Hey everybody! A quick hit Lightroom tutorial for you today. Learn how to organize groups of photos using the stacks feature in the Library module. It’s great for consolidating auto-bracketed images. Enjoy!

Good afternoon all! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Today I’ve got a quick tip for using Identity Plates inside Lightroom. Whether you want to brand your catalog or just keep track of which one you’re using, Identity Plates can help. Check it out!

Good morning everyone! It’s Friday! Hope you’re weekend has lots of fun stuff planned. I hope to join Kevin Ames tomorrow at the American Photo Model Shoot after I throw down a quick Lightroom seminar here in Dallas.

Today I have a quick tip on how you can use the Print module in Lightroom to generate a JPEG contact sheet to email clients. Check it out!

Last month over 75,000 people participated in the beta program for Cyberlink’s new photo editing tool PhotoDirector 2011. I had the opportunity to take a look at the program, and compare it to existing programs, i.e., Adobe Lightroom 3 & Apple Aperture 3.

Many initial reviews have compared PhotoDirector to Lightroom, and you cannot deny the striking similarities bordering on an exact clone of Adobe’s software. The product is Windows only, so Mac enthusiasts can keeping using iPhoto, Aperture or Lightroom. Also, I cannot speak for the final release, but the beta version I tested was 32 bit only. This may be fine for consumers, but professionals using Windows 7 will want full 64 bit capabilities.

PhotoDirector imports image information into “projects” which are similar to catalogs in Lightroom. The database design is the same; edits & changes to images are written to PhotoDirector’s project file, not directly to the images stored on your computer hard drive. Photos are managed in the Library section which offers the same utilities as Lightroom’s Library module. You can view images as thumbnails, singles or do comparisons of two or more images. Marking photos is done with Pick & Reject Flags, Colors or Stars.

Start to edit photos in the Adjustments section and the similarities to Lightroom continue right down to the Spot Removal Tool & Adjustment Brush. Anyone familiar with Lightroom will be able to dive into PhotoDirector as the tools work almost identically to how Adobe wrote them. Panel options in the Adjustment section include White Balance, Tone & Sharpening. You won’t see any Lens Corrections or Camera Calibration, but Cyberlink has made it clear they are targeting the consumer market.

The Slideshow section came as a surprise because while sparse in features, I have to say I like it better than Lightroom. Simply adding a Ken Burn’s style motion makes this section 10x more useful than Lightroom’s Slideshow module. Exported images are copies of the originals with the adjustment settings provided in the software.

Summary
Cyberlink will be releasing PhotoDirector 2011 soon for a retail price of $99. Essentially a competitor’s version of “Lightroom Elements”, consumers could easily grow into Lightroom later. That being said, the only thing innovative about PhotoDirector is its price point. I’m not versed in “intellectual property” but given how closely this product resembles and more importantly functions like Lightroom, I would expect to see some action from Adobe. I’m sure there are some who will take my tone as overly harsh, I’m not saying there isn’t a market for this product. Imitation is a form a flattery after all. Look at the iPad.

Good morning everyone. Here’s a recap of this week’s shared content:

1. Ten More Things About Photoshop posted on TipSquirrel. Part of my Top Ten series, you can never have enough Photoshop tips.

2. Working with Nested Styles in InDesign posted on Layers Magazine. InDesign is definitely a “must know” app for designers, especially now in the era of ebooks & tablet computing.

3. Learning Digital Photography Podcast #59 posted on Canon Blogger. YES! It finally happened, I’m actually talking in real time LIVE with none other than Mr. Jason Anderson. I try to get serious, he makes me laugh, you won’t see any of it because it’s an audio podcast.

4. I’ve been helping Sonya Bowser with her children’s book “The Adventures of Zolie Z“. It’s been a fun project that I can share with my daughter.

5. I am VERY EXCITED to have written the featured Lightroom article in the June issue of Photoshop User magazine. I have to give credit to Mike Mackenzie whose editing expertise really makes my writing exemplary. It’s an honor to write for a magazine that I actually read each month and work with the outstanding folks at NAPP. Remember, as your NAPP Evangelist, you can use my name “ajwood” when you join NAPP to receive a free DVD & discount off your membership. NAPP has also been gracious enough to let me post a PDF of my article here are the website. Download A.J.’s Lightroom Article from PSU Magazine.

