Also added is language support for Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Korean, Spanish, and Swedish. Adobe reports that the RC fixes the following bugs:

• In the Windows 64-bit version of Lightroom an sFTP upload process could cause Lightroom to crash.
• Slideshows could return to the first image randomly during playback.
• A memory leak could cause Lightroom to crash while attempting to process files with local adjustments.
• Canon EOS 5D Mk II sRAW files could process with artifacts in Lightroom 2.2.
• Lightroom 2.2 could cause disc burning to fail for Windows customers.

In parallel, Adobe has released new betas for Camera Raw 5.3 and the DNG Converter 5.3. These are available at http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Camera_Raw_5.3.

Adobe's Release Candidates tend to be extremely stable so go ahead and try them out. LR 2.3 can co-exist with LR 2.2 on a Mac. PC users, however, need to be warned that 2.3 will replace 2.2 on their systems.

However, there are times when a different approach seems to achieve a better result, for me at least. I’ve no golden rule about which type of shot this applies to, but often landscapes with leaden skies, or shots of the interior of old castles or cathedrals are likely to be candidates. Of course you can probably guess where I’m heading with this - yes HDR, well almost but not quite.

With HDR the recommended approach seems to be to use auto bracketing to take a series of shots (3, 5, 7 or even 9) with a +/- EV, in RAW format, normally using a tripod. Even if you have a tripod to hand, the camera you have with you might have limited bracketing abilities. There can be strong views about these requirements and while bracketed jpeg’s seem to be just about acceptable, any other deviation is labeled ‘pseudo HDR’ or some other derogatory term.

I’m always hoping to capture the scene that I remember - I’ve no wish to create the extreme, surreal, other worldly HDR images that we’ve all seen posted online. With that objective in mind I’ve found that using HDR software, (in particular Photomatix) on a single image can help to enhance an otherwise flat image. Rather than put a label on the process, I just see it as another recipe using imaging software to achieve a particular result.

The vendors of Photomatix (www.hdrsoft.com) have recently issued a new beta version of their Lightroom plug-in and it seems to be a great improvement on the earlier version. But, I still have a small beef about it. When you save the processed image in Photomatix, you are brought back to Lightroom with the enhanced image as a new import. Still, it would be nice it you were returned to the location you started from, (perhaps within a collection), as happens with other Lr plug-ins. Gripe over.

In outlining this process I may just be proving that my Lightroom skills are not what they might be, since a close approximation of the result could perhaps have been achieved without the round trip journey. I've tried side-by-side comparisons with other processes and blending methods, but I like the results achieved from the process described. I’m simply trying to recreate the scene I remember, and sometimes the algorithms within Photomatix seem to help deliver that. Just think of all the images you took years ago, which have the potential to be ‘refreshed’.

I should mention that in some cases the processing may result in noise issues, which can of course be dealt with either in Lightroom or another application.

There are a number of other applications out there which might help achieve similar results, but that’s maybe a topic for another time. Meantime if you have your own ‘recipes for realism’ I hope you’ll post them below. One day we’ll laugh about all the software manipulation that’s necessary to get there today

Les Haig

So wherever you are in Lightroom you can see the difference between the collections. So what does this get you? Well by creating these specific collection type you only have to double-click on the collection and you will be taken to the appropriate module with that collection selected. Then you can continue your work from where you left off! That can add a little bit more efficiency to your workflow.

Creating these collections is easy. Let's look at creating a slideshow collection as an example. The same steps apply for each of the other types.

First you need to be in the module for the collection type you want to create. So, in this example, we switch to the Slideshow module. Make sure that the images you want to include show in the filmstrip. Which images will be in the collection is up to you. Use the selection drop down in the toolbar.

Now, click on the + in the Collections panel and choose Create Slideshow... ( or Create Print... in the Print module, Create Web Gallery... in the Web module).

