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Adobe Lightroom tutorial: 6 fundamental Develop module edits for your raw files

jmeyer — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:00:43 +0000

Adobe Lightroom has quietly become one of the best photo editing software options for photographers thanks to its easy-to-use interface and extensive range of tools and controls. In our latest Raw Tuesday post, our Adobe Lightroom tutorial shows you how to use Lightroom’s Develop module for perfect edits.

Lightroom 4 is far more than just an image organiser. Its Develop module houses a set of tonal controls that at least match, and arguably surpass Photoshop stalwarts like Levels and Curves.

These tools enable you make a range of useful edits – from basic tonal tweaks to more creative effects. If you’re used to Photoshop’s Camera Raw plugin you’ll find a near-identical set of controls on the right of the Develop Module’s interface.

Whether you want to make basic exposure tweaks, correct lens distortion, crop in tighter or remove spots, the Develop Module is the place to begin.

And because Lightroom allows you to make these changes non-destructively to raw files, you can work on your images while retaining the highest possible quality.

In this tutorial we’ll start by making a few fundamental tweaks to exposure and tone in the Basic Panel, which is the best place to begin editing your raw files. We’ll go on to use targeted tools to lighten eyes and darken the corners.

One of the main reasons to work in Lightroom is that every single edit you make is completely reversible and editable at any time. So not only can you undo or tweak anything at any stage, you also have the freedom to try out different effects and treatments.

The Develop Module isn’t just essential for basic enhancements, it also lets you take your images in interesting and unexpected directions.

6 fundamental edits for raw files in the Adobe Lightroom Develop module

01 Make Basic Tweaks
Open Lightroom and click the Library Module, then hit the Import button and import develop_before.dng. Next, click Develop. Go to the Basic Panel on the right of the interface and use the sliders to improve the tones. Set Exposure +0.35, Contrast +7, Highlights +20, Shadows +49, Whites +18, Blacks -7, Vibrance +29.

02 Curves and vignette
Scroll down the set of controls on the right until you come to the Tone Curve. Either drag the line, or input these settings to create an S-shaped curve line: Highlights +15, Lights +5, Darks -9, Shadows -17. Next scroll down to the Effects Panel and set Post crop vignette, Style: Highlight Priority, Amount -20.

03 Crop in tighter
Go to the tools below the histogram and click the Crop tool. Now scroll up to the top of the right-hand settings to find the Crop options. Click the Lock icon to lock the aspect ratio, then crop in to the top and right. Next, click the Adjustment Brush and hit Z to zoom in to the eyes.

04 Paint in adjustments
Check Show Selected Mask Overlay, then set Brush size to 14 in the settings on the right. Click over Iris to set a pin, then paint over both irises. Hold Alt and paint to erase if you need to. Hide mask overlay, go to settings and input Exposure +0.94, Contrast +51, Clarity +48, Saturation +51 to boost the iris.

05 Reveal highlight details
Click New at the top right of the screen, then click on the bright white flower to set another pin. Paint a new mask over the flower, as well as some of the brighter parts along the arm, then set Highlights -26 to reveal more of the detail in those areas. Next you need to grab the Graduated Filter tool.

06 Remove the flower
Drag in from the edges to create several gradients, each with Clarity set to -71, to create a soft blur around the edges. Grab the Spot Removal tool. Set Spot Edit: Heal, Size 79 then zoom in to the flower under the arm. Click over the flower and drag to the left to remove it.

Lightroom Library: a common sense way of organizing your photos

jmeyer — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:00:31 +0000

Whether you’ve just started using Adobe Lightroom or you’re an experienced hand, knowing how to organize your photos sensibly is a must. In this quick guide we show you a common-sense way of setting up your Lightroom library.

For those of us used to a standard folder-based image library, Lightroom 4’s approach to image organisation requires a shift in mentality.

At its core, the Adobe Lightroom Library is simply a database that assigns and remembers things about your image – where it is on your hard drive, which keywords and ratings are assigned, if any tonal adjustments have been made and so on.

