the Common Denominator

• Our portrait photographer photographs people, people associated with a corporation and people associated with a family.

• A person has a first and last name, corporations have a name as does a family.

• The common denominator is name.

• The folder structure can simply be their name followed by a subfolder of the year, month and day of the shoot with a brief description. In the event you photograph this person, corporation or family several times in the course of a few years, you have each shoot organize.

Sample File Structure

• Alec Vanelli

• 20150426 Beach Shoot

• 20150308 Portrait Shoot

• 20140516 Graduation Photos

THE LIBRARY MODULE

Getting Organized

• Easily view and organize thousands of images

• Find and filter images

• Apply ratings and flags

• Add keywords and metadata

• Create collections

Demo

Importing your Images

Understanding Collections

• Collections are a way to group photos in one place for easy viewing and editing

• A regular collection is a group of any photos you choose to put in a group

• Smart collections are collections based on rules that you define

Demo

Creating Collections

THE DEVELOP MODULE

The Develop Module is Where the Magic Happens

• Allows non-destructive editing of your photos

• Cropping

• White Balance

• Exposure Adjustments

• Shadows / Highlights

• Saturation

• Lens Profile Corrections

• Vignetting

• Noise Reduction

• Sharpening

• Adjustment Brushes

• Gradient Filters

• Spot Removal Tool

The Develop Module is Where the Magic Happens

• Can always undo a change or revert back to the original photo

• Edits are stored inside your Lightroom catalog

• Create presets for faster post-processing

• Create virtual copies for different processing effects

Demo

The Develop Module

EXPORTING YOUR IMAGES

Exporting your Images

• In Lightroom, you do not save photos in the traditional sense. Instead, you export photos.

• Lightroom keeps track of the edits, but doesn’t apply them to the original image

• Exporting will output a final version of your image to share or print

Demo

The Export Window

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