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Lightroom Classic by Scott Kelby

Obregon Obregon

Is from: Southold, US
3068 posts

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Obregon Moderator Donor Ribbon awarded for his generous support to the Fundraising Campaign 2014 Donor Ribbon awarded for his generous support to the Fundraising Campaign 2015 Awarded for his in-depth knowledge and high level of skill in several areas.  Charter Member
Mon 24-Jan-22 06:47 PM
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Book by Scott Kelby.

It’s been 15 years since I first started using Lightroom. Before that I went through the lengthy process of learning Photoshop. I admit I first started using the software because of its cataloging ability. (I was spending $700 a pop for image cataloging software before then!) The original Lightroom was quite simple and easy to learn; as time passed, many capabilities were added, and it became more complex to use. Today, a beginner approaching Lightroom is bound to be intimidating. Scott Kelby has been part of the rescue effort right from the start.

Kelby goes through the various functions step by step. Lightroom has several different modules and the author explores all of them, showing the reader how to perform each function from importing them into the Library (another name for the catalog) to adjusting them for size, color and tonality in the develop module, to preparing them for printing or showing on the Internet. (You need to access the instructions for a few of the less used modules by downloading PDF’s from a website.) The author also makes his images available for you to follow along with his printed explanations, but both he and I recommend you do so with your own images. Kelby’s presentations are more demonstration than tutorial.

Even with his explanations, no one should expect that learning Lightroom will be easy. If you are looking for easy, use Windows Photos. On the other hand, if one wants to be able to control the process and create better images, one has to commit to the effort and this book will be a good guide. (Remember that you will have to subscribe to the Adobe Photography Plan to get Lightroom.)

I was particularly impressed by the easy way Kelby was able to teach the use of the newest selection tools in Lightroom. These tools allow you to apply controls to just a portion of the picture. (I used to always send my images to Photoshop after Lightroom. The Lightroom selection tools have become so sophisticated that I may never go back to Photoshop.) I also found the downloadable chapter on working with video in Lightroom quite interesting. If you’re serious about video you won’t be happy with Lightroom, but if all you want to create is a simple short video, you will learn how to do it here.

I have a few objections to some of Kelby’s suggestions. He recommends organizing images by folders and collections. I personally believe that retrieving images by using keywords is a lot faster and more accurate, although it requires the photographer to take the time to keyword photographs. Kelby shows how to do it both ways.

Unfortunately, Kelby has failed to make use of the full resources of the internet. Another Lightroom guide from the same publisher lets you access the book on line, with additional materials. You can follow the process watching videos that show you the Lightroom screen in action there. Moreover, you can have both the book and Lightroom open on your computer desktop so that you don’t have to juggle the book while trying to manipulate the screen on your computer.

New features are continually added to Lightroom, but Kelby doesn’t identify them as such, so old hands will have to wend their way through the book to find them. On the other hand, experienced users might enjoy the serendipity of finding a useful technique that was missed or forgotten.

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