It’s perfectly suited to the demands of image libraries that can run into the thousands.

However fastidiously you organise your images, problems arise with standard folder-based libraries when one image can be classified in several ways.

Say, for example, you have a shot of a classic car taken during a wedding. Should it go in a wedding folder, a classic car folder, or both?

Lightroom offers a solution: you can create collections for each category that an image falls under without having to move the file around or create memory-crippling duplicates on your hard drive. It does for images what playlists do for music.

Building a Lightroom library begins with the import. This may seem laborious at first, but it quickly pays off when you begin to reap the rewards of an organised library.

A few tweaks during the import can save you hours in the long run. Here, we’ll start at the very beginning: plugging a memory card into your card reader and using Lightroom’s Import command to assign copyright data and keywords.

We’ll go on to flag favourite shots, make quick tonal tweaks, and finally export images as JPEGs. Learn these key skills and you’ll be well on the way to having the kind of organised image library you’ve always wanted.

Making a Lightroom Library: 01 Stick in your memory card

Open Lightroom 4, then stick your memory card into your card reader (if you’re using our files, copy them to your hard drive, then go to the Library Module, hit Import and use the Source panel to find them).

Either hit Check All or manually check the files you want. Check Copy as DNG at the top middle.

PAGE 1: Making a Lightroom Library – 01 Stick in your memory card
PAGE 2: Making a Lightroom Library – 02 Choose Import options
PAGE 3: Making a Lightroom Library – 03 Pick your favourites
PAGE 4: Making a Lightroom Library – 04 Make a collection
PAGE 5: Making a Lightroom Library – 05 Quick tonal tweaks
PAGE 6: Making a Lightroom Library – 06 Export the files

Adobe Lightroom 5: the 6 new features you need to know about

jmeyer — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:22:45 +0000

Ahead of the release of Adobe Lightroom 5, announced today, a beta version of the new Adobe Lightroom is now available to download from adobelabs.com for free. Here’s a quick rundown of the best new features in Lightroom 5 and what Adobe says they can do for your images…

NOTE: click each image to see a larger version of the Adobe Lightroom 5 interface

Adobe Lightroom 5 New Features: Improved Spot Removal

Previously the Spot Removal tool has only let you make circular heal points with the tool, but in Adobe Lightroom 5 you can now paint with it like a brush (just like using the Spot Healing Brush tool in Photoshop), which is great news for retouchers.

And if you’re plagued by sensor marks, there’s also a handy new feature called ‘Visualise Spots’ which places a mask over your image that highlights those pesky marks, making them easier to remove.

Adobe Lightroom 5 New Features: Better Lens Correction

The Lens Correction panel now sports automated options that allow you to fix perspective, correct converging verticals and put wonky horizons right. There are three modes that offer different levels of correction, ‘Full’ being the most aggressive.

Adobe Lightroom 5 New Features: New Radial Gradients

A new Radial Filter tool allows you to position circular gradients over your images to focus attention on the subject, which means vignettes can be placed wherever you want, rather than just in the corners of the frame. There are all the usual options to alter exposure, colour and clarity, as well as the softness of the circle.

Adobe Lightroom 5 New Features: New Smart Previews

In Adobe Lightroom 5 you can create ‘Smart Previews’ of your images as proxy versions for making adjustments. This means you don’t have to be connected to the Hard Drive containing the image to alter it. Which will no doubt prove very handy for photographers who need to work on-the-go.

Adobe Lightroom 5 New Features: Book Module changes

The book module now makes it easy to add page numbers and text into your templates. You can also save custom templates with a right-click and quickly make other pages.

Adobe Lightroom 5 New Features: Improved functionality

Alongside these improvements, Adobe have also listened to feedback from users and made over 50 minor improvements to functionality (which it calls ‘Just Do It’ improvements, or JDI’s) in Lightroom 5. These include Full Screen mode by hitting F, the ability to import PNGs, and LAB support for the Histogram.

