tips & tutorials

Lightroom Tips

Are you wondering if Adobe Lightroom is right for you? Here are some great Lightroom tips from Bethany with Bethany Cleg Photography. These will help you get off to the right start with the program if you have never used it or will give you a refresher if you have used it in the past.  

Developers of Adobe Lightroom designed the program to streamline the modern photographer's capture, process, print and post workflow. Photoshop Lightroom makes each step of the chain as simple as possible. Lightroom uses a powerful image management system, and they offer a fantastic tool to provide quick and easy digital image enhancement. While Lightroom does not have all the features that the full Adobe Photoshop version offers, it lets users work much faster with the image enhancement system. When renting or hiring out camera gear or trying to cut costs on a shoot, many people don't realize that time and money can be saved in post processing as well. This is where Lightroom shines. If the right person is behind the mouse and keyboard they can accomplish more work in less time than their Photoshop using counterparts.

So how does Lightroom increase efficiency, convenience and also cut costs? And in what areas is it the most effective? Below are 10 Lightroom tips that are popular uses for the program. Just be sure to remember that this list by no means covers everything the program is capable of doing.

 

 

Here are 10 Lightroom tips of the program’s popular uses:

Accessing RAW Photos: Sorting through hundreds or thousands of photographs without using an application such as Lightroom becomes a tedious process. Lightroom links photographs to a catalog file and keeps them intact when stored.

Adding Keywords: When trying to locate a specific photo, keywords can be applied while importing photos, and they can be added to groups of selected imaged. Otherwise, photographers may apply them quickly using the Painter tool and keyboard shortcuts can be used for a set of keywords.

Geo-Tagging with Built-in Google Maps: Organized photos based on geographic location. Photographers with a GPS device in their camera will not have to do anything because their photos will automatically be placed on the map with the Map Module.

On-Image Editing: Users will find this tool under the Tone Curve and HSL panels. Select it to apply local adjustments to specific parts of the photo. The adjustments will be intuitive and effective. 

Before and After Views: Comparing changes with the original photo become a crucial step in the image editing process. In the Develop Module, users can access four different view options to see the difference between the original edited picture.

Filter the Catalog: Filtering and searching through photos has never been easier with the Library Module. Users may refine their search and add criteria to select the right pictures.

Virtual Copies: Lightroom does not change photos but records and amends them into a separate database. Save several different edits of the same photograph and save a plethora of space on the computer. Here you can play around with presets on the same image to see what might work best.

Editing Video Files: While developers intended for Lightroom to catalog and edit photos, users may also use the video editing features. However, do not expect advanced features like Adobe Premiere.

Create a Photo Book: With the photos imported to the catalog, create photo books and create an extra professional service with printed photo books.

Crop Overlay Tool: Changes regions for preservation after a crop. Adjust the areas with clicking and dragging. It makes changing the format of images quick and easy.

 


Common Workflows for Integrating Lightroom into the Shooting Process

Lightroom maintains the convenience for shooting pictures. The most important aspect that photographers use it for is importing and processing RAW files. The photo can be seamlessly shared with others or sent to a remote location as the shooting process occurs.

 

Problems Lightroom Can Fix

Lightroom can fix images before printing them. In addition, it can correct perspective, color correct photos and repair dust spots and scratches.

The aspect to keep in mind with Lightroom is that it does not offer the full package that Adobe Photoshop comes with. Lightroom does not give users the ability to work with layered changes such as Photoshop Elements. If an individual encounters a crash when using this software, be sure to submit the report and include an email address with the report.

Lightroom comes with numerous applications, but a few of the more innovative ideas include creating panoramas and fashion photographers using it to design new clothing. When looking at a company, consider an expert that has years of experience with Lightroom for the best results.

 

Want to learn more about how you can improve your Lightroom post processing? Eyevoyage has a 10 part video series to help... and we have a discount! Click here for more details and use code EYEVOYAGE40OFF at checkout for $40 off!