In This Chapter
Adobe's Lightroom Support Center
Lightroom Community Help
Lightroom Journal
George Jardine on Lightroom
Lightroom-News.comThe National Association of Photoshop Professionals
Lightroom Killer Tips
Lightroom Forums
Lightroom Galleries
Lightroomers!
Clearly, you are someone who wants to increase your understanding of how Lightroom works, and how to get the most from it. Lightroom is a dynamic and evolving product. Over the life cycle of the first version of Lightroom, six free updates were released. These updates not only kept Lightroom up-to-date with the latest cameras on the market, but each release included some bug fixes, some enhancements, and even some new features. Some updates were must-haves and some were not, but in every case, it's in your best interest to stay informed of Lightroom's evolution.
In addition to keeping Lightroom up-to-date, a growing community of Lightroom users and third-party developers offer product support, templates, tutorials, and plugins that can significantly improve your Lightroom experience. When I pulled together this top ten list, I realized these are resources I rely on and use multiple times every day, and the great thing about them is that they're all open 24/7 and most of them are free.
www.adobe.com/support/photoshoplightroom
Make the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Support Center your first stop if you run into a Lightroom problem that you need help solving. (Don't forget to see if I cover it in Chapter 15 first.) If you like to get information straight from the horse's mouth, then this resource fits the bill. In addition to Adobe's fee-based support service (a last resort), the Support Center has a stunning array of free resources available. Everything from technical support to video and text-based tutorials can be found here.
Adobe has separated the content into four options:
The first option is a search of its vast Knowledgebase, which includes the Lightroom Help file as well as tutorials and "TechNotes" (short articles providing solutions to common problems).
TechNotes for the most common questions are found listed under Option 2.
If the Knowledgebase doesn't provide the answer you're looking for, then head to Option 3 (my favorite) and click the Discuss It in the Forums link. Adobe hosts User-to-User forums for each of its products. These are Web sites where users can post questions to other users and get answers free. The Lightroom User to User forum is populated by a wealth of experienced users who go out of their way to answer questions and help troubleshoot problems. Here's a quick look at how you can use it to find help:
If this is your first time visiting the forums, you need to create a free user account first.
Check whether an answer already exists by doing a search. A quick forum search might reveal that your question has already been answered!
If not, start your own topic and be sure to provide key information, such as your operating system, version of Lightroom, type of files being used, and any other relevant information to help other members help you.
If you're still coming up empty, or you simply need to speak to an Adobe representative, the links to Product Support and Customer Service are also listed in Option 3. Be advised: Depending on the nature of your issue and the contact you need to make, there might be a fee involved (which is why I suggest this as a last resort).
http://learn.adobe.com/wiki/display/LR
In keeping with the community feeling that has grown up around Lightroom's development and evolution, Adobe is testing a community help system. What Adobe did was take its standard Help file (the same one bundled with Lightroom) and tie in relevant external resources to specific topics, and then put a bunch of industry experts (referred to as Lightroom Learning Advisors) in charge of adding new content.
One of the greatest aspects, in my view, is that it's a living document. It continues to expand as new content comes online. It's fully searchable, and topics are cross-linked to other related topics. If you find the Help content leaves you wanting more, then click the Learn More link on each page to see if additional educational content has been added. You can even log in (after creating a free user account) to add links to content, ask questions, and leave your comments. Because of the cross-referenced nature of the content, your search for one answer can lead you to many interrelated topics.
http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal
Lightroom Journal is the official blog for the Lightroom team. What it lacks in quantity is made up in quality. Essential information about Lightroom issues, releases, and more can be found here. Visitors are able to leave comments and more often than not receive a timely response from someone on the team.
You can also subscribe to this blog's RSS feed to get new content delivered right to you automatically when it comes online. See the sidebar on RSS feeds and blogs for more information.
www.mulita.com/blog
George Jardine is Adobe's pro photography evangelist, and he really knows Lightroom! He's been involved with Lightroom's development from the start and is creating the single best archive of Lightroom's history and development on his blog. It takes the form of a series of audio and video podcasts going back to 2006. When you have the spare time, go back to the beginning and keep listening (and watching) until you're caught up. You'll gain an appreciation for the thoughtfulness that has gone into Lightroom's development.
