Lightroom allows you to assign keywords which is great for quickly finding images by simply clicking on the keyword in the "Keyword Tags" section of the left hand Library module.

What you may not be aware of are the "check marks" which appear next to other keyword groups when you select a specific image. In the case below I have selected the single boat image.

Lightroom shows check marks against all the other keyword groups that contain the same boat image.

Keyword Groups containing the same image

Now if you click on any one of the "check marked" keyword groups Lightroom will display the group and also highlight the selected image. See the example below.

Boat image highlighted in checked group

This can be very helpful to check your keyword usage and relevance.

Hope you find this useful.

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Tags: Library Module

Here is a tip which will let you show additional detail in the Filmstrip in Lightroom.

The default Filmstrip has very little information other than just the thumbnails.

Try right clicking on the Filmstrip. You will get a menu item to allow you to "Show Ratings and Picks"

This is really useful when you are working in either the Library or the Develop module.

Hope you find this useful.

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Tags: General Tip

Lightroom has a great Metadata browser which allows you to see your images sorted by date. It uses the EXIF "Date Time" field to do this.

The problem occurs when you add files to the Lightroom database which do not have data in this field. i.e if you have scanned a negative or imported a file which has not come from a digital camera. See below there are 245 files in my library with an unknown date.

To the rescue is a feature of lightroom called "Edit Capture Time" which can be used to set the EXIF "Date Time" field to the "File creation date".
The good news is that all you have to do is select all of the photos which have an unknown date - using the Metadata date browser - and then use the "Edit Capture time" command to reset the date on each file to the file creation date.

Select the checkbox to change the file creation date, hit change all, and then all the files will appear in the correct date range in the metadata browser.

Works a treat!

Hope you find this useful.

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Tags: Library Module

It has taken me a while to find a Folder structure in Lightroom which allows me to logically structure and find my photos but now I have it.

My photos are on a separate hard disk called "Photos 2007" and I have three simple top level Folders.

Objects, People and Places.

Lightroom - Three Item Folder Structure

I have found that I can place any of my shoots or individual images into a sub-folder under one of these three headings.

Lightrooms Metadata Browser

Prior to this I had spent a long time structuring my collection by event and date. Date structure is no longer needed as Lightroom has a metadata browser which allows you to quickly select items by date. Events can always be placed into one of the top folders above. Note it does pay to include the date of a shoot as part of the naming convention of sub folders.

Hope you find this useful.

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Tags: Library Module

In Lightroom if you right click on any Folder name you will see a menu option which will allow you to rescan the folder on disk for missing images. This of course assumes you are allowing Lightroom to reference the files and folders on your disk.

The confusing thing is that Lightroom will only check and update folders that have previously been imported. What seems to be happening is that only a check for existing photos in the database, as well as an external link check, is being performed.

Check for Missing Images in Lightroom

If you want to add new subfolders or images that had not been imported previously then you have to use the "Import Photos" command from the File menu.
I would prefer Lightroom just to update and add any images that are in the folder structure. Much as iView MediaPro does.

Hope you find this useful.

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Tags: Library Module

Lightroom v1 has a powerful new feature called 'Snapshot' which allows you to save and re-apply a sequence of edits on any image. It's a bit like Photoshops' Action but far easier to use.

It can be found under the History Panel on the left hand side of Develop Module.

Snapshot Function in Lightroom

It is used as follows:

• 
  
• Perform a sequence of edits in the Develop Module which will be automatically recored in the History section.
• 
  
• when you have finished right click on any one of the steps in the history list
• 
  
• You will see the "Create Snapshot" indicator appear as shown below
• 
  
• The snapshot is saved with the name of the action you highlighted and will be available under the Snapshot menu for use on any future image editing session
• 
  
• You can then re-name the Snapshot to something more meaningfull and use it on any future session.
  

Creating the Snapshot Function in Lightroom

This is not as powerful as Actions in Photoshop, but it's not meant to be.

Try it out and let me know what you think.

Hope you find this useful.

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Tags: Develop Module

Scott Kelby, editor of Photoshop User Magazine, has pulled together different photographer's reactions to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v1. He describes the comments as "some good and some not so great".

The article is worth reading if you are considering Lightroom as an image editor.

Scot Kelby's - Lightroom the Word on the Street- article

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Tags: Lightroom

I have added a review of the Lowepro Mini Trekker AW backpack which I have been using and really like .. with some limitations ....

Read More ....

The striking vertical strata caught my eye as we sailed along the south coast of Ireland. The coast of Southern Ireland is a wild and rocky place and one of the best sailing areas in the British Isles. Taken handheld with a Canon 10D and a 300mm IS lens.

Rock Strata, Clear Island, Southern Ireland
Large version (1500x1000 / 650KB)

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There is a very powerful new tool in Lightroom v1 called the Targeted Adjustment tool which offers incredible control over color and grayscale correction.

It is activated by clicking on a small circular icon in the top left hand corner of the curves box in the Develop module. Note that the same tool is also available for HSL / Color / Grayscale adjustments.

Lightroom Targeted Adjustment tool

It is simple to use.

1. You decide what you want to adjust, say the Tone Curve as shown above
2. 
   
3. Select the Targeted Adjustment tool. Notice the cursor changes to a cross with the tool icon slightly below and to the right of it.
4. 
   
5. Select a part of the image with the color range that you want to adjust.
6. 
   
7. Then hold the mouse button down and move the mouse up and down

As you do this, in the Tone Curve example, you will see that the curve has a point on it which is representative of the color range you are interested in. When you move the mouse you are then selecting and adjusting only the required part of the curve .
You are able to easily fine tune the mid-tones or the shadows as well as a host of other adjustments which would require guesswork, or at the very least lots of experience, to be sure of picking the right point on the curve.

This same process works for Hue, Saturation and Grayscale.

Try it out and let me know what you think.

Hope you find this useful.

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Tags: Develop Module