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Editor's note: This excerpt first appeared in photographer and author Harold Davis' recent Focal Press book, Photographing Flowers: Exploring Macro Photography with Harold Davis.
The closer you...
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, now in version 2.5 (with a just-released Beta 3) is one of a relatively new breed of imaging software designed specifically for photographers. Although it’s part of the Adobe Photoshop family, Lightroom doesn’t replace Photoshop CS4; rather, it’s a complementary application that provides a streamlined and focused workflow solution for photographers who want—or need—a single, cohesive application tool to organize, correct, and output their images.
Lightroom doesn’t do everything that Photoshop CS4 does but you can easily round-trip your images between the two applications for times when you need CS4’s extra features. But with its 5 modules (Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, Web), Lightroom has the ability to act as a digital asset management program, image editor, and output application for slideshows, print and the Web, Lightroom has more than enough attributes to act as the sole program for post-processing.
Advanced amateur and pro photographers will likely get the most use out of Lightroom. However, given the fact that today’s digital SLRs boast high speed continuous shooting, RAW + JPEG capabilities, and high megapixel sensors, you don’t have to be a pro or even advanced amateur to amass a huge number of images, generating a need for an efficient organizational and editing tool such as Lightroom. On the other hand, if you don’t shoot a lot and/or don’t do much post-processing, Lightroom may not be for you.
Where to Buy
Photo.net’s partners have Adobe Lightroom 2 available (and the newer version Lightroom 3). Their prices are fair and you help to support photo.net.
Adobe regularly posts updates to Lightroom with the latest Camera Raw releases and other minor tweaks but it’s the prime number versions that offer the most important additions and enhancements. Thanks to the public Beta trial of version 2.0, users were able to provide direct feedback to influence what changes were implemented in that version.
Library Module
Mapped external storage devices make it easy to locate files.
Overall, Lightroom 2.0 maintains the same user interface as version 1.x but the Library module’s layout is visibly more streamlined. There are fewer panels but they’re more efficient and it’s this module that contains perhaps two of the most useful upgrades.
The first upgrade—and one of my favorite new features—is the ability to map external storage devices. This is a huge bonus since storing images on multiple hard drives is more the norm than the exception these days. Rather than disappearing when the drive is disconnected (and leaving you with no hints about where those images are), version 2.0 keeps a visible list of all the hard drives from which files have been imported into Lightroom. If the hard drive is offline, the name/drive letter will be grayed out but you can still see the list of images and preview them in the Library module. You won’t be able to process them in the Develop mode, though (you’ll get a message that the image is offline). With this new feature, you don’t have to keep track of where the source images are located; Lightroom does it for you. All you have to do is find the physical drive and plug it in.
Since you can drag and drop images from one hard drive to another from within Lightroom, version 2.0 tracks how much space is left on each hard drive by percent and a colored indicator light (when the drive is offline, the light is grayed out). A green, yellow or red light glows to the left of the drive name according to remaining capacity. To the right of the drive name you can opt to have the specific capacity numbers (i.e., 4.1 of 298GB available) show for each drive. Alternatively, you can set the drives to show whether or not they’re online/offline or indicate how many imported images are on the drive.
A new Filter Bar provides quick, easy and flexible sorting options.
Another really useful update in the Library module is the new Filter Bar, which makes it easy to create Smart collections with a single click. Just pull together a custom list of search parameters including Date, File Type, label, camera model, camera serial number, lens, flash state, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, GPS Data, location, aspect ratio, develop preset, captions, keywords—basically, any searchable field. Lightroom 2.0 conducts a live search and in no time (depending on how many images LR has to search), you have access to all the images that meet those criteria. You can also name and save each query for future use.
Keywording is also smarter. While you still enter keywords as you did with version 1.x, the new Lightroom now offers keyword suggestions. These intelligent suggestions are based on keywords used for other images that were captured on or about the same time. It’s not magic but it certainly makes life easier. There’s also a new keyword filter that allows you to filter images based on their keywords.
