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Learn MoreEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Lightroom Classic
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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Lightroom Classic
The fastest way to improve your photography, is to learn to edit your images.
Created byGary Detonnancourt
Last updated 6/2018
English
What you'll learn
- Organize all of your Images in the Library Module
- Edit your images in the Library Module
- Organize your Images on the Map Module
- Create a Photo Book or Ebook in the Book Module
- Use advanced Printing techniques in the Print Module
- Create a Professional Slide Show in the Slide Show Module
Explore related topics
Course content
9 sections • 67 lectures • 6h 11m total length
- Welcome to the Course!1:08
- Customizing Lightroom3:54
- Working with Catalogs3:21
Lightroom's catalog acts as a database of images, storing previews and processing data, linking to the original files on your drive, with keyword search, quick collections, and imports and exports.
- Importing Images5:11
Import photos from the file menu, choose the card reader, and copy or convert to dng while applying develop settings, metadata, and keywords, then organize in a preset-driven import workflow.
- Customizing the Loupe Overlay and Grid views3:54
Customizing the Loupe Overlay and Grid views
Another way that you can work with the grid in the loop used in the library module is bycustomizing the information which is surrounding the thumbnail or which is an overlap on top of the loop view. First let's take a look at how we can work with the loop view. Because that's a little bit easier to see and understand. Here, go ahead and select a photograph and press the E key to navigate to the loop view. Next, if you tap the I key on your keyboard think of I, as information overlay, you can see that I can display different information on top of the image.
In this case, it's showing me the file name and also the lens that was used, the F stop, the shutter speed, the ISO and all of that really relevant information. Tap the I key multiple times and you can toggle through those different information overlays until you remove it altogether.Well you can customize that by navigating to the View pull-down menu. Here we want to select View Options. When we navigate to the Library View options, you'll notice that there are two buttons. One for the Grid View. One for the loop view. Lets start off with the loop view.
Now in order to see a preview of this. We can click on this check box and it will show us the loop info overlay. In this case which is showing us info too. That's all of this information down below. So lets say we want to customize this further. Rather than displaying the file name, we can click on this pull-down menu and we could choose something else, for example like Common Attributes. Here this will show us if this file was flagged or rated or if it has a label. And in all of these menus, we can customize these in order to change whatever is displayed in this area.
Now if we want to change this to info 1, we can then select that. And here we can choose other options for this one as well. I'll go ahead and select a different name. Or select a different option I should say. The capture date. You can see how it's displaying that here. The time of day, and the date that this image was captured. If ever you need to reset these values to their defaults, just click on use defaults, and it will bring those back to their default settings. All right well next, let's look at the grid view. If you click on the grid view button, you notice that it will change the view of your photographs here in the library module.
Well, in the grid view, we have the ability to work with what are called expanded or compact cells. Let me show you what that looks like. Here I'll close this dialogue for a moment. If you press the J key, that will allow you to toggle through the different views that you have here in this particular way. Here you can see I have different information surrounding the photograph.Well, if we want to customize that, navigate to the View pull-down menu and choose View Options. Here we have our grid options.
We can show these extras either in the expanded or in the compact view. And in this way, what we can do is we can really customize what we're seeing here. For example, we can currently see a particular file size or the file type, and we can change that information as well. But you can see that you can change that by working with these dialogues here. In this case for expanded, they're all located down in this part of the photograph. So rather than crop dimensions, what I actually want to see, is I want to see the megapixels, so I'll make that selection.
That will then update this area of these extras which are surrounding those thumbnails. So here you can click through all of these various items in order to customize the expanded view. To customize the compact view, choose that option but just make sure you're making selections right here. And this way what you can do is you can show or hide different elements which will be surrounding or on top of those thumbnails. Alright. Well, last but not least let's review our shortcuts. Well, to change whats viewed or what's showing around the thumbnails You press the J key.
Press the J key multiple times in order to change that information. If you change an image view to the loop view, select a photograph, press the E key to change the overlay here, press the I key. That will allow you to toggle through these different information overlays, in order to view different options. If you ever want to customize what's viewed there, what's shown there, navigate to the View pull-down menu. Select View Options, and then here just navigate to the area, either the Grid View or the Loop View, and make any needed changes to these menus.
- Selecting Images3:00
Learn quick methods to review, select, and cull photos in Lightroom Classic, using keyboard shortcuts to hide panels, mark picks, reject, and rate with stars for efficient editing.