Adobe Lightroom Basics: 6 things you need to know getting started

jmeyer — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:00:11 +0000

In our latest Adobe Lightroom tutorial we explain the basics of this great photo editing software and reveal 6 of the most important details every beginner should know.

Adobe Lightroom 4 is a powerful program for managing and enhancing your images. Easy to use, simple to navigate and reasonably priced, it’s rapidly becoming the best choice for photographers who don’t necessarily need the depth and processing power of Photoshop.

Here we’ll give you a quick guide to Lightroom, from importing your images to experimenting with handy tonal presets and making a few essential edits.

The Lightroom 4 interface is separated into seven different modules designed to take you through the entire editing process, from categorising your images and choosing which to work on, to printing them out or sharing them.

The Library module lets you categorise your images by adding keywords, star ratings and collections. Keywording may not be the most exciting job in the world, but a few minutes spent here when you first download images can save time in the long run.

The Adobe Lightroom Develop module enables you to make simple edits like cropping and sharpening, as well as more creative effects like tonal shifts and selective adjustments.

Adobe Lightroom Basics – 01 Import your image

Open up Photoshop Lightroom 4, then choose Library from the list of modules at the top right of the interface. Click on the Import button at the bottom left, then use the collapsible folders in the Source panel to navigate to your file. Select the image, then hit Import.

Adobe Lightroom Basics – 02 Add a keyword

Highlight the image thumbnail, then go to the Keyword panel on the right. Click in the text box then type ‘monk’.Now, if you need to find the file at any time, go to Text along the top of the main window and type ‘monk’.You can also search your image by other characteristics using Attribute and Metadata.

Adobe Lightroom Basics – 03 Experiment with Presets

Click on the Develop Module, then go to the Presets Panel on the left of the interface. You can experiment with the colour presets here. If you need to undo an effect, scroll down to the History palette and click back through history states. Go to Lightroom Effects Presets and choose Light Grain.

Adobe Lightroom Basics – 04 Crop to horizontal

Grab the Crop Overlay tool (below the histogram on the left) then drag the crop overlay to crop the top and bottom of the frame, transforming it from a vertical to a horizontal image. Double-click to see the results of the crop (you can adjust the crop  at any time by clicking back on the tool).

Adobe Lightroom Basics – 05 Enhance the tones

In the Basic sliders set Temp to +5, Tint to +11, Highlights to +38, Clarity to +11, Vibrance to -20 and Saturation to +9. Grab the Graduated Filter tool and drag a gradient from the right to the centre. Set Exposure to -1.61 and Highlights to -68. Drag in from the left to make a gradient and set Exposure to -2.07.

Adobe Lightroom Basics – 06 Make selective adjustments

Grab the Adjustment Brush tool. Zoom in to the face, then click on the skin to set a pin. Set Brush Size to 7 and Clarity to -55. Paint over the hotspots on the face to soften the skin. Next, click New, then click on the monk to set a second pin. Paint over the entire figure, then set Exposure +0.49 to lighten him.

Adobe Lightroom: all your options for printing photos

jmeyer — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 01:00:54 +0000

In the final instalment of our Raw Tuesday series looking in-depth at how to use Adobe Lightroom, we explore the many options for printing photos in Lightroom.

If you’re used to printing a single photo at a time on a single sheet of paper, Adobe Lightroom’s print layout settings might seem quite intimidating but that doesn’t have to be the case. You can print multiple images on one page, soft-proof with your printer profiles and much more.

Here’s our in-depth guide. Click on the screen shot below to see the larger version

Page Setup
This displays your printer’s standard Page Setup dialog. It’s important to set the paper size first, or the rest of the layout options in Lightroom will be affected.

For example, if you’re printing on borderless A4 paper, you need to select that here or Lightroom will display a white border around your prints.

Template Browser
If you find yourself using the same print layouts again and again, it could be worth saving them as your own User Templates. Lightroom comes with a wide selection of templates as standard.

Preview
This panel shows how your chosen template will look – each template is made of up of ‘cells’ within which pictures are printed. A template for printing single images just has one cell.

The Preview panel doesn’t show your selected images ‘live’, but if you click on a template to select it, you see them in place in the main window.

