Scott Kelby

for digital photographers

™

the Adobe®

eBook

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T H E A D O B E® L I G H T R O O M™ E B O O K F O R D I G I TA L P H O T O G R A P H E R S

The Adobe Lightroom eBook for Digital Photographers Team

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Felix Nelson

TECHNICAL EDITORS Cindy Snyder Kim Doty

PRODUCTION EDITOR Kim Gabriel

PRODUCTION MANAGER Dave Damstra

COVER DESIGNED BY Jessica Maldonado

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF iStockphoto.com and Scott Kelby

Published byNew Riders

Copyright ©2006 by Scott Kelby

First edition: March 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information stor-age and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Composed in Cronos and Helvetica by NAPP Publishing

TrademarksAll terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. New Riders cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in the book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.

Lightroom is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.Photoshop is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Warning and DisclaimerThis book is designed to provide information about Adobe Lightroom for digital photographers. Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty of fitness is implied.

The information is provided on an as-is basis. The author and New Riders shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.

ISBN 0-321-43736-5

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

www.newriders.comwww.scottkelbybooks.com

T H E A D O B E® L I G H T R O O M™ E B O O K F O R D I G I TA L P H O T O G R A P H E R S

For the cutest little baby

in the whole wide world,

Kira Nicole Kelby.

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First, I want to thank my amazing wife Kalebra. We’ve been married 16 years, and just looking at her still makes my heart skip a beat, and again reminds me how much I adore her, how genuinely beautiful she is, and how I couldn’t live without her. She’s the

type of woman love songs are written for, and I am, without a doubt, the luckiest man alive to have her as my wife.

Secondly, I want to thank my 9-year-old son Jordan, who spent many afternoons pulling me away from writing this book so we could play Shadow the Hedgehog or head to the putt-putt course. God has blessed our family with so many wonderful gifts, and I can see them all reflected in his eyes. I’m so proud of him, so thrilled to be his dad, and I dearly love watching him grow to be such a wonderful little guy, with such a tender and loving heart. (You’re the greatest, little buddy.)

I also want to thank my newborn daughter Kira Nicole Kelby for being such a little sweet-ie. My wife and I knew we were having a baby girl, we just didn’t realize that she would in fact be “the cutest little baby in the whole wide world.”

I also want to thank my brother Jeffrey for being such a positive influence in my life, for always taking the high road, for always knowing the right thing to say, and just the right time to say it, and for having so much of our dad in you. I’m honored to have you as my brother and my friend.

My heartfelt thanks go to the entire team at KW Media Group, who every day redefine what teamwork and dedication are all about. They are truly a special group of people, who come together to do some really amazing things (on really scary deadlines), and they do it with class, poise, and a can-do attitude that is truly inspiring. I’m so proud to be working with you all.

Thanks to my layout and production crew. In particular, I want to thank my friend and Creative Director Felix Nelson for his limitless talent, creativity, input, and just for his flat-out great ideas. Thanks to my in-house editors Kim Doty and Cindy Snyder who put the tech-niques through rigorous testing and made sure that I didn’t slip any of my famous typos past the goalie. Also, thanks to Dave Damstra and his amazing crew for giving the book such a tight, clean layout.

Thanks to my compadre Dave Moser, whose tireless dedication to creating a quality prod-uct makes every project we do better than the last. Thanks to Jean A. Kendra for her sup-port, and for keeping a lot of plates in the air while I’m writing these books. A special thanks to my Executive Assistant Kathy Siler for all her hard work and dedication, and for showing great restraint when her Redskins beat my Buccaneers in the playoffs.

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

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Thanks to my Publisher Nancy Ruenzel, and the incredibly dedicated team at Peachpit/New Riders. You are very special people doing very special things, and it’s a real honor to get to work with people who really just want to make great books. Also many thanks to the awe-some Rachel Tiley, Ted Waitt, and to marketing maverick Scott Cowlin.

I owe a special debt of gratitude to George Jardine, photographic evangelist at Adobe, for all his help. Getting detailed information on a Beta version of anything is a challenge, but George went out of his way numerous times, and the book is better because of it. Also thanks to Kevin Connor and John Nack at Adobe for their help, and for letting me unload on them because Beta 1 didn’t support music with slide shows.

Also thanks to my “Photoshop Guys” Dave Cross and Matt Kloskowski, for being such excellent sounding boards for the development of this book. You guys are the best!

Thanks to my friends at Adobe Systems: Terry White, Addy Roff, Cari Gushiken, Russell Brady, Jill Nakashima, Julieanne Kost, and Russell Preston Brown. Gone but not forgotten: Barbara Rice, Rye Livingston, Bryan Lamkin, and Karen Gauthier.

Thanks to my mentors whose wisdom and whip-cracking have helped me immeasurably, including John Graden, Jack Lee, Dave Gales, Judy Farmer, and Douglas Poole.