- How to Use Image Stacking2:26
How to stack and un-stack images in the Library Module.
- The Navigator Panel2:03
Explore the navigator panel in Lightroom Classic to zoom with 1:1, fit, or fill, view size, position, and previews on hover across library, develop, and print modules.
- The Catalog Panel3:21
Explore Lightroom's catalog, a database of all your images, that stores previews and a text file with processing data, and links previews to the original files on your hard drive.
- The Folders Panel5:56
- The Collections Panel5:56
- Tips for Adding Images to the Quick Collection2:09
Learn to manage Lightroom's library module by adding images to the quick collection via the hover circle or beach key, and set a target collection to organize photos into folders.
- Using Publishing Services3:07
- Top & Bottom Tool Bars8:51
- The Right Panel11:37
Explore the library module and the right panel in Lightroom Classic, mastering panel visibility, histogram and EXIF data, keywords, metadata, and publish services for efficient photo management.
- Exporting Images for Print or the Web7:08
Learn how to export Lightroom Classic images for print or web, choosing folders, resizing by long edge, setting resolution and sharpening, and saving or updating export presets for future use.
- Exporting an Image with a Watermark or Logo2:47
- Exporting Video1:44
- Backing Up the Lightroom Catalog1:41
Learn to back up the Lightroom catalog to a separate disk drive, set it to run on exit, and test backup integrity to protect your edits.
- Tour of the Develop Module11:13
- The Crop Tool6:31
Crop Overlay Tool
The Crop Overlay Tool can be found on the right side of Lightroom, underneath the histogram. It is the first icon in our Adjustments Tools. You can also access the Crop Overlay by hitting “R.”
As a side note, the Adjustments Tools is not the same as the Toolbar shown below – these 2 are completely different. The Toolbar can be accessed by hitting “T” and is found underneath the image. Simply hit “T” again to toggle off the Toolbar.
The most basic way to crop is by starting on the outside of the image, as shown below. We can just click and drag up or down and left or right to move our crop around. When you let go of the mouse, the crop will set and when we hit “R” again, the crop is locked.
To reset the crop, just hit “Ctrl + Alt + R” but you need to still be in the Crop Overlay (“R”). You can also select “Reset” in the Adjustments Tools, as shown below.
Another way to adjust the crop is by adjusting the edge lines or by adjusting the corners. To adjust the corners, simply grab a corner and pull it in, as we have done below.
To adjust the edge lines, grab an edge and pull in.
Aspect Ratios
The lock in the Adjustments Toolbar locks the aspect ratios of the image, which means we cannot change the image to a different format.
To adjust the aspect ratios of the image, simply click on the lock to unlock it. Once we unlock it, we can free-transform the crop of the image. For example, we could make it into a square image or into a very wide image, like the one shown below. Below, you can also see that the lock in the Adjustments Tools is now unlocked. Now, you can crop the image to however you like.
We can also move the crop area of the image by clicking in the crop area and dragging the crop area around. As you can see below, our mouse is inside the crop area and we can now move the crop area to any part of the image.
Another way to adjust our aspect ratios is through the Original Menu in the Adjustments Toolbar. When you click on the dropdown menu, commonly used ratios are shown. We can choose any of those ratios and apply them to our image. The “16 x 9” and “16 x 10” ratios are film ratios while the ratios from “1 x 1” to “2 x 3 / 4 x 6” are standard ratios.
We can also create our own aspect ratios by selecting “Enter Custom.”
When you select “Enter Custom,” the Enter Custom Aspect Ratio Dialogue Box will show up where you can enter your ratio. It does not matter what numbers you put in, as long as the ratio is what you want. For example, in the Enter Custom Aspect Ratio Dialogue Box below, I have put in “15 x 30.”
This will automatically adjust to a “1.5 x 3” ratio crop as you can see in the image below.
The Crop Frame Tool
The Crop Frame Tool is another way that we can adjust the crop of our images. The Crop Frame Tool is located in the Adjustments Tool. Simply click on it to select it.
With the Crop Frame Tool, select an area to crop. This tool will actually constrain to the proportion that you have selected. You can set your crop wherever you want, let go, and it will automatically adjust your crop to fit the proportion selected. As you can see below, we have selected an area to crop by using the Crop Frame Tool.
Grid Overlays
Lightroom 5 has 7 different Grid Overlays that help you check your composition and alignment. To access these different Grid Overlays, hit “O.” Hit “O” again to cycle through the different Grid Overlays. The Crop Overlay Tool (“R”) needs to be selected in order to cycle through the Grid Overlays. Below are the 6 different Grid Overlays that can be applied to your images.
