George Jardine started as a professional photographer. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Better Homes and Gardens, Interior Design magazine, and many other national publications. George first joined Adobe Systems in 1993, and in 2003, he began work on the Lightroom project. George currently teaches workshops, consults for digital photographers, and is a freelance video producer.

If you are looking for a great set of tutorials to get you up and running in Lightroom look no further than George’s new Lightroom 3 tutorials. These 15 tutorials focus on catalog management and workflow.

This set of 15 all-new video tutorials gives you over 4-1/2 hours of the very best online education available. It covers the Adobe Lightroom Library and your digital photo library management from top to bottom. We start from the ground up, and guide any serious photographer—professional or passionate amateur—through the process of building an easy-to-use, but incredibly effective digital photo library. Then we dive deeper, tutorial-by-tutorial, through nearly every Lightroom Library feature, gently leading you to a solid and complete understanding of the entire professional workflow. Watch this online series anytime, day or night, and you will find thousands of tips and techniques that help you master your photo library and the new Lightroom 3 workflow. The complete series is only $29.95.

You can view a sample tutorial here. George’s attention to detail and easy manner make these tutorials well worth the $29.95 price tag.

George has also been writing for Digital Photo Pro. Check out his two part series on managin your digital archive: Managing Your Photographic Legacy: Part I and Managing Your Photographic Legacy: Part II. He will have an article on merging Lightroom catalogs coming in the fall.

Lastly, if you haven’t already added George’s blog to your reading list you are missing out on some great information! Check it out at http://mulita.com/blog/

Related posts:

1. You Do Have a Backup…Don’t You?
2. Lightroom 3 Beta’s Publish Services – Part 2
3. Watermarks for Web Gallery Images

However, if you have moved on to Lightroom 3 you can take advantage of one of its great new features—Publish Services. (Thanks to John Beardsworth whose comment on the previous article motivated me to get this article out of draft sooner rather than later!)

A lot of the attention Publish Services has gotten revolves around the link between Lightroom and online services such as Flickr, Zenfolio, SmugMug, etc.. But the other side of this feature is the ability to create links between Lightroom and your drives. And it is this aspect we will exploit here.

Start in the Library module in the left panels. Go to the Publish Services section. There you will see a service entry for your hard drive. Press the Set Up… button to create a new service for your drive.

This will open the Lightroom Publishing Manager where you can set up the service to house your iPad Albums.

In the Publish Service section enter a description of your service. Then choose an export location. In this example I’ve used my home folder. Be particularly careful choosing this as you cannot change it once the service is created. Work your way through the dialog. The values here are from Matt’s preset.

Now the Service has the description you gave it and shows the directory you chose. While you can put images in this directory to publish I usually use this as a reminder of where the images are. I prefer (and recommend) that you take advantage of folders and folder sets to organize the images into the different albums you want on your iPad. So click the + sign next to Publish services and in the section for your service choose Create Published Folder Set…

Give the folder set a name. In this case I’ve named it after the service—iPad Albums.

This will create our main folder into which we will place our albums. Click the + again and this time choose Create Published Folder…

Give each of your albums a name and make to select the set you created earlier. If you have images selected when you create the folder you can also check the Include selected photos box. Otherwise you can drag and drop images into your folders later.

Once you have your folders set up you can drag and drop images into the appropriate albums (i.e. folders). New images dropped into the folder will need to be published. click on the folder in the Publish Services section and press the Publish button.

Once the task is completed you will see that the images move from the New Photos to Publish section of the folder to the Published Photos section.

Why should we go through all of this trouble? Won’t the first method work just as well? The real payoff is once the service and folders are set up then Lightroom will keep all our changes in sync. You can easily remove images from an album. And you can see from the service what state any of the images are in (to be published, modified and ready to publish, delete and ready to be removed, etc.) It’s just another (and easy) way to manage your albums.

If you look at your drive you can see the correlation between the folder set and folders and the drive.

Now just point iTunes at the folder created by the folder set and everything works as in the previous article. Except now you have a better way to manage the contents of your albums.

Related posts:

1. Creating iPad Albums With Lightroom
2. Publish Services Gets Some Attention in Beta 2
3. Publish to the Cloud

Before we look at how to export your images and create iPad albums I suggest you go read Matt Kloskowski’s recent post Presets—Lightroom iPad Export Settings. Matt describes how to prepare your images and offers two very useful export presets. Download these and then return here. Don’t worry. I’ll wait.

