Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips

This one kind of snuck by a lot of folks but Adobe actually launched a Lightroom Adobe Certified Expert exam (ACE). I’m planning on taking it soon, but a few projects have put that on hold. I do hope to give you a full review / lessons learned / low-down on the exam as soon as I do. In the meantime, if you’re absolutely dying to take it I can personally recommend the exam prep from Examaids.com. I’ve been recommending their Photoshop ACE Exam Aid for years. It’s simply the best out there. I’ve looked at their Lightroom exam aid and I think it’s spot on.

Anyway, are you thinking of taking the exam or have you already taken the Lightroom (or Photoshop) ACE exam? Let us know why or why not in the comments section.

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Did you know that you can hide specific panels in Lightroom? You probably know that you can collapse them by clicking the tiny arrow next to the name of the panel but you can also hide them so they simply don’t show up. For example, personally I never use the Camera Calibration panel so why even have it show up there anymore? To hide it (or any other panel) right click under the Histogram in the dark gray empty area in the Develop module. The panels that are visible will be checked. To hide one or more just click on it. that shows where I clicked and the list that you’ll see. It not only works in the Develop module but all of the modules. Neat huh? Well folks, enjoy your weekend and make sure you scroll down to the next post to see the Photoshop World contest and how to enter.

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OK, here’s the deal on the Photoshop World contest. I’m giving away a free pre-conference workshop (a value up to $279). You can see the list here and there’s some really good ones available. First off, you have to be signed up and going to Photoshop World to win. So if you haven’t signed up, you’ll need to by next Wednesday (July 16th) because that’s when I’ll pick the winner. To enter, all you have to do is a leave a comment to this post and let me know which session you’re most psyched about or any ideas on a class you think would be good for Photoshop World. I’ll randomly pick a name from the list, and as long as you’re signed up for Photoshop World by that time, I’ll get you into the pre-con that you want. Sound good? Hope to see you there.

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Welcome to your quick dose of tidbits, news, and info for the week:

• First up, here’s a neat interview with Phil Clevenger, the Lightroom interface designer. It’s about 12 minutes long and definitely worth watching to get an idea of what went on behind the interface design of Lightroom and where it may be heading.

• Next, I’ll be teaching Lightroom at Photoshop World in Las Vegas September 2-4. If you can make it, I think you’ll find there’s something for just about everyone there and you’ll be learning from the best-of-the-best in the industry. Also, I’ve got a related contest coming tomorrow so stay tuned for that. But most importantly, if you’ve been thinking about going now is the time to pull the trigger. There’s two weeks left in the early bird registration (ends on August 1st) which means you’ll save $100. Trust me, there’s no strings attached this one. It’s simple - August 1 Cost: $499, August 2 Cost: $599.

• I’ve mentioned that I’m really into architectural photography and interior lighting. Well I’m extremely psyched that one of the photographers I’ve mentioned here on the blog (Thomas Grubba) is hosting a workshop with Scott Hargis in August. These two guys are some of the best in the industry. Here’s the link for more info and I’m pretty sure I’ll be making the trip. What hooked me was the 2 staged/furnished 3400 sq. ft. photo shoots that we’ll actually be shooting. I know these guys would put on one heck of a classroom workshop but getting to shoot with them definitely takes this workshop to the “I must go” level. There’s only room for 20 so that everyone gets individual attention. I’ll be going with a friend of mine, which means there’s only 18 spots left - so you’d better sign up soon.

• Andy Taylor over at Tech Talk Radio interviewed me last week about photography, Photoshop, and Photoshop World. The show actually airs on Sundays but you can listen to the recorded show here. Thanks Andy!

• Finally, some inspiration for the day. Check out K&K Photography. They’re wedding and portrait photographers but even if you don’t shoot weddings I think you can learn a lot about photographing people from looking at great wedding photographer’s portfolios. They’ve also got a blog which a lot of photographers have been doing lately. Great stuff!

Whew! That’s it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a tip as well as some info on the Photoshop World contest I’ve got lined up. See ya.

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Happy preset day folks. This time around I’ve got a few artistic tinting effects for you. This first volume focusses in on the red/orange/yellow/greenish colors. They’re great for those classic effects and you’ll find they work best on senior portraits, wedding photos, and generally photos with people in them (although I’ve used them on landscapes as well). As always, they’re free to download and I’m always anxious to hear your comments on how you use these presets and ways in which you tweak them for your own work. Enjoy!

Click here to see a sample of the preset.
Click here to download Matt’s Artistic Tints Vol. 1 Presets
Click here to see a video on how to install presets.

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