Image Settings
Adobe Lightroom usually fits the whole image within the print ‘cell’, leaving space around the edges if the photo’s aspect ratio is different to the cell’s dimensions. To fill it, check the Zoom to Fill box – you must do this to get borderless prints.

The Rotate to Fit box rotates images to suit the page orientation in the Page Setup dialog. If you want to select and print a series of photos with the same settings, tick the Repeat One Photo per Page box.

Layout Style
There are three Layout Styles. You’ll use the Single image/Contact Sheet option most. To print a single photo, choose a template with a single cell. To print a contact sheet, choose the number of cells (Rows and Columns) in the Layout panel.

Picture Package prints a number of copies of the same image on a single sheet. Custom Package lets you print a number of different pictures at any size and in any configuration.

Layout
The Layout panel offers detailed control over cells in your print template. Use the Margins sliders to control the space around the edges of the print – these need to be reduced to zero for borderless printing, for example.

The Page Grid sliders are used to define the number of cells in a contact sheet layout, and if these are more than 1 then the Cells Spacing controls below are activated. The Cell Size sliders are an alternative way of adjusting the size of photos in single prints and contact sheets.

Page
Here you can find options for customising the print appearance and adding information. For example, you can use a different Page Background Color.

There is some crossover between Identity Plates and Watermarking. Both enable you to stamp your printed images with text, or with a graphical Identity Plate or Watermark which you create separately and then specify in this panel.

The Photo Info option is especially useful, in that you can add image metadata to the print.

Guides
Displaying Guides helps you plan print layouts and anticipate spacing between cells and margins at page edges. Checking the Dimensions box can be useful because Lightroom will display the size of each cell at the top left corner (you can change the units used in the Layout panel).

Print Job
This is where you make final adjustments to print settings, in particular the ‘output sharpening’. The degree and type of sharpening depends on print size. Choosing this at output stage is preferable – rather than sharpening ‘by eye’ during image editing.

This is where you choose printer profiles, too – whether you use the profiles in the printer driver, or your own custom profiles. Lastly, if your prints are coming out too dark or light, tweak the settings here.

Adobe Lightroom: how to speed up your workflow with the Quick Develop tools

jmeyer — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:00:21 +0000

In our latest Raw Tuesday series special on using Adobe Lightroom, we show you how to streamline your photo editing process using the Quick Develop tools

The Quick Develop panel, found in the Adobe Lightroom Library module, allows photographers to make quick edits, applying image colour and tone adjustments without having to leave the Library module.

Any edits made using the Quick Develop tools are recorded in the History panel of the Adobe Lightroom Develop module and can always be reversed.

Below we introduce the panel and what it can do for you, as well as show its range of creative effects.

White Balance
Choose As Shot to use the settings embedded by the camera, or choose one of Lightroom’s presets from the menu (raw format files only). You can also adjust the Temperature and Tint values manually.

Tone Control
Use Auto Tone or adjust the settings manually. Single-arrow buttons make small adjustments, double-arrow buttons make large ones. Note the Reset All button at the bottom.

Saved Preset
Use this menu to choose one of Adobe Lightroom’s preset Develop effects – they’re the same as the ones in the full Develop module, organised into groups. You can also change the Crop Ratio to suit different screen or paper sizes.

Visualising the Adobe Lightroom Quick Develop effects

Aged Photo
This reduces the saturation, applies a warm tint and makes adjustments to the tonal controls to achieve a ‘retro’ look.

Bleach Bypass
Creates a high-contrast, cold, undersaturated and high-definition look that could be good for urban landscapes or male portraits.

Cross Process 1-3
Simulates the effect of processing film in the ‘wrong’ chemicals and produces varying colour shifts according to which one is chosen.

Direct Positive
Produces a high-contrast, high-saturation look reminiscent of low-speed transparency films, and can give colour shots extra impact.

B&W Look 1-5
Delivers an instant black and white conversion in five different styles – you can try them all to find the look that you want.

