Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips

This week’s video topic comes from the fact that I’ve been getting a lot of questions about presets in Lightroom. The ones that come with Lightroom, well… to put it plainly, they aren’t useful for much. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Develop presets can be very useful and are worth exploring. The thing is they’re really easy to create, but how do you go about moving them from one computer to another or even sharing them with others? That’s just what we’re going to cover in this video.
Click here to watch the video. (36 Mb)

OK, tip #1. You know those little decorations at the bottom of a panel in Lightroom? If you’re not sure what I’m talking about then just go to the Develop module, for example, and scroll down the left side, all the way to the bottom (under the History panel). Those little decorations (AKA: Flourishes) can actually be changed since they’re just image files. There’s a tutorial on how to do it, as well as some graphic downloads, over at www.lightroom-extra.com. Just click on the Downloads link at the top.

Tip #2 - If you’re one of those folks that still hasn’t bought Lightroom yet but are seriously thinking about it, then seriously think about buying it within the next few days. On May 1, 2007 the special introductory price ($199) is ending. Starting Monday May 1, Lightroom is going up to $299. So save yourself a hundred bucks and buy it soon if you’re going to.

Happy Wednesday everyone. Check out Ronny Kiaulehn.com. Here’s a gallery with a little bit of everything; from fashion photography, to macro work, all the way to sports photography. I’d have to say that the sports stuff that Ronny has is my favorite, but really it’s all great. Plus, the lighting is beautiful in just about everything. Visit the website here. (Warning: Some adult content)
(Photo credit: Ronny Kiaulehn)

Want to get right to the panel you need without having to scroll down or click somewhere? If you’re in the Develop module and you’re working in the Basic panel and then decide you want to go to the Split Toning panel, just press Control-4 (Mac: Command-4). In order to go back up to the Basic panel press Control-1 (Mac: Command-1) or Control-2 (Mac: Command-2) for the Tone Curve, etc… (3 for HSL, 4 for Split Toning, 5 for Detail - you get the picture). Pretty neat huh? Have a great weekend.

Yep… you read correctly. You’re getting a little bit of both today.
VideoBefore Lightroom, cropping and straightening in Photoshop was a 2-step process. Plus, you kind of had to know the little tricks of the trade to straighten your photos because there really was no straighten tool (yes, I know about the Lens Correction filter but most folks never found it). That said, Lightroom has a pretty slick interface for straightening your photos. You can do it visually or you can use part of the photo as a reference point. Click here to watch the video. (26 Mb)

InspirationCheck out photographer and fellow Lightroom enthusiast, Sean McCormack’s photoblog. Sean’s website has everything from his own portfolio to Lightroom tutorials, but I really enjoy poking around through his photoblog because he’s got some beautiful work. Check it out here.