The Thirds Ratio
The Golden Ratio
The Diagonals Ratio
The Triangles Ratio
The Golden Spiral Ratio
Standard Grid Ratio
After the Standard Grid Ratio, it cycles back to the Thirds Ratio. These different Grid Overlays will help you to match different types of compositions for your images.
The Straighten Tool
To fix strong lines in an image, use the Straighten Tool in the Adjustments Toolbar, as shown below.
To use the Straighten Tool, simply click on one point on the strong lines visible in your image and then drag across so that it is a straight line. Then, when you let go, it will automatically adjust the crop of your image to make sure that that line you just drew is perfectly straight. This tool is a great way to correct any strong lines that are visible in your images, such as the horizon, stairs, or bricks.
Constrain to Warp Tool
The last handy Crop Tool in the Adjustment Tools is the Constrain to Warp Tool.
If you check this box, this tool will make sure that no gray edges will appear when you are warping the image or making adjustments to it. This tool will automatically adjust the crop to make sure the image is displayed from edge to edge. So for example, if you are adjusting the image via the Lens Correction, it is a good idea to have this tool selected so that your image shows from edge to edge. Otherwise, you might have some gray areas toward the edges when you adjust the image.
- How to Use Content Aware Crop2:25
- Spot Removal Tool4:44
Using the Spot Removal tool
- In the Develop module, select the Spot Removal tool from the toolstrip, or press Q.
- Select one of the following:Heal Matches the texture, lighting, and shading of the sampled area to the selected area.
Clone Duplicates the sampled area of the image to the selected area. - (Optional) In the Spot Removal tool options area, drag the Size slider to specify the size of the area that the tool affects.You can scroll up/down to increase/decrease the radius of the tool. Or, your can use the bracket keys on your keyboard to change the brush size:
- Left bracket ([), reduces the tool radius size
- Right bracket (]), increases the tool radius size.
- In the photo, click and drag the part of the photo to retouch.
- A white marquee area designates your selection area.
- Another white marquee area with an arrow pointing at the selection area designates the sampled area.
- (Optional) To change the sampled area that is selected by default, do one of the following:
- Automatically. Click the handle of a selected area, and press the forward slash key (/). A new area is sampled. Press the forward slash key until you find a sample area that fits best.
- Manually. Use the handle of the sampled area to drag and select a new area.
When you select larger portions of an image using longer strokes, the right sample area match is not found immediately. To experiment with various options, click the forward slash (/), and the tool auto-samples more areas for you. - To remove all the adjustments made using the Spot Removal tool, click the Reset button below the toolstrip.
-
- Red Eye Removal Tool2:05See red eye in your photo?
Switch to the Develop module.
Click the Red Eye Correction button.
Starting at the center, draw a circle over the affected eye.
Adjust the available settings.Click Done. - Graduated Filter Tool2:44
master the graduated filter to darken a bright sky, refine with the brush to protect the hill, and erase overspray to achieve a natural, gradual exposure falloff.
- Special Effects with the Graduated Filter4:28
- How to Read and Adjust a Histogram4:36
Learn to read a histogram, identify blacks, shadows, midtones, highlights, and whites, and use Lightroom to balance exposure and enhance contrast.
- How to Set the White and Black Points for an Image6:06
Learn to set white and black points in Lightroom Classic using histogram cues, sliders, and clipping checks; discover alt-click, shift-double-click, and reset workflows.
- How to Match Exposures for Multiple Images1:22
Balance exposures across multiple images in Lightroom Classic by selecting the best-exposed photo, selecting the others, and using the match total exposures feature to unify brightness.
- How to use the Radial Filter.3:23
This video will show you how to use the radial filter to highlight part of an image.
- Basic Adjustment tools in the Develop Module26:22
Explore the develop module by cropping with aspect ratio locks and angle adjustments, then adjust white balance from presets or a gray dropper and tune exposure using the histogram.
- Setting a Custom White Balance in Lightroom3:13
Learn how to set a custom white balance in Lightroom by sampling a gray area from a white balance card and syncing it across similar lighting to achieve accurate colors.
- Using the Brush Tool to Make White Balance Adjustments3:04
- Brush Amount Slider3:43
- How to make a Develop Module Preset3:31
Learn to create and save your own develop module presets in Lightroom Classic, name and organize them in folders, apply black and white adjustments, and update presets with current settings.
