Iceland and Introduction to Adobe Lightroom Course

Gullfoss Falls

I’ve got a couple of major projects competing for my attention right now.  Actually three, but my taxes are nearly complete.  It is always surprising when I discover that I made money.  As usual, last year it was not much, not enough to live on, but for a landscape photographer anything in the positive is good news.  The other two demands on my attention are even better.

Drowning Pool, Pingvellir National Park, Iceland

First Susan and I just returned from a to brief, long-weekend, trip to Iceland.  I have always wanted to shoot in Iceland, and we managed to stuff a lot in a short period of time.  This tour convinced me that I must go back for a longer visit, likely in a warmer season.  I came home with over 400 images to work on, and that has reminded me about how dependent I am Adobe Lightroom as an essential part of my picture editing workflow.

Shameless Self-Promotion

Pingvellir Gorge

I am excited about my up-coming Introduction to Adobe Lightroom Classic Course.  The course will meet on six consecutive Tuesday evenings from March 3^rd through April 7^th at 6pm.  It will be a small group gathered around my dining room table in Spofford New Hampshire.  There are a couple of spaces still open, so get in touch if you are interested in learning about improving and organizing your images with this amazing program.  For more information, check out my article about my spring teaching schedule or give me a call at 603-363-8338.

Given the Power of Lightroom, Is Photoshop Necessary?

People often ask how much of my image editing is done in Lightroom and how much in Photoshop.  I feel strongly that, given the power and ease of use, for the majority of digital photography enthusiasts, Lightroom is all they will need to get started with image editing.  In my own workflow, I use Lightroom for my RAW editing, but I still routinely finish by moving my images to Photoshop for varying degrees of final touch-up.  Often after my full Lightroom adjustments, there is little to do.  I scan the image for small imperfections, dust spots or other distractions that I find easier to remove using Photoshop’s healing bush or cloning tool.  Subtle local adjustments in lighting or color can be applied more precisely using layer masks, and of course, manipulations of pixels can best be performed from within Photoshop. 

Pingvallavatn Lake

I almost always find something to do in Photoshop to complete my image, but how much of a difference does it really make and how much time do I spend using each of these often-complimentary programs?  I usually tell people that I get 80-90% of my image editing done in Lightroom, but that is just a guess.  I decided to look at the question in more detail as I edited some of my Iceland pictures.

Steaming, Geysir Hot Springs

The plan was to measure how much time I spent using the two programs, and also compare the images that resulted from work in  Lightroom Classic to that at the end of my Photoshop “touch-up”.   I realize that time spent was not necessarily an accurate measure of the contributions made by each program.  Lightroom’s intuitive workflow allows for substantial improvements in a relatively short period of time, while subtle refinements in Photoshop can often require more prolonged work.   These examples do not include the time that I spend getting the image ready for a full size JPG upload to the cloud (my web site) and reducing the image size for use on my website.

Lightroom vs Photoshop

Three Little Horses

Final Web Image

Let me start with an easy one.  All over Iceland you will notice groups of small horses seeming to be totally oblivious to the wind and cold.  In years past these cute guys were beasts of burden, but now, I am assured, their only job is to look cute at the side of the road and attract tourist to stop for a petting party.  We found this trio shortly after our visit to the Geysir hot springs.  All adorable, but my favorite shot came when one found the need to comment.

Lightroom Edit

Lightroom: This was an easy edit.  I adjusted the whites and highlights to retrieve some detail in the snow, while setting the black point.  I boosted vibrance slightly and added a bit of texture and clarity.  I usually save cropping for later in Photoshop, but here it was obvious that I had to get rid of the elbow protruding on the left. A bit more work than usual : 15:00 minutes

Photoshop Edit

Photoshop: This is one of those situations where there was little to add with Photoshop.  I used my favorite Shadow/Highlight Tool to add a bit more detail to the wind scoured snowy ground.  I darkened and brought out the color of the hair.  Finally, I drew the eye to the ”laughing” horse with a subtle splash of light.  And I was done.  I normally do a little sharpening in Lightroom, but I don’t sharpen in Photoshop until I am ready to output the image for a specific size and purpose.  Sounds like a lot but only 7:50 minutes

Total :  22:50 Minutes

Gullfoss Falls

One of Iceland’s most dramatic waterfalls is the Gullfoss Falls.  It was truly breathtaking, but what also robbed me of breath was the hurricane force wind that was screaming up the Hvita River Gorge.   I would have loved to spend time exploring all the different angles of this amazing spot, but given the conditions, I could only find two spots that allowed me to stand with a desperate margin of safety. How I avoided being blown away is a story for another time.  Back at home I tried to make the best of what I got.