B&W Sepia Tone
The classic black and white toned effect, but delivered with more subtlety and control than the sepia ‘effects’ in other programs.

Adobe Lightroom: how to share photos in ways you didn’t expect

jmeyer — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 01:00:10 +0000

In this instalment of our Raw Tuesday series uncovering Adobe Lightroom in greater depth we take a closer look at your photo sharing option.Prints, Facebook and Flickr are not the only way to share photos in Adobe Lightroom. You’ll find three more.

Adobe Lightroom also offers Web Galleries, Slideshows and – new in Adobe Lightroom 4 – Books.

The Web Galleries module follows the now-familiar Adobe Lightroom format of preset templates in the left sidebar and manual customising tools on the right.

Each Web Gallery consists of one or more index pages linked to individual photos.

Adobe Lightroom exports finished HTML files, which it can then upload directly to your web host (you will need a web hosting account and FTP upload details from your service provider).

Slideshows are a good way to show off your pictures to friends or clients. Again, you have a choice of templates on the left, and manual controls on the right.

The Book module has been produced in conjunction with online books publisher Blurb.

Instead of using web-based layout tools or a separate program, you can design books entirely within Lightroom. You then upload and order your book from Blurb.

PAGE 1: New sharing options in Adobe Lightroom 4
PAGE 2: How to create a website in Adobe Lightroom
PAGE 3: How to make a slideshow in Adobe Lightroom
PAGE 4: How to make books in Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom: how to use the Develop module for serious photo editing

jmeyer — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 01:00:56 +0000

The Adobe Lightroom Develop module is where serious photo-editing happens in Lightroom. In this instalment of our Raw Tuesday series uncovering Adobe Lightroom in greater depth we take you on a tour of the Develop module interface, show you what each panel can do and, finally, how to take more precise control for professional-quality edits.

Getting to know the Adobe Lightroom Develop Module: free cheat sheet

Below is a glance at what your Adobe Lightroom Develop module looks like. The Develop module is your main editing hub where you can take control over your photos.

In the cheat sheet we’ve highlighted some of the key points within the interface that can help you improve your photo editing process. Simply click on the infographic to see the larger version.

We’ve also broken out some of the key panels you’ll need to know if you want to make the most of this module.

Find out how to master the Adobe Lightroom Library Module
Learn more about Adobe Lightroom’s sharing options

Key Develop module panels you need to know

Basic
These are your everyday tools. They include Lightroom 4’s redesigned Highlights, Shadows, Whites and Blacks sliders for more dynamic range control and a more powerful Clarity slider for adding localised contrast.

Tone Curve
This works just like the Curves Panel in Photoshop – you drag on the curve to reshape it and change the contrast properties of the picture. But you can also use the Point Curve gadget to drag up and down directly on parts of the image to darken or lighten those tones.

HSL/Color/B&W
HSL lets you adjust Hue, Saturation and Lightness. Colour offers simpler adjustments based on specific colours. The B&W sliders can be used to adjust the colour mix when converting colour images to black and white.

Detail
Lightroom’s Sharpening tools include an Amount slider, Radius, Detail and Masking adjustments for maximum control, while the Noise Reduction sliders allow you to minimise both Colour and Luminance noise.

Lens Corrections
Lightroom can correct distortion and vignetting automatically in a large number of lenses, or you can apply corrections manually for those which aren’t supported. It can also fix horizontal and vertical ‘keystoning’.

Effects
Lightroom can correct distortion and vignetting automatically in a large number of lenses, or you can apply corrections manually for those which aren’t supported. It can also fix horizontal and vertical ‘keystoning’.

Camera Calibration
Lightroom can correct distortion and vignetting automatically in a large number of lenses, or you can apply corrections manually for those which aren’t supported. It can also fix horizontal and vertical ‘keystoning’.

PAGE 1: Getting to know the Adobe Lightroom Develop module interface
PAGE 2: Making selective adjustments in the Develop module

Adobe Lightroom: master the Library module to stay on top of your images

jmeyer — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:00:10 +0000

In part 2 of our special Raw Tuesday series within a series on getting to know Adobe Lightroom, we continue our investigation of what Adobe Lightroom offers photographers in terms of photo management with an in-depth look at Lightroom’s Library Module.