Welcome back! Now that you have Matt’s presets installed we can proceed. This is a fairly straight forward workflow that will make organizing your images on your iPad easy (and iPhoto free).

To start, create a directory somewhere to house your albums. In this example I called it iPad Collections. Choose the images for your album and click the Export button.

Choose one of Matt’s preset depending on whether you want to fill the iPad screen or maintain the aspect ratio of your images. In the Export Location section choose Specific Folder for the Export To value. Click the Choose button and find the folder you created above. Now check the Put In Subfolder checkbox and enter the name for your album in the field.

In the File Naming section set up any filename parameters you like. Leave the remainder of the settings in the preset as they are. Press the Export button.

Each album will assume the name of the folder you export the images to.

Don’t worry about the iPod Photo Cache folder. This is created by iTunes when you upload your albums.

Open iTunes and click on your iPad in the list on the left. Go to the Photos tab and choose the original folder you created to house your albums. If you want all of your albums uploaded to your iPad then choose the All folders radio button.

If, however, you want to select which albums get uploaded then choose the Selected folders radio button and in the list that appears below check the albums to upload.

Sync your iPad and you will now see your images sorted into the albums you created via Lightroom

Now it’s easier than even to show off your work and make full use of your iPad as a portfolio display tool!

Related posts:

1. iPad Albums Via Publish Services

Presetpond is a new online community for photographers enabling them to share preset-files for and Lightroom. There are also presets available for Aperture.

By registering at the site photographers can upload preset-files to the site along with a set of preview images showing the preset in action. These files can then be downloaded and rated/commented on by the public.

Apart from the sharing capabilities the website is also a valuable tool for photographers looking to brand themselves. The profile page of each registered user allows for links to a personal website along with a link to a Twitter and Flickr profile.

Presetpond aims to become the go to resource for photographers looking to share and download preset-files for Lightroom and Aperture.

Go to the website at http://presetpond.com

Behind the site
Presetpond was created by Danish web designer and amateur photographer Thomas Fals. Frustrated with the lack of a real community driven website for both Lightroom and Aperture users, he set out to create Presetpond.

Any questions regarding Presetpond can be directed to info [at] presetpond [dot] com

Related posts:

1. Some Lightroom Resources

If you buy only one Lightroom book then Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 — The Missing FAQ should be it. Unlike other Lightroom books, this one takes the approach of answering users’ questions. Chances are, if you have a question, someone has already asked it and Victoria has answered it. I keep the PDF always ready on my Mac. If history is any indicator then version 3 will become as indispensable as versions 1 and 2 have been! If you haven’t upgraded to Lightroom 3 yet I’d still recommend you get the book that matches your version.

Because of the question and answer format Victoria has chosen, reading the book is like having a conversation. You immediately fall into the role of the user asking these questions and Victoria’s straight-forward answers get right to the point instead of overwhelming you with an unending stream of prose and pontification. It’s relaxed, educational, and great fun to read!

The book is available as a color PDF and a B&W paperback. Take a look at just a few of the topics covered and I think you’ll agree that this is the book to have.

• Can I use Lightroom on JPEG files as well as raw files?
• If I can use all of Lightroom’s controls on JPEG files, why would I want to shoot in my camera’s raw file format?
• If I shoot raw, can Lightroom understand the camera settings?
• Why do the folders keep jumping around and what is Docking?
• Can I use the operating system dialog to navigate to a folder instead of using Lightroom’s Source panel?
• Can I save favorite folders?
• Should I convert to DNG?
• Do I lose quality when converting to DNG?
• If I convert to DNG, can I convert back to the proprietary raw file format again?
• How are Collections different from Folders?
• How do I organize my collections into collection sets?
• How do I add photos to a collection?
• Why do my raw photos change color? When the first preview appears, it looks just like it did on the camera—how do I stop it changing?
• I set my camera to black & white. Why is Lightroom changing them back to color?
• How do other programs like iView, PhotoMechanic, Apple’s Preview, Windows Explorer, Breezebrowser, etc., get it right?

If you are still skeptical don’t take my word for it. Victoria has tons of excerpts from the book available on her site. Click here to check them out and see for yourself how great this book is!

No related posts.

A.J. Wood at Media Cats is posting some great video tutorials for Lightroom 3 at http://media-cats.com/learning/. Worth a look!