History is fine, but you find some real tutorial gold interspersed throughout the interviews and discussions with photographers and engineers. I sincerely believe the complete podcast archive should be included on the Lightroom installation disk, but I guess this is as close as it will get.
http://lightroom-news.com
When you want all Lightroom news, all the time, Lightroom-News.com, is the place to go. A staff of industry experts on an ongoing basis adds new content covering Lightroom releases, plugins, tutorials, and other relevant news. ThisWeb site is delivered in blog format, complete with a link to add to your RSS reader.
A cool aspect of the site's design is that it takes a page from Lightroom's ability to reduce and simplify the interface. You can click any of the arrows in the headers of the left and right columns to show or hide the contents. Nice!
www.photoshopuser.com
I admit my bias for this one right off the bat, but even if I didn't work for them, it would be a mistake not to include the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) as a top-ten resource. Becoming an NAPP member isn't free, but it pays for itself many times each year. Although Photoshop remains the focus of NAPP, the organization has fully embraced Lightroom. I think an NAPP membership is a great value to Lightroom users because it includes the following:
Subscription to Photoshop User magazine: Eight issues per year devoted to Photoshop, industry news, product reviews, and a special Lightroom section.
NAPP member Web site: Here you find a wealth of tutorials, news, reviews, and discounts, along with a dedicated member forum full of knowledgeable and helpful folks.
Awesome discounts: I mentioned discounts already, but they're so good they deserve to be mentioned again! If you buy any photography gear or related training, you'll easily recoup your membership cost in no time at all.
Member-only Help Desk, Gear Desk, and Advice Desk: If you have any question about what camera gear to buy, what monitor will fit your needs, or how to solve a Photoshop or Lightroom problem, real live people are standing by to provide you with an answer. If you send in a Lightroom question, there's a good chance I will be the one who answers!
I could go on, but even if I stop here, it's the best $99 you can invest in supporting your photography this year.
www.lightroomkillertips.com
Before opening your wallet, if you want to get a taste of the quality material NAPP offers, head to Lightroom Killer Tips and see what Matt Kloskowski (NAPP's education and curriculum developer) is sharing.
I don't know where he finds the time, but every week Matt adds new content in the form of presets, tips, and video tutorials that are driven in large part by the comments left by visitors to the site. Matt really knows his stuff and has such an accessible personality; I think you'll find this one of your favorite places to get your Lightroom fix.
As a testament to how popular Matt's presets have become, some 600+ (and growing) Flickr users created a group dedicated to showcasing photos developed with his presets. If you're a Flickr member, too, go to www.flickr.com/groups/647354@N23 and show off what you have!
www.lightroomforums.net
When you want to rub virtual elbows with fellow Lightroom users from around the world, Lightroom Forums is the place you can hang your virtual hat. This resource is a labor of love populated by new and experienced users alike. In fact, I've never found an Internet forum more welcoming to new users than this place. So don't be shy!
Discussions range from problem-solving to Lightroom news to sharing tips and techniques. You need to set up a user account, but it's completely free (and mildly addicting). One thing the portal asks of all members is to indicate your operating system and Lightroom version when you ask for help (not to be nosy; it's critical information for diagnosing any problem). This is a frequent stop in my Web surfing, so I'll be sure to say hello when you introduce yourself.
www.lightroomgalleries.com
The Web galleries that come with Lightroom are great and quite versatile, but there comes a point in every Lightroom user's life when he or she starts wanting more. The Lightroom Galleries site was the first resource to start offering additional Lightroom Web galleries and one that still contains the most comprehensive offering. Before downloading new galleries, you can take the sample versions for a test drive, leave comments, and ask questions.
As a bonus, there's a dedicated forum for discussing the galleries as well as tutorials for diving under Lightroom's hood and creating your own custom galleries (although I don't recommend that for the inexperienced Web developer).
http://lightroomers.com
I'd like to say I saved the best for last, but not only am I too modest it just isn't true. What I will say is that this is my blog dedicated to helping Lightroom users. I regularly share news, tips, reviews, and tutorials. Subscribe to the RSS feed, leave me a comment, or shoot me a question. I'm always happy to help folks get the most out of their Lightroom experience.