5. Changes to my YouTube channel. Starting next Monday, I’ll be posting videos three times a week on Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Tutorials will continue but future videos will include interviews, product/service reviews, and a few surprises for YOU my loyal viewers.

Well, that’s been my crazy week. Enjoy your weekend and I’ll catch you next week!

Time for another Tip Tuesday! It’s all about image sharpening, and the improvements made to Lightroom 3 & Adobe Camera RAW 6. Check it out:

UPDATE 08/12/2010 – I’ve been getting some questions about sharpening in Lightroom vs sharpening in Photoshop. There is an excellent article over at Brett Edge Photography where Nat Coalson details the differences between “capture sharpening” & “output sharpening”.

It’s Tip Tuesday, and today I’m answering Firgs request to demonstrate why RAW is better than JPEG when it comes to adjusting White Balance. This video continues the thread started in yesterday’s post on using RAW vs JPEG. In the video I demonstrate white balance adjustments in both Lightroom AND Adobe Camera RAW. Check it out:

Last week Firgs opened up her Designer Roundtable discussion with the topic RAW vs JPEG and whether it matters to designers. I responded in the comments that designers could simply use the JPEG provided to them or take advantage of what RAW has to offer for more creative post-processing.  She followed up with a question about practical things designers need to know about using RAW vs JPEG. With that here are my Top Five Things to know about RAW vs JPEG:

1. White Balance.
When using Adobe Camera RAW or Lightroom, you have the ability to change the image white balance without affecting image quality. In fact, the white balance settings will reflect the available features in camera, e.g., Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten, Flash, etc. You can also choose “As Shot” or let the program Auto white balance. When creating a custom white balance you can read & adjust the color temperature of the RAW file.

When using a JPEG file  you can adjust white balance, but it’s not the same as changing the settings. Adobe Camera RAW & Lightroom only give you three choices–Auto, As Shot or Custom. When creating a custom white balance setting you make a +/- adjustment without seeing the color temperature.

2. Bit Depth.
As referenced in Brandon’s article JPEG is limited by being an 8-bit format. While the visual difference between 8-bit & 16-bit might be invisible to most people (I can’t see it), there’s definitely more headroom in the RAW format. If you’re only printing consumer sizes then you may not miss 16-bit, but REALLY large sizes–billboards–take advantage of the extra color data. As Brandon outlined so well, you will see the difference processing an 8-bit file repeatedly over time.

3. Noise.
The latest versions of Adobe Camera RAW & Lightroom include much improved Noise Reduction. Making these adjustments appear smoother and frankly look better when done to a RAW file. (Although you know YOU CAN process JPEG files with Adobe Camera RAW and Lightroom right?) UPDATE 08/09/2010 – Watch this video from Terry White to see how to use JPEGs in Camera RAW

4. Control.
Simply put RAW files are unprocessed. As I tell students in my digital photography classes, RAW is like developing film yourself in a darkroom, while JPEG is akin to picking up the final prints from WalMart. A RAW file let’s you decide the final settings for white balance, exposure, hue, saturation, luminance, just to name a few. A JPEG is already predisposed to settings which you can only manipulate.

5. Saving a JPEG is like recording to VHS cassette.
JPEG by its very nature adds compression when saving a file. This compression–regardless of quality setting–is destructive in nature. JPEG is a known “lossy” format which is why TIFF (lossless format) is generally preferred by print vendors. Every time you save a JPEG–making digital copies is different–you run the compression algorithm degrading the file.

Changes to RAW images are generally written out to metadata, therefore the format itself is non-destructive. Given that Adobe Camera RAW & Lightroom are designed to work with RAW images you can further take advantage of this ability.

Prior to Camera RAW, designers saved their master files as Photoshop PSD or TIFF. Why? Because JPEG is a destructive format.

But wait…

Is there ever an instance where creatives would prefer JPEG over RAW?

1. Speed.
For photographers who shoot action, JPEG is the faster format. Smaller files allow for more images to be buffered, RAW is simply too slow.

