Lightroom --Week 1 Review

 

Lightroom -- Week 1 Review

Welcome to Clark Colleges Lightroom Class

If you do not have Adobe's Lightroom installed (or you own a purchased version) you can take advantage of Adobe's 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."

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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.

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

 

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Syncing & Importing From Another Catalogue

The Menu item is:

File  > Import From Another Catalogue…

How you Import and Sync Images and Metadata in different catalogues will depend  on your “setup”.

A:  Merging catalogues on your system or external drive(s)

B: Importing from another computer, either a laptop or desktop (Shooting in the field)

Here are the main steps  to do an import from another catalogue…

Step 1:  

Determine the location of the catalogues on the COMPUTER(s).  

PC default Location        c:\users\my pictures\Lightroom\

Mac Default Location:      //Users/[user name]/Pictures/Lightroom/

This will just help you find them in the next step…

Step 2.

Start Lightroom loading your Master or Main Catalogue.    

(Hold down the alt/option key when you startup Lightroom) Note that, Lightroom defaults to loading the last loaded catalogue…

Step 3: 

The Menu item is:

File  > Importing From Another Catalogue.Use

Use the Mac’s Finder or the PC’s Windows Explorer to locate the “Other” catalogue.

A double click on the .lrcat file will open the dialogue box below…

Step 4:

Check √ the Show Preview box lower left to see the thumbnails in the Import Catalogue.

Number 1 in image above…  

The 3 bars and the exclamation point indicates that there is “new” data

Number 2 in image above…  

If you want, you may choose to preserve “Old” setting in your CURRENT catalogue, LR will make a virtual copy for you.

Number 3 in image above…  

Add New Photos to Catalogue without moving…

Use this option if you are happy with where the files are located, and you just want to tell LR where they are…

Copy new photos to a new location and import… 

Your photos are on a Laptop or another computer, or you are adding or consolidating your photos into a single catalogue…

Don’t Import new photos 

You just want the metadata

Number 4 Above…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5  Click Import…

Other Hints… (Working in the field)

If you are using a second copy of LR on a Laptop and you are using LR’s default location to store the photos, when you get back to your desktop you will have to do the following.

1. Using your laptop, plug-in an external drive.

2.  Export your Shoot as a Catalogue to the external Drive.  

Menu:

File > Export as Catalogue…  To the External Drive.

3.  Eject the External drive from the laptop and plug it into your desktop

4. Load your master Catalogue in LR and  use the Menu

File > Import from another Catalogue

Follow the above import steps…

 

 

 

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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 didn't 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!.

 

Lightroom's Develop Module

Lightroom's 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 I'll post a "Case Study" of the workings of The Develop Module.  The case study is based on material I wrote about using Photoshop's, Camera Raw Basic Dialogue Box in my Photoshop for Photographers Class.

We'll begin with a basic over view of the Develop Module.

 Got a question? 'Holler!

 

 

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Importing your iPhotos into Lightroom

Finding your iPhoto Photographs

iPhoto imports your pictures into a folder named "Originals".  When you edit an Original picture in iPhoto it makes a copy of the edited photo and saves it with the changes in a folder called "Modified". So, you make have 2 copies of a photo, it you made changes to it in iPhoto!

 

(Note): 
Apple changed the behaviour of the iPhoto Library folder after iPhoto version 6? or so…  just clicking on the iPhoto Library folder won't open it. You NOW have to right click on the folder and choose "Show Package Contents"

 

On your Mac the path to the Originals and Modified Folder should be 
/Users/Username/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals

 

Easy Access to the "Originals and Modified Folders

Navigate in the finder to the iPhoto Library

path is .../Users/Username/Pictures/iPhoto Library

Right click on the "iPhoto Library" folder and choose 

"Show Package Contents"
You should now see the Originals and Modified folders
Right Click on the Originals Folder and choose the menu item "Make Alias"

Now drag the aliased folder to your Pictures Folder (Or where ever you want them)
Do the same for the "Modified" folder
Now you can use  Lightroom  or any other program to"see" your Photographs! 

 

Moving Your iPhoto Photographs.

 

If you have Lightroom 3 or 4 accessing your iPhotos is really easy.

Just choose the iPhoto library in the import module in Lightroom 3 or 4 and check the Include Subfolder button! If you don't see the Include Subfolders check box. Click on the the IPhoto Library folder to open it…

 

(For Ralph)

When you open Lightroom, hold down the "alt"/option" key. 

 

make a new catalogue and save it to a folder on your New Hard Drive at the root, then open the Import Module in Lightroom.

(see above for step 1)

 

Choose the Move Option, 

 

 

 

 

Set your Destination

 

 

 

 

 

Set your file structure and Click Import!

 

 

The "Root" Of your New "Photo" Hard drive should look something like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now go back to your Finder and look in the "Originals" and "Modified" folders…

 

Enjoy using Lightroom!

 

 

 

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