ok, so i downloaded this thing to try it (i must say i'm a raw shooter and ACR is my best friend). BUT, with the raves, i thought i'd see how this could make me better.

all i know is...
i cannot open a file
i cannot save changes
images take for EVER to import (although i understand the RAM requirements are ridiculous)
when i try to download images from a cf card, lightroom launches and takes over my computer and won't let me have my files - this actually required me to uninstall this 'marvel' so that i could back up files.

can anyone point me to what the heck i need to do to get started??

i don't want to know all the great things it does - THAT has a plethora of resources - just how do i START? i don't want lightroom to take over!

so far, lightroom has left me in the dark i feel soooooooooooo stupid, and i don't like lightroom, yet. especially if i'm going to spend more time than i do now.

help?

I quickly read this to my husband and his first response was dont download off the card but download to the hardrive then import into lightroom

First, go into Lightroom/Preferences/File Management and choose 'do nothing' when it detects a card.

Then download your card into a folder (however you organize).

Then go into Lightroom (library module) and click import. Choose your folder that has the originals. It'll take a few moments depending on how many images you have.

When you get to this point, then you're ready to rate/develop/etc.

I'm glad you posted this, because I don't quite understand some of this either. Especially the saving of files. And I still don't understand why you couldn't turn off that bothersome opening of LR when inserting a card.

Not yet that impressed!

Download like usual.

You don't need to open - you import. You don't need to save - you export.

In this case, that time importing can be double-used. When you start the import, go to a full sized image. Click the middle flag to the right of "Filters" that says "show unflagged images only" - now if you press the first image you can start culling. P for yes, keep it. X for no, get rid of it. When you've P & X'd everything and the import is finished, you can unclick the middle flag and click just the Picked flag (first flag). Now you can begin editing. When you're done editing everything, just press ctrl A, Ctrl Shift E and export them.

M

Ok, here it goes:

Lightroom creates more of a database than anything else. You are never editing your original files. Thus, there is no save and no open. There is only import & export. When you are editing files, it is simply showing what the result will look like (storing the edits in a .xml file) and does not actually create the image until you export said image.

Don't download directly into lightroom. I've had issues with it - mainly because it is trying to make a database. It is better to download the images to your harddrive and then import those images into lightroom. I know it is one extra step, but it actually goes faster this way.

So - to start - open lightroom - hit file > import > select the folder/files > import - you can apply settings upon import if you want, you can also apply meta data here (such as we always apply "Copyright - Clark Production Photography, 2007 to the meta data upon import)

Once imported, click your "Library" tab and select the folder that you imported the photographs to (we usually just use the date). Click on that folder. You can now view the images individually or all of them. To edit, click the "Develop" tab in the top right. You can use presets (on the left) or make changes on your own, whatever you want.

For batch processing (there are many ways to do this), you can just make one image of a series exactly how you like it. Then, select all the images from that series with the edited one showing in the screen (aka, it is ... super selected?) ... anyway, right click on the image > Develop Settings > Sync Settings > and sync whatever you want from that image. Once you hit ok/apply it will make all the rest in the series have those exact settings. Yay for batch processing. You can also "auto sync" - I do forget how to turn this on at the moment though.

Now, once you have edited all that you want, select them all (shift + click or ctrl + a) and then hit File > Export > choose the folder and the export settings.

It will then export those. You can continue to work while exporting. The other tabs do things too, but this will get you started.

Best of luck!! (And, there are many here WAY more advanced than me in lightroom. I just happen to be here, saw the post, and thought I'd post a quick guide)

1) Export files, don't save them. Lightroom is basically a database. You "edit" the file by telling it what changes to make but it doesn't MAKE them until you export (run it through the editor?)

2) You can turn it off two ways - one's in edit/preferences. The other is a systray icon that says "Adobe Download Launcher" or something. Right click that, click exit. Gone!

He he, for those on PC's Macs - the first way is the way to go.

Quick Sidenote as this somewhat applies to this topic.

Anyone know of a tutorial book / website / online video that someone is working on (or has finished) for lightroom?

