File Update

Lightroom Week 1 Notes

Howdy!

Welcome to the Clark College Lightroom Class.

This is an outline of Week ones class discussion with web links.

Generally the Lightroom Primer website has detailed notes covering class material and discussions. If details need to be added you will find them in these class blog notes, or I will update the website.  

If you have questions contact me via e-mail, garry@uofgts.com or leave a comment

The Lightroom Primer website is http://uofgts.com/Lightroom/index.html

Things you Need to Do Before You begin using Lightroom

1. Calibrate your Monitor

At the bare minimum you should make sure that you set the Brightness and Contrast of your monitor.

On the Mac go through these steps …

In System Preferences choose

Hardware > Displays > Color > Calibrate

and Follow the steps…

On the PC 

If you have Windows 7 or 8, Youll find calibration software in the Control Panel

To start Display Color Calibration

For more details go to this web page Calibrating Your Monitor

2. Establish a plan to ingest AND backup your Photographs

The Structure of your Main Photo hard drive and the backup hard drive should look like this, Your backup drive would have a different name

The folders are at the "root" of the Hard drive. 

If the Drive with the Working Catalogue fails… You just need to disconnect the failed drive, rename the backup drive with the name of the working drive… In this case Photo2, when you startup Lightroom, it will immediately find your catalogue and photos!!!

This method also allows the easy transport of All your photos and the Lightroom Catalogue!

3. Fill out and save your IPTC Metadata Preset

In Lightroom

Menu item:

Metadata > Edit Metadata Presets…

If you want to learn more about IPTC (International Press Communications Council) Metadata check out their website

4. Extra:  Here are two excellent videos 

How Lightroom works… A video by George Jardine (This should be required viewing for ALL Lightroom users. )

And here is a video on how to use the Filter bar  http://mulita.com/training/sample-lib4/, A Free sample Movie by George Jardine

Its a really REALLY good tutorial on how to use the Filter Bar.

That should do it for now… If you have a question… holler

Available link for download

Lightroom Week 2 Review

Before we review the Develop Module, a few notes about Importing and the Library Module.

This article originated in a Blog article posted on my Blogger page http://psforphotos.blogspot.com
You can always read the articles I e-mail you at the above link.

In my previous Review, that I sent to you Via e-mail, an embedded video didnt survive the transition from Blog to e-mail. So, here is the link to the video. This video IS REQUIRED viewing for all new Lightroom users!  It is by George Jardine… in the video he explains how LR works with your Photographs, and how it saves your non-destructive edits in the catalogue…  

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/george-jardine-on-lightroom/the-lightroom-catalog/

A note about updating Lightroom to version 5

Mac Requirements are OSX 10.7 (Lion)

Windows Requirements are: Microsoft® Windows® 7 with Service Pack 1 or Windows 8

 Import using the "Watched Folder"

You can set up a folder on your Desktop that is "watched" by LR. If you place an Photograph in the folder LR will automatically import the photos and put it in your catalogue. This works well for the occasion(s) when you get photos via e-mail or you download from the web.

FIRST you must make the watched folder on your desktop, I call mine "LR-ingest" , then in the settings Dialogue Box

The Menu is:

File > Auto Import > Auto Import Settings…

Step 1. Tell Lightroom what folder to watch.

Step 2. Set the location for the import in Lightroom, 

Step 3. 
You can also include Metadata in the import

Then with the menu 

File > Auto Import > Enable Auto Import

Toggle Auto Import "On" by selecting "Enable Auto Import" then clicking the mouse button so you can see the ? Check Mark

or check ? Enable Auto Import in the Dialogue Box.

The Menu should now look like

File > Auto Import > ? Enable Auto Import

Lightroom 4 can import .jpg, tiff, raw and psd files

Lightroom 5 adds the import of .png files, just drop em in the watched folder!.

Lightrooms Develop Module

Lightrooms Develop module is a non-destructive image editor. There is no save button. As you make "edits" Lightroom automatically writes the edits to the database, and will apply the edits either on Export and/or, if you have 
1.  Turned on "Automatically write changes into XMP in the catalogue Settings Dialogue > Metadata…

Lightroom never changes your "original files"

Lightroom can also recover data in "clipped" highlights or "shadows" if there is data in one or more of the three RGB Channels.

Over the next few days Ill post a "Case Study" of the workings of The Develop Module.  The case study is based on material I wrote about using Photoshops, Camera Raw Basic Dialogue Box in my Photoshop for Photographers Class.

Well begin with a basic over view of the Develop Module.

 Got a question? Holler!

Available link for download

Lightroom Week 4 Review

Howdy

Edit as a smart object…

In class we learned how to send a raw file to Photoshop as a smart object, and used the fact that saved snapshot settings travel with a raw file.  (They are embedded in the raw file) We used the TAT (Targeted Adjustment Tool) in The HSL panel to make 2 different global edits 

We saved the setting with makeup first and then one without makeup, saving each as a Snapshot setting…
We sent the image to Photoshop as a smart object and used layers in Photoshop… 

You will find the details on how this was achieved on the web page Editing as a Smart Object in Photoshop

 The Adjustment Brush

We also looked at Editing Locally using the Adjustment Brush in the Tool Bar in the Develop Module

With the Adjustment Brush you can apply Local Edits, edits that are confined to a part of the entire image… 

  You can find the details on how this is done on the web page The Adjustment Brush

Spot  Removal

We also learned how to remove Spots caused by “dust on the sensor…” 

 and apply the dusting out to a series of photos…

Select Only Spot Removal and click the synchronize button..

The dust removal is applied to ALL SELECTED PHOTOS…

Reminder, there is NO Class November 11th

See you all on November 18th

Available link for download

Lightroom Week 1 Review

Lightroom -- Week 1 Review

Welcome to Clark Colleges Lightroom Class

If you do not have Adobes Lightroom installed (or you own a purchased version) you can take advantage of Adobes Creative Cloud Photography deal.

There are no previous product ownership requirements. You get Lightroom & Photoshop with additional free supplements. For example you can now edit your Lightroom photographs on an iPad or Android Tablet using a free app.
https://creative.adobe.com/plans/photography

If you are still not certain that you want to commit to Lightroom & Photoshop, at the above web page link, at the bottom of the page, you may download a 30 day trial version of Lightroom and Photoshop.

Also note, that if you wish, you can purchase the software at full price and use it "forever."

Links to subjects covered in class

The Class Lightroom Primer website portal page is located at http://uofgts.com/Lightroom/

In class we discussed "Calibrating you Monitor" At the least, you need to set the contrast and brightness of your monitor.

Details on how to do monitor calibration, can be found at this link http://uofgts.com/PS-P2Site/Calibration.html

Please read and watch the videos found on the "Things to do First" Tab http://uofgts.com/Lightroom/index.html

On that page is a link on how to set up your IPTC Metadata http://uofgts.com/Lightroom/metadata.html and how to apply the data to existing files in your Library/Catalogue

We went through the steps To Import Your Photographs into Lightroom using the "Import" module

I have just updated information in the "Import..." tab on the Input Module page of the website (makes much more sense now... ) http://uofgts.com/Lightroom/input.html

Reminder

This Monday there is no class as it is Martin Luther King day, January 19. As a result the next class will not be until the following Monday on January 26. See You Then... If you have any questions, send an e-mail.

Ill send YOU another e-mail next week with a reminder of what you should bring to class... and maybe more "news." Ill also tell you what will be covered in the next class.

Available link for download