That will bring you to this dialog:

Give your slideshow a name. Decide if you want to put it in a collection set. Then press the Create button. That's it! Now you have a slideshow collection. if you are in another module just double-click on the collection and you'll be right back in the Slideshow module with those images. Keep in mind that these "specialized" collections continue to act like a regular collection throughout Lightroom. So if you are in the Web module and want to use the images from a slideshow collection just choose it from the Collections panel and work on your web gallery from there!

NOW FOR A WORD OF CAUTION! Adobe is currently working on a fix for a bug that seems to plague some users but not all. If you follow these directions and get the following error you are one of these unlucky users.

Don't despair! Here is a quick workaround. When you create these collections check the Make new virtual copies option in the creation dialog. This seems to bypass the error. The downside is that you will have additional virtual copies in the catalog. An additional workaround is to put your collection into a collection set, choose the collection set in the module and create your specialized collection from there. This prevents the virtual copy buildup but forces you to create unnecessary collection sets to avoid the error.

Still, the feature is quite useful and has promise as the kinks are worked out.

If you take advantage of templates, which are saved settings, you can print with just two clicks of the mouse. If you are used to printing out of Photoshop you will appreciate how amazing this is, as it encompasses everything from image sizing and sharpening, to File>Print settings and printer driver settings.

Here’s how:

• In the right panel of the Print module, set your print settings. I usually don’t want anything but the image, so I set Rotate to Fit and Cell Size, and turn off Stroke, Identity Plate and Photo Info. Under Print Job I set Print to Printer, Print Resolution, Print Sharpening,paper Profile and Rendering Intent.
• Click on Page Setup at the bottom of the left Panel, choose your printer, and set your printer driver settings. I turn color management off, set the paper type, size and source, and image orientation. Hit OK or Save to exit the dialog.
• To add a new template, click on the + to the right of the Template Browser in the left panel. Name the template, including the print size and paper type (e.g. 16x24 Hahnemuhle Photo Rag).
• Now that the template is set up, any time you want to print an image with that size/paper combination, simply bring the image up in the Print module, click on the template name in the Template Browser, and hit Print One. If you want to print multiple images, select them all, click on the template, and hit Print One. (Print One bypasses the printer driver dialog, which you have already configured. If you want to get back into it, hit Print instead).

Each time you print a different size and paper combination, take the time to create the template for it.

Enjoy!

• Minimal Preview Lightroom imports your digital image files as quickly as possible without worrying about rendering previews. In most cases, Lightroom will display low resolution thumbnails of the images as they are imported. This is the fastest option for importing your images into the catalog; however Lightroom must build higher level previews if you want to examine the images more closely causing an impact on performance.

• Embedded and Sidecar Preview
  Lightroom renders previews already present in the image or sidecar file (depending on the image format). Oftentimes embedded and sidecar previews are inaccurate so it’s wise to consider them a general starting point for rating and processing. This option should provide you with a slightly better preview than Minimal; however Lightroom may need to rebuild the preview causing an impact on performance.



• Standard Preview
  Lightroom renders new previews large enough to fully view the images in Loupe View (E). This should enable you to rate, sort and cycle through your shots more fluidly. Lightroom must still build 1:1 previews each time you zoom in and view an image at 100% or higher. Selecting Standard size preview strikes a good balance between importing images in a reasonable amount of time while still generating large enough previews so that you can begin processing the session.



Note: Choosing to render Standard Previews forces Lightroom to rebuild the image preview. It is also worth pointing out that noise and sharpness are not accurately represented in Standard Previews. You must render 1:1 Previews to view actual noise and sharpness detail.

• 1:1 Preview
  1:1 is the mother of all previews! Importing images using 1:1 Preview usually takes significantly longer and increases the size of your catalog; however you will be able to zoom in and view your images at 100% almost immmediatly. If you elect to render your images 1:1, Lightroom will focus on creating Standard size previews first and then come back to build the full size previews. This convieniently allows you to start examining and rating your images while Lightroom works in the background building the larger previews. Directing Lightroom to render 1:1 previews should give you the most responsiveness while cycling through and viewing your images, especially if you routinely view your images close up.