The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) has an excellent Lightroom 3 learning center available at http://www.photoshopuser.com/lightroom3 and you don’t need to be a member to access it (although I heartily recommend you join!).

Adobe has quite a few resources available as well:

• Lightroom 3 Help: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Lightroom/3.0/Using/index.html
• Lightroom Help and Support: http://www.adobe.com/support/photoshoplightroom/
• Lightroom Getting Started: http://www.adobe.com/support/photoshoplightroom/gettingstarted/index.html
• Learn Lightroom 3 on Adobe TV: http://tv.adobe.com/show/learn-lightroom-3/

And don’t forget to check out the resources in the Interesting Sites over in the sidebar of this site!

Related posts:

1. Refresh Yourself at Presetpond

If you haven’t yet investigated the benefits of becoming a NAPP member you should! At only $99 a year it’s a real bargain. Besides the subscription to the magazine you have access to hundreds of video tutorials, tips, tricks, and other things to enhance your Photoshop and Lightroom skills. NAPP also offers an extensive array of discounts. I haven’t really paid for my membership in years. I wind up save more than the annual dues using these discounts! Take a look at NAPP and join today!

No related posts.

As with any version of Lightroom it all begins with Import. And this time around we have an entirely new and improved import feature. While this has been the source of some consternation and controversy, once you dig in and look at what’s new here I think you’ll be on board.

The first time you click the Import… button you will see a very different, and very small, import dialog.

The top section in this dialog is a representation of the workflow; from (source) -> what to do -> to (destination). The section below that goes into a little more detail. What should we apply to the images on the way in, metadata preset & keywords (#1). Next, how do we handle duplicates and previews, file renaming, backup copies (#2). Lastly, where do we put the images at the destination (#3).

After that we have a button with a triangle in it (more on that shortly), the number of images and the size of the import, the Import Preset section, and the Cancel and Import buttons.

If everything is the way you want it then press Import and your images will come into your catalog. Simple. What? you want more? OK. Then press that little button with the triangle in it.

Wow! Now that’s a dialog! The top and bottom sections remain the same but the middle expands to reveal tons of functionality. There’s a lot going on here so let’s take this piece by piece.

The top of the from and to section are just big buttons. If you click anywhere in that area you can choose quick locations or previously used paths.

As soon as you navigate to a folder you can choose to include it’s subfolders. Just check the box next to Include Subfolders.

If your list is long you can tidy up the display a bit by right clicking on the folder and choosing Dock Folder.

That gets everything else out of the way and let’s you see what you are doing.

Moving to the middle section of the dialog we can decide how to import our images. At the top of the window are the usual selections.

The choices available will depend upon what your source medium is. For example, if you are importing from a camera or a flash card the only Copy as DNG and Copy will be valid choices. Just below these familiar choices are three new view options:

• All Photos
• New Photos
• Destination Folders

All Photos is self explanatory. Choose this and the grid view will display all photos from the source. New Photos will display the images Lightroom interprets to be new for this catalog. The last choice, Destination Folders, will groups your source images to match the destination folders that will be created.

These groups can be collapsed and expanded using the disclosure triangle to the right of the group name. Also, notice that in addition to the usual selection checkboxes on each image, the groups also have selection checkboxes. This allows you to select and deselect entire groups of images at a time.

Do you want to see more detail before importing an image but you can’t make the thumbnails large enough? Lightroom 3 now has a loupe view available during import. Just select the loupe icon at the bottom left of the main view window or just double click the image you want to examine.

Once you enter loupe view you can zoom in to examine the details in the embedded preview. You can return to the grid view by clicking the grid icon in the lower left of the window (or, again, double clicking the image).

Finally we look to the destination panels. The choices here look very familiar from Lightroom 2.

One enhancement has been added to the Make a Second Copy To: option which provides a backup of your imported files. Now, the second copy will have the same custom filename you’ve set up for your catalog. This makes it far easier to locate the backup file if you ever need it.

Like the folders in the source panel, the folders in the destinations panel are dockable. You will also see the folders that will be created by the import. They will show in italics with the number of images that will be placed there.

At the bottom of both the small and large import dialogs you will find the Import Preset menu.

Once you’ve set up your import the way you like it you can click on the dropdown menu and choose Save Current Setting as New Preset… Give the preset a name. Then when you need those settings on another import you can simply pick it from the menu and they will all be restored. That’s a real workflow time saver!