2. Hardware doesn’t support RAW.
I have met a number of event photographers who provide clients with print-on-demand or “instant printing” services while onsite. Many of these photographers opt to keep the hardware setup as small as possible, meaning they just bring a photo printer & forgo a laptop. While I know newer printers allow WiFi printing, it’s been my experience that printers with media slots only read JPEG files. If you want to print & go without using a laptop then you’d have to consider using JPEG in this instance. What about shooting RAW & JPEG in camera? Again, if you need the file immediately that’s an option. I’d rather you not waste card space and download the free app Instant JPEG from RAW.

3. Storage.
I think this is the weakest of the arguments I come across. Hard drive storage is becoming more cost effective for everyone. Also, as photographers we should be shooting for quality NOT quantity. Discipline in our work will mean less wasted storage space.

Notice the pro JPEG statements apply mainly to the photographers creating the initial image. Bringing this back to my original statement, IF a designer only needs a base image, small format, 8-bit for the web or print, then JPEG will suffice. However, the most creative license for post-processing will be had from a RAW file.

It’s Tip Tuesday, and I thought I would extend the conversations started yesterday about my last YoutTube video preventing unauthorized printing of your Facebook photos. Lots of people weighed-in on comments, Twitter & Facebook, with suggestions ranging from “Don’t post your photos online” to “That’s why I watermark my images.” You should checkout the article written by Terry White on how you can further protect Facebook content by using Lists. Today’s video tip demonstrates how to make a quick watermark on an image using Layer Styles while adjusting Layer Fill.

Be sure to watch for the #TipTues hashtag on Twitter, and join me again for next week’s video.

UPDATE 07/22/2010 – Be sure to read the updated information posted below after the video.

Good evening all.

Thanks to Walter Van Dusen who brought to my attention Walmart is beta testing a new Facebook Connect application. This application allows access to your photo albums for printing. Many photographers have been using Facebook photo tagging as a way to generate word-of-mouth referrals from clients. I would assume a lot of folks have their album security set to “Friends of Friends”. Anyone who is listed with Friends access to your Facebook album will be able to print it via the Walmart application.

Before you decide to delete all your FB albums, it is possible for you to make a quick security settings change. Simply go to the Walmart Photo application and block it. Once blocked your albums will no longer show when someone uses Facebook Connect with Walmart Photo. The application ID on Facebook is 181585006811.

Here’s a quick video tutorial to show you how to block the app:

UPDATE 07/22/2010 – This week’s Tip Tuesday demonstrated a quick way to watermark images via Photoshop using Layer Styles. For MORE protection you can use a Digimarc watermark (accessed via Photoshop’s filter menu). Digimarc is like LoJack for your images, and provides Internet tracking. Loyal readers can try Digimarc’s basic service FREE for 90 days; use the discount code FREETRIAL2010. Take 25% off ANY Digimarc service with code MediaCats2010. Join me next week as I’ll have a video tutorial on how to use Digimarc in Photoshop to watermark your images.

UPDATE 07/21/2010 – I wanted to answer some of the questions posed in the comments. I have verified that if you TAG someone the image is NOT collected in a photo album, therefore it DOES NOT appear via Facebook Connect. This is good information for everyone who tags their clients. Photo albums, profile pictures, & mobile uploads appear when using the Walmart photo center. I did not conduct testing against the other apps listed in the comments, but I assume similar behavior. To find all the retail centers, many suggested to search Facebook for “print” then filter by Applications. This worked well for me.

Several folks commented that people can still save the image to their own computer for printing–that is true. It’s also true that by uploading the image to the Internet it can be taken by anyone. The measures suggested for securing your photos serve more as a deterrent and are not absolute controls. Thieves are lazy, and will take the path of least resistance. RC Concepcion wrote two articles that appear in the last two issues of Photoshop User magazine. He has some great recommendations as to why you would or wouldn’t watermark your images online. If you’re a member of NAPP you can access the back issues online. (If you join with my referral link, you’ll get a free DVD on signup)

UPDATE 07/18/2010 – Thanks to everyone for sharing this article. There have been some good comments, including the fact Walmart is not the only retail print option. As suggested by Rachel, I would block other print apps from companies such as Target, Walgreens, etc. If you’re new to the site, checkout the Tip Tuesday series for video tutorial content.