I thought it was time for another Q&A post since I had a lot of questions from comments built up. Here goes:

What do you do if you add a color to the graduated filter and want to remove it from objects in the forground?
Last week I did a video showing how to erase (kind of) areas of the Graduated filter and that’s where this question came from. The answer unfortunately is no – you’re pretty much out of luck. You can always try to paint with the Adjustment Brush and add the opposite color (if you added blue, then try adding yellow to counteract it) but that’s a bit of a hack and would give you unpredictable results. So, if you fall into this category, your best bet may just be using the Adjustment Brush instead so you don’t affect the area you don’t want color in.

Do you know when the LR2 ACE is coming out?
Nope. I haven’t heard of a date yet. I’ve seen estimates that it may come out as early as the beginning of 2009 but nothing definite. The LR 1 ACE came out about a year or so after LR 1 was released so let’s hope that LR 2 doesn’t follow.

What is an .M4V file and why are your movies in that format?
The .M4V video format is a Quicktime video format that iTunes requires for podcasts. Right now, the video posts here “should” be mirrored in iTunes (I know there’s some issues there) so you can grab the podcasts from there too. If you want to watch them, you need to download Apple’s free QT player. However, our web team is working on a video player that will let you watch the videos directly from the website and I’ll keep you posted.

Isn’t Quicktime the video player that constantly pops up ads and asked you to buy a bunch of crap?
Nope, that’s Real Player. I avoid it like the plague. Quicktime is actually very nice and may just remind you from time to time that there’s a Full version available out there for a $29 purchase 😉

Do you directly answer individual questions, or is there a way for me to get answers to specific questions?  For example, how will I get an answer to this inquiry?
OK, I get this question a lot. Folks will post a comment and say they couldn’t find a contact email address for me. The reason being is I actually get every single comment that comes through on this site (via email updates). I’m the sole comment “controller” if you will, so when you post a comment it’s like emailing me. If you have a question that’s the best place to get it answered. That said, it’s impossible for me to go in and answer all questions which is why I’m extremely grateful that a group of people are active on the comments and help answer questions (THANK YOU!!!).

Is it possible to understand Lightroom 2 with the Lightroom 1 book and your online classes?  
I thought this was a good question to cover here because the person who asked mentioned the slower economic times and how they’re trying to make the most of what they have. I figured, he’s not the only one in this boat. So here’s the deal. I absolutely think you can learn LR 2 with a Lightroom 1 book / DVD / online training class. Lightroom 2 hasn’t changed dramatically since version 1. The Library is still the Library and the Develop module is still Develop. I will say this. Collections have changed, Folders have changed a little and the Develop and Print modules have some major new features. There’s also a ton of other little things that make LR 2 a worthwhile upgrade. If you’re fairly savvy with imaging programs you can probably figure the stuff out, and I’d definitely recommend to use what you have available to you before you run out and buy something new. However, if you’re not that savvy and just learning, then having a different interface with different tools and layout is most likely going to get confusing as you try to learn. In the end though, I’d say give it a try. If you find it difficult to to figure things out with your existing training material then it may be time to grab a new book or DVD/Online training course.

Will the DNG Camera Profiles (covered in this video) work for photos in the JPEG format?
Nope. The camera profiles in the Calibration panel will only work for Raw and DNG files.

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