One more feature has been added to the Folders section of the Library module. If you want to import new images into an existing folders right click on the folder name and choose Import into this Folder… and the import dialog will open with that folder as the destination. Another workflow timesaver.

There is a lot going on in the new Import dialogs. Spend a little time and get comfortable with all the new functionality. Once you get used to it I think you’ll agree that the new import workflow is a big improvement.

Related posts:

1. Get To The Point!
2. New LR3 Beta 2 Feature: Tethered Shooting
3. What I’d Like to See in Lightroom 4

Despite all of this, grain has its place in modern digital photography. Grain now brings with it the charm and nostalgia of bygone film days. When compositing images, grain can be the unifying effect bringing different images from different times together for a great composite. Adding grain to a black and white or sepia image can add a pleasing artistic texture to the work. Whatever the reason, many photographers add grain to an image. Sometimes after working diligently to remove digital noise! But, then, grain isn’t noise.

Enter one of Lightroom 3 Beta 2′s quiet features – the Grain panel.

Tucked away in the Develop module, its the bottom half of the Effects panel. There are three sliders that control the grain applied to your image.

Until the Amount slider is greater than 0, the Size and Roughness sliders are inactive. First decide how much grain to add by moving the Amount slider to the right.

Now we can see the Size and Roughness sliders are active. Size will control how big or small the individual grains are while Roughness varies virtual texture of the grain. Work with the sliders until you achieve the look you like. Examine the image at several different zoom levels to see how well the grain fits into your artistic vision. Adjust as needed.

Its a good idea to look at a before and after view every so often so you can really see how different your choices have made the image.

So tap into your inner artist. Spread some grain and see what grows!

Related posts:

1. Where’d All the Noise Go?
2. Watermarks Take A Big Leap Forward
3. What I’d Like to See in Lightroom 4

There are techniques that we can use to work on two computers with a single catalog. Some include importing and exporting catalogs or parts of catalogs to keep everything in sync. All of that can lead to mistakenly overwriting good data with old. Or, perhaps, it gets too confusing to keep track. With a very large catalog this is our only recourse at present. However, for a smaller catalog here is a technique that leverages the cloud.

All you need is a Dropbox account! What? You don’t have one? Well before you read any further click here and get your FREE 2Gb account. Even if you don’t use it for this technique it is a very handy thing to have. The magic of dropbox is how it works so seamlessly. Each computer you install it on gets a local dropbox folder. Everything that happens in that folder is duplicated to your dropbox account in the cloud and then down to every other computer you’ve installed dropbox on. A recent addition allows dropbox to keep the folders in sync over your network for a quicker response.

To start, create a new catalog in your dropbox folder. If you are using the free 2Gb account then I suggest you use minimal previews on import. Also, in Catalog Settings set the 1:1 previews to be discarded after 1 day.

The reason for this is that 1:1 previews can grow the previews database to a rather large size. With only 2Gb to work with that can become a problem quickly. Of course, if you have a 50Gb or 100Gb paid account this might not be a problem for you.

On computer #1 everything works as expected. When you close Lightroom and go to computer #2, open the catalog from your dropbox folder on that computer. If the drive the images are stored on is not yet mounted on computer #2 you will see the missing folder/files indicators in the Library module.

Once you mount the drive (you can use Finder on Mac, or Explorer on Windows) then Lightroom will have access to the files and folders your catalog needs.

After mounting the drive with the required folders and files then Lightroom is ready to access your original images. Since the catalog is exactly the same as the catalog on computer #1 the names and locations should be correct.

Of course, since Lightroom is not a network enabled application be sure and close the catalog on computer #1 before you open it on computer #2. Lightroom does create a .lock file when it opens a catalog but it is better to be safe.

Theoretically, Lightroom uses the same database structure on Windows and Mac. However, I have not tested this technique across two different platforms. If you have both a Mac and a Windows machine why not give it a try and report back in the comments if you found any adverse effects trying to use the same catalog on both platforms.

This is by no means an answer to the problem of a multiuser studio that needs access to the same Lightroom catalog. However, I find it to be a great solution when I need to bounce between my desktop and my laptop and want full access to my images. So, give it a try! If nothing else, you’ll wind up with a free dropbox account that can be used for many things!

Related posts:

1. Rule 5 and the Play Catalog
2. How Do You Handle Rejection?
3. Publish to the Cloud