Importing photos is one of the most crucial steps for working with your photos in Lightroom. And for too many photographers it’s also one of the most confusing and frustrating aspects of using Lightroom. Whether you are new to Lightroom or are a more advanced user, mastering your Import workflows is essential.

I’ve put together a two-part miniseries that describes the most important points of the Import process and how Lightroom helps you manage your files through the catalog. Click the links below to read the articles, published on Photofocus:

Part 1 – About Lightroom Catalogs

Part 2 – Importing and Organizing Your Photos

There’s lots more about Importing photos (and all other Lightroom topics) in my Lightroom 3 book.

For the past several years I’ve used Adobe’s DNG file format to store the raw image data captured by my digital cameras. I convert my Canon CR2 raw files to DNG early in my workflow and don’t keep the original raw captures. I’ve had great success with a DNG workflow and since DNG files contains the original raw image data, I’ve seen no need to retain the native files.

In every class and workshop I teach, the subject of DNG inevitably comes up. There’s a lot of confusion and uncertainty about DNG. So when researching subject matter for my next book, I thought I’d polish up my knowledge of this essential image file format.

In doing so, I reached out to one of today’s leading imaging software developers, Eric Chan, Senior Computer Scientist at Adobe. Following is a [very minimally edited] transcript of our email conversation. Read more…

Adobe has just published an updated document on ways to maximize the performance of Lightroom, you can read it here.

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!

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:

• Use Virtual Copies for printing. You can adjust VCs to make the best possible print for different conditions while preserving your finished master file in its original state. Never modify a master file for a specific kind of output. More about this is discussed in my article at the Lightroom Lab.
• When adjusting a print file based on a soft proof, the goal is to get the soft proofed version to match as closely as possible to the non-proofed original. This will provide the best possible color match for the print.
• One of the most useful features of the SoftProofing plug-in is that it allows you to see the difference between Perceptual and Relative intents. Some photos will look notably better with one or the other intent. Even if you only use the SoftProofing plug-in to see the difference in rendering intents before printing, your prints will start coming out much better.
• You can use the above workflows when preparing files for a lab. Get their custom profiles for the type of prints you’re ordering, go through the soft proofing and adjustment process for prints using virtual copies, then Export your print files (or use the Print module’s Print to File function).

Areas for Improvement
For the most part, the plug-in worked as I expected it to, with only a few minor shortcomings:

• With the Save and Stack feature, I often had to switch between views and image sources several times for the stacked proof copy to be visible in the Grid and Filmstrip.
• In my testing the Save and Stack feature did not update Collections; the new JPG was only visible in the Folder view.
• After I clicked the 0. Orig. button, clicking the other presets or choosing different profiles did not update the proof preview; it just stayed on Original. This remained in both views. I had to cancel to get out of the plug-in and go back in again to see soft proofs.
• Adding Tooltips in the plug-in window would be a welcome improvement, especially for people new to the concept of soft proofing.
• The plug-in window interface could be better designed to make use of available space.

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

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

Matt Kloskowski, publisher of the excellent blog Lightroom Killer Tips, has posted a Q&A in which I answer some questions about how I use Lightroom. You can read the article here.

Whenever you’re working within Lightroom, you’re working in a catalog. A Lightroom catalog contains all the information about the image files you’ve imported, as well as any adjustments you’ve made or metadata you’ve added to them. The catalog is a file residing on your hard disk; see figure below.

A catalog file is specific to the version of Lightroom that created it. For example, a Lightroom 2 catalog is different than a Lightroom 3 catalog. When you upgrade Lightroom between major versions (such as from v2 to v3) — and sometimes between “point versions” (such as from 3.0 to 3.2) — you also need to upgrade the catalog.

When you launch the new version of the program, Lightroom looks for the default (or most recent) catalog used, and if it finds an older version, you will be prompted to upgrade the catalog. You must allow this upgrade to be successfully performed before you can access your old data with the new program!

During a catalog upgrade, the Lightroom installer copies your old catalog to a new file and then performs the upgrade to the copied catalog. As a result, you end up with two catalogs – one from the old version and one for the new version.

After you’ve performed a catalog upgrade and confirmed the integrity of all the data it contains, it’s imperative that you remove the old catalog(s) from your system. This will prevent accidentally opening the old catalog when you didn’t mean to.

If you have multiple catalogs from the old version of Lightroom, all of them will need to be upgraded to support the newer version, and then all the old catalogs should be deleted. (If this makes you nervous, back them up first.)

Also, at this point you should completely uninstall the old version of Lightroom.

If you ever launch Lightroom and are unexpectedly prompted to upgrade the catalog (and you haven’t just done a program upgrade)… STOP! If you’ve already upgraded this catalog, don’t do it again – you will just end up with more copies of the same catalog. One of the worst things you can do in Lightroom is work in multiple catalogs without knowing it!