A large part of Adobe Lightroom’s job is keeping your images organised. This becomes a progressively greater challenge as your image library grows in size, and the number of different ways you want to use your pictures increases, too.

It uses industry-standard ‘metadata’ embedded in your images to help, consisting of keywords, captions, copyright information  and more (click here to find out more about What is metadata?).

But it also offers quick-access Flags, Ratings and Labels and an interactive Filter Bar to help you quickly find and isolate the pictures you’re looking for.

Adobe Lightroom Library Module: Folders and Collections

Click on the infographic below to view the larger version of this file. Alternatively, drag and drop it to your desktop.

01 Folders
This is where Lightroom displays the real location of your photos on your computer or your external drive. If you move photos and folders here, you move them on your computer.

It’s important to realise, though, that if you move them on your computer instead, Lightroom won’t be able to find them any more and you’ll have to manually relocate them within Lightroom and re-establish the connection.

You can use Folders as your main organisational tool, though many photographers prefer to use Collections and Collection Sets instead.

02 Smart Collections
Smart Collections can be created and stored alongside regular Collections, but they’re a very different thing. You should think of them as ‘saved searches’ instead.

Imagine you want to find all pictures taken on a Nikon D700 containing the keyword ‘snow’ and taken in the Alps in 2011.

This is quite a long-winded set of search criteria you wouldn’t want to have to type in twice, but if you use a Smart Collection instead, your search is saved permanently among your other Collections.

The key thing to know about Smart Collections is that you can’t add or remove pictures manually – they’re chosen according to their properties, so the only way to control what appears is to change the properties (keywords, for example) of the picture.

03 Collections & Collection Sets
These are like ‘virtual’ folders. They’re completely independent of the folders on your computer. You can create Collections for images you want to use as a portfolio, photos to show a client or as a way of bringing together pictures that share a common theme.

Deleting a photo from a Collection doesn’t delete the photo, only that particular reference to it, and you can add the same photo to many different collections – but it’s still the same photo, not a copy.

So if you apply any adjustments or effects to a photo, these will show up in all the Collections where the photo appears. Collection Sets are simply folders to help you organise your Collections.

You can nest them one within another, just like nesting folders on your computer.

PAGE 1: Adobe Lightroom Library Module – Folders and Collections
PAGE 2: Adobe Lightroom Library Module – Filter Bar
PAGE 3: Adobe Lightroom Library Module – Flags, Ratings and Labels

Adobe Lightroom 4 review

jmeyer — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 02:00:36 +0000

Is Adobe Lightroom 4 the all-in-one image cataloguer and photo editing software that finally undercuts Photoshop? Find out in our Adobe Lightroom 4 review.

Adobe Lightroom 4 takes care of all your photographic needs, from importing your photos to organising them, enhancing them and sharing them with other people as books slideshows, prints or web galleries.

It’s arranged as a series of modules, displayed horizontally along the top of the window. It’s in the first Library module that most of the work is done.

Here, you import your photos then browse them in their original folders, or organise them into Collections for specific jobs or projects.

You can also create Smart Collections, which use search criteria to automatically pick out shots taken within a certain time period or with keywords, for example.

You enhance your photos in the Develop module, and the editing tools here are based around those in Adobe Camera Raw, the same raw-conversion software that comes with Photoshop.

The tools are arranged in a more accessible and logical format though, using collapsible panels at the side of the screen.
Adobe Lightroom 4 makes no distinction between raw format files, JPEGs, TIFF images or Photoshop files – it works on them all in the same way.

Finally, all the adjustments you make are non-destructive – the original images remain unaltered, and you can modify or remove any of your adjustments at any time.

PAGE 1: Adobe Lightroom 4 Review – what’s new
PAGE 2: Adobe Lightroom 4 Review – performance
PAGE 3: Adobe Lightroom 4 Review – how it scores