sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

After importing and picking the better ones, as described by mborn, I go to the develop module then to Photoshop,(sometimes), then back to LR library to export a jpg, tiff etc. depending on where or what I want to do with it. Or to the print module for printing. Couldn't be any slicker for me.
Shoot all raw, never knew there was a raw import problem as it was embedded into Lightroom, I know, just dumb and happy and glad my Community College photo class instructor recommended to the class years ago. Ten dollars a month for lightroom and Photoshop are a great deal for me.
I cannot understand how some can spend thousands for cameras and other gear, but balk at a $10 monthly fee that offers so much.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

Type an x on each photo you don't want. This will put a flag with an x on the photo. When gone through all your photos click command and delete. You'll then be asked what to do with the photos.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

"I cannot understand how some can spend thousands for cameras and other gear, but balk at a $10 monthly fee that offers so much."

Mark

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks NJ. Another Hog also pointed that out.
Mark (NJ)

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Yes in library module Photos and scroll to the bottom of the drop-down list. Where it says. You have two options just or delete from disk. If you want to keep the pictures that delete from catalog, but I delete from disk just to free up the disk space.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I used to do the x thing during triage, but the p thing waited until after I got the processing done and confirmed the image as good enough. But that left me with a lot of other images that had no p or x. Did I try to process them and fail? Or did I just skip over them? I needed a better system to keep track of what I did. So I switched to the color labels to mark the images (described a few posts back). That gives me 6 ways to classify an image: red, yellow, green, blue, purple, or no label. I have more ways to classify the images than just x, p, or (no flag).

I've been reserving the stars for rating the keepers. I just have to figure out how to consistently apply the ratings.

Lazy J Loc: Pacific Northwest

Even better make sure you create an import preset that you can apply to those 2000+ photos the next time you import. Presto! Initial batch editing already done, all ready for only final tweaks.

Also, regarding "P" for pick and "X" for mark for deletion, there is "U" for unpick for us old geezers that tend to change our minds.

Welcome to the world of "change." Embrace it!

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

I agree with Don - Lightroom is the center of my editing universe - I import into Lightroom and do most of my editing there. Sometimes, I'll then edit further in PS, NIK, ON1, DXO, Helicon, or Photomatix. But everything begins and ends in Lightroom.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

That's what Lightroom is all about... handling large volumes of images quickly (the trade-off is that it's NOT a complete individual image editing tool, which is why it's packaged with Photoshop)..



Are you able to Export (i.e., "upload" during the conversion process) directly to Shutterfly? I know some common sites are built into LR, just not sure if Shutterfly is one of them. If not, do a search for Jeffrey Friedl's website and plug-ins... I'm using his Exposure-Manage export tool and it works very well.



I'm not sure how letting LR "download" images off your memory cards would speed up the process by very much or at all, if that's what you mean. I don't use that, but do Import all my images into LR once they've been copied into a folder on my... same thing and just as fast, as far as I can tell.



It's not hard at all. If you use the "flags" (which can be done from a menu or with a key stroke) to "pick", "reject" or just leave images unflagged, you can later have LR delete all the rejects en masse, if you wish. You'll be given the choice to remove the images just from the LR catalog, or to delete them both from that and from your hard disk (permanent and complete deletion). If you do the latter, don't forget to empty your recycle bin on your desktop (note: this will really make the deletion permanent... so be certain). A large number of image files in the recycle bin and "on the desktop" will cause your computer's performance to bog down.



You definitely should read it and keep it near your computer for reference. It's a huge help getting the most out of LR. There are all sorts of features you won't know to use, unless you spend a little quality time studying. I'd suggest a quick read of the book... then keep it nearby so that you can go back and study individual items more closely while working in LR. To me, that's the best way to learn your way around LR.

I made up my own cheat sheet for keystroke shortcuts, in particular. Those can be a huge time saver when you have 2000 images to plow through!

Also, have you learned about the "Previous" button yet? When you have a large number of images to tweak and are working through them one at a time, often you'll find several in a row that need mostly the same adjustments... and that's where this button comes handy. It will quickly apply all the same settings as were used on the immediately preceding image. (There's also a "Sync" button, when you have more than one image selected. I sometimes use that to apply some things to an entire batch of images.. such as a particular keyword or lens profile corrections or a change to the copyright info.)



Windows Photo Viewer isn't very good. For one, it's not color calibrated.

Also, you must be shooting JPEGs only, because RAW files are not viewable in Windows PV or in Explorer. One of the key reasons for using LR is that it can handle high volume of RAW files, in particular.

However, still can't see them in Windows... So something else you might find useful is a codec called Fast Picture Viewer. This makes it possible for Explorer to display RAW thumbnails and Windows PV to show them larger. This can be a real time saver when dealing with a large batch of images (even though in Win PV a RAW will always appear lower contrast and desaturated).

Last time I looked Fast Picture Viewer only cost about $10. It works great with most any RAW file. I've used it with RAW files from Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Oly cameras.... Haven't had occasion with Sony yet, but it will handle them too, I know. Also will display a TIFF and some other files types that Windows normally can't handle. Works great and is a real time saver!

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks Alan. I do shoot RAW, but not always. For example, when I shoot indoor sports, it seems the burst speed recovery time on the 7D M II is inhibited with RAW. Since the light is pretty constant, especially indoors, I can play with exposure, set it, and use it for the entire shoot. So for that venue, I really don't need RAW. My jpegs are just fine. For other venues, I do shoot RAW & jpeg. I use Win Photo Viewer only for initial selection/sorting. However, I now see that LR allows me to use Grid for selection. I'm a LR novice, but I'm learning.

I appreciate the feedback. Thanks
Mark

rbmcgarvey Loc: Philly, PA

I just love people that post using various abbreviations assuming the rest of us know what they mean. Give me a break. Are your fingers too tired to type the complete word or phrase?

steve_stoneblossom Loc: Rhode Island, USA

Two other equally aggravating habits:

- not specifying operating system used when suggesting shortcuts.
- not using 'quote reply' option so we all know to whom the remark is addressed. :mrgreen:

lsimpkins Loc: SE Pennsylvania

Alan, perhaps my situation is unique, but the few pef (Pentax native raw format) files I have shot do show up in Win 7 Explorer. I think it must be the embedded jpeg preview, since the file itself will not open. This is one reason I shoot dng in camera.

blackest Loc: Ireland

The best place to be making the X is the library module this is because the image you are seeing is a scaled down copy which is fast to load when you have a batch of X'd photo's the thing to do then is filter them select all and then a right click reveals delete photo as an option.

As well as pick and delete there is unpick.

another thing to look into is survey mode where you can compare a number of photo's side by side. usually fairly similar and now you refine your picks further say you have a couple in a pose and you have 6 variations of that you might only want one or two even though the other 4 are pretty good, they are just not needed. choose which images you want to invest time in.

KTJohnson Loc: Northern Michigan

C'mon Mark. You're retired, you've got time, it's winter. Get a nice chair, grab that book, get a highliter, make notes. At least read the import & develop chapters. Very helpful.