You can always confirm the catalog that’s open by using the Catalog Settings command. On Mac, it’s located under the Lightroom menu at the top left of the screen. On Windows, it’s under the Edit menu.

Lightroom 3 is now available for purchase/download from the Adobe web site.

My new book, Lightroom 3: Streamlining your Digital Photography Process, will also be available at midnight tonight. (Purchases now are “pre-order”; the book is being printed and will be shipped next week.)

My new Lightroom 3 book includes coverage of all the latest features, plus lots of advice on workflow and best practices for handling your photo library, and processing individual images to perfection.

My first Lightroom book (on version 2) was very well received. This one is even better… with lots more information and instruction on how to get the most out of this most essential photo software.

I’ll be posting some links directly to the online book retailers later this week. In the meantime, go to Amazon.com, and search for “Coalson Lightroom”; after midnight tonight you’ll find the new book (along with the previous version).

Please email me or post replies here if you have any questions. Hope the new book is really helpful for you!!

April/May Photoshop User magazine includes my article about creative printing with Lightroom identity plates. Issue is on newsstands now; more at http://www.photoshopuser.com/photoshop-user-magazine

I’m providing Lightroom training info, news and announcements at my new site: LightroomClasses.com

The next workshop is March 20-21 in Denver, will you join us?

Recently, a reader of my Lightroom 2 book wrote to ask me about how to integrate Topaz DeNoise into an automated Lightroom workflow.

DeNoise is a Photoshop plug-in that requires its processing to be done within Photoshop (not Lightroom).

This case study illustrates one very pwerful method of integrating Lightroom’s capabilities with processing files inside Photoshop. Here’s my reply to the reader:

Re: integrating DeNoise in your workflow: since DeNoise is a Photoshop plug-in, you would automate the batch process using a combination of Lightroom Export and Photoshop Actions. (In my book, there is some info in the Export chapter about this; I’m adding more to it for my next version on Lightroom 3.)

You’d set up the Photoshop action first. With a file open, create a new action and give it a meaningful name. Then, while recording the action, launch DeNoise and apply auto settings for noise reduction. (You can set up another action that will allow you to manually adjust, too… I’ll explain this in a bit.) Click OK to apply the DeNoise adjustment. Then, with the action still recording, save and close the file. Then stop recording.

If you want to be able to selectively apply manual adjustments during the batch process, all you need to do is activate the Menu option at the DeNoise part of the script. The window will stay open for you to make your manual adjustments, then when you click OK, the Action will resume.

Next, create a droplet from the action. Depending on your version of Photoshop, it will be somewhere under the File menu; probably under Scripts or Automate. With the Create Droplet dialog box open, select your new action, and save the droplet to your desktop. You can move it somewhere else if you want, but put it somewhere it can remain.

Back in Lightroom, in the Export dialog box, select a sample file and click Export to set up all the criteria for your exported files. I’d recommend you keep them in the same folder as the Originals, enable Add to This Catalog and use TIF as the file format. You can use whatever bit depth and color space you prefer.

Next, select the droplet as a Post Processing action in the bottom section of the Export window. (If you move the droplet later, this link will need to be re-established.)

Finally, make sure to save your new settings as an Export Preset.

To process a batch, select all the files you want to run through DeNoise, and export them using that preset. Lightroom will render the files to disk, then one by one open them in Photoshop, run DeNoise, save and close the files.

(The Droplet containing your action will open and process all the photos for you; you won’t need to do it yourself. All you will see are the windows quickly opening and then closing. That’s the “batch process” in operation in Photoshop.)

A key point here is that Photoshop can only apply settings to one image at a time. And each image has to be open in a Photoshop document window for it to be processed by Photoshop or DeNoise. That’s what we use actions and droplets for.

After Photoshop is done processing and saving your photos, they will be automatically added back into your catalog.

I recognize that this is a somewhat compressed explanation; I hope it presents a clear solution. This method is useful for anything you want to automate between Lightroom and Photoshop, especially plug-ins.

A question from a reader of my Lightroom 2 book:

“I am a Nikon shooter and have been reading you book on Lightroom 2 along with Mike Hagen’s book on Capture NX 2.  Your book is excellent, you are extremely insightful and easy to understand.   After reading both books, it seems like Lightroom is the better program for importing, organizing and exporting photos, but that Capture may be better for processing NEF images.  What are your thoughts? Will this situation change when Lightroom 3 is released?   If you believe that Capture is better for processing NEF, what is the best way to integrate it into the workflow described in your book?”

Dear reader:
“Thanks for your email and for purchasing my Lightroom book. I’m glad to hear you’re finding it useful.

Your question is one I hear a lot, especially from Nikon shooters. Here are my thoughts. Read more…

I’m teaching two printing classes (with Lightroom and Photoshop) at the Moab Photo Symposium. Space is very limited so sign up soon! Click the image for details and registration.