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Finally time to look at my pictures and use lightroom - Please advise


bhauck

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Hi foto-friends,

 

unfortunately my M9 is in for repair but this also has a good side: I can use the time to learn how to use Lightroom properly. I think it is quite a powerful software. I read the FAQ here and also tried a search with "M9" and "Lightroom" but that just gives me to much hits. So far I can say that I have only masterd the crop-tool :rolleyes:. (I am kind of pleasantly surprised how good the pictures are right out of the camera, so I didn't bother too much, but there are some pictures under difficult conditions which could need some post processing).

 

So here come my questions: Can you share your ressources/links on how to use lightroom specifically with the M9? Is there a tutorial for a standard-workflow? I am especially interested in B/W conversion and noise reduction. Please share your links. I am also interested in a general Lightroom tutorial, if you know one (good and short, covering only the most important steps).

 

What are the must do steps in Lightroom when working with a M9?

 

Thank you very much for your advise.

 

Bernd

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You should be able to find basic tutorials on Adobe's website or on the web. A good book would be this one...

 

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers: Amazon.co.uk: Martin Evening: Books

 

Seconded! (Memo to self; find the time to read it!)

 

As to monochrome, I tend to use Nik Silver EfexPro. For really friendly advice on all thing monochrome, my favourite forum is the Digital Monochrome Learning Forum. Highly recommended! :)

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Luminous-Landscape.com Michael Reichmann has a rather inexpensive LL Guide to LR3 in about 9 videos. It goes through everything you need to know and more about LR3. They also have another guide about "...Where the #%! are my Pictures" which is very good.

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You should be able to find basic tutorials on Adobe's website or on the web. A good book would be this one...

 

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers: Amazon.co.uk: Martin Evening: Books

 

For black and white conversion I use Alienskin Exposure.

 

Steve,although that is a superb book,I think it is too daunting for beginners.The first steps, imo, should be taken using the Scott Kelby book,despite the unfunny jokes.

 

http://www.kelbytraining.com/product/the-adobe-photoshop-lightroom-3-book-for-digital-photographers.html

Edited by jaapv
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Quoting: "Please share your links. I am also interested in a general Lightroom tutorial, if you know one (good and short, covering only the most important steps)."

 

Hi Bernd,

 

Everyone has different needs: there is no single approach and thus no single guide or book. For me the key steps, ignored by many writers, are:

 

Naming conventions

Folder structure and managing catalogs

Metadata management

Keeping control of the import process

Backup and storage

 

If you cannot find your images or spend hours fighting with your folder structure, you won't be doing much editing in Lightroom.

 

I'm sure this all comes naturally to people more organised than me :D

 

Here are some links:

 

Naming

Tutorial: File Name Conventions

 

Getting Started Right: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 File Renaming Systems on Vimeo

 

Metadata

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 * The Filename Template Editor and Text Template Editor

 

Lightroom's Super Important Automatically Write to XMP Preference Switch on Vimeo

 

Folders

Make 2011 A Lightroom Year! - O'Reilly Broadcast

 

Import Process

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 * Import photos automatically

 

Backups

Lightroom Tip: Backing Up Huge Lightroom Files | DIYPhotography.net

 

After that, the way you use Lightroom to enhance images is pretty intuitive and, because non-destructive editing does not change the original, you can experiment as much as you like.

 

Regards,

Mark

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Steve,although that is a superb book,I think it is too daunting for beginners.The first steps, imo, should be taken using the Scott Kelby book,despite the unfunny jokes

 

Jaap, that's why I suggested the online tutorials as a starter.

 

Another tip for anyone interested in the books is that you can download the first chapter or so from Amazon using their free Kindle program for Mac/Windows/iPad etc. - no need to own a Kindle

 

The books are here...

 

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers eBook: Martin Evening: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

 

and here...

 

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers, ePub (Voices That Matter) eBook: Scott Kelby: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

 

You just need to click on the 'Send Sample' button to have the opening sent to a Kindle device/program.

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Hi Guys,

 

thank you all very very much. I will spend some time looking at all this. One more question:

I read several times, that you are using some different software than lightroom for B/W conversion. What is the advantage? Why not use directly Lightroom?

 

Cheers,

Bernd

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It is basically a matter of taste,proficiency with LR and convenience if one decides to use a plug-in. The only real advantage of third-party software is that it is an all-in-one solution with presets for different filmlooks.

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Is there a free recommendable B/W conversion Plug-In for Lightroom?

 

You could try the TLR b&w and toning presets...

 

TLR B&W Conversion Lightroom Presets | The Light's Right

 

TLR B&W Split Toning Lightroom Presets | The Light's Right

 

A few more Lightroom presets shown here...

 

Adobe Lightroom Presets | The Light's Right

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  • 2 weeks later...

For b&w I have experimented with plug ins and presets, but I am convinced that there is no 'magic' setting that works on all images. I produce black & whites in Lightroom by changing it to b&w then using the b&w mix sliders (with the Target Adjustment Tool) to achieve the best mix of colours. Once I have a setting I like I save it as a preset so that I can apply it to a group of similar images from the same scene or series, but for every new scene or series of images I start again from scratch. This is by far the quickest method and provides the most flexibility.

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