This video is a quick and informal overview of the left side of the Lightroom interface – we talk mostly about Collections and now that you have everything in Lightroom, being able to find what you need in as few steps as possible.
Teacher's Notes:
- It's Hazel Olive Designs not Heather Olive Designs for the kit I mention in the video.
- Designers – just putting in a plug for naming your files with keywords – if all designers did this, technically we wouldn't have to keyword much of our digital stash. A BIG THANK YOU to those who already do this…there are too many to name but suffice it to say that your file naming is allowing customers who download your kits immediate access to quickly find their files – happy day!
- One small note – you can search multiple keywords in the filters panel – it's just not as easy as the smart collections (we'll cover this in the next tutorial).
- Please excuse my incessant throat clearing – I'm still getting over a nasty cold.
- The video ends quite abruptly – please don't take it personally – I had to wrap things up before my youngest got home from kindergarten – so no fancy ending – but all the info you need is included!
Stay tuned for more – in the next few days we will share more about keywords and filters. All good things for searching in Lightroom!
yekcal
THANK YOU!!!
I was just wondering how I was going to use all those keywords in Photoshop. I also didn’t understand how to get all my “stuff” into PS. This episode really turned on the lightbulb!
Kayla Lamoreaux
Glad you found it helpful!
Leigh-Ann
Hi Kayla
Loving your posts, I am learning so much thank you for sharing your knowledge. I do have a question for you regarding this video. When opening JPG in PS, if I choose the top choice (Edit a copy with lightroom adjustments) I end up with two of what ever I open in lightroom. I don’t even have to save it, it just automatically shows up. Is this suppose to happen? Is there a way to change it so that I don’t get a copy of the paper I just opened? Why do I open JPG’s this way and not the same way I would open PNG’s? I know a lot of questions, I am just trying to figure out what the difference is.
Thanks for all your help
Leigh-Ann
Kayla Lamoreaux
Great question. I am wondering what version of Lightroom and PS you are working in. I tested it again this morning with JPG files and opening them as copy or original all three ways there is nothing added to my catalog unless I save the file in Photoshop.
That said, the main reason you open up files as original (I’m so glad you brought this up because I forgot to share this in the video) is to open up in Layers – you can open JPEG files in layers in one document but not PNG files.
So for example if I wanted to put three different papers and photos in a layout, I could select the JPEG items in a collection and then right/ctrl click on those items and choose Edit In > Open as Layers in Photoshop. Lightroom would then export the files to one Photoshop document in layers. I am hoping that someday LR4 will do that and preserve TIF transparency. Time will tell.
Hope that helps and sorry for the misunderstanding. In the meantime if LR is giving you copies, you will probably want to choose Edit Original for all your supplies when opening to Photoshop.
hope that helps!
Leigh-Ann
Hi Kayla
Thanks for responding. I am using LR3 and CS3. I looked at it again and the reason it is probably creating a copy is that the new file is a PSD file. I went in to preferences to see if I could change this, I found the external editing tab but it does not give me the option to choose JPG, I can only choose TIFF or PSD. Is there somewhere else I should be looking so that it will open the file as a JPG in PS? (hope this makes sense).
Thanks
Leigh-Ann
Kayla Lamoreaux
When I responded to your last comment I checked everything I could think of in preferences, catalog settings, etc. My external editing is set to TIFF with LZW and I still do not get a copy of the files I export to Photoshop unless I save that file in Photoshop.
Then I did some more research and figured out the issue. Lightroom 3 has an Adobe Camera Raw developing process that is not available in Photoshop CS3 or CS4.
So when you open a JPG file with Lightroom adjustments in an external editor that is not CS5, Lightroom creates a PSD or TIFF file with that process baked in.
In this case you will want to open only Originals with no Lightroom adjustments the next time you edit in Photoshop which theoretically should circumvent the compatibility issue.
I apologize for this as there was no way to know this before I taught the class. I appreciate your comments and questions so much as someone else with CS3 or CS4 is likely to need the answers to this as well.
Let me know how it goes for you!
Kayla Lamoreaux
Here’s a link to the information I found – http://www.foto-biz.com/Lightroom/Older-photoshop
Leigh-Ann
Hi Kayla
Thanks for looking that up for me. I have been using the open only originals and it was working fine I just couldn’t figure out how you were using the first option and not ending up with tones of extra files.
I just reread your first answer to me, an realized what you said, about being able to open several files into one layered document – that is so cool! Unfortunately that option is greyed out on my menu, is that another “need to upgrade to CS5″ feature?
Love all the info you are sharing.
Leigh-Ann
Kayla Lamoreaux
I am thinking because of the Adobe Camera Raw incompatibility between CS3 and LR3 that is why it is greyed out. Mine was that with CS4 but once I upgraded to CS5 everything has been working wonderfully.
These are just a few features but not completely necessary to the process. However, with your photos you will avoid several duplicates if you do upgrade. I can see that it would be an issue if you do a lot of photo editing in Lightroom and then in Photoshop on top of that.
I don’t think you HAVE to upgrade.
Leigh-Ann
Thanks Kayla, that’s what I thought.
I have been catching up on your videos and posts today and you have given me a lot to think about.
Thanks
Leigh-Ann