Introduction
I’ve written quite a few books in the From Snapshots to Great Shots series, and most of them have been about cameras. My philosophy for writing them has been to provide readers with a good foundation for taking great photographs through the application of camera technology and knowledge. It’s so important to understand the fundamentals and how to apply them when taking photographs. But is that all there is to making a good image? Well, it used to be.
There was a time when all you could control was the exposure of your film, and everything else was handed off to a photofinisher. It was the photofinisher’s job to make sure that the film was processed correctly and that everything from that point on was done to produce a decent-looking image. Just how decent depended on who was doing the processing.
Today, you can still drop off your files at the local drugstore and get photos back, but if you want to get great-looking images, you need to take control of that other side of the photography coin—the image processing. That’s why I wrote this book, because showing you how to take a great photo is just part of the equation. To get the most from your photographic efforts, you need to learn how to finish the photo by using software tools like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
The old saying—Give a man a fish, feed him today. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life—is really not that simple. You have to teach him not only how to catch it, but also how to clean it and cook it. Otherwise, he just has a bunch of fish that he doesn’t know what to do with. This book will take you beyond the catching phase. Once you have caught your fish, you’ll learn how to clean it and cook it, and make it a truly great meal.
I hope I’ve given you some clues as to what this book is about, but if you still aren’t sure, read the following Q&A.
Q: Why Adobe Photoshop Lightroom?
A: It’s true that there are a lot of image processing programs on the market to choose from, but I wanted to use a program that had all the power to handle many different image file types, including raw and JPEG. The program also needed enhancement tools that were fairly simple to use but were also very powerful. I also wanted to ensure that there would be image management as well as lots of output options. Photoshop Lightroom has all of these features and more. It has a great image management feature called the Library, and many of the same great tools as its cousin, Adobe Photoshop. Lightroom uses the Adobe Camera Raw engine for complete control over image processing plus some great productivity tools for making books, slide shows, and more.
Q: Does it Matter if I Have a Mac or Windows Machine?
A: No. The program performs almost identically on either platform. When there is a difference between the keyboard shortcuts, I list the Mac shortcut first, followed by the Windows shortcut in parentheses, like this: To deselect, press Shift+Command+A (Shift+Ctrl+A in Windows). The screen captures in this book were made on my Mac, using the OS X Lion operating system, so you might see some aesthetic differences (buttons, cursors, and the like), but overall the program interface should look almost identical.
Q: You Wrote this Book Using Lightroom 4; Does that Mean I Can’t Use it with My Earlier Version?
A: Not at all. Notice that there is no version number on the front of this book. The reason is that most of the tasks you’ll be doing will be general in nature and use the same tools that have been available in previous versions of Lightroom. I’ve tried to focus on the basics of image processing, so I address color correction, cropping, exposure adjustments, sharpening, and so on. The tools to perform these operations have changed little over the years and will still be available in future versions as well. They are the core elements of image processing, and just like f-stops and shutter speeds, they will probably change very little in the future. I do my best to point out where there are differences as well as when some features are not in earlier versions so you can just skip ahead.
Q: Do You Cover Every Feature?
A: Not even close. Lightroom is jam-packed with so many features that this book would be many hundreds of pages long if I covered them all. My focus for this book is to bring you the information and techniques necessary to take images from your camera and enhance them into great shots. I also want you to be able to hit the ground running without getting bogged down by the nitty gritty. As in my camera books, I’ll cover the tools and features that will give you a great image processing foundation and let you start improving your photos right away.
Q: What Can I Expect to Learn from this Book?
A: I like to think of image processing as a three-step process. The first step is importing, where I move images from my camera to my computer. The second step is when I work on my images, giving them the right treatment to really fulfill the vision I had when I took the photo. The third step is to output my images in some way, whether it’s making prints to hang on the wall or sharing them online with friends, family, or even clients. These are the processes that you will learn. They aren’t overly complicated or advanced, but you don’t have to tell anyone that.
Q: What are the Assignments All About?
A: At the end of each chapter, you’ll find short assignments where I offer suggestions as to how you can apply the lessons of the chapter to help reinforce everything you just learned. A lot of the information covered in the chapters will be new to you, and I’m a firm believer in learning by doing. The assignments are simple exercises that will help you gain a better understanding, and also allow for a nice break, before moving on to the next chapter.
Q: Is there Anything Else I Should Know Before Getting Started?
A: In order to keep the book short and focused, I had to be pretty selective about what I put in each chapter. The problem is that there is a whole other chapter that I wanted to include, but I just couldn’t make it work. But instead of just leaving it out and shortchanging you, I have included it as a bonus chapter. So what’s in this bonus chapter? It’s a step-by-step accounting of my Lightroom workflow from import to exporting and printing. To access the bonus chapter, just log in or join peachpit.com (it’s free), and then enter the book’s ISBN. After you register the book, a link to the bonus chapter will be listed on your Account page under Registered Products.
Q: Is that it?
A: I know what fun it can be to share what you’ve learned with others and maybe even show off a bit. To that end, I invite you to show off your before-and-after shots in the Lightroom: From Snapshots to Great Shots Flickr group. You’ve worked hard learning new skills, so go ahead, join the group, and show everyone your great shots. Just point your browser to www.flickr.com/groups/photoshoplightroomfromsnapshotstogreatshots, and join in on the fun. I’m looking forward to seeing your work.