Lightroom Tutorial Part 1- Importing the Images, Basic
Free Stuff
Importing The Images
The Whys
The place we go that extra step to clarify. Answering the Whys that help to pass along the understanding beyond the video of this wonderful piece of software, Adobe Lightroom. Importing the images can be easy and you can give it a repeatable consistency to arrive at something that allows a dependency on knowing the date is available as you browse images. Get this out of the way and do what you enjoy………making and editing photos.
Why and How to set-up a template with date as the name. Name your photos with a 6-digit number that at a glance tells the date the image was created. Also create the template to add things to the metadata like copyright and the 2-star rating system that I use to organize in the video. If you’re new to Lightroom and importing the images note that the trips and subjects important to you can be together even across multiple days or folders. That is done in the Collections section of Lightroom. We’ll cover that in an upcoming article.
In the Library Module Menu, Go To Library
and Down to “Rename Photos”
The window will open to rename whatever photo is selected. Click to change the entry next to “File Naming” to Edit.The “Filename Template Editor” will appear.This is the place to create your custom filename. To start fresh be sure the large box near the top is empty. Delete if not. In “Sequences and Dates” click on date to find many options at arranging the date. Select the date with two Y’s (Year), two M’s (Month) and two D’s (Day). Look above the box to see how you’re shaping the name as the example confirms. 180219. Place a hyphen after the date and then add the sequential number with 3 digits. When all looks the way you want, go back to the top to change “Custom” to “Save Current Settings as New Preset…”. Name it with your new numbering format, YYMMDD-001. Click done. Be sure not to change a selected image that may be highlighted while you’re creating this number format. Once created this can be selected as you import your images from the import panel.
Portraiture Option: You can use the option at the bottom of the editor “Custom Text” as part of your numbering template. Then using this in the file naming section as you’re importing images from your camera an option will appear for entering your custom text as part of the name of each image being imported. It could be different each time you add images. Or, use the name of your subject or a coded indicator about your job.
In the Library Module, Go To Metadata
and Down to “Edit Metadata Presets”
The window will open to edit or create new metadata presets. To create new presets just fill in the blanks showing information that you’d like to have saved in your image file. For each line that you add an entry be sure to check the box at the right end of that line.To edit an existing preset click where it says custom at the top and select an existing preset. Make the necessary changes and be sure the check is at the right end of the line.
To add Copyright symbol “©” in Adobe Lightroom. Use the combination of Option and the letter G and see © appear. Copyright should appear in this form: ©Gary Culley, 2018.
Consider filling in things about where you are located and how to make contact if someone sees your photo and wants to license its use. eMail, phone number and country. Also, select Copyrighted in the dropdown unless you have feelings against that entry. Then you may select public domain. When all the entries are just the way you like go back to the top. Change “custom” to “Save Current Settings as a New Preset”. You’ll be prompted to give it a name. If you are editing an existing preset choose accordingly.
Take a minute while you’re in this Edit environment to click back where the name is and you’ll see the options to delete and edit your presets. Your initial selections may not produce as you planned. You can make the necessary changes or even delete and start again. Questions? Let me know.
Importing The Images is getting easier with these presets we can have a numbering style and system of our own design. We can also add the Copyright to remind viewers of the owner of a given image. All can help to speed your workflow and get the images to the edit, fix and create mode also available in Lightroom.
Here Are Some Whys.
You May Have More.
Leave a Comment or DM Gary at InstaGram….GaryCulleyPhotographer
Why So Many Previews?
Lighroom was created to reduce the need to open the large image files. Files that seem to be larger every few years. It makes a much faster workflow. Previews take the place of opening files. There are previews in different sizes. Small to represent the thumbnails; larger to be in the middle pane and 1:1 when you zoom in to check focus at 100%. Only the 1:1 previews can be set to automatically delete after 30 days. So we can use them when our work is fresh and know that 30 days out the large previews will disappear. Keeping our software as fast and efficient as possible. And we can recreate those monster previews, if needed, from the Library Module ( Library/Previews/Build 1:1 Previews ). Automatic housekeeping…..just what I need.
Did you know that your raw files never “open” in Lightroom? What happens on Import to your file is a creation process. Previews are created in numerous sizes for you to access and edit your imagery. Your edits and all the detail you do to the image is kept as instruction with but not in the raw file.
Set-up to auto-delete the 1:1’s. Access the settings under Lightroom menu in “Lightroom Catalog Settings”, then “File Handling”. See the existing settings. If the option for deleting the 1:1’s had been set already to “Never” your catalog file size would be impacted in a very big way. Set it to 30 days or less.