Develop Module
New to Lightroom 2 is the Graduated Filter, which works well to correct unevenly lit scenes.
Other big 2.0 news happens in the Develop module with the addition of an Adjustment Brush tool. This tool allows users to apply targeted, local adjustments such as exposure, brightness, contrast, saturation, clarity and sharpness. Technically, there are no real “brushes” like there are in Photoshop CS4, but you can adjust the size, amount of feathering, flow and density of the Adjustment Brush tool. It’s not the ideal solution for complex masking since you don’t have as much control over the brush points (and there’s a tendency to bleed over into areas that you might not want to include in the mask). if you have a really detailed (or difficult) selection to make, you might be better off in Photoshop but the localized adjustments are a great addition to the application. There’s also an auto-mask option in Lightroom for basic selections.
Also new to LR2 is a Graduated Filter tool. Similar in use to a neutral density filter, the Graduated Filter allows you to adjust the exposure, saturation or other parameters to bring life back to skies or increase the intensity of sunsets with a natural look. For example, if a large swath of sky is blown out, you can easily adjust the exposure and saturation to bring it back to life while gradually fading into the horizon. It’s a very helpful tool and doesn’t take as much time to master as it might seem.
Before Lightroom 2.0, you’d have to go into an external editor such as Photoshop to apply local adjustments but with the addition of the Adjustment Brush and Graduated Filter tools, you can apply target corrections from within the Develop module. And, you can use both tools on the same image for even better corrections.
Another very cool feature is what can be best described as batch spot correction—which is great for getting rid of spots caused by sensor dust. Of course, the best solution is keeping your camera’s sensor clean but that’s not always possible, especially when changing lenses out in the field. With Lightroom 2, you can spot correct (clone or heal) a dust spot, save the correction and apply it to multiple images. It’s not foolproof but it does a great job, as long as the dust spot didn’t move between shots.
A new feature in the Print module is the ability to choose the amount of sharpening applied to...
Print Module and More
Lightroom’s Print Module needed some improvements and while I think Lightroom 3 addresses more important issues, Lightroom 2 added a few useful updates including the ability to select sharpening strength and the type of output media (matte or glossy). Once your print job is arranged, a drop down menu allows you to choose from Low, Standard or High sharpening. Not a big change from Lightroom 1.x but it’s a move in the right direction.
Also new is the ability to print to JPEG, which can be used for soft proofing. While not the best solution, it’s a move in the right direction. And it allows you to send the files to clients for approval.
With Lightroom 2, you can print multiple copies of the same image on a single page. This Intelligent Picture Package arranges the images so that the number of cuts made to separate the images are minimized. Oh, yeah—Mac users with Leopard installed can take advantage of 16-bit printing. It’s frustrating to be limited to only printing the same image in these picture packages, but if you want to print contact sheets or different images on pages, alternative layouts are available.
Lightroom 2 also supports 64-bit processing for both Mac and Windows and has enhanced integration with CS4. Other interesting, although not necessarily deal-making options with Lightroom 2 include dual monitor support and the ability to open a second Lightroom display on a single monitor. And, Lightroom 2 now can accommodate plug-ins. Many of the most popular plug-ins such as those from Nik Software are now available for Lightroom and there are plenty of options to choose from online at the Adobe Lightroom Exchange (including an export plug-in that uses your Gmail account to send images: see www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchang/).
Those are the highlights of what’s new in Lightroom 2 and upgrades are available from $99 (the full version costs $299). Lightroom is cross-platform and is compatible with Mac OSX v. 10.4 or higher and Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Vista or Windows 7. You can download a free 30-day trial from the Adobe web site.
Upgrading from Lightroom 1.x is simple. You’ll be given the option during the initial set-up to have your Lightroom 1.x library copied over to the new version. Installation is easy but you might want to make a back-up of that library before upgrading.
