My Lightroom Books
Master Lightroom 3,and fall in love with photography all over again
As a digital photographer, you work with increasing numbers of images and countless options for editing and sharing your photos. The process can become tedious and complicated. But now there’s Lightroom 3, the single, essential software for organizing your photo library and fulfilling your creative vision. And there’s this book, with step-by-step tutorials, clear examples in plain language, and in-depth explanations to teach you Lightroom 3 — fast!
With this Lightroom 3 book, you can
- Make your photos look their best
- Apply creative effects
- Process many images at once
- Save time with shortcuts and presets
- Share your photography with others
- Establish a photo workflow that will serve you for years to come
Lightroom 2 Book
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is the primary software-of-choice for today’s digital photographer. As a new tool, using Lightroom requires mastering new skills–not always an easy task. Compounding the challenge, many photographers don’t have fundamental knowledge of digital image processing. Lightroom 2: Streamlining your Digital Photography Process offers you the digital imaging fundamentals and the Lightroom-specific skills you need to quickly learn and retain a mastery of Lightroom.
Written and designed by a professional photographer, designer, fine art printmaker and instructor, this book is designed to simplify and accelerate the learning process and is unique in both content and presentation. Nat Coalson is an Adobe Certified Expert in Lightroom and Photoshop, and has taught photography and imaging classes and workshops for many years. The approach taken by Lightroom 2: Streamlining your Digital Photography Process is based on over 20 years of professional experience in photography, printing, and imaging, and the methods of instruction were developed through the author’s work with students and clients.
At 400 pages, this book clearly explains how to use all of Lightroom’s controls, and much more. Beginning with the original image capture, all the way through importing, editing, processing and presenting photos, the text also explains fundamental imaging concepts every modern photographer needs to know. Not just the “how” but also the “why”. Not just recipes, but core skills you will use again and again. And by developing stronger technical skills, you will be able to focus more on creative expression.
The content of Lightroom 2: Streamlining your Digital Photography Process also demonstrates a simple, practical workflow. You will learn real-world, professional-level production techniques through straightforward examples and easy-to-follow instructions.
The book is divided into nine chapters:
* Chapter 1. Digital Imaging Foundations: resolution, bit depth, color spaces, etc.
* Chapter 2. Digital Photography Workflow: step-by-step outline of the processing pipeline
* Chapter 3. The Lightroom Workspace: modules, panels, tools, view modes, etc.
* Chapter 4. Digital Image Capture: benefits of raw, using histograms, critical exposure settings, capturing the most possible data, etc.
* Chapter 5. Import Photos into Lightroom: creating efficient file systems, automation and batch processing, using presets, etc.
* Chapter 6. Organize your Photos in Library: identifying selects, using filters and collections, working with metadata, keywording strategies, etc.
* Chapter 7. Process your Photos in Develop: evaluating the photo, adjusting global tone, contrast and color; local adjustment brushes and graduated filters, retouching, etc.
* Chapter 8. Export Images from Lightroom: choosing the right file formats, post-processing actions, using export plug-ins, etc.
* Chapter 9. Presenting your Work: working in the Slideshow, Print and Web modules
Each chapter describes in detail specific aspects of the Lightroom workflow and includes step-by-step sequences that summarize the topics presented. Throughout the book, you will learn and integrate concepts quickly and easily through numerous shortcuts, tips, reminders and warnings. Lightroom 2: Streamlining your Digital Photography Process includes over 300 color figures, including screenshots and illustrations, plus dozens of the author’s own photographs.
In addition, Appendices provide a reference sheet for the most useful shortcuts, a comprehensive list of additional online Lightroom resources and a guide to optimizing Lightroom performance.
Lightroom 2: Streamlining your Digital Photography Process gives you a complete mastery of Lightroom and the digital photography workflow, as well as a solid foundation in digital imaging. As a result, you will be able to produce the best possible photographs with the least possible effort.
Foreword by renowned landscape photographer William Neill.
I’ve been reading and enjoying “Lightroom 2″. I was stumped, however, by the Camera calibration panel. After converting (as per your suggestion) my imports to dng file format, I was unable to bring up any profiles at all (just the default “embedded”). Only when I activated the “Embed Original Raw File” option under Prefs–Import was I given the choice of a profile. However, I noticed that in your screenshot (p.210), the camera make and model is included in your profile list. Although all these make and model profiles exist in my Camera Raw folder in the App Support Library, what shows up for me in the Camera Calibration panel profile drop-down list is Camera Faithful, Landscape, Neutral, etc. Is Lightroom automatically choosing my camera (Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II) and then giving me these further profiles, or are these a list of generic profiles for any camera? Thanks for your time and congrats on a great book!
Hello Francis -
Thanks for posting your question. I appreciate that you posted to my blog so other readers can benefit from the answers and discussion about the topic of camera profiles in Lightroom.
I would also like to encourage other readers to post questions and comments here.
To fully answer your question, first let me rephrase it so we can address the individual aspects of the topic.
1. What determines the profiles that show in the Camera Calibration popup menu?
2. Why would one person’s available options be different than another’s?
3. What do the options mean, or, what do they do?
Here are some answers:
Adobe has created profiles for most all current digital SLR cameras on the market (and some advanced compact/point and shoots).
When you download and install the Adobe camera profiles, all are included in the installation.
Lightroom automatically shows only the profiles available for the camera model that made a specific capture. So if you have images in your catalog from multiple cameras, Lightroom will always show only the profiles available for that camera.
For each camera, Adobe has made profiles to correspond with the camera manufacturer’s available processing algorithms for the various “picture styles” available on the camera. In other words, if you use a Canon camera and choose “Camera Landscape” from the menu, Lightroom’s raw engine will render the image like Canon cameras and software for that picture style.
In addition to the camera-manufacturer options, Adobe has also include their own default renderings for Adobe Camera Raw. These were developed separately from the profiles for the camera picture styles. One or more versions of ACR will also show in the menu if Adobe has updated profiles for that camera in subsequent versions of ACR.
The profiles can produce dramatically different rendering results. For this reason, it’s a good idea to try different profiles before you start making adjustments in the Develop module. You want to get the best “starting point” for your processing.
Tip: use Virtual Copies and apply each of the available profiles to them; then you can use the Survey view in Library to see how the profiles render the image.
In addition to Adobe’s profiles, you can create your own custom profile(s) for your camera(s). This is done by shooting a Color Checker chart from X-Rite, then using the DNG Profile Editor software to generate the profile.
I have found that a custom profile always works the best, in terms of providing the most “accurate” baseline rendering for my raw captures.
So, depending on your camera make and model, and whether or not you have made a profile for it yourself, you will see different options in the Profile menu.
I hope this adequately explains Camera Profiles and their use. Please let me know if you have any questions.
And thanks for participating in my blog!
Well, this should be under the “My LR 3 Book)…
You highly recommend Cathy’s Profiles services. I truthfully sent money and charts about one month ago and have not received, so far, any feedback, nor answer to my many e-mails…
A bit surprising from a highly professional service…
Now I have to fill a refund file at Paypal.
Lost many time and energy.
Gerald
Gerald – I’m very sorry to hear of your disappointment with Cathy’s Profiles. It’s been several years since I used her service and it’s disappointing to hear that she’s fallen off her usually very good service. Good luck getting your money back, and you might look into Andrew Rodney’s profiling services. http://digitaldog.net/