That beautiful box under the Christmas was for me. Beautiful because it was software that was going to make my photography better or at the very least was a new toy to play with.
I opened the box and followed the screen directions that led me to download the software. Lightroom 4 opened up on my computer screen and with the anticipation of "I'll have no problems figuring this out" I stared at this gray screen of foreign language and suddenly became puzzled.
Now what? What do I do with this software? Where do I began?
Click... click... click... what will happen if I click here or there. How about this button? Or this one?
Yeah, I have no clue. I figured out a few things on own but Lr is alien to me.
I've started watching videos on questions that have come up as I explore but I think I need a bit more interaction as I learn. Maybe you'll have some simple insight to help me get started before I start immersing myself in videos and blogs and discussion boards.
1. I have an iMac. My photos for the last year have been stored in iPhoto and from time to time I've been editing them there, too. But, an Apple trainer once told me she swears by Lightroom and one of its most beautiful aspects is organizing the photos in a way that makes sense and keeps your head straight. Then I read, don't ever store your photos on your computer again. Store it all in Lightroom? In my software, really?
I am happy to say that after watching one video I did get my export to link up with my iPhoto so if I export my post processed image, it will go into my iPhoto folder. YAY!
2. Do I store photos in "folders" and then catalog it by themes? I don't totally get the lingo yet. Seems intuitive yet it's sort of not. Then, what's collections?
3. I didn't get Photoshop because it's expensive and I heard it's got a huge learning curve. I'd used it once in a class so I have an umbrella idea of how complicated it is but don't have deep training in it to function there yet. So, Lightroom was my preference. I also heard Elements is good so a friend gave me Elements 8. Even though it's an older version I think it's still worthy to use. Yes? Is Elements and Lr basically the same thing? Or can I use them in different ways?
4. Everything on Lr seems intuitive and easy to figure out but once I start opening things up, I get a little lost. Maybe you can draw me a simple map to find my way more easily. Happy for any tips and tricks.
i have to confess that i do not find lightroom particularly intuitive... so if you do, you're, ahem, lightyears ahead of me ;p
i have two books... one is incredibly technical and the other (i think it's a scott kelby) is more guided... so that has helped... plus i've been watching (and re-watching) the vids on the adobe site...
i think you really just need to dive in and accept that it's gonna be baby-steps...
hopefully others will have better info and suggestions
I let mine sit for probably six months because I didn't have the time to make the mental adjustment and learn something new. It was a process for me! Still learning. I can't really give you good tips. I think you are doing the right thing with the videos. I really like LR now.
I just installed LR last week. I've been using Photoshop CS5 for the last year, and I STILL found LR very unintuitive. That being said, like @northy, I have the Scott Kelby LR4 book. I've read 30 pages or so. It's no fun read, but I've learned a lot of the "need to know" stuff in those pages. When in doubt, I ALWAYS go for a Scott Kelby book
Firstly, Lightroom does not store your photos. The original images you imported from the camera are stored on your hard-drive, LR simply references this location. However, if you move a file or rename a file within LR, then these changes will be reflected on your hard-drive. Not the other way around though so it is not recommended to move or rename files outside of LR.
Collections and keywords can be really powerful tools for organising your LR catalogue. How you organise images into collections is up to you. I tend to use collections for events and places. Not everything in my LR catalogue is in a collection but they do all have keywords associated with them so I can use the filter bar to search by keyword.
I use LR for 90% of my post production but there are some things that I need to use PS or other software for (like creating panoramas, focus stacking, HDR, or content aware healing).
I'm not quite sure what you mean by a "map", but basically, LR has a number of modules. I generally just use the Library and Develop Modules. The Library Module is just that, a library of all the images you've imported into LR while the Develop module is where all the post processing is done. I have found Piet Van den Eynde's e-book "Lightroom 4 Unmasked" (here) a really good resource. It's well written and easy to understand. He goes through all the modules, explains what each of the different parts do, and also explains all the different adjustments you can make in the Develop module and how they effect your image .
Anyway, I hope some of that helps. I'm happy to answer any specific questions you might have on LR if I can.
