Lightroom Guide

[Mike Farley]

The latest issue of Amateur Photographer which is on sale from today has a supplement which provides a useful introduction to Lightroom and covers the main features. There are a few niggles and inaccuracies, but generally it is well written.

The points I picked up were:

• It is claimed that LR6 and LR CC are identical. While this was true at launch, this changed with the latest version of LR CC which has new features which Adobe has stated will never be incorporated into a LR6 point release. Those who purchase a perpetual licence will need to wait for LR7 to get the updates.
• There is a section about the new features in LR6/CC, but not everything is included.
• One of the benefits of using Lightroom is that image file location becomes a secondary consideration. LR has any number of methods to find images, but there is a section which recommends using a complicated file structure which itself could prove limiting, especially if the same subject is shot on a number of separate occasions. I stick with the LR default of having a main folder for the year and subfolders for individual days, using keywords or collections to retrieve images subsequently. I find that much easier than spending time organising my images into an outmoded folder based model and harnesses the power of Lightroom much more effectively.

[Mike Farley]

AP has an overviews of the supplement's contents on its website - http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/la ... ment-54749.

[davidc]

Isn't organising the photos into a year and month based folder model not the same as, well, an outdated folder model? Lightroom confuses me sometimes because half my images are in the year > month location and the rest are wherever they were first copied to my laptop. Lightroom is very inconsistent with where the catalogue chooses to keep files, to the point where I move some from one folder and it happens that lightroom loses the link. As a content management tool I am not that impressed.

[Mike Farley]

Isn't organising the photos into a year and month based folder model not the same as, well, an outdated folder model?

Technically you are correct, as Lightroom has to work with the file structures supported by the underlying operating system. A few years ago, as part of the ill fated Longhorn development which eventually became Vista, Microsoft had grandiose plans which it could not ultimately deliver to update the file system. As a result we are stuck with NTFS which was introduced as part of Windows NT and dates back at least to the 1990s. Its origins might possibly predate that as NT is based on an operating system which begain its life at DEC in the 1980s. Whether any of this applies to OSX I would not know as I am not at all au fait with that platform.

Personally, I find the LR default sensible as I can usually remember when I took my more recent images, so I can easily find them in the folder structure if I want to. Otherwise, I tend to rely on LR's other tools or use a combination if I know the year when I took a shot, but not the precise date for example.

Lightroom confuses me sometimes because half my images are in the year > month location and the rest are wherever they were first copied to my laptop. Lightroom is very inconsistent with where the catalogue chooses to keep files, to the point where I move some from one folder and it happens that lightroom loses the link. As a content management tool I am not that impressed.

It sounds to me as though you are not managing your images entirely in Lightroom. If you copy images from your memory card to your hard drive and do not use the LR import function, LR will leave them where they are by default and all that gets updated is the catalogue which records the images' location when you do eventually import them. You can change this by changing the default behaviour from "Add" to "Copy" when doing the import, in which case you will end up with two copies of the files but LR will not reference the original version. When importing from a card, LR changes its default to "Copy" which is normally what is required and there is also a "Move" function which will delete the files at the original location. If you change the location of files outside of LR, the catalogue cannot keep track of what happened, knowing only that the files are no longer present. In which case it displays the question mark symbol and will attempt to find the images in their new position when you click it. If you have deleted the files externally, naturally LR will not be able to find them in this instance.

To return an earlier compliment, this appears to be a case of PEBKAC rather than Lightroom.

[Rose]

I've never got to grips with the LR catalogue I gave always imported images from the card into LR (I can't remember if I use add or copy) andI use a year /month/ date folder structure which works well for me.

I have not worked out how to move images in the catalogue though :/

[davidc]

Aha that's crystal clear then. :S Multiple different actions occurring each time images are found depending on the format they are found on your computer.

While we're on the subject, is there a way to compare images side by side in LR? I've not found a way of doing it yet hence the need for Bridge to stay part of the workflow.

[Mike Farley]

I've never got to grips with the LR catalogue I gave always imported images from the card into LR (I can't remember if I use add or copy) andI use a year /month/ date folder structure which works well for me.

Basically the catalogue maintains details of file locations and, by default, adjustments made to images. That last statement is qualified as there is an option to hold image adjustments in a separate "side car" file instead, although I do not recommend that. When importing, the LR defaults change according to the source of the original files, so images are copied from memory cards, but added if they are already on the hard drive. The fact that you do not know which you have been using is testament that the defaults are sensible.

In a way, it is easy to become hung up over the function of the catalogue, but provided you manage your images entirely within Lightroom its operation is more or less transparent to the user. The LR defaults are well chosen and I have never had the need to tinker with the settings other than to specify a file location for Import. It is probably best to have just one catalogue and maintain all your images there unless there is a good reason to have separate ones, such as keeping images shot on a professional basis separate from those for personal use. In which case, you will probably want separate folder structures as well to ensure everything is kept apart. It should work well right up to the point when you forget which catalogue you are using and import images into the wrong one.

I have not worked out how to move images in the catalogue though :/

It's simply a drag and drop function within "Folders", which is on the left hand panel of the Library module. I'll include it in my presentation on 15 July. The way in which Lightroom functions can seem puzzling at first until you realise what is going on, so I'll have a complete section on that.

[Mike Farley]

Aha that's crystal clear then. :S Multiple different actions occurring each time images are found depending on the format they are found on your computer.

Only one action will occur in any given instance, with the default being based on context. Images are copied from memory cards to the hard drive, but only added to the catalogue if they are already present on the drive. It all seems logical enough to me and the behaviour is easlily overridden if something different is required.

While we're on the subject, is there a way to compare images side by side in LR? I've not found a way of doing it yet hence the need for Bridge to stay part of the workflow.

LR has more options in this regard than Bridge. In the Library module there are two different views, Compare and Survey. They are to be found at bottom left of the main panel next to the Grid and Loupe views. Compare allows you to select an image and assess it side by side against other candidates, switching the selection and candidate shots as required. It is useful if you have a sequence of similar shots as you can easily determine which one you like best. Survey shows selected shots together and any which are not required can be removed from the selection simply by closing them. LR does a whizzy thing by moving the images around and enlarging them as shots are closed which is fun for a few seconds when you first see it.

As you have already seen, quite astonishingly Adobe has failed to provide an easy way to migrate images from Bridge to Lightroom. I wrote about the issue in this recent post - viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1637.

[davidc]

Interesting, that single tip - which I've never found elsewhere, not for lack of trying - was the single biggest reason I wasn't using Lightroom.
Hmm, I may be busy keywording an entire catalogue...

Thanks!

[Mike Farley]

Interesting, that single tip - which I've never found elsewhere, not for lack of trying - was the single biggest reason I wasn't using Lightroom.
Hmm, I may be busy keywording an entire catalogue...

Thanks!

You are very welcome. I have spent quite some time investigating LR's many features and the effort really is paying off.

My advice would be to catalogue your latest images first and work backwards as you will have less interest in the more historic ones. It is also worthwhile seeking out your portfolio shots and working out a scheme so that you can quickly identify keepers. A rating of 4/5 stars, a specific colour label or setting up a collection would all work well. A great thing about LR is that it does not force you into any particular way of working.

I usually recommend two books to those wanting to find out more.

Scott Kelby is good for providing a step by step guide which is really useful for those not familiar with the application.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_nos ... om+6+kelby

The book to which I refer when I want to find something out is Martin Evening's. It is good at explaining the details, but is more of a reference work and is not as reader friendly for those just starting with the application compared to Kelby's.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adobe-Photoshop ... +6+evening