Which Initial Preview Should I Select?
The answer to this question really boils down to preference. Unless you are simply trying to import your images into Lightroom as quickly as possible (e.g. traveling with a laptop), I recommend choosing Standard or 1:1 Preview. Both of these options force Lightroom to generate new previews (which may be more accurate than the preview that is embedded in the digital image files). Next you must decide which of the two previews are best suited for the type of work you do. If you rarely work on every image you import, then electing to render Standard size previews is probably appropriate. For example, I usually import landscape images as Standard previews since I usually don't work on every shot in the series. Each time you zoom in to examine an image; Lightroom will build a 1:1 preview on the fly. You may have to wait a few moments while each 1:1 preview is built, but you are not unnecessarily creating high resolution previews for every image (which increases the size of your catalog).

If you carefully examine and process every image, then you will probably save time (and frustration) if you direct Lightroom to render 1:1 previews. In most cases, rendering 1:1 previews will help reduce much of the lag associated with zooming and represents the most accurate preview of your images. I usually import all the images I take from portrait sessions and weddings using 1:1 preview.

Rendering higher quality previews should help you to scroll through the Filmstrip more quickly; however remember that your system’s processor speed and memory also have a direct impact on performance.

Additional Considerations
There are several other important factors to keep in mind about previews. First, you can always generate previews after your images have been imported. In the Library Module go to Library > Previews and select “Render Standard-sized or 1:1 previews.” This is handy if you just need to quickly import your images into Lightroom and plan to work on them later.

You can also adjust the Standard Preview size and quality. Go to Edit > Catalog Settings (Lightroom > Catalog Settings on a Mac) and select the File Handling tab. A good rule of thumb is to consider the resolution of your screen to determine the Standard Preview Size. For example, if your screen resolution is 1600x1200, it’s not necessary to set the preview size to 2048 pixels. My experience has also been that changing the Preview Quality from Medium (the default) to High doesn't seem change the overall quality in a noticeable way. I recommend trying both quality settings to determine which one works best for you.

If you choose to render high resolution previews, consider directing Lightroom to discard 1:1 previews after 30 days. In most cases, it's unlikely that you need them after that much time has passed and it insures that your catalog doesn't get unnecessarily bloated over time. Look for "Automatically Discard 1:1 Previews" and select "After 30 Days" from the drop down menu. If you prefer to manually discard 1:1 previews, go to the Library Module and then select Library > Previews and “Discard 1:1 Previews.”

It’s Your Choice
If you are importing thousands of images from a wedding, it might make sense to render 1:1 previews on the front end when you first import your images so that you can quickly zip through them during processing. Conversely, you probably don’t need 1:1 previews of vacation photos and family snapshots. Choosing the most appropriate initial preview setting really depends on the type of work you are doing - it's youir choice!

But there's always a fly in the ointment, and in this case it's the evolving mess in the Presets folder. Ideally you need to be able to quickly locate the 2 or 3 Presets that might provide the adjustment you're looking to make. Obviously the value of a Preset is lost if you have to spend ages searching for it. I began to find that I could locate a specific image more quickly than a particular preset.

The solution I adopted was to create folders within Develop Presets each named for specific types of adjustment. The real grunt work in the process is to then move every Preset into the folder appropriate to its function. I try to break down the folder categories so that all the Presets within a folder can be viewed in Lightroom when every other folder has been collapsed. As a final step I've renamed as many of the Presets as necessary to achieve a consistent naming policy, again to help make selection easier.

While this kind of structure can be created from within Lightroom, the Develop Presets column is a pretty cramped workspace. I found it much easier to do the building work in the Finder (Explorer for Windows users), where you can work on the entire screen. From within Lightroom, Ctrl-click on one of the Presets you have created, then select "Show in Finder", this will reveal the location of the Develop Presets folder. Of course real men don't ask for directions, and will probably prefer to navigate themselves from their Home directory: Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/

Once there, it's simply a question of creating the desired number of folders and populating them with the lrtemplate files until they've all been relocated. I find it's easiest to do this filling the screen with two Finder windows and moving files from the one to the other. Once completed and Lightroom is reopened, the format created in the Finder will be almost exactly mirrored in Lightroom's Develop Presets column. (The Presets provided with Lightroom do not appear in the Finder).

