12 minutes to teach you to use Lightroom.

Learning Lightroom is simple, we only need to master a relatively fixed process, and from Photoshop based on pixel adjustment to switch a new idea. Unlike Photoshop, all of the adjustment operations in Lightroom are recorded as parameters and do not have any effect on the original image.

No matter what kind of landscaping or adjustments we make to the photo, the change is just the way Lightroom presents the photos. In other words, the entire process is non-destructive from beginning to end, and there is no operation to open or save the file, only the management and maintenance of raw files. At its root, Lightroom is like a database that stores all the image data, while preserving all of our operational records for the image. So the first step in using Lightroom is to find the file location and import it into the database. While importing files, we can add information such as keywords and copyrights to the file. After the import, we can organize and adjust the files, all of which are done in 7 different interfaces of Lightroom, which are called modules.

The library module and the modified photo module are the core of Lightroom and the focus of this tutorial. First we use the Library module to import and manage files, and then edit them in the Modify photo module, including polishing, halftone adjustment, adding special effects, and so on. It will only take a few minutes for us to grasp what is said above. And when we have mastered the techniques of halftone adjustment, selective adjustment, creation and use of presets, a whole new world will unfold before us.

01 Importing Images

Start Lightroom and go to the Gallery module. Click on the Import button on the lower left to open the Select Source panel, find the files you want to work with, select them all, and then type the keywords "model, Sarah, Portrait, and Shadow" on the right-hand key-word board. Click the Import button to import the file. Use the shortcut key E to enter the enlarged view, the arrow keys to browse the photos.

02 Selection and Grading

Use shortcut keys 0 through 5 for rating ratings. For the obvious failure of the work can be directly deleted using the DEL key, good works can get a higher score. Use the shortcut key to open the Filter menu, click the property option to filter files according to the star. Use the shortcut key CTRL + A to select all the files, and click the plus sign on the Favorites folder to create favorites for them.

03 Basic Adjustments

Select the Create Favorites command and name it "Sara selected". Next, open the Modify photo module, first use the right base panel to improve the picture tone. From top to bottom in turn, adjust the color temperature to 4061, hue-1, exposure +0.65, contrast +8, Gao Guang +39, Shadow +42, clarity +18, natural saturation +54, saturation +21.

04 Using Presets

Click on the thumbnail below to select a second photo, open the left preset panel, and click here to provide different presets to see their respective effects on the right. The legend is the effect of the color preset > Cross process 3. Use the history panel below the preset panel to undo what we did earlier.

05 Adjustment Brushes

Select the third photo, select the white balance eyedropper tool above the base panel to click on the gray wall behind the character to correct the color of the screen. Use the lower slider to adjust the tone, and then select the Adjust Brush tool in the upper toolbar. Open effect pull-down menu choose soft skin and smear in skin position, then choose aperture enhancement effect to smear your eyes.

06 Sharpening and synchronizing

Click the 1:1 option above the navigator to observe the details in the original size. The sharpening quantity is set to 68, RADIUS 1.2 in the detail panel, and the noise-reducing part lightness slider is set to 21. Use the shortcut key CTRL + A to select 3 photos and click the Sync button to check for sharpening and reducing noise. Finally execute File > Export command application Modifications.

TIPS:

Sync and presets: Because all the editing adjustments for Lightroom are based on parameters, we can easily apply the adjustment settings of a picture to other photos. This feature is very handy, for example, to quickly correct a large number of photos taken in the same environment, such as white balance. To copy a picture's parameters to another photo, just select two photos at the same time and click Sync. If you want to keep a picture set up for later use, you can also save it as a preset by clicking the plus sign above the preset menu.

Import Photos: When we plug a memory card or camera into the computer, the Lightroom Import dialog box will open automatically. Using the card reader to import the file can save us a lot of time, we can choose to copy the file directly to the hard disk, or you can convert the file to DNG format and then copy to the hard disk. In addition, in this process we can also add keywords, copyright information for the file, and apply the preset for initial adjustment.