Lightrooms Virtual copy capability is really powerful. If you want to produce image variations, say a black and white or a toned version, you can do this without duplicating the original file.
Just right click on the thumbnail and select 'Create Virtual Copy'. You can do this from the Photo main menu item as well.

right click on the thumbnail to create virtual copy

The virtual copy is identified with a small page-turn icon in the bottom left hand corner of the thumbnail.
Lightroom is really good at managing virtual copies and will automatically put a new virtual copy into a stack with the original image.

virtual copy with icon

You can now select the virtual copy and edit away whilst keeping your original intact. This is great for making black and whites an other variations.
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Tags: Library Module

The old fishing boats with their flags on Dunwich beach make a really strong black and white statement. Originally shot in colour, I have come to like it far better in black and white. Lightroom does a great job of black and white conversion and I am re-looking at many of my images to find the good black and white versions.

Fishing boats, Dunwich Beach, Suffolk, England.
Large version (1000x667 / 100KB)

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Have you wondered what the little plus sign that follows the image count in the folders panel do?

The plus sign is telling you that there are either stacked images or virtual copies in those folders.

Clicking on the plus sign does nothing; but if you navigate to the folder, or sub folder, and expand the stack the image count will change.

Sort of useful to know, but this feature could be improved to automatically show the stacks etc. The stacking functionality of Lightroom is useful but lacks the usability of Apeture at this time. It is one of the features of Aperture that I still miss!

Technorati Tags: adobe, photography, lightroom tips, lightroom, workflow

More Image-Space Lightroom tips.

Tags: Library Module

(Note this tip works on the Mac version of Lightroom only)

It is worth checking to ensure that you turn on the Use Typographic Fractions setting under the in the Interface section of Lightroom's preferences.

What this does is ensure that the the exposure information is shown as an easy to read fraction, which is more usual, rather than 1/125 as below.

Typographic fractions off

Below is the same metadata box with the fractions option turned on.

Typographic fractions on

It's a matter of preference of course, but a but nice to have this option non the less.

Hope you find this useful.

Technorati Tags: adobe, photography, lightroom tips, lightroom, workflow

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Tags: Library Module

I have been using my upgrade copy of Photoshop CS3 this week and I am very impressed.

The interface changes are not that different to CS2 and so I am able to quickly find my way around. The improvements are many and I will not list them here as I plan a separate CS3 review a a later date.

What I want to highlight is the much improved, and now very useful, Photomerge tool. Photomerge is Photoshops action driven image stitching solution.

It has been available in previous Photoshop versions, via the Automate menu item, but has never been good enough. It nearly always resulted in a final image with some form of visible banding. I have had to resort to either stand-alone stitching software or to the time consuming use of Photoshop's layers and blending.

Photoshop CS2 - Photomerge result, visible blending!

Photoshop CS3 introduces two new commands; "Auto-Align Layers" and "Auto-Blend Layers" which both used by the Automate/Photomerge tool. Plus you now have a choice of settings and options as to how to merge the files.

New Photomerge layout settings in CS3

The results are very impressive. I have returned to a number of my panoramas and recreated them with CS3 and have been very pleased. Here is the final version of the merged images above using CS3.

Photoshop CS3 Photomerge result using the Automate command and the Auto layout setting

Third party stitching tools could be a thing of the past for me!
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Tags: Photoshop

Lightroom allows you to step through, and view, the history of edits and adjustments; much in the way the Photoshop does. Note that since Lightroom never changes your original image you are only viewing the effect of the various editing steps.

Lightrooms history browser

You can click on any of the states in the history browser and view the image at that state or even return the editing process to that state.

An easily overlooked but very powerful feature of Lightroom.

Hope you find this useful.

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Tags: Develop Module