My next introductory Lightroom class is in Denver August 20. Details and registration are at www.LightroomClasses.com
Adobe has just published an updated document on ways to maximize the performance of Lightroom, you can read it here.
Turret Arch seen through North Window, Arches NP. (C) Nat Coalson
Moab Photography Symposium
May 12-15, 2011
Moab, Utah
Enjoy three illuminating days in the spectacular red rock deserts of Utah with seasoned pro photographers including John Sexton, Tom Till, Nat Coalson, Michael Frye and many more. You’ll master photographic techniques from creative to technical in numerous presentations, classes and field workshops. Two lucky photographers will win a free copy of Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5!
Hurry, space is extremely limited and there are only a few spots remaining!
Learn more and register at http://www.moabphotosym.com/
There’s a new Lightroom plugin that allows you to edit your photos in Lightroom using an iPad. Very cool! Check it out at http://www.lrpad.com/
I’m teaching a three hour introductory class on Lightroom at Boulder Digital Arts next Thursday, March 3. If you’re new to Lightroom or not sure if it’s for you, come check it out. Details and registration are at http://boulderdigitalarts.com/training/details.asp?offering=181
A question from a client:
“I am needing to understand file size and how a raw file goes from 15mb to a 13mb tif to a 6.2mb jpeg. And how do you get that raw file to a 24mb jpeg preferably as an 8X12 image. My son-in-law and I are working on a website on Photo Shelter and I am trying to get some images ready to upload. I am not figuring this out. I use a program called PhotoZoom Pro for upsizing and I am still not getting the outcome that I need.”
My reply:
“I use, love and recommend Photoshelter highly. Get the Lightroom plugin for Photoshelter and you can export photos directly from Lightroom into your Photoshelter account. You don’t need PhotoZoom for resizing.
The file size issue is not directly related to image resolution. A raw file does not contain pixels per se; its size is based on the amount of data it contains (though it does have a native resolution).
When you convert a raw file to a tif, the resulting file size will be larger, even if the resolution remains unchanged. When you convert a raw file to a jpg, the file size goes down because a jpg file uses compression to eliminate redundant data and make a smaller file size.
To say you need a 24mb JPG is off base. Regardless of the actual file size on disk, what matters are the dimensions (8×12) and the resolution (eg 300 ppi). With JPG, this might still only yield a file of 8-10 MB and that’s fine.
With Lightroom, all you need to do when exporting is enter the dimensions and resolution you want and Lightroom does the rest.
Again, you don’t need any other software for resizing photos.
I’ve been building an entirely new web site of my own, on Photoshelter, and over the past 6 months have used the export plugin to upload nearly 800 photos to my account. It really works.”
Note: stay tuned for the announcement of my new web site launch!
Next Lightroom class April 16-17; details and early registration discount available now at http://www.lightroomclasses.com
Last week Monte Trumbull, renowned nature photographer and technical editor for my Lightroom books, emailed me a link to a new Lightroom plug-in for soft proofing.
This is big news: I and many other photographers have wanted soft proofing in Lightroom for a long time. To my knowledge, this is the first soft proofing solution available for Lightroom. I’ve tested the plug-in extensively and my review follows.
First, a bit about soft proofing: Soft proofing allows you to preview what a photo will look like when printed on a specific printer/paper combination. A soft proof uses the printer profile to display an on-screen “proof”. You can then make any necessary adjustments to get the image to look its best before sending the file to the printer. Soft proofing can be used to preview prints you’re making yourself or when sending out files to a print service provider. Soft proofing can save enormous amounts of wasted time and materials and helps you avoid unpleasant surprises when printing your photos. Soft proofing is especially useful when printing images that have a wide color gamut (lots of colors) or a wide range of tones (deep blacks to bright white). Some papers and canvases are better at color reproduction than others and soft proofing helps you see this before you actually make the print. allowing you to choose the ideal material for printing each photo. Up ’til now, soft proofing has been done almost exclusively using Photoshop or RIP software. The ability to soft proof images in Lightroom is a huge step forward for photographers making prints of their images. (Search Google if you need to know more about soft-proofing in general…)
Now on to the plug-in. When I clicked the link Monte sent me, I was taken to http://www.lightroom-plugins.com/ProofIndex.php. To the right of the page are two prominent download links, one for a Windows installer and one for a Zip package with the plug in files for both Mac and Win. I also downloaded the manual. I used the Live Support link to contact the developer and I soon received a response from Jim Keir, a friendly chap who not only provided my license key but an installer for the newest version (which should be released by the time you read this).
Installation and Activation
I decided to test the plug-in with Windows 7 first and later tested on OS X. I launched the Windows installer and in just a couple of steps had the plug-in installed. Couldn’t have been easier. On Mac, I simply put the SoftProof.lrplugin in Lightroom’s Modules folder.
When I next launched Lightroom I received a notification that the catalog needed to be updated to support the new plug-in; OK. (NOTE: to be on the safe side, make sure to back up your catalog before updating for any plug-in!)
Next, in Lightroom under the File menu > Plug-In Manager, I chose the SoftProofing plug-in and entered my email address and key. The plug-in was already active; nothing more to do there. All told, the download, installation and registration process took less than five minutes.
Using the SoftProofing Plug-In
To use the plug-in you need to first select a photo in either the Library or the Filmstrip. (If you have multiple photos selected, the Active photo will be the one used for the soft proof.) You initiate the SoftProofing plug-in from the File menu > Plug-in Extras, so it’s available from anywhere in Lightroom. On Windows, you can use the keyboard shortcut Alt+F+S+S.
