help getting started in Lightroom 2

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atlcruiser

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Hi all,
Just broke down and got lightroom 2. So far I played a bit with it.... In the past, with assorted programs, I made it up as I went 🙂 I ended up with all sort of random frustrations!

Can I get any good tips and/or links to resources?

My main question to start is how to organise? I have 3,000+ images :bang: but many of them will only need to be stuck in albums and have keywords added in batches (long story)

I will be doing digital as well as film scans.

thanks in advance
 
A good lesson for me was to do as much organising as I could when importing. It is much easier to import a batch ready organised than it is to work through lots of images already in the Library.

Once the pictures are in, learn how to make and use presets. If I have a decent-looking image I save the adjustments as a preset so I can take that as a starting point for future similar images (I have presets such as Sunny Day Ektar). Saves a lot of repeat work on individual images. I don't include every adjustment in my presets as I like to do some things such as crop and spot my pictures individually. But jobs such as white balance, shadow/highlight and noise reduction will often be similar for a batch of pictures and I use a preset to get them in the ballpark with one click.

You can find some excellent presets free downloads at places such as http://www.ononesoftware.com/detail.php?prodLine_id=33 Don't be put off by the awful examples as some are pretty useful.
 
Adobe Press....

Adobe Press....

I prefer book exercises. If Adobe Press has a lightroom book, I'd probably get that. I have used their books on other Adobe software and find them well thought out for lessons.
 
LR never modifies the original image.

It renders a version of the original image based on the adjustments/edits you make.

LR keeps a data base of all these changes and then operates on the original image to render it as defined by the changes you make. Using virtual copies in LR you can make many versions form the original image. These virtual images do not take up significant disk space because each virtual copy is rendered on the fly from a data base of edits and adjustments you perform.

The changes for the rendered image only become permanent when you export an image. Of course the original image is not changed, instead a new version is created and exported.

Back up your LR catalog often as the catalog is a master data base of all the changes you have ever made in LR.

Finally, LR uses the file directory structure present on your hard drive when the images are imported into LR. If your images are stored in an unorganized fashion on your hard drive, then they will be in the same unorganized state in LR's File area.

In LR's File area you can make new directories (folders) and move original folders and files around. These changes will change the structure of your hard drive to match the structure in LR. But if you move files manually without using LR, then LR will no longer know where these files are. You can help LR re-discover them, but this can be tedious.

Use LR's Collections area to organize and catalog photos independent of your hard drive's organization structure.
 
If you can't find books, maybe subscribe to Lynda.com, or buy the Lightroom Videos. I like Chris Orwigs stuff, he's eloquent and interesting to listen to.

martin
 
some progres

some progres

It has been few weeks now...it really does make sense all of a sudden.

One thing I am doing it taking my 3gs worth of wrk PICs from PICASA and importing them, tagging, tweaking then reposting. It s a LOT of work 😀

The vids linked above were a giant help. I made my own system to track all of the files and negs. I actually have a file system in the computer that matches the physical file system for the negs!

My GF yells at me for spending so much time at it but the set up makes long term work much easier . I built the files and piles of presets to save time.

Anyone have any experience with the web classes offered by Adobe?
 
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