- How to use Brush Presets10:07
This lesson will show you how to use brush presets.
- How to Make a B&W Photo6:13
- How to Make a Toned or Split Toned Image3:26
Learn to tone and split-tone black-and-white images in Lightroom Classic by coloring highlights and shadows. Save your color combinations as presets and fine-tune hue, saturation, and balance.
- How to Sync Lightroom Develop Settings5:14
How to syncronize develop settings.
- Basic Skin Re-touching in Lightroom10:59
Learn basic skin retouching in Lightroom using spot removal, brush tools, and adjustments to clarity, saturation, and luminance, plus dodging and burning to enhance skin and eyes.
- How to Enhance Landscapes and Skies19:40
- What is Chromatic Aberration and How do you Remove it!2:13
What is Chromatic Aberration?
- How to Edit Video in Lightroom 510:04
Trim video in Lightroom 5, adjust exposure and color in library and develop, apply presets, capture frames as JPEG, and export polished videos with optional preset workflows.
- How to Soft Proof an Image6:05
Learn how to soft proof in Lightroom Classic to preview how your images will print on different papers, adjust profiles, and compare rendering intents for color accuracy.
- How to Add Images to the Map5:06View photos on a map
The Map module lets you see where your photos were captured on a Google map. It uses GPS coordinates embedded in your photos' metadata to plot the photos on the map.
Most mobile phone cameras, including iPhones, record GPS coordinates in metadata. If your camera doesn't record GPS coordinates you can add it in the Map module, or import a track log from a GPS device.
You must be online to use the Map module. Maps appear in the language that your default web browser uses, which may be different from the language version of Lightroom that you're using.
To see if a photo is tagged with GPS metadata, choose the Location preset in the Metadata panel of the Library or Map module. Then, look for coordinates in the GPS field.
The Map module
A. Saved Locations panel B. Map Style menu C. Zoom slider D. Selected photo E. Map key F. Metadata panel
Navigate the map
To navigate the map in the Map module, do any of the following:
- Double-click the map to zoom in to that location.
- Drag the Zoom slider in the toolbar to zoom in or out.Note: The Map module also supports zooming using a mouse wheel and multitouch gestures on a trackpad.
- Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag in the preview area to zoom in to that area.
- Drag the map to reposition it in the preview area.
- Enter a location in the Search field in the upper-right corner of the preview area to go to that location.
- Specify the map's appearance by choosing an option from the Map Style menu in the toolbar:
Satellite
Displays satellite photography of the location.
Road Map
Displays roads and geopolitical borders and landmarks on a flat, graphical background.
Hybrid
Overlays roads and geopolitical data on satellite photography.
Terrain
A graphical representation of the landscape.
Light or Dark
A light or dark low-contrast depiction of road map data.
To the topWork with photos and GPS data- To add GPS coordinates to photos (and add the photos to the map), do any of the following:
- Drag photos from the Filmstrip and drop them onto the map.
- Select one or more photos in the Filmstrip and Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the map location.
- Select one or more photos in the Filmstrip and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the map location and choose Add GPS Location To Selected Photos.
- To see a thumbnail preview of photos at a certain location, click a photo pin.
Note:
Choose View > Show Map Key for an overlay that explains the photo pins.
Key to Map module preview pins
- To remove GPS metadata from photos (and remove the photos from the map), do any of the following:
- Select the photo's pin on the map and press Delete.
- Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the pin and choose Delete GPS Location.
- Select the photo in the Filmstrip in the Map module and press Delete.
- Click the GPS Tracklogs button and choose Load Tracklog to upload GPS data (a GPX file) from a third-party device.
- The Location Filter shows you which photos in the Filmstrip appear on the map:
Visible On Map
Shows which photos in the Filmstrip are in the current map view.
Tagged/Untagged
Shows which photos in the Filmstrip are tagged or untagged with GPS data.
None
Clears location filters.
Note:
You can omit GPS metadata from photos when you export them. In the Export dialog box, go to the Metadata panel and choose Remove Location Info.
- Saving Locations3:02Save locations
For photos captured within a defined proximity, you can create a saved location. For example, if you travel to Greece for a photo shoot for a client, you can create a saved location that encompasses the islands you visited.
- In the Map module, navigate to a location on the map and click the + button in the Saved Locations panel. The Saved Location panel is on the left side of the Lightroom window.