Also, my personal thanks to Patrick Lor at iStockphoto.com for enabling me to use some of their wonderful photography in this book.

Most importantly, I want to thank God, and His son Jesus Christ, for leading me to the woman of my dreams, for blessing us with two amazing children, for allowing me to make a living doing something I truly love, for always being there when I need Him, for blessing me with a wonderful, fulfilling, and happy life, and such a warm, loving family to share it with.

vi

The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers

The Photoshop Channels Book

Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks

Photoshop CS2 Killer Tips

Photoshop Classic Effects

The iPod Book

InDesign CS/CS2 Killer Tips

Mac OS X Tiger Killer Tips

Getting Started with Your Mac and Mac OS X Tiger

O T H E R B O O K S B Y S C O T T K E L B Y

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Scott is Editor and Publisher of Photoshop User magazine, Editor-in-Chief of Nikon Software User magazine, and Editor and Publisher of Layers magazine (the how-to magazine for everything Adobe).

Scott is President and co-founder of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and is President of the software training, education, and publishing firm KW Media Group.

Scott is a photographer, designer, and award-winning author of more than 30 books, including Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks, The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers, Photoshop Classic Effects, and is Series Editor for the Killer Tips book series from New Riders.

For the past two years, Scott has been awarded with the distinction of being the world’s #1 best-selling author of all computer and technology books, across all categories.

Scott is Training Director for the Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour and Conference Technical Chair for the Photoshop World Conference and Expo. He’s featured in a series of Adobe Photoshop training DVDs and has been training Adobe Photoshop users since 1993.

For more information on Scott, visit scottkelby.com.

A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

Scott Kelby

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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S www.scottkelbybooks.com

The Adobe Lightroom eBook for Digital Photographers

CHAPTER 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1ImportingGetting Your Photos Into Lightroom

Gettting Your Photos Into Lightroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Where Your Photos Wind Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

CHAPTER 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13NavigationFinding Your Way Around

Working with Lightroom’s Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Putting the Focus on Your Photos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Adding Your Studio’s Identity to Lightroom’s Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

CHAPTER 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29LibraryOrganizing Your Photos

Separating the Keepers from the Losers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Sorting Your Photos in the Grid View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36One-Click Sorting by Using Collections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Staying Organized by Assigning Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

CHAPTER 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Quick DevelopMaking Minor Adjustments

Using Quick Develop for Quick Fixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50Editing Multiple Images the Easy Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

CHAPTER 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61DevelopMaking Serious Adjustments

The Basic Adjustments Aren’t Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Using the Tone Curve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70Converting to Black and White, and Split Toning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74Adjusting Individual Colors Using HSL Color Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

www.scottkelbybooks.com T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

ixThe Adobe Lightroom eBook for Digital Photographers

Sharpening and Reducing Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82Fixing Problems Caused by the Camera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84Cropping and Straightening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88Overcoming Color Problems Inherent in Some Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . .92Creating Your Own Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93Jumping from Lightroom to Photoshop and Back. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

CHAPTER 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99SlideshowSharing Your Photos Onscreen

Getting Photos Into Your Slide Show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Customizing the Look of Your Slides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Customizing the Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Adding and Editing Drop Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Adding Text to Your Slides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Saving Your Custom Layout as a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Playing Your Slide Show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Exporting Your Slide Show to the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

CHAPTER 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131PrintPrinting Your Photos

Printing Essentials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Printing Contact Sheets (or More Than One Photo on One Page). . . 146

INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

x The Adobe Lightroom eBook for Digital Photographers

Q. I didn’t expect to see the book start with a Q&A section. Don’t Q&A sections normally come after a chapter, rather than before the first chapter?A. Normally they do. That’s why this one is so unexpected. But there is a reason it’s here. It’s here to take up pages. You see, authors are paid on how many pages they write, regardless if the pages are actually necessary or if they even relate to the topic of the book. So, I thought I’d just pick up a few extra bucks right up front and add a Q&A.

Q. Really?A. Of course not. That’s not the way book publishing really works. It’s unfortunate, because us authors could really cash in, but sadly, you don’t get paid on how many pages you write. You get paid on how many books you sell, and how many books you sell is dependent on three factors: (1) how many times you can work naughty double-entendre phrases into your text, (2) how many times you can work French words into your text, like “double-entendre,” but mostly it’s (3) how useful people actually find your book.

Q. So how useful is this book going to be?A. That depends on whether the person who bought the book (that’s you by the way) takes the time to read the introduc-tion. You see, the introduction of the book is where the author bares the soul of the book—where he (or she) shows how to get the most out of the book, so readers really maximize their experience. The author addresses common concerns, gives tips and ideas on how readers should best use their time, and generally tries to help readers connect with the book.

Q. But this book doesn’t have an introduction. Why not?A. It’s because no one reads the introduction of books anymore. No, they’d rather turn right to the first chapter and fumble around on their own, stumbling from project to project, rather than spending just two minutes to find out how the book was written, why it was written that way, what to look out for, and what to avoid.