The updates in Lightroom 2.0, particularly in the Library and Develop modules certainly make life easier and provide a faster, more efficient workflow. These two modules, I think, are the most essential components of the application and, therefore, deserve the most attention. Frankly, I think that any program or upgrade that makes importing and organizing images easier is worth paying close attention to. Same for the localized adjustment tools in the Develop module—time saving, efficient and, although not perfect, these are great additions to the application.
You can prepare any number of different metadata presets to attach to your images. At the very...
Typical Workflow Example
First, go into Preferences and look around before you do anything else. You’ll need to make some decisions about a variety of options including whether or not to load the most recent catalog when Lightroom starts up, warming dialogs and taking care of catalog settings. There are also tabs to choose presets and when automatic adjustments are made. Some Import settings (including how to treat JPEG + RAW files) can be made and you’ll need to choose your External Editor and other options such as bit depth and color space. You’ll also be able to tweak file handling and the interface. It’s especially important to set up the import options before you begin bringing your images into Lightroom.
Once your preferences are set, start to import your images into Lightroom. A dialog box will open with some critical options and preferences. Such as whether to add photos to the catalog without moving the source images or move (or copy) photos to a new location and then add to the catalog. Anytime you have the opportunity to adjust settings, check it out to make sure your images won’t end up somewhere in the nether reaches of the application. I prefer to leave my originals where they are and just “add photos to catalog without moving.”
At this point, you can apply any develop presets (either your own or bundled settings such as “sharpen for portraits” or “tone curve strong contrast.” You can also add your metadata template (see step 3 below) so that your information is attached to all the imported images. And you can add keywords at this time as well.
After import, it’s time to keyword and tag your images. Once you get some images keyworded, Lightroom 2’s keyword suggestions should kick in to make the process go faster. Also, if you haven’t set up your metadata preset, so it now—at least put in the basic information such as copyright, your name, contact information, etc. and apply it to your images.
When your images are organized and sorted, you have two choices: either use the Quick Develop menu in the Library or head into the Develop module to apply whatever adjustments—practical or creative—need to be made to the images of your choice. At the very least, you should make sure that the white balance is correct and tweak exposure if/when necessary. In the Develop module you have many more options and can convert into grayscale or produce toned images. Obviously, if you’re working in RAW, you have more work to do than if you’re happy with the camera’s JPEG output. If you don’t have the tools you want or need in Lightroom, just edit the image in Photoshop and come back around.
The next step is output—print, slideshow or Web. The modules are pretty self-explanatory, but you might want to pause for a minute and make an Identity Plate (it looks great for slideshows) with your name and/or logo. If you’re putting together picture packages (for event or wedding clients), Lightroom 2 will take you back to school picture packages where you can pick from a variety of sizes of the same image. But in Print, you can also put together contact sheets and other layouts as well—it all depends on who/what the prints are for. If you’re feeling really creative, you can easily put together your own custom templates.
Conclusion
In Part II of the Lightroom 2.0 article series, we’ll bring you some step-by-step tutorials and walk you through some of the more important and interesting features of Lightroom 2.0. It’s a great tool that provides a streamlined and focused workflow solution for photographers who want—or need—a single, cohesive application tool to organize, correct, and output their images.
Where to Buy
Photo.net’s partners have Adobe Lightroom 2 available (and the newer version Lightroom 3). Their prices are fair and you help to support photo.net.
Theano Nikitas, a full-time freelance writer and photographer, has been writing about photography for the past 15 years. Her digital imaging reviews, features, “how to” articles and images have appeared in a wide variety of publications and on Websites including American Photo, CNET.com, Camcorder and Computer Video, DigitalCameraReview.com, Digital Photographer, FashionLedge.com, First Glimpse, Imaging-Resource.com, macHOME, PCPhoto, PC How to Digital Photography Buyer’s Guide, Photo District News, PopPhoto.com, and Popular Science. Although she loves digital, Theano still has a darkroom and a fridge filled with film thanks to her long-time passion for alternative processes and toy cameras. More »