The screenshot here shows where I am today, although of course it's always a work in progress, and we can hope that maybe a future version of Lightroom will incorporate a more sophisticated Preset management system.
Until that comes along, your reorganization work will gradually be lost unless you continue to apply the same principles when adding new Presets to your collection.

For this week’s tips we’re going to look at how we batch keyboard shortcuts together in our high volume workflow.

When we first start a job, there are some top-level adjustments we perform often. We don’t always commit these changes but they’re always a first line of attack with a new job. It’s worth remembering these shortcut as well as the order they are utilized:

• Auto White Balance - command + shift + u (mac) ctrl + shift + u (pc)
• Auto Tone - command + u (mac) ctrl + u (pc)
• Convert to Grayscale - v (mac or pc)

If we like what we see from any of these adjustments, or other adjustments we’ve done (exposure, crop, etc.), we’ll use these shortcuts, or the Previous button as we move on to the next image.

• Copy RAW Adjustments - command + shift + c (mac) ctrl + shift + c (pc)
• Paste RAW Adjustments - command + shift + v (mac) ctrl + shift + v (pc)

For a quick draft slideshow of our work:

• Quick Slideshow - command + return (mac) ctrl + return (pc)

Continually going to the mouse to perform adjustments starts to take its toll on your flow and your focus. We’ve found we don’t even have to look at the keyboard to perform these shortcuts once you start to use them often.

What are your favorite shortcut combinations?

… sound off in the comments.

|Brandon Oelling
x=photography+consulting - technology. leadership. commitment.

Let's start with an old photo. The young lad on the right happens to be my father-in-law who will turn 90 this year!

We'll start by coloring his hat green. Open the adjustment brush and click on the small rectangle next to color.

That opens the color picker. Choose a shade of green.

Set your brush size and feather amount then start painting the hat green. Use Auto Mask to make it a little easier.

Once you have the areas you want colored in you can make changes to the color using the sliders in the Adjustment Brush panel.

Here I adjusted the exposure, brightness, and contrast. The shade can be tweaked using the saturation slider. One thing to note, you must use the saturation slider inside the color picker and not the saturation slider in the adjustment brush panel. Since the image is already black and white it is already fully desaturated so the slider in the adjustment brush panel has no effect.

Repeat this process for other areas of the photo.

Press the Y key for a Before and After view as you work through the image.

This is just a quick look at hand coloring images. Zoom in, take your time, tweak your colors and you can do some amazing work right in Lightroom.

You can also to this to modern images. Convert to black and white or simply desaturate your color image and start applying a nostalgic hand colored effect. Lightroom continues to amaze me. Explore and find those hidden treasures!

1. The initial preview generated by the camera, seen briefly in Lightroom
2. The initial preview rendered by Lightroom
3. The state after applying the General - Zeroed Develop Preset
4. None of the above

Before I give away the answer, let's discuss the differences between these.

The camera has a built-in raw converter. It generates the JPEG preview that is shown on the camera's LCD, which is embedded in the raw file and is used to calculate the histogram displayed by the camera. This raw converter is affected by various in-camera settings like white balance, saturation, sharpness, etc.

Lightroom briefly displays this embedded JPEG preview before rendering one of its own, using its own defaults modified by whatever Develop preset you might apply at Import. Lightroom defaults to non-zero slider settings for Blacks, Brightness, Contrast, Point Curve, Sharpening, and Noise Reduction. If you apply the General - Zeroed Develop Preset, these all go to zero.

So which one is the real, unadulterated, original image? The answer is None of the above. In fact, there is no such thing.

A raw file is just a set of bits, data directly off the sensor along with some metadata to go with it. It doesn't actually look like anything until it is processed by a raw converter -- there is no visible image. Each raw converter makes its own decisions about what the sensor data mean; there is no one correct interpretation, and no untouched version of a photograph from a digital camera.