Lightroom Edit

Lightroom:  My first concern was to avoid blowing out the highlights in the snow and water, especially in the waterfalls.  I dropped down on the highlight slider while watching to avoid making the foreground snow appear a muddy gray.  While setting the dark tones I was careful to avoid losing detail in the rocks. I added a little Texture, Clarity, Vibrance and a touch of sharpening.   As usual, I corrected the Chromatic Aberration.  I reserve cropping for later. 6:12 minutes

Photoshop Edit

Photoshop:  In Photoshop, I started by using the arrange tool to compare four versions of this image, side-by-side.  Studying all the images at 100% magnification I was able to find one that was reasonably sharp.  As my camera and I were being violently blown about, it was surprising that any of the images were sharp. Next, I used the Hue/Saturation Tool to bring out the blue in the water and ice.  Finally, I went into the Camera RAW filter to apply a bit more texture and Clarity.  I planned to use a layer mask to apply this effect just to the falls, but in the end, I liked how adjustment brought out the rugged appearance across the image. 11:52 Minutes

Total : 18:02 Minutes

The Results

I did the time comparison on two other images, both shots I took at the Geysir Hot Springs.  For the record, here are the average times for all four:

Lightroom:  13:30

Photoshop: 16:09

And for completeness, the average time spent fine tuning, cropping, and sharpening for output of a high resolution, full size JPG to the cloud and resizing and sharpening of the approx. 400kb web image:

11:15 Minutes

Grand Total: 40:58

Photoshop Edit
Note the detail in the water

Hot Pot, Geysir Hot Springs
Lightroom Edit

Too Much Time?

Leif Erikson
Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral, Reykjavik

Forty minutes for one image, and these were nor especially challenging.  I can spend hours removing a dense net of wires if the underlying image is strong enough.  I know some very good photographers who say that if they can’t finish editing in about 5 minutes, they throw out the image.  I think they may be missing some great shots.  Personally, I know how hard I work to get in the right spot and strive to get the best digit image in the camera.  For me, no amount of time is too much in the service of bringing an image to its full glory.  As Ansel Adams said, the original negative (or now the raw file) is the score and the final print or image is the performance.  I think that these images show that you can create great performances with Lightroom.  The differences in the Photoshop image are subtle, and I should note that I could have performed more refinements in Lightroom, if I didn’t plan to move the image to Photoshop for further work

Reykjavik Iceland

So get going with Lightroom and if you need some place to start, I will be happy to welcome you at my dining room table next week.

For more pictures of Iceland check out my Iceland Gallery.  I will be adding more images over time.

Lightroom CC Classic Course, Coming in January!

Introduction to Lightroom Classic – AND the Transition to Photoshop

Six Tuesday Evenings January 8th - February 12th

Monadnock Imaging, Main Street Keene New Hampshire

Once again, beginning in early January, I will be offering my Introduction to Lightroom CC Classic.  If you are unfamiliar with the Adobe Lightroom program, I am not surprised.  I have found that everyone has at least heard of Photoshop.  “Lightroom” often draws vacant stares, but if you are interested in getting the most from your images there is no better place to start.

Lightroom Catalog Database -Lynda.com

For a long time, I have been a dedicated user of Photoshop, but over the last few years I have become increasingly impressed with the power of Lightroom.  Lightroom began primarily as an image organizing program and, for managing large collections of visual assets, it remains far superior to Photoshop. As my own image library grew to hundreds of thousands, I realized I needed a database system to manage the glut.  It was for this reason that I began using Lightroom.  

Saving a terrible image

Lightroom's  Modules

With each new version of Lightroom, the program’s capabilities and features have grown.  Its image management tools have improved, but the major advancement has been in its sophisticated editing capabilities. Lightroom’s Develop Module now is as fully capable as Photoshop’s Camera RAW, but Lightroom organizes these tools in a simpler and more intuitive work flow. The program also facilitates the sharing of images through Slide Shows, Books and simple Web designs.

Bring life to a flat RAW Image

 I still bring almost all my images into Photoshop for final tweaking, especially when complicated masking is required, but I now use Lightroom for 80-90% of my global editing.  Given its power and ease of use, for the majority of digital photography enthusiasts, Lightroom is likely all they will need to get started with image management and editing. 

