Taming Your Photo Library with Adobe Lightroom

Taming Your Photo Library with Adobe Lightroom

by Rob Sylvan
Released August 2016
Publisher(s): Adobe Press
ISBN: 9780134398716

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Book description

Today, photo professionals and amateurs alike can quickly amass thousands of photographs. The challenge for photographers at every level is how to keep track of all those photographs. Where do you store them? How do you organize them? How do you find a particular photo when you need it?

Adobe Lightroom is the leading solution for photographers’ photo management needs, but its organizational powers come with a learning curve. In this practical and thorough guide, author Rob Sylvan covers everything photographers need to know about photo organization and management using Lightroom.

Rob starts by getting you in the Lightroom frame of mind with an explanation of the import process and the relationship between your photos and the Lightroom catalog. Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to tame an unruly catalog, you’ll find advice on best practices and workflows for reviewing, keywording, collecting, naming, applying metadata, moving, and finding photographs in Lightroom, as well as step-by-step solutions to such common problems as reconnecting missing photographs and restoring order after a catalog disaster. Through straight-to-the-point explanations honed by years on the help desk, Rob demystifies common areas of confusion, from collections to previews to filters and more.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Wrap your head around Lightroom catalogs

  • Avoid common mistakes and pitfalls

  • Understand the relationship between the catalog and your photos

  • Be in the driver’s seat for all decisions relating to where your photos are stored

  • Understand the importance of the import process

  • Use Lightroom to keep your photos organized and easily accessible

  • Work with your files on the go with Lightroom Mobile

  • Become your own help desk

    •

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright Page
    3. Dedication Page
    4. Acknowledgments
    5. Contents
    6. Introduction
    7. 1 Getting in a Lightroom Frame of Mind
      1. Wrapping Your Head Around Lightroom
        1. The Catalog
        2. Your Photos
      2. What to Do Before You Start Using Lightroom
        1. Get Your System Ready
        2. Get Your Photos Ready
      3. Key Lightroom Files
        1. The Lightroom Application
        2. Catalog and Preview Caches
        3. Managing the Lightroom Cache Files
        4. Configure Preferences and Catalog Settings
    8. 2 Getting Oriented to the Library Module and Importing
      1. The Library Module’s Interface
        1. Menu Bar
        2. Identity Plate and Module Picker
        3. Left Panel Group
        4. Right Panel Group
        5. Filmstrip
        6. Main Workspace
      2. Library View Options
        1. Grid
        2. Loupe
        3. Compare
        4. Survey
        5. People
      3. Customizing the Interface
        1. Screen Modes
        2. Collapsing Panels
        3. Individual Panels and Solo Mode
        4. Vanishing Panels
        5. Lights Out
      4. Importing Your Photos
        1. Choosing a Source
        2. Choosing a Destination
        3. File Handling
        4. File Renaming
        5. Apply During Import
    9. 3 File Management, Lightroom Style
      1. Understanding the Role of the Folders Panel
        1. Volume Browser Indicators
        2. Show or Hide a Parent Folder
        3. Find Your Folders and Photos
      2. Create New Folders and Remove Old Ones
        1. Adding New Folders
        2. Renaming Folders
        3. Removing Empty Folders
      3. Using Lightroom to Delete Photos
        1. Deleting Lots of Photos at Once
        2. More Ways to Delete Photos
        3. Moving Photos and Folders
        4. Moving Photos Between Folders
        5. Moving Folders
        6. Moving Large Groups of Photos Safely
        7. Move Shortcut
      4. Using Lightroom to Rename Photos
        1. Rename a Single Photo
        2. Create and Apply Custom Filename Templates
      5. Reconnecting Missing Folders and Photos
        1. Dealing with an Offline Drive
        2. Dealing with Deleted Photos
        3. Dealing with Folders and Photos Moved Outside Lightroom
        4. Dealing with Photos Renamed Outside Lightroom
    10. 4 Using Collections for Organization
      1. The Case for Collections
        1. The Collections Panel
        2. The Catalog Panel
      2. Collecting Your Photos
        1. Creating Structure with Collection Sets
        2. Grouping Photos with Regular Collections
        3. Automating with Smart Collections
      3. Maintaining Collections Over Time
        1. Moving Things Around
        2. Using a Target Collection
        3. Renaming and Deleting
    11. 5 Using Metadata
      1. The Metadata Panel
        1. Metadata Panel Views
        2. Adding Titles, Captions, and More
        3. Applying Metadata to Multiple Photos
      2. Keywords
        1. The Keywording Panel
        2. The Keyword List Panel
      3. Finding Faces and Assigning Names
        1. People View
        2. Assigning Tags
        3. Drawing Face Regions
        4. Moving Forward
      4. Tying Photos to Locations
        1. Finding Photos with Geolocation Data
        2. Manually Placing Photos on Map
        3. Working with Tracks
    12. 6 Care and Maintenance of Your Catalog
      1. Built-in Backup
        1. Catalog Dashboard
        2. Scheduling and Running the Backup
        3. Testing Integrity and Optimization
        4. Managing the Backup Copies
        5. Restoring from a Backup
      2. How to Move a Catalog
      3. How to Rename a Catalog
      4. How to Export a Catalog
    13. 7 Increasing Lightroom Efficiency
      1. Presets and Templates
        1. Creating Different Types of Presets and Templates
        2. Managing Presets and Templates Over Time
      2. Keyboard Shortcuts
        1. Discovering Shortcuts
        2. Starter Kit
      3. Custom Default Settings
        1. Defaults versus Presets
        2. Synchronizing Previously Imported Photos
        3. Advanced Settings
    14. 8 Common Organizational Workflows
      1. Importing Photos
        1. Adding Photos on Your Hard Drive
        2. Copying Photos from a Memory Card
      2. Evaluating Photos
        1. During Import
        2. After Import
      3. Applying Keywords
        1. Using the Keyword List Panel
        2. Painting Your Photos with Information
      4. Finding Photos
        1. Using the Library Filter
        2. Creating Smart Collections
      5. Exporting Copies for Output
    15. 9 Advanced Workflows
      1. Using Lightroom with Multiple Computers
        1. Word of Warning
        2. One Drive to Rule Them All
        3. Keeping It Simple
        4. Making It Happen
        5. Take Your Presets and Templates Too
      2. Catalog for the Road
        1. Exporting a Smaller Catalog
        2. Working with the Exported Catalog
        3. Bringing It All Home
        4. Clean Up
      3. Import Multiple Catalogs into One
        1. Choose the Master
      4. Migrating to a New Computer
        1. Before You Start
        2. Preparing the New Computer
        3. Migrating Your Photos
        4. Presets and Plug-Ins
        5. Copying the Catalog
        6. Transferring to the New Computer
        7. A Word about Publish Services Connections
        8. Walk It Through
    16. 10 Integrating with Lightroom Mobile
      1. What Is Lightroom Mobile?
      2. Syncing Your Desktop Catalog and Mobile Device
        1. Lightroom on the Desktop
        2. Lightroom on Mobile
      3. Working with Collections on Your Mobile Device
        1. Adding Photos
        2. Viewing Photos
        3. Exporting Photos
        4. Lightroom Web
        5. Applying Ratings and Flags on the Go
    17. Appendix: Troubleshooting
      1. Time for a Do-Over
      2. Resetting the Preference File
      3. Creating a New Catalog
      4. Uninstalling and Reinstalling Lightroom
      5. Finding Outside Help
    18. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Taming Your Photo Library with Adobe Lightroom
    • Author(s): Rob Sylvan
    • Release date: August 2016
    • Publisher(s): Adobe Press
    • ISBN: 9780134398716