Under-laying Graphic files in LR
We will use a technique similar to that in the 1st post but instead of printing a solid color graphic background, we will use a soft edge black layer saved as a PNG to preserve the transparency in the drop-shadow.

You can lessen the drop-shadow effect by decreasing its opacity when printing in LR. You can also scale the drop-shadow in LR but scaling can only be done proportionally (no stretching or pulling). That means you will have to make a different "Drop-Shadow" file for each different print aspect ratio or print shape. I have included 2 standard-sized "Drop-Shadow" files below: a 6" x 9" (1:1.5) and a 6" x 8" (1:1.33). Simply hover over the file and right mouse click to save the file(s) to your desktop. These files can be used over a wide range of print sizes with the same print aspect ratio.

DS_06x09.png

DS_06x08.png

At the end of this post, I will go thru the Photoshop steps needed to create the Drop-Shadow file.

Creating a Print Template for your Drop-Shadow Printing
{Before printing with a drop shadow in LR, we need to have a soft-edge PNG file. You could save one of the files above or you'll need to create one using the instructions at the end of this post. For this example I will use the DS06x09.png above.}

On the left side of LR's "Print" module in the "Template Browser" panel:
- click on the "+" to create a new template and name it " DS06x09".

The "Print" module's right panels we need to address are:
- "Image Settings": Check "Stroke Border", Check "Zoom to fill"; (great when the file ratio is different than the cell ratio.)
- "Layout": Set all "margins" to "0"; Rows & Columns to "1" and enter "Cell Size": Height = 6, Width = 9 (At this point I would hover over the "DS06x09" template and right mouse click to "Update with current settings". I do this often during template creation.)
- "Overlay":
1. Check "Identity Plate"

2. Click on the down triangle in box to reveal choices (if you made them)
3. At the bottom, click on "Edit"
4. In the "Identity Plate Editor", select the "Use a graphical identity plate" button and locate the "DS06x09.png" file (probably downloaded on your desktop)
5. Size the Drop-Shadow graphic so the hard-edge rectangle covers the image. (rotate 90 degrees if necessary for verticals)
6. Check "Render behind image"
7. Adjust "Opacity" to taste.
Again, hover over the "DS06x09" template and right mouse click and "Update with current settings". You can now reuse this Print template to produce drop shadow printing.

That's It...
Now, if the question is, "Can I print with an overlay AND an Underlay?"
- the answer is "NO!"

Creating Drop-Shadow Graphic in Photoshop
1. Create a file with a transparent background (the size of your print area, not paper size) at 300 ppi. Fill layer with black.

2. Increase the canvas size 110% from the top left corner.

3. Add Drop Shadow effect 75 x 75 and set the opacity of the drop-shadow to 100%.

4. Save your Drop-Shadow file as a ".png" to maintain the transparency needed for the overlay.

<< End >>

10. Faster browsing in the Library view without the need for the lengthy generating of previews. Aperture has an awesome quick browse mode that just uses the RAW-embedded previews or the already generated previews. I would love something similar in Lightroom. This would speed up initial culling tremendously.

9. Fool-proof printing. The glut of people complaining online about bad colors from Lightroom prints makes me think that this is not quite straightforward enough. I think the fault lies partly with the OS and printer vendors but for some reason, Lightroom seems to amplify the problems these two have neglected for ages. There are so many ways to end up with double color management, or no management at all, and only a few ways to get correctly managed prints and they are often non-intuitive. Hardly any program manages to get this right but I find it astonishing that in 2009, 30 years after the introduction of the laser printer and 24 years after the introduction of affordable desktop publishing, this is still such a hard nut to crack. I can get great colors from Lightroom prints, but often only after a song and dance incantation of the good graces of the printer gods.

8. A better, more useful slideshow module. Currently, I think the slideshow module, while functional, is not that useful. The quality is quite poor (no sharpening and it uses a poor quality very soft scaler), there are many bugs (if you don’t pregenerate previews, the module will jump back to the beginning), and it is quite bare bones. There should be more transition options. For example, a simple “Ken Burns” type effect would be great. I actually use external software (Apple's Keynote is my favorite) to do slideshows currently. Having this possibility inside Lightroom would be far better.