The Course

During the last couple of years., I have offered a comprehensive introductory course covering all the essentials of Lightroom.  I run the class as a live demonstration.  Students are encouraged to work along on their own laptops, but a computer is not necessary to benefit from the material.   I’ve had a great time and, as is always true of teaching a course, I have learned a great deal more about the intricacies of this amazing tool.  Over the last couple of years Lightroom has evolved and grown, with increased capabilities, and I have worked to keep up with the changes. 

The Big Split

Lightroom CC

Recently Adobe has complicated our lives by splitting the Lightroom Program in two.  There are many good discussions of the differences between these very different programs, but simply speaking, the new Lightroom CC is an entirely new cloud-based program.  It offers a simpler interface, but significantly pared down capabilities.  It is designed for more casual photographers, and those who work primarily through a mobile interface.  For more serious photographers who store larger image archives locally on hard drives and who want to use the full features of the “old” Lightroom, the new program has a limited place. 

Lightroom CC Classic

For me, and most serious photographers, the “new” choice is called “Lightroom CC Classic”.  It sounds disconcertingly like the old “Coke Classic”, but Lightroom CC Classic is just the old Lightroom CC, with all of its amazing features and functions, and a few new tricks.  This split seems to be designed to create a simpler path for mobile, and other smart phone photographers, without stripping the power of the “Classic” Lightroom program.  Adobe promises to keep up with innovation on both versions of Lightroom.  We will be watching.

If you, like many, are still confused, just know that the CC and Classic versions are both included among the options in the Adobe Photography Subscription Plan, and still cost only  $9.99/month.  

My course will be covering the full power of the Lightroom CC Classic Program. 

When I in initially planned my course, I thought that that four, two-hour classes would be enough to cover the lightroom's many features, but because of my tendency to ramble and lots of great questions, I added a fifth class to cover Lightroom’s image sharing tools, including Slide Show, Book, Printing and Web Modules.

Why A Sixth Class?

Focus Stacking in Photoshop

Lightroom is a great program which covers most organizing and editing needs of the majority of photography enthusiasts, but there are many aspects of fine tuning that can be performed best from within the scary confines of Photoshop.  My Lightroom students frequently asked, “When are you going to do a course on Photoshop?”.  The prospect of trying to organize a comprehensive course on this massive program scares me to death.  But perhaps an easier approach is to take a smaller bite of the apple.  Some time ago I added a fifth class to my Lightroom course and this time I will be adding a sixth session.

Deep DOF with Focus Stacking

Lightroom to Photoshop, The Why and How

I will focus on the transition from Lightroom to Photoshop.  Starting with pictures which have been optimally edited in Lightroom, I will examine some of the important ways that Photoshop can refine those images using more precise selections, layers and compositing.  Consider it a chance to dangle your toes in the ocean of possibilities that is Photoshop.  For many who already own Photoshop as part of the Adobe Photography Plan, it can be an encouragement to take the plunge.

I have held previous Lightroom classes at my home in Spofford NH, seated comfortably around my dining room table.  Last year, the great folks at Monadnock Imaging in Keene generously offered to host the class at their store in Keene New Hampshire.  This has made the location more easily accessible, especially during the snowy winter weeks. With my next course in January, I will again gratefully accept Monadnock Imaging’s hospitality.  There will be no struggling over Chesterfield Hill in a blizzard, except for me.

There will be not five, but six, two-hour, evening sessions, and of course, snacks will be provided. The expanded course will be $225.  Please get in touch by phone or email as soon as possible to reserve your spot on the list.  I look forward to seeing you and to sharing my wonder over the amazing capabilities of Lightroom CC Classic.

Jeff Newcomer

jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

www.partridgebrookreflections.com

603-363-8338  

Fall Foliage Workshop Weekend

Green River Bridge, Vermont

Fall Foliage Workshop
October 12th – 14^th, 2018
Monadnock Region and Southern Vermont

The weather is finally cooling a bit and I’m beginning to see the early traces of color in a few of our trees.  I hate to see the summer pass, but it is good to feel the first signs of autumn’s arrival.  This summer has been hot and hectic, but now that our various trips are out of the way and all the commotion around Abigail’s wedding celebrations has past, I can finally grab a breath and prepare for New England’s most beautiful time of year. 

Md. Sherri's "Castle"

Autumn also marks the beginning of my teaching schedule.  First up, is my Introduction to Digital Photography Course which starts on Tuesday evening, September 19^th.  As always, the course is offered through the Keene Community Education Program and includes 8 hours of classroom discussion and two photoshoots.  We are fully book but if you are interested you could check with the Community Education office for late cancellations.

