Getting Started with Lightroom(and Solving Common Lightroom Issues)
Below is a list of Lightroom articles or tutorials that I recommend that beginners start with — first to decide whether to go with Lightroom, and then once you get started, to understand the unique way in which Lightroom works with a catalog, so that potential misunderstandings don’t lead to serious problems and regrets. Finally there are some posts listed that go into the subtleties of how to do some basic tasks, that can otherwise be frustrating.
Where to Start:
- Should I Learn Lightroom, Photoshop or Both?
- About Your Images and the Lightroom Catalog
- Videos: Importing Photos and Videos into Lightroom
- Video: Organizing and Managing Your Photos and Videos (A Must See to Avoid Major Headaches!)
- Video: Overview of Developing an Image in Lightroom 4 and Lightroom 5
- Video: Basics of Developing an Image in Lightroom 4 and 5 (Basic Panel)
- I Would Cry If I Lost the Work I Did Today: How to Back Up Your Lightroom Photo Library
- Why Do I Have Question Marks on My Folders and Exclamation Marks on My Images?
- Avoiding Lightroom Generated Headaches and Heart Attacks
- How to Select Images in Lightroom (It’s more subtle than you may think, and misunderstandings can lead to trouble!)
- I Can’t Figure Out Where Lightroom Has Put My Photos — Seeing Your Folders in Lightroom
- Using Lightroom’s Folders Panel to Rearrange Photos and Folders
- Why can’t I Rearrange My Photos in Lightroom?
- Why Do I See My Images Change as Lightroom Imports Them? (Not important for beginners to read if you don’t see this or aren’t concerned about it.)
For in-depth and comprehensive Lightroom training, and to learn to develop your photos in Lightroom to their maximum potential, I would highly recommend you check out my top-rated Lightroom 3, 4 and 5 Workshops on Video. For both new and experienced Lightroom users, the Fundamentals & Beyond series is an excellent one to start with!
Sign up for my mailing list to receive free PDF’s of my favorite Lightroom shortcuts and for access to more free video tutorials:
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Your DVD provides a lot of valuable information in a very clear way. If only I had known about it before embarking on my own…
I will be contacting you for individual time to get me organized.
Thanks for your knowledge and magic,
Raleigh Harmon
Thank you, Raleigh! I am glad it has worked out well for you and look forward to hearing from you. If you happen to have time to write a short review on Amazon at some point, it would be much appreciated! (Amazon does not require that you have purchased it through them.) Here’s the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Lightroom-Fundamentals-Beyond-Workshop-DVD/dp/0615520545/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317146348&sr=8-1
Hi Raleigh, thanks so much for the customer review on Amazon … I really appreciate you taking the time. You’re a “10++…” customer!
Hi Laura,
There are piles of “how to” books, manuals and DVDs in my home on the topics of photo editing and handling for several software applications and programs as well as the plug-ins. The most utilized by me is your DVD on Lightroom. Simple precise information is shared in a step by step manner in a way that is easy to follow even for an old dog like me. It is taught to learn the program in a common sense way. I think It is done better than any other learning source that I have access to. Well done and thank you! Your teaching skills shine through. Many sources have good information but few ever learn how to teach it and make it fun to boot.
This going to be good,
I’ll be back…and keep those tips and helpful extras in my mailbox!
Ray Christian in Baldwin New York
Thanks so much for the wonderful not, Ray! I am happy that it has worked out well for you.
Laura,
Do you have a DVD for Lightroom 4?
Hope so. Just bought it.
Dianne
Hi Dianne, yes, my LR 4 DVD is at this link:
https://laurashoe.com/lightroom-video-tutorial-training-dvd/lightroom-4-fundamentals-and-beyond-video-tutorials/
I will have a second series on the output modules, including the new Book module, hopefully by the end of April.
btw ……..I have 3.6……….lightroom
I have a beginner user question about cropping. How can I crop an image just in one direction without having the whole rectangle shrink even when i leave constrain unchecked and select custom sizing?
Hi Linda, as long as the padlock is unlocked, you should be able to drag from an edge, rather than a corner, to crop in just one direction.
Laura,
I upgraded my Photoshop Elements to PSE12, now it wont let LR3 run, if I uninstal PSE12 all is normal with LR3
Is PSE12 compatable with LR3,? my system is Windows XP, could that be the problem ?
Regards
Barry H
I unfortunately don’t know, Barry. I would suggest posting on lightroomforums.net.
Laura
Hello, I’m writing you because on one of your photoshop tutorials, in which you were using camra raw to sharpen an image, you blurred the image and then went back to sharpen certain parts of the image. I went back to review the video again and couldn’t find it, is it possible to share that information with me so that I can review it again,
Thanks
Michael
Sorry for the delay, Michael, but I don’t recall doing this. Lightroom doesn’t have a setting to blur the whole photo – you can do this only with local tools – the adjustment brush, graduated filter, and radial filter, by using a negative Sharpness setting.
Looking forward to learning the bueaty of photography above the level where I am, in the middle.
Best wishes with your photography and with learning, Ernie!