Lightroom Guide

[davidc]

For ratings, at least during the bridge process, I use the following system.

1 = something that's 99% certain to be deleted when I finish reviewing (I delete any unusable ones immediately)
3 = stuff I'll not use but keep because it might be useful for compositing or for articles/guides
4 = multi-exposure images for HDR, which are re-rated 3 when I'm finished
5 = keepers

Of the keepers, I then go through, process and store all the PSDs and export the JPG for flickr/online.

I think I'll be adding a keywording step - right now I only do that if I need an image in LR for one of the few tools it does better than photoshop (auto-perspective correct, quick gradients) otherwise it's all in photoshop. While I still think I'll be using photoshop for the bulk of my processing (I prefer to have fewer, better images than the bulk editing LR favours)

I've started managing all the images I take for gear reviews in photoshop using collections and keywords, as well as a photo essay I'm working on. I think you're right about working backwards slowly though, I tried doing just for the ones on my hard drive (the last year) and rapidly got bored

One problem is that all the images I have on my network storage are uncatalogued, sadly it takes far too long to pull 1TB of images into Lightroom

[Mike Farley]

For ratings, at least during the bridge process, I use the following system.

1 = something that's 99% certain to be deleted when I finish reviewing (I delete any unusable ones immediately)
3 = stuff I'll not use but keep because it might be useful for compositing or for articles/guides
4 = multi-exposure images for HDR, which are re-rated 3 when I'm finished
5 = keepers

Of the keepers, I then go through, process and store all the PSDs and export the JPG for flickr/online.

I think I'll be adding a keywording step - right now I only do that if I need an image in LR for one of the few tools it does better than photoshop (auto-perspective correct, quick gradients) otherwise it's all in photoshop. While I still think I'll be using photoshop for the bulk of my processing (I prefer to have fewer, better images than the bulk editing LR favours)

I've started managing all the images I take for gear reviews in photoshop using collections and keywords, as well as a photo essay I'm working on. I think you're right about working backwards slowly though, I tried doing just for the ones on my hard drive (the last year) and rapidly got bored

One problem is that all the images I have on my network storage are uncatalogued, sadly it takes far too long to pull 1TB of images into Lightroom

At least you have not been using the colour labels which is where the main problem lies when migrating images from Bridge to Lightroom.

Lightroom also has functions to flag images, so you can mark your rejects and later delete them with one action, for example.

Accessing 1TB of data will take time for any application, but at least with Lightroom you can leave the images where they are and simply Add them to the catalogue, although I suspect that will still involve a lengthy period to complete. You can reduce the amount of processing required by turning off preview generation, which will limit the transfer of data across the network. If you have a folder structure which allows you to access smaller sections, you could always do it a bit at a time or simply leave it running overnight or while you are at work. You can still use your computer for other things while it is going on, of course.

[Mike Farley]

I think I'll be adding a keywording step - right now I only do that if I need an image in LR for one of the few tools it does better than photoshop (auto-perspective correct, quick gradients) otherwise it's all in photoshop.

Those functions are part of ACR, which is common to both Lightroom and Photoshop. Where Lightroom has an advantage is in features such as Virtual Copies and a history audit trail which persists even after the application is closed. Both are made possible by the use of a database for the Catalogue.

While I still think I'll be using photoshop for the bulk of my processing (I prefer to have fewer, better images than the bulk editing LR favours).

While Lighroom does have functionality such as Match Total Exposures, Sync Settings and presets for bulk processing of images, it is by no means mandatory to use them. Those controls are there to speed up processing for image sequences such as weddings where lighting and exposure values are consistent. As I have stated previously on the forum, using Lightroom allows me quickly to produce images which require no further processing in Photoshop.