7. Better lens correction tools. Lightroom has some very rudimentary lens correction with the lateral chromatic aberration section in Develop. Unfortunately, you have to dial the correction in manually. It is fairly straightforward to do this correction automatically by using an image-processing algorithm that automatically fits the image misalignment of the different color channels. Current Nikon DSLRs do this in the camera and Canon and Nikon's conversion software also do this after the fact. There is no need for a lens database for this. Perhaps the algorithms used by Canon and Nikon are patent protected so it might be non-trivial to add to Lightroom but it would be so much better then staring at the image at 2:1 magnification and jigging the sliders back and forth. Another lens correction I would like to see is distortion correction. This might be a simple barrel/pincushion correction tool, but might also include perspective and more complex distortion correction.

6. Automatic facial recognition. Apple has just added this to their iPhoto app, which means Aperture can not be far off. Check out the video. It seems to work really well. Having this feature available in Lightroom would make tagging people's names so much more quick and even fun instead of a time-wasting chore.

5. Better Geotagging tools. If you don't have a camera-connected GPS, you can use Jeffrey Friedl's very nice GPS plugin. Jeffrey also makes some outstanding social web plugins - check them out . Even though Jeffrey's tool is very good, I’d like to see tighter integration. Currently, if you do not use a GPS that logs tracks and can be connected to a computer, you have to copy and paste the coordinates from another program. It would be really nice if Lightroom would somehow gain the capability to simply drag and drop images on a map, perhaps using google maps for example. I almost never carry a working GPS (I save the batteries for emergencies), but I always know exactly where I am on the map. A model for this could be the nice geotagging tool in flickr.

4. More complex, boolean searching. A form of this wish is currently possible using smart collections but it is not easy to access and not very flexible. Having such logical searches would, for example, make finding all mountain images without snow but with flowers and/or with waterfalls possible. Now that I think about it, I would also like the filter panel to be able to show me ranges of certain parameters such as focal length. As in "I want to see all mountain images taken between 15 and 18 mm." You cannot currently filter for lens focal length, only for specific lenses.

3. Book making. For anybody that has used Aperture, this is a no-brainer. The photo-book layout module in that program is outstanding. These books are great for wedding photographers, to give as gifts, or as a promotional calling card. I currently use services like blurb.com but their layout software is a far cry from the smoothness and professionality of the tools in Aperture. I also sometimes simply use Aperture, or even iPhoto, which is less full featured. The problem with this is that you need to export your images and keep track of the exports. A simple Lightroom module or a way to plug into the Lightroom catalog from an external program would be so much better.

2. Plug ins that can sit in the RAW develop pipeline. A good example of this would be noise reduction (e.g. noise Ninja) or lens correction software (e.g. PTlens) that can act as early in the RAW pipeline as possible and can do so completely non-destructively. This would one-up the plugin architecture in Aperture, that currently needs a rendered file and acts semidestructively but has precipitated a community of third-party plugin developers.

1. Soft proofing. I have wished for this for a long time. In order to predict accurately what a print will look like, soft proofing is essential. Currently, you have to go into Photoshop to do this, but it would be far better if it were available in Lightroom together with some rudimentary Develop controls that will be used specific to the print, so that you can correct for subtle shifts that always occur. It would also be lovely to have out-of-gamut warnings specific for the profile you are targeting, to avoid posterized colors.

I have to admit that I had some trouble coming up with a good ten wishes. What about you? Do you have any different wishes for Lightroom in the new year? I can’t believe I was very thorough here and I am sure that even if I didn’t miss any items, you could have different priorities or you could just think Lightroom is perfect as is.

One of the commands that can aid you when processing your images is Refine Photos... It's also one of those commands that gets very little press. Here's how it works. After you import your images go through them and mark your initial keepers with a pick flag (easily done by pressing the P key). When you are done go up to the Library menu and choose Refine Photos...