The SoftProof window is clean, simple and easy to navigate. The middle of the window shows two previews: the original on the left and the soft proofed version on the right. Controls I started at the top right of the plug-in window, where there are dropdown menus to choose your monitor and printer profiles from a list of profiles installed on your system. (The Filter Profiles checkbox limits the profiles listed to only those appropriate for output; I leave this checked. To see all profiles on your system, including input profiles such as those for scanners, cameras etc. uncheck the box.) Choose different printer profiles to preview how the photo will look with the corresponding printer/paper combination.
Below the profile selectors are options for Intent (Relative or Perceptual), Black Point Compensation (always leave this on), Simulate Paper White (which I always leave on) and Gamut Warning. Gamut Warning is disabled when Paper White is active; with Paper White turned off, you can enable Gamut Warning and you can set the color of the warning overlay by clicking the swatch to open the color picker. All these settings work the same as those in Lightroom’s Print module and are also identical to soft-proofing in Photoshop.
After choosing your profiles and proofing options, the central preview display is automatically updated. You can also switch to a view showing just the soft proof.
Presets
Along the top of the window is an area where you can save Presets for up to four paper profiles. The first, large button labeled O. Orig. simply resets the soft proof back to the original state, with no printer profile applied. To set the other four Presets, first choose the printer profile from the dropdown at the right side, then click the Set button to store that in the desired Preset position. After it’s set there, the button below changes to show the name of the profile and you can then quickly switch between soft proofs for your four saved profiles just by clicking the appropriate button.
Save and Stack
This button, located below the preview area, exports a copy file with the soft proof settings applied. The exported file is saved as a full resolution, highest quality JPG and appends the selected printer profile to the end of the file name. The new file is automatically stacked with the original.
Put to Practical Use
For most photographers, integrating the new capability provided by this plug-in will require a bit of tweaking to the print workflow. Here’s how I do it:
1. Develop the master (original) file so that it looks exactly the way I want on my calibrated monitor.
2. Make a Virtual Copy (VC) of the finished master file.
3. Soft proof the VC using the plug in.
4. From the plug-in, do a Save and Stack.
5. Back in Library use Compare view to see the VC and the soft proof file.
6. Adjust the Soft Proof using Quick Develop so that it’s as close a match as possible to the VC.
7. Sync the Soft Proof settings to the VC.
8. Print the VC using the same settings that were used in the plug-in.
Tips
Here are some ideas, comments and suggestions that will make your workflow easier:
Areas for Improvement
For the most part, the plug-in worked as I expected it to, with only a few minor shortcomings:
All in all, these are minor nits for a v1 release and there was nothing in my experience that would keep me from recommending this plug-in.
Final Thoughts
The Mac and Windows version function identically; both are super easy to use and work as advertised. The soft proofs I see with this plug-in are on par with any soft proofing I would do in Photoshop.
One significant difference between using this plug-in and working in Photoshop is that you can’t make adjustments when looking at the soft proof. In Photoshop, you can look at your soft proof and use layers to adjust saturation, curves etc. and see the effects in real time. With this Lightroom plug-in, you can see a soft proof and render a reference file showing the proof conditions, but you need to do the adjustments outside the soft proof environment, which could result in numerous trips back into the plug-in to check results. All in all I don’t see this as a huge downside; just a new way of doing things.
As the first of its kind, this plug-in is long overdue and is a “must-have” for photographers wanting to have the most possible control over their prints. Kudos to Jim for putting out a great product at a great price, and one that well serves a real need.
You can get a free trial version for Mac or Windows here
The plug-in is also listed on Adobe’s Plug-In Exchange
Last night Adobe released the updates for Lightroom 3.3 and Camera Raw 6.3. If you have earlier versions already installed, you can update them using the internal update mechanism, or you can download them here.
These releases add new lens profiles, raw support for new camera models and a number of perfromance improvements and bug fixes. The updates are recommended for all photographers using the software.
Adobe has also released a new Lens Profile Downloader that allows you to install profiles for a wide range of SLR lenses. Lens profiles correct distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration specifically for the lens used to make the capture. For more on lens profiles and to get the downloader visit Adobe Labs.
For a full list of all the improvements offered in this upgrade click here.
B&H Photo is offering a big discount on the full version of Lightroom 3… only two days left!
Adventure photographer Dan Bailey has posted a review of his top picks for Lightroom 3 books:
A recent question from a client:
“I am finding a huge dust issue from my wedding shoot. I am seeing a huge amount of little specs. I Thought my camera was clean, but maybe not. I am healing the spots away, but do you have any suggestions? I also tried to copy and paste some settings but didn’t see a difference in the images. So, I am doing them each one by one.”
My response:
“If you remove spots on one image you can then Sync Settings to apply that spot removal to the other pictures.
When you’re done cleaning up the first one, make sure it’s the only one selected either in the filmstrip or in Library Grid view.
Then select the others and click the Sync Settings button on the bottom right panel.
When the screen comes up to choose what settings you’re syncing, uncheck everything except Spot Removal.
There’s one catch making this work correctly: when you’re doing the first one, don’t move any of the spots. Let Lightroom choose the sample points automatically.
You will likely still need to go through the synced files to make sure the spot removal is good. If there is anything to be fixed you can do it to the individual photos.
This technique can save huge amounts of time once you get the hang of it.”
I’m presenting a 30-minute Lightroom webinar this Wednesday at 9pm Eastern, 6 pm Pacific. We’ll look at using the Detail panel settings for sharpening and noise reduction. Cost is only $15. Hope you’ll join us! Details and registration are at LightroomWebinars.com
I’m teaching a two-day Lightroom class in Hilo, Hawaii Oct 9-10. Early registration discount ends this Friday, Sep 10. Register now and save $25! Details and registration are at www.LightroomClasses.com/hawaii
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