Thanks!

Yeah, and for those providing tips, remember that the newest versions will have different metaphores and terminology than the 1.0 release.

Robin, beyond the technical requirements, it's a whole different mindset and that really can throw you off. Reading the help files is a good idea (especially where the terminology is explained). But once you get the hang of it, it's great. And the new improvements seem like they read my mind for what I wished was included in the first release.

But there are "issues." Is everything really just a beta release now? I'm thinking, yes. We're all just paying to be beta testers these days.

Watch Matt's tutorials, play around with presets, practice a bit, take a deep breath, walk away every now and again, and then come back and kick some LR bootie!

I'm tellin' ya', when I first opened LR I was in the same boat. I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on, how to save, how to backup, how to do anything. Then I few evenings over the course of a week and played around with a wedding. I have to now say - I LOVE LIGHTROOM! LOVE IT! It has made my workflow super speedy. I will never turn back.

Good luck!
Emily

+! I already gave up on Lightroom. I love CS3 Photoshop so far!

You rock Robin! If you don't get it (patents and all) then it must be complicated. I totally agree with you.

thanks!

i get it - import>work (creates side car file)>export

IS THE EXPORTED FILE A .jpg? or a .jpg + .xlm? this is where i'm confused. i get the import thing, i get the .xlm file. i do not understand the export. ( i do not like to just push buttons, i like to know what it's actually doing.)

the big issue was the auto launching and hiding my files - so i will try to re-install and try to set the preferences to do nothing. i DO NOT want this thing to launch when i am trying to back up files.

my current workflow is really simple. we shoot with 4 bodies, so i
1 - download all the files form my cf card or MORE LIKELY from the little unit that i back up to (pd70x),
2 - put everything in chronological order using DIM
3 - rename in bridge
4 - burn 2 sets of backup dvd's (one for me, one for brenda that goes to another physical location)
this takes me all of about 20 minutes of real time - the downloading, sorting and renaming are all done on auto - while i go to bed or do dishes or laundry - the burning is done while i start pulling images for the album.
i do this all in bridge - and it's SIMPLE.
then, i apply a few custom presets to the raw files i select, tweak a little, convert to .jpg with a quick sharpening action and *poof* ready to build an album.

HERE'S where i want lightroom to come in. i'd like to take my RAW 'album candidate' files into bridge and tweak them out like i now do using acr. this is a smaller set of about 200-250 (depending on how awesome the wedding was), not all the images. then i'd like them to be able to be used as the finished 'proofs' for albums. (for those who don't know me, albums are my 'thing') all of my pre-designs are built with proofs right out of ACR - i'm hoping this will kick them up a notch WITHOUT adding a bazzilion hours of 'play time' to my work flow.

my big fear is that with lightroom i will spend even more time working on something, just because i can. THAT would be unacceptable.

all this in preparation for a possible investment in a 5d, which i wouldn't in a million years shoot RAW. a 12MB is a joke for what i need. non-distructive .jpg processing - that is what i'm after.


thanks so much for all your help!!!!
please, keep it coming.

jennifer, this is where i'm headed - cs3 will be coming to a computer near me, soon. BUT, i have all my web shopping cart code built into cs2 (don't ask me how - i did it a long time ago) and i cannot risk having it overwritten. i have a new cart that is getting ready to go live, and when it does, CS3 will be joining the family.

i HATE not knowing how to do something, so i am determined.

i just wish i had about 10 more hours a day.

When you export, you choose what format. If you choose JPG, it is a JPG, no XML, meta data is included though.

PS - and the 5D Raws are pretty nice. The flexibility is pretty incredible.

uh oh...
THIS scares me http://www.opensourcephoto.net/forum/index...c=14330&hl=

This bothers me too! I have selected "do nothing" in preferences, and it still launches light room every time I insert a memory card. I can't find the icon that says adobe download Launcher... help?

I am not sure if anyone has already posted this link or not. It has some good tutorials on how to use Lightroom v1.0 (very similar to 1.1 if that is what you have). Hope it helps.