Datasheet

■ DESIGNED FOR A SENSIBLE WORKFLOW

In general you’ll likely find yourself moving through the modules in order. Each

is listed at the top-right corner of the Lightroom interface, and you can switch between

them by clicking on the name of the module you want to work in. As you do so, the

images you’re working on don’t change. You select the images you want to work on in

the Library module, and then work on them by switching to the other modules as appro-

priate, based on what you want to accomplish with the current images. Throughout each

of the modules, you’ll notice that the filmstrip along the bottom maintains a persistent

view of the images you have selected in the Library module. This is just one example

of the notion that Lightroom provides a single workflow that is simply structured into

multiple modules to help you divide your work into more-manageable segments.

As you’re getting started with Lightroom, I recommend that you move through

the modules in order, from the Library module to Develop, and then through Slideshow,

Print, and Web. The first two I think of as being somewhat “mandatory,” in the sense

that you certainly want to organize all your images and probably want to optimize at

least your favorite images. The final three are all about sharing your images, and

whether you use any, some, or all of them depends on your needs for a specific group

of images.

Although any new software application can be a bit intimidating or overwhelm-

ing at first, I think you’ll quickly find that Lightroom provides a logical and efficient

approach to working with your images. This book will guide you through each of the

modules and show you how to work with your images in each, and I think you’ll soon

realize that Lightroom is quite simple to work with, despite the many powerful features

it provides. After you’ve finished reading this book and spent some time processing your

images in Lightroom, I think you’ll agree that it is a pleasant—even fun—experience.

You’ll gain efficiency in working with your images, and will likely find that Lightroom

provides the time savings you need to be able to spend less time in front of your com-

puter, and more time behind your camera doing what you enjoy most.

A Typical Workflow

To give you a sense of how well suited Lightroom is to enabling an efficient workflow,

I think it is helpful to consider how you’ll use Lightroom to work with your images.

Imagine that you return from a photo shoot, whether that’s in your own studio

or halfway around the world. You launch Lightroom and use it to download your

images from your digital media cards and import them all in one step.

You then use the Library module to review the images. You start with a quick

overview, using the grid view of the images. Then you start to review them in more

detail, using the loupe view to get a close look at the images and decide which are

your favorites and which should be discarded. You apply metadata to the images,

adding your copyright information and perhaps adding keywords to individual

images to help you find them later. As you’re going through your images, perhaps

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