Lightroom Q&A

Here’s another Q&A from the comments page for you.
QuestionOn August 3 you published a short-cut for assessing the TAT tools. Is thereOn August 3 you published a short-cut for selecting the TAT tools. Is there a short-cut for putting them away? Invariably, I forget to put them away, and end up making changes I don’t want to make.
Thanks for all your tips! Excellent. – Linda Q.

AnswerI always just hit the Escape key to get out of the TAT tool. Seems to work just fine.

Video – Desaturated Effect

The HSL/Color/Grayscale Panel is way cool when it comes to pumping up specific colors in your photo. I think the coolest part is that this is all being done to the raw file nondestructively. However, there’s a lot more you can do with this panel when you really start to experiment with it. Things that may normally require a trip to Photoshop can be done right in the HSL panel in Lightroom. In this week’s video, you’ll learn a great way to achieve a popular technique with this panel and also a way to make it so you can apply this technique to other photos as well.

Click here to watch the video. (11 Mb)

TIP: Shortcut for Switching Modules

As you work your photos in Lightroom you’d probably be surprised at how many times you switch modules. You also probably still click on the module names up in the top right corner right? Well I’ve got the shortcuts for you to help you do it faster but, more importantly, I’ve got a way to help you remember them too. First, the shortcut for switching modules is Ctrl-Alt (Mac: Cmd-Option) and the numbers 1-5. So think of it this way, from left to right are Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print and Web. The numbers 1-5 correspond to each one of those modules in order so it becomes really easy to start remembering the shortcuts. And if you’re like me, I switch modules constantly during the day so anything that can help me remember how to do it faster is a good thing in my book (ever wonder what “my book” really is? ). Well everyone, hope you have a great weekend.

Lightroom Q&A

I received an interesting question today and thought I would share it with you:
QuestionIs there a way in Lightroom of achieving the colour boost (PoP) that we use in Photoshop in LAB mode where we adjust the A and B channels by steepening the curve gradient. In other words – how can we achieve the same ‘popping’ effect in Lightroom without the need to go across into Photoshop?
- Thanks in anticipation of your advice.
- Geoff W – Australia
AnswerGeoff. There is no equivalent to that move in Lightroom. Lightroom edits in the ProPhoto RGB color space only. You can’t change it. So you’ll definitely need to go over into Photoshop to recreate that effect. Thanks!
- Matt K

Video – Behind the Scenes with Clarity

The Clarity slider was introduced a couple months ago with Lightroom 1.1. Up until now I’ve always told people it was the “make your photo better” slider. I’ve found out the hard way, though, that most folks want to know a little more of what’s going on. So that’s what this video is about. I dig down a little deeper into the Clarity slider, and show you what’s really going on and share how I use it with my photos.
Click here to watch the video. (12 Mb)

Friday Tip – T.A.T. Shortcut

You know those little Target Adjustment Tools (affectionately known as TATs) that are in the Tone Curve panel, as well as the HSL and Grayscale panels? Well, one thing that bugged me for quite a while was always having to select them in order to use them over and over again. That is, until I found the keyboard shortcuts. Now, you may thinking that’s a no-brainer right? Nope. The keyboard shortcuts for the TATs are not where you’d think they would be (actually, I have no idea where they “should” be). They’re under the View menu. If you’re in the Develop module, go to View > Target Adjustment. You have to hold down the Alt-Ctrl-Shift (Mac: Option-Cmd-Shift) keys and then just hit the letter you want. H for Hue, S for Saturation, T for Tone Curve, etc… It’s a small thing but it sure made life easier when using Develop for me. Enjoy!

Learn Lightroom, Save $100, NAPP Membership

Hey, I’ve got another one of those blatant plugs for you. Want a way to learn more about Lightroom, save $100, and become a NAPP member all at once? Sign up for Photoshop World today. See, the early bird special runs out today. If you sign up next week you’ll be spending an extra $100. Plus, there’s an entire track dedicated to Lightroom. I’ll be teaching in it, as well as some of the top experts in the field like Chris Orwig, George Lepp, Tim Grey, and Jerry Courvoisier. Plus, if you’re not a NAPP member then you will be after you sign up (a $100 value). If you are a NAPP member then you save an extra $100 bucks on the price. Sign up soon though. Photoshop World sold out in Boston and this one is on track to do the same. Things are selling out like crazy too (my Layers pre-con is already sold out and we still have a month left). Go check out the class schedule at www.photoshopworld.com. Hope to see you there.

Wednesday Inspiration – ShadowDetails.com

Here’s a website of some one who posted some feedback in the comments section here. His name is Patrick Cavan Brown and he’s a Documentary and Commercial Advertising Photographer. If you want a shorter version of his title just call him “One Heck-of-a photographer”. That’s exactly what he is. He’s got one of those portfolios that has a little bit of everything in it and I think that’s why I liked it so much. So check out Patrick’s work at www.shadowdetails.com. (Photo Credit: Patrick Cavan Brown)