Once you do you will be presented with the following dialog:

Click the refine button and all your unmarked images will be marked with a Reject flag and your previously picked images will be unmarked. Now you face a choice depending on your preference. You can either move the rejected images to another folder for safekeeping or you can simply remove them from the catalog. If you decide to remove them use the keyboard shortcut Command-Delete on a Mac (Control-Backspace on PC). Or you can choose the command from the Photo menu.

Either way you'll get a version of this dialog:

If you're like me you'll choose the Remove button. I rarely completely remove images. Who knows? Someday I may be able to create a masterpiece from that previously rejected image. Maybe Lightroom 12.2 will have a cool holographic brush! We'll see!

Now repeat the process until you've refined your images down to your absolute keepers.

This workflow may be just what you are looking for or it may be the worst thing you've ever seen. Give it a try on a test catalog and see if it fits. JUST BE CAREFUL. Doing this in your All Photographs view can be dangerous if you aren't paying attention.

Let us know what workflow tips work for you!

I print with a very nice printer that I absolutely love, the Epson Pro 3800. I know it's capable of printing 16-bits per pixel and I know Ligtroom 2 is capable of sending 16-bits of color data per channel to my 3800. But it's not all that simple. In order to actually print in 16-bit you need a Mac. And your Mac needs to be running OS X 10.5 or higher. And you need to download the new Epson driver which is still in the beta stage (Get the beta driver here.)

With these hurdles to jump, I guess I shouldn't feel so guilty about waiting until now to try 16-bit printing.

I choose the image you see here to test because I wanted an image with subtle variations between tones that would benefit from the extra bits and reduce color banding. For the first print I used my standard defaults for Epson's Premium Glossy Photo Paper: Print Resolution in Lightroom to 360 ppi and Color Management to Managed by Printer. In my Epson driver I set my Color Settings to Adobe RGB, my Print Quality to SuperPhoto-2880dpi and turned off High Speed. For the next print I left everything the same but checked the 16-bit Output box in Lightroom 2's Print module Print Job pane and 16 bit/Channel in Epson's Print Settings panel. The former file printed very quickly while the print with the extra bits slowed the printer considerably.

Unfortunately you won't be able to see the differences between the two test prints here on the screen, so you will have to trust me when I say I don't any differences between them. Did I do something wrong? Did I choose a poor example to test? Doesn't look like the Holy Grail to me... If you have any thoughts on 16-bit printing with Lightroom 2 I'd appreciate hearing from you.

PS: MacWorld is coming up next week and I have a busy schedule.

Book Passage in Corte Madera 
Sunday, January 4  7:00 PM   “ Ask the Experts” with Derrick Story and Deke McClelland

Power Tools Workshop: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2
Monday & Tuesday (all day)

O'Reilly Booth: Macworld Conference Floor
Wednesday, January 7 1:00 pm
Thursday, January 8 4:00 pm
 
San Francisco Apple Store
Thursday, January 8 7:30 PM “Ask the Experts” with Derrick Story and Deke McClelland

Stop by one or all the events. I'd love to see you!

The Adobe engineers have built in so many great localized adjustments in Lightroom 2.2 that makes my life at lot easier, and keeps me from having to round-trip images into Photoshop as often as I used to. One example I'll illustrate here is using the Gradient tool.

I was recently reworking an image and realized that by adding a color gradient I could improve the image (and my lighting skills). I shot this image a few years ago on a stock shoot in White Sands National Monument using an Nikon SB800 flash and a Nikon D2x. The SB800 flash was sitting on the sand pointing straight up (with a diffussion cube on it) so I could keep the sand from getting too bright. It was fairly dark outside and if I would have had time I could have flagged the flash to keep the sand from being illuminated in the foreground. As it is, it certainly isn't a bad image but by using the gradient filter in Lightroom I was able to adjust the image as if I had used a flag to block some of the light emitted from the flash. The top image at right is the shot before I added the gradient and the bottom image is with the gradient.