Third Annual Fall Foliage Workshop

I am especially excited about my Third Annual Fall Foliage Workshop.  As before I will be offering the program on the weekend after the Columbus Day weekend, this year, October 12^th-14^th.  Conditions vary from year to year, but I have found good color on these days and, by avoiding the holiday, we have escaped much of the crowds.     

Gathering Around the Table

2017 Workshop

Our base of operations will again be around my dining room table in Spofford, NH.  I will host the participants at my home on Friday evening for snacks and a discussion about photography in general, and the specific opportunities and challenges of foliage photography.  Based on the conditions, It will also be time to plan the shooting for all day Saturday and Sunday morning.  













Saturday 

Saturday, we will head out early to explore as many different locations as possible.  My goal. Will be to place the group in beautiful locations and then help them get the most from the opportunities. Depending on the state of the color we may travel west to some of my favorite locations in southern Vermont, such as Guilford and the magic village of Green River, or we may explore the hills and farms around the Monadnock region including my own village of Chesterfield.

In the evening, we will return to the dining room table for an informal feast of pizza and some gentle critiquing of the day’s shoot.

Hancock New Hampshire

Sunday Morning
We will head out again Sunday morning for more of our exploration of color, and I will finally let people go around noon. I promise you will come away exhausted but thrilled with the experience.  I look forward to sharing my love for photography in this special time of year.

Autumn Festival, Townsend Vermont

The three-day program is $195, including the delicious snacks and an elegant pizza dinner.  Currently there are a few spaces left in the workshop.  To keep the numbers manageable, I try to limit the participants to less than 6-7.   Please get in touch as soon as you can, by email or phone, to assure your place on the workshop list. If you are coming from outside of the area, I can send you a list of some the best local accommodations. 

• 2017 Fall Foliage Workshop
• 2016 Fall Foliage Workshop
  
  
  
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Introduction to Lightroom Classic – AND the Transition to Photoshop
Six Tuesday Evenings January 8th - February 12thMonadnock Imaging, Main Street Keene New Hampshire

And don’t forget to plan for my Introduction to Lightroom Course coming up in January and again being offered at Monadnock Imaging in Keene NH.   This year I will be adding a fifth evening class covering the transition from Lightroom to Photoshop.

Jeff Newcomer
www.partridgebrookreflections.com
jeffn49@myfairpoint.net
603-363-8338  

The Lightroom Catalog (Basic Concepts)

My Lightroom Catalog
Actually, Melk Abbey Library, Austria

I’ve just finished my Introduction to Adobe Lightroom Class.    This was the fourth time I have offered the course and I have found two important themes that have been consistent throughout each of the sessions.  

First I am amazed how much I learn each time I prepare the material for the classes. My students always seem to come up with questions that challenge my own understanding of this remarkably capable program, and I am invariably stimulated to come up with refinements of my explanations. Perhaps, at some point, I will get it all right, but then it will be time to move on to something else.

The other persistant issue that seems to come out of every class is the confusion over the functions of the Lightroom Catalog.  This is so essential for the understanding of how Lightroom works that I spend much of my first two hour class discussing the topic, and yet the misunderstandings always seem to linger.  Mostly, it must be my fault, but I think sometimes the students are so excited to get to the “sexy” parts, especially the powerful editing functions, that they blow right past the boring nuts and bolts of how the program actually works.  At the end of this last class I asked everyone to suggest topics that could have benefited from greater emphasis and it all seemed to come down to the care and feeding of the Lightroom Catalog.  It was only after they had manipulated some images, tried to understand where those changes were to be found, and how to translate them to actual flesh and blood image files, that they appreciated the importance of that obscure catalog.

I’ll try to spend more time on the catalog in my next class, but here is another run at a few questions that might help to clarify what the Lightroom catalog is, and perhaps more importantly, what it is not.

Where do Image Files Go When they are Imported to Lightroom

The first problem is the word “Import”.  Import suggests that the image files are physically added to Lightroom and this is never true.  When images are imported, it is only information about the files that is stored in the Lightroom Catalog. Rather than “Import”, a better term might be “Referenced” since the original image file is not moved or altered.  Lightroom’s import process only involves “telling” the program essential pieces of information about the files, such as that the files exist, where they are located, and how they have been edited in the program.  This is easier to understand when Lightroom is importing information about images that are already on the computer, but confusion can occur when the files are being uploaded to the computer from memory cards.  Lightroom provides a convenient mechanism to import file information into the Lightroom Catalog, at the same time that image files are being uploaded to the computer, but it is important to understand the difference between uploading the physical image file and importing the file information to the Catalog.  Careful study of this overly busy flow diagram may be helpful in separating the two processes.

