Part 1: Getting Started with Lightroom Classic
If you’re new to Lightroom Classic — or new to digital photography — you’ll definitely want to spend some time in Part 1. I’ve seen too many people get off on the wrong foot with Lightroom Classic and lose time (and sleep) trying to get themselves back on track because they didn’t get a few basic concepts under their belt first. I’ve helped quite a few folks get back on track, and I know some of the more common pitfalls, so here’s your chance to benefit from my experience so you can spend more time productively working with your photos. In this part, I also explain the differences between the two versions of Lightroom and help guide you toward the one that best fits your needs.
Part 2: Managing Your Photos with Lightroom Classic
Managing data might be the least sexy part of a photographer’s workflow; however, it’s possibly the most essential. Considering that the volume of photos we photographers produce increases each year, this is an aspect of the workflow you have no choice but to get right. To be honest, this aspect of Lightroom Classic is where people have the most trouble.
Part 3: Working in Lightroom Classic’s Digital Darkroom
This part is where you work to realize the vision you had the moment the shutter clicked. For some, it’s as much fun as the capture, but for others, it’s a chore to accomplish the greatest quality in the least amount of time. Lightroom Classic can meet the needs of both kinds of people.
Part 4: Sharing Your Work with the World
Unless you’re satisfied with the process of only making photographs, you’re going to require some form of output and sharing that extends beyond just your eyeballs. Lightroom Classic offers several options for output.
Part 5: The Part of Tens
You can think of this section as how to get started with the new Lightroom for Lightroom Classic users. I want to achieve three things with this part of the book: I want to prepare you for the option of using Lightroom Classic and Lightroom together; I want you to know the basics of organizing and editing in Lightroom on the mobile platform; and I want to teach you about my absolute favorite mobile phone camera app found in Lightroom for mobile.
Conventions Used in This Book
Lightroom Classic is wonderfully identical on both Windows and Mac operating systems. I use both operating systems, but I create the majority of screen captures on Mac because that’s what I use most. However, I do include Windows captures where needed to highlight the few places where there are minor differences in the interface or dialog boxes, and there are a few captures from mobile devices where needed.
In the case of keyboard shortcuts (and there are many), I lead off with the Mac shortcut and always include the Windows shortcut in parentheses right after. All the shortcuts that don’t require an additional modifier key are the same on both platforms. When I give an instruction for opening a contextual menu, I use the term right-click even though you may not be using an input device with a right-click button. For the Mac, right-clicking is the same as Control-clicking something to invoke the contextual menu, though you may have a mouse for Mac that has a right-click button too.
With regard to menu commands, I use the convention of separating each menu command with this cute arrow, ⇒ . For example, I tell you to choose Lightroom Classic ⇒ Quit Lightroom (File ⇒ Exit for Windows) to quit. You can also quit the program by pressing ⌘ +Q (Ctrl+Q for Windows).
Icons Used in This Book
Scattered throughout this book you find some nifty little icons that point out bits of information that are especially useful, important, or noteworthy.
Beyond the Book
Like every For Dummies book, this one comes with a free Cheat Sheet that brings together some of the most commonly needed information for people struggling with Lightroom Classic. Turn to this for a handy list of shortcuts, a closeup of what’s included around image thumbnails, all the tools available on the Library Toolbar, and what to do when things go wrong. To get the Cheat Sheet, head for www.dummies.com and, using the Search box, search for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic For Dummies Cheat Sheet.
Where to Go from Here
If you’re just starting out, my advice to you is to visit Part 1 sooner rather than later. Beyond that, this book is intended to be a reference that you can rely on when you find yourself stuck or that you can use proactively to avoid the most common pitfalls before you go in.
Be sure to check out my website, https://Lightroomers.com, and my weekly Lightroom blog at https://LightroomKillerTips.com for the latest news, tips, and tutorials on both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom.
Part 1
Getting Started with Lightroom Classic
IN THIS PART …
Familiarizing yourself with the Lightroom Classic interface.
Understanding how catalogs work.
Using Lightroom Classic’s most basic features.
Chapter 1
Getting