@northy Totally agree. It's not intuitive. At least to me either.
@danette I'm hopeful it will make sense the more I use it. For now, it's just overwhelming and doesn't make sense.
@cmc1200 I'm thinking about getting the Scott Kelby book. How do you like it? From Amazon, it seems like a well respected, gives you a good workflow method kind of book. User friendly?
@fillingtime Thanks for the perspective. Wish I knew more so I could actually respond to your post with wise thoughts but LR is over my head at the moment. I am looking forward to the cataloguing and developing a better workflow through it. I keep hearing how great LR is and how most people function in it more than Photoshop. Will look forward to that day when it is all second nature. Thanks for the e-book recommendation. I will have to look it up. Hope to have more Lr questions as I move along (which is at a slow pace at the moment).
@serpantmedia I have been able to check out Adobe TV a little bit. I do like You Tube videos as it walks you through the process for whatever question you have. The Adobe instructor that I've encountered seems like they are knowledgeable and explain clearly (although I have to pause so many times it makes it a tedious process thus far). I shall continue with the "force" and keep trying.
@golzman Thanks for the link. I'll have to check it out.
@felix2013 Ah, CS5. Something else I want to learn. Thanks for the links. I love the quick references, sometimes even more than books.
@julz Definitely worth it. It's not an exciting read, but Kelby does a good job trying to make jokes. It will show you everything the program has to offer.
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i have two books... one is incredibly technical and the other (i think it's a scott kelby) is more guided... so that has helped... plus i've been watching (and re-watching) the vids on the adobe site...
i think you really just need to dive in and accept that it's gonna be baby-steps...
hopefully others will have better info and suggestions
Collections and keywords can be really powerful tools for organising your LR catalogue. How you organise images into collections is up to you. I tend to use collections for events and places. Not everything in my LR catalogue is in a collection but they do all have keywords associated with them so I can use the filter bar to search by keyword.
I use LR for 90% of my post production but there are some things that I need to use PS or other software for (like creating panoramas, focus stacking, HDR, or content aware healing).
I'm not quite sure what you mean by a "map", but basically, LR has a number of modules. I generally just use the Library and Develop Modules. The Library Module is just that, a library of all the images you've imported into LR while the Develop module is where all the post processing is done. I have found Piet Van den Eynde's e-book "Lightroom 4 Unmasked" (here) a really good resource. It's well written and easy to understand. He goes through all the modules, explains what each of the different parts do, and also explains all the different adjustments you can make in the Develop module and how they effect your image .
Anyway, I hope some of that helps. I'm happy to answer any specific questions you might have on LR if I can.
Go to http://www.practicalphotoshopmag.com/ choose downloads and search for Lightroom , tons of good advice on there.
Also check this guy out, He works for Adobe and gives some great advice about organizing your files collections workflow etc http://ericscouten.com/2012/03/05/lightroom-technique-how-i-organize-my-catalog-and-why-2012-edition/
Hope it helps
@danette I'm hopeful it will make sense the more I use it. For now, it's just overwhelming and doesn't make sense.
@cmc1200 I'm thinking about getting the Scott Kelby book. How do you like it? From Amazon, it seems like a well respected, gives you a good workflow method kind of book. User friendly?
@fillingtime Thanks for the perspective. Wish I knew more so I could actually respond to your post with wise thoughts but LR is over my head at the moment. I am looking forward to the cataloguing and developing a better workflow through it. I keep hearing how great LR is and how most people function in it more than Photoshop. Will look forward to that day when it is all second nature. Thanks for the e-book recommendation. I will have to look it up. Hope to have more Lr questions as I move along (which is at a slow pace at the moment).
@serpantmedia I have been able to check out Adobe TV a little bit. I do like You Tube videos as it walks you through the process for whatever question you have. The Adobe instructor that I've encountered seems like they are knowledgeable and explain clearly (although I have to pause so many times it makes it a tedious process thus far). I shall continue with the "force" and keep trying.
@golzman Thanks for the link. I'll have to check it out.
@felix2013 Ah, CS5. Something else I want to learn. Thanks for the links. I love the quick references, sometimes even more than books.