Speeding things up with keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom

Gotta love this one!!

I am a two fisted editor...  I use a Wacom Intuos tablet with my right hand and rifle all over the keyboard using shortcut keys with my left hand.  I am considering replacing the keyboard with a Shuttle, but that's another story..

The list keystroke shortcuts in Lightroom is extensive.  It's been published a few times but I edit in the dark and reading a cheat sheet is impossible.  Press Ctrl + / (Command + / on the Mac) to display an overlay of shortcuts over the top of your Lightroom window.

The list is specific to the module you are so check it in the Develop module for shortcuts for that module and in the Library for Library shortcuts and so on.

Lightroom 3 beta 2 - Noise Reduction dialog simply rocks!

First chance I have had for extended play with the most recent beta 2 release of Lightroom 3 was this evening..  And WOW!  The speed is dramatically improved, the image quality is significantly improved and the noise reduction sliders simply rock!!  A gentle touch of Luminance slider followed with my normal sharpening routine, using the Sharpening Masking yields a wonderfully clean shadow area.

I do have to voice my nitpick.. I don't care for the new import dialog.  Maybe time will help, but it isn't to my liking.  And I forget to unplug my iPhone when launching the Import dialog, it takes forever to open.

The dual monitor solution...Maximizing the Lightroom experience

I'm hooked.

I used to think working with two monitors would be confusing and not worth the amount of desktop real-estate you must dedicate to the second monitor. 

But after watching what I think is a great video by Adobe's Julieanne Kost, I must say it has made working in Lightroom much more efficient and enjoyable. 


If you have only one monitor, don't fear...watch the video through to the end and Julieanne will share how the same techniques designed for the dual monitor solution can be applied with a single monitor.

hhmmm...  should this be a Pick of the Week?

Snow day activities...

We're in the grips of the third big snow storm of this winter.  About 8 - 10 inches fell overnight and it doesn't show signs of stopping.  Here on Long Island's south shore, wind and cold temp off the water are more of an issue than the snow fall, driving is a challenge as we are last on the town's snow-plow route...  Clear days are graced with a beautiful view of the Great South Bay.  Today, visibility is measured in feet.

My house is full of interesting things to photograph but today I will concentrate on two other activities...  Spring cleaning of my gear closet and making a list of things I can throw in the for-sale forums, and spending some time in Lightroom finishing the keywording of a few recent shoots (until my wife yells at me to get off the computer..).

I've been dedicating a good deal of time to learning the nuances of Lightroom3 Beta..fingers are crossed that the roll-out will be soon as I really like the enhancements.  I am reluctant to convert my current LR catalog over to LR3 since it is still Beta.  FYI..you can import existing DNG's  image files using the Add command in LR3's import dialog while keeping them in your current LR catalog, and make all the edits and changes you wish without disrupting the original files.  LR3 recognizes all the changes, keywords and exif info from the earlier version and also picks up all your presets, keyword lists and print templates, but your changes in LR3 won't be seen in the earlier versions...not backward compatible.  So you can can dive into LR3 with a familiar look and feel of your older version.  Fun!!

Keeping track of all those image files...

At last count my image library manages well over 200,000 digital images.  I have files dating back to 2001 that originated in digital form and many that were scanned to digital files that date ages before.

That's a lot of images to sort through when I need to find that one image I know will depict my message perfectly...  Hmmm, it was a morning shoot, it was warm, I think it was at a park, no the beach...well, that's all I remember but when I see it, I'll know it!!  We've all been in this predicament.

By maintaining a good filing system and keyword hierarchy, with relentless diligence, I can narrow the search down to some manageable number of images with just a few clicks.  Here are some ideas worth considering as you accumulate more and more images....