- In the New Location dialog box, enter a name for the location and select a folder to save it in.Radius Defines a radius, in feet, miles, meters, or kilometers, from the center of the visible map area.Private Removes all IPTC location metadata, including GPS coordinates, Sublocation, City, State/Province, Country, and ISO Country Code, when photos in the saved location are exported from Lightroom.
- Click Create.The location appears on the map marked by a white circle, with one pin in the center and another pin on the perimeter.
- When working with saved locations, do any of the following:
- Select or deselect a location in the Saved Locations panel to view it on the map.
The Saved Locations panel in the Map module- To add photos to the location, do one of the following:
- Drag one or more photos from the Filmstrip into the white circle in the map.
- Select one or more photos in the Filmstrip and select the check box next to the location name in the Saved Locations panel.
- To go to a location on the map, click the right-arrow button by the location name in Saved Locations panel.
- To edit a location, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) it in the Saved Locations panel and choose Location Options.Tip: You can also drag the pin at the top of the location circle in the map to adjust the radius. Drag the pin in the center of the circle to move the location on the map.
- To remove a location, select it in the Saved Locations panel and click the minus ( - ) button. Or, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) it in the Saved Locations panel or on the map and choose Delete.
-
- Introduction to the Book Module5:22
This is a basic tour and introduction to the book module. Just enough to get you started having some fun making your own book.
- How to add Text to your Book2:04
This lesson will show you how to add text to a page in your book.
- How to Export Your Book to a PDF1:49
How to export your book as a pdf.
- How to Export Your Book to a JPG2:21
How to export a set of jpg files from the book module. You may want to do this to share the images online or to print them.
- Export to Blurb1:02
How to export your book to blurb.
- How to Make a Slideshow19:21
More information:
https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/help/creating-slide-shows-basic-workflow.html
- Print Module12:59
This video is a basic introduction on how to use the print module.
- How to Import Lightroom Print Templates3:07
- Web Gallery Module9:44
This video will show you how to create a web gallery of your images. You should have a web host to use web galleries.
- How to Use Color Profiles in Adobe Lightroom CC 7.3 Update Released 4/186:26
What's new with the 7.3 update.
- How to Create an HDR image in LR CC4:35
How to Create an HDR image in LR6
- How to Create a Panoramic Image in LR CC3:55
Panoramic Image
- Boundry Warp Slider for Panoramic Images2:19
- Dehaze Tool2:10
How to use the Dehaze slider.
- Search Collections in the Library Module1:25
- How to Use Face Detection4:45
Master Lightroom face recognition and detection by using the people view, enabling only find faces as needed for large catalogs, naming individuals, and locating images via the people keyword.
- How to use the new Reference View3:34
Explore Lightroom Classic's new reference view to match processing across photos by comparing a reference image with a target, and learn how locking keeps the reference visible while you navigate.
- How to Sync Photos with Lightroom Mobile5:07
How to Sync Photos with Lightroom Mobile.
- How to Edit Photos with Lightroom Mobile on a Smartphone6:20
- How to Edit Photos with Lightroom for the Web10:58
Edit photos on Lightroom for the web by syncing from desktop, applying presets, cropping, adjusting exposure, white balance, contrast, clarity, color, and grain, then save, review, and share.
- How to Share Photos with Lightroom for the Web12:12
Learn to share photos with Lightroom for the web by creating web galleries or portfolios, syncing collections, and using a non-destructive workflow with smart previews, EXIF data, and embed codes.
Requirements
- The only thing you should have is Lightroom version 4, 5, 6, or CC.
- Adobe offers a 30 Day trial of this software.
- You can purchase the program or buy the Adobe Creative Cloud for $9.99 per month you get both Lightroom and Photoshop.
Description
This course will help you to understand how to use Lightroom for all of your image editing needs. I cover everything from organizing your images to printing to slideshows. Every module is covered. This course is also frequently updated with the latest information and techniques. The course covers Lightroom versions 4, 5, and 6 / CC.
This course is almost 100% video lessons with some supporting notes and references. The course has about 46 lessons and I'm constantly adding new lessons. You will have access to me through Udemy's discussion tab for answering all of your questions and checking out your progress with your image editing.
You should take this course if you are new to using Lightroom or if you are experienced and just need to learn more details about how the program works. This course does start at the beginning, but it does go to an advanced level.
Last updated 6/29/2018
I have never given this course away for free so my student numbers are not deceptively inflated as you may see on other Udemy courses.
Who this course is for:
- Anyone that would like to learn how to improve their photos with a professional program like Lightroom.