The Database Advantage

Unlike Adobe Bridge, Lightroom is not a file based management system.  Lightroom is a database, that keeps track of information about each image file.  For each image, the program registers only four pieces of information:

1. A set of previews used to display and manipulate the image 
2. A list of all the editing that's has been applied from within Lightroom
3. The Metadata recorded within the file 
4. The physical location of the file in the computer

Contents of Lightroom Catalog Directory

• Catalog Data: [catalog name].lrcat
• Image Previews: [catalog name] Previews.lrdata
• Smart Previews (Lightroom 5 and later): [catalog name] Smart Previews.lrdata

Because Lightroom is a database, which manipulates relatively short text files, it can perform tasks, such as searching and sorting, much more quickly than file based programs, such as  Adobe Bridge.  This becomes more important when dealing with a large or scattered library.   When my own image library exceeded 400,000 pictures, Bridge became impractically cumbersome, and to take advantage of the efficiency of the database model, I finally made the jump to Lightroom. 

I can't resist pointing out that, although Melk Abbey's ancient library contains about 100,000 manuscripts, incunabula  (printed works before 1500), and books, my catalog has over 400k files, of course of slightly less antiquity.


Keep it in Lightroom : A Disadvantage

As an image management program, Lightroom is amazing, but it does have disadvantages.  Because Lightroom manipulates information about the images and not the image files themselves,  it requires more care with the movement of files.  It is important to establish the habit of only moving files from within Lightroom.  In one sense, Lightroom doesn’t “know” where an image file is, it only knows where we have  told it that it is located.  Files that are moved outside of Lightroom will be lost to the program, generating the dreaded "!" flag on the files, and "?" marking their directories. These orphans can be found and re-registered, but, a lot of pain can be avoided by following the “Keep it all in Lightroom” mantra.

 

Found It : Catabane Falls, Now gone

Where is the Lightroom Catalog?

The Lightroom Catalog is stored in a directory that can be located anywhere in the computer, but, by default, is found at:

Windows: \Users\[user name]\Pictures\Lightroom

Mac OS: /Users/[user name]/Pictures/Lightroom

 
If it is in a different location, it can be found in the Catalog Settings of the Lightroom Preferences.

You can have as many catalogs as you wish.  Some photographers keep separate catalogs for work and personal images, but without a compelling reason to compartmentalize your work, a single catalog may be a simpler option.

What Happens when I Edit Images in Lightroom

Image Edited in Lightroom

The essential thing to understand is that all editing in Lightroom is nondestructive.  Repeat after me, “Nondestructive”.   Changes that are made during editing are applied to the preview image in Lightroom, but not to the actual physical images.  

Actual image is not altered on the drive while
Lightroom Adjustments STAY in Lightroom

These changes can be thought of a series of instructions that are saved with the image information in the Lightroom Catalog.  They affect the appearance of the preview image but are not applied to the pixels of an actual image until the
file leaves Lightroom.  Stepping out of Lightroom occurs when editing switches to an external editor, such as Photoshop, or when the image is“Exported” to a physical file format, such as jpg, tif or psd.  This also occurs when images are shared such as in books, web pages or on social media.

Export Dialog, Leaving Lightroom

 

The key point is that all the editing changes you make are simply a set of instructions that don’t get applied until the image ventures from the warm safety of Lightroom into the dark, pixel based, world, and even then the original Raw file stays intact.  That is why there is no “Save” command in Lightroom.

Wall's End, Guilford Vermont, 
Final image with Lightroom Adjustments Exported the file

The Nondestructive Life

I hope this discussions has helped clarify some of the confusion about Lightroom Catalogs.  The more I try to simplify, the more complex it seems to get.  I have not covered many related topics such as how to move, combine, rename, back-up or delete catalogs.  This could be a topic for a future blog, but all of these details are clarified in numerous articles on the web.  

Summing Up

The essential thing to understand is that Lightroom is a database program used to keep track of images on your computer.  

When you edit photos, rate them, add keywords to them, or make other changes, as long as you are in Lightroom, the  changes are stored in the catalog, but the photo files themselves are never touched. 

 
Don’t you wish life was like this.  Try anything you want, take any risk, make disastrous mistakes, and it is ALL “nondestructive”.  When you finally like the results just press “Export”.

Jeffrey Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com