Lightroom 3

[Dave3112]

I just picked up a copy of this software and I am completely lost!!!!! It is NOTHING like elements (which I have used for years). Can someone that has used or uses this software recommend a good "how to" book so I can get the most out of my pictures?? PLEASE...

Thanks,

Dave

 

[mojo]

I use LR 2 . I am not sure if it is different. if it is the similar. You would go to file in the left corner of the screen. Import photo from..

then once imported a photo go to the right side of the screen and select the develop tab/ This is where you will edit your photo. contrast color crop ect... when done you will export photo to your selected file. Youtube has a lot of good there too.

hope that helps a little
Mojo

 

[Dave3112]

Thanks Mojo! I played around with it a little last night and I think I got some basic stuff down. I am just very confused by the different layout of the processing "screen" from Elements.....I will give youtube a shot. I always forget that I can actually learn things from youtube.......LOL. I usually just go there for music and funny videos.......

 

[STL]

Hey Dave,

I don't know any "how to" books, hopefully others will chime in with suggestions. Lightroom is more like Picasa or iPhoto than Photoshop. It's designed to browse through and do quick fixes to large batches of photos.

To get you oriented a little, along the top of your screen you'll see a big "Library", "Develop", "Slideshow", "Print", "Web" links - these are the Lightroom modes. I mostly use Library and Develop:

In library mode, it's easy to browse your photo collection, group photos together, and set up publishing exports with popular web services or hard drive folders.

In develop mode you can still navigate between pictures in the current collection, but it exposes a slew of edit controls for cropping, adjusting exposure/color, toning, detail (this is where the AMAZING noise reduction settings are), etc. Unlike Photoshop, all of these edits are non-destructive (your original photo is never over-written). Instead, you must export or publish the photos.

One final thing, if your camera supports a RAW mode, use it. The RAW images usually have more dynamic range than JPG and Lightroom will let you access details in your photos that are lost in JPG.

Have fun!

--Shawn

 

[bonomo53]

Im currently taking a class that requires us to use light room 3 had to buy a book called photoshop lightroom 3 visual quick start guide which is pretty helpful but it was pretty expensive like everyother college book.

 

[Dave3112]

Thanks for all the input!! Y'all are the best!

 

[KLR]

I played around with it a little last night and I think I got some basic stuff down. I am just very confused by the different layout of the processing "screen" from Elements......

It is VERY different from elements. But what they edit is quite different aswell.

Softwares like elements and cs5 allow the user to edit in layers and selections and much more, which helps alot when trying to change the lighting of a specific area, make a section of a photo black and white, etc.

Lightroom allows the user edit very specific things.
You can add saturation,luminance, and change the hues of specific colors where in photoshop elements and cs5 there are only the color balance tool, hue bar, saturation bar, and vibrance bar. So if you wanted to edit a specific color you would have to select every place on the picture where the given color occurs which would take forever.

For this reason I have found, owning cs5 and lightroom3, I edit things like ambient lightings, reflections or shadows, etc. in cs5 and then take the image to lightroom3 and process the colors of the image, since I can pick what colors I want to show up and which colors I want to not really show up. This usually results in a better looking final image.

I would try a book like The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers [Book] if you want to learn some tips on editing in lightroom3.