Q. Are people really that shallow?A. Yes. But not you. You’re not like that. You know why? Because you’re reading the introduction right now. Oh sure, it’s called “An Unexpected Q&A Section” but come on, have you ever heard of an unexpected Q&A section? Especially one that comes before the first chapter? You knew this was a ruse to get you to read the introduction but you kept on going. I like you, kid. You’ve got moxie.

Q. What exactly is moxie?A. Moxie is an industrial-strength abrasive cleaner that removes lime, rust, and scale from a variety of surfaces.

Q. I have that? I have moxie?A. I’m not 100% sure.

A N U N E X P E C T E D Q & A S E C T I O N

xiThe Adobe Lightroom eBook for Digital Photographers

Q. Is the rest of the book like this?A. Thankfully, no. The rest of the book is pretty much step-by-step, without straying too much from the path. That’s why, in this unexpected Q&A, I stray quite a bit from the path. You see, when you write step-by-step books, there’s no room for your own writing style to come through. It’s pretty much “Go under this menu for this” and “click on that button for that.” It’s just so “to the point.” So, in a step-by-step book like this, I only get two real writing outlets which keep me from climbing into a tower with a high-powered rifle and picking off pedestrians. They are: (1) this unexpected Q&Atroduction, and (2) the chapter intros for each chapter, which by the way, have little to do with what’s actually in said chapter.

Q. But the rest of the book is regular?A. Absolutely. Thanks to my strict regimen of high fiber. Sorry, that was lame.

Q. Okay, I’ve been pretty patient now, where are those “helpful tips” you were talking about earlier? A. Oh those. Well, here’s one: Where should you start? That might seem like kind of a “duh” question, with the answer being “Start at Chapter 1, followed by Chapter 2, and so on.” However, if you’ve read any of my other books, you know I generally write books that are “jump in anywhere” types of books. That’s because those books are written on applications that have been around a while (like Photoshop), so many people who buy a Photoshop book have a specific topic they’re hoping to learn, for example, sharpening. So, they buy the book and jump straight to the Sharpening chapter, and that’s okay in those Photoshop books.

Q. But this isn’t a Photoshop book, right?A. Right. Adobe Lightroom is a workflow tool. It’s designed to take you through the process of importing your photos, sorting them, processing them (in your digital darkroom), viewing them in their final version, and then printing them. Lightroom has been designed that way, as a workflow tool, from the very beginning. So, I recommend that you learn it that way—in order, starting with Chapter 1 and working through the book in order.

Q. But what if I bought the book specifically just to learn the Slideshow features?A. Too bad, you have to read Chapters 1 through 5 first.

Q. Are you serious?A. Of course not. These are just guidelines, not steadfast rules carved into stone. So, if you’re kind of loose with money, and getting a good value by learning in the manner the author suggests isn’t of interest to you, then just jump in anywhere. Again, I’m kidding (kind of). However, I do recommend learning Lightroom’s workflow in order. It’s the way the program was designed, and if you learn it that way, you’ll have a better understanding, but hey—it’s your book—if you decide to hollow out the insides to safely store your valuables, I’ll never know. You’ll feel guilty as hell, but again, I’ll never know.

Q. I hate that word “workflow.” A. Everybody does, but that’s not a question. Can you restate it in the form of a question?

continued

xii The Adobe Lightroom eBook for Digital Photographers

Q. Yeah, whatever. Here goes: Don’t you hate that term workflow?A. Not at all.

Q. I thought you said everybody hates it? A. You can’t believe everything you read. Okay, I do hate that term, because it makes things sound like work. There’s defi-nitely a flow to working in Lightroom, but I wouldn’t call it “work.” Workflow just means “The order in which you do things.” Since there are no officially sanctioned guidelines for what a proper workflow is, workflow then is a personal preference. It’s the order in which a particular photographer has chosen to manage and process his or her photos. Most every photographer has his or her own workflow method.

Q. So whose workflow is right?A. Mine.

Q. Really? You’ve got the right workflow? A. Well, it is for me, but it might not be for you. By the way, if it’s not right for you, that’s okay—it just makes you wrong (kidding). Actually, it’s true—everyone’s workflow is different, but with Lightroom, Adobe went a long way toward helping photographers by leading us through what they, and many photographers around the world, feel is a sensible and quick way to work with digital images. That’s what Lightroom is all about, and I’m here to help you through that process as best I can. So, from here on out, I’m Mr. Serious, but I do appreciate you taking the time to read this unexpected Q&A and hope you’ll join me for some unexpected chapter intros between all the Step One, Step Two stuff. See you there!

Q. So we’re pretty much done here?A. Yup. Now turn the page, before I start tearing up.

A N U N E X P E C T E D Q & A S E C T I O N (cont inued)