Also, just a note, my 124-page updated and revised workflow e-book using Lightroom 2.2, entitled Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: A Professional Photographer's Workflow is available on my website. The new version of the e-book includes information on all the new upgrades to Lightroom and how I integrate Lightroom into a complete workflow from camera to Photoshop. If you'd like to check it out click here.

Adios, Michael Clark

I've recently seen enough threads on various fora to convince me that the application of, and the differences between these three tools remains a stumbling block on Lightroom's learning curve for many users. The confusion derives not so much from the functions the tools perform, but in the interactions between them. It doesn’t help that the names all constitute vague synonyms for each other in everyday usage.

Since the use and application of these features is already quite well documented elsewhere, I’m just going to highlight the basics, and move forward.

Develop Presets

Develop Presets provide a way to save a group of Develop module settings in order to apply them to other photos. The power of a Develop Rreset is that it can be applied to all photos at import time, or to any selection of photos in either Library or Develop modules, at any time, thus increasing productivity, speed and consistency of processing.

Develop Default

The Develop Default is quite similar to the Develop Preset, with the primary difference being mode of application. The Develop Default applies the designated Develop module settings at import time, or when ‘resetting’ the photo. While Lightroom is installed with a generic Develop Default, the power of the Default arises from its customizability. You can create a ‘one size fits all’ Default for a given camera model, or you can fine-tune down to the level of different custom Defaults for a given camera body (by serial number), by ISO settings, by import file type (e.g. raw vs. JPG, etc.) and multiple combinations of all of these. Even scanners can have their own Default settings.

Camera Profile

The Camera Profile provides camera model specific instructions to enable Lightroom to perform color rendering from camera raw files. These include an Adobe Standard rendering for all supported cameras, and Camera Matching Profiles which are intended to duplicate the results of the manufacturers' rendering software for supported Nikon and Canon cameras, including specific 'Picture Styles/Controls.' With the advent of Lightroom 2.2, in addition to the Adobe Standard Profiles, all of these Camera Matching Profiles are automatically installed with Lightroom. The Profiles are applied by making a selection from the drop down list in the Camera Calibration pane of the Develop Right Hand Panel. Although the Profiles displayed in the drop-down have names that are standardized by the respective camera manufacturer, rest assured the each is custom developed independently for every supported camera model. The truly adventurous can try their hands at creating their own custom profiles with Adobe’s DNG Profile Editor.

The Interactions

A certain amount of confusion arises when users realize that they can apply both a Develop Default and a Develop Preset together at import time. In this instance of ‘dueling settings’, the results behave as if the Default were applied first, and any contravening settings from the Import Develop Preset override the Default setting.

The second layer of confusion arises when one realizes that a Camera Profile is a valid setting selection for a Develop Preset. Since the Profiles are touted as being specific to both brand and model of camera, it’s easy to come to the mistaken conclusion that one needs to create an individual Develop Preset for each combination of camera model and Camera Matching Profile. Fortunately, this is not the case. Because the complement of available Camera Matching Profiles is identically named across all the models of the supported manufacturers (Nikon and Canon), the problem is simplified. One Develop Preset selecting the Vivid Camera Profile will provide Lightroom with enough information to choose the correct Vivid Profile for all supported Nikon models. So, instead of an array of Presets for each camera model, one only needs a single set for Canon, and another set for Nikon. Of course, feel free to create additional Presets should you find them needed for calibration or creative control.

The third layer of confusion dawns: “What happens if I import from a Canon camera, with a Develop Preset containing a Nikon Camera Profile?” In this case, Lightroom fails gracefully, and the photos are imported with the Adobe Standard Profile for the target camera.

There’s an entire litany of ‘what-ifs’ which follow on. Most of which are derivatives of the above cases. Feel free to ask away, or do as I do. Create an experimental catalog, and a small folder of photos with varied file types from various sources, and just experiment. Just this afternoon, while researching this piece, I discovered that I could create and assign custom Develop Defaults for my two scanners as well as my different cameras.