Lightroom Advanced FeaturesA Tom Maddrey Images Workshop

Sunday, March 4, 12

Why Advanced Features?

Today We Will be Talking About Some Features of Lightroom that are “Advanced”

This Means I Expect that We All Know the Terminology and Functions of Most of the Lightroom Interface

We Will Look at Lightroom not as an Independent Program, but one Link in a Larger Workflow

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Why Advanced Features (cont.)

Today we are going to look at unique uses for Lightroom, as well as go over in detail the core processes behind the program

Please stop me and have me explain any unclear thoughts

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The AgendaBrief Overview of Lightroom

A Review of Lightroom Modules

The Catalog Structure

Color Management in Lightroom

The Develop Module for Advanced Users

Looking at Tone Curves

Batch Processing

The Sharpening Truth

A New Way to Import

A New Way to Export

Building Droplets

Lightroom in a HDR Workflow

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A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF LIGHTROOMTHE STRUCTURE BEHIND THE STORY

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What is a Workflow?A Workflow is a set of repeatable actions that are designed to maintain quality, speed up processing, and ensure consistency when working with

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Workflow (cont.)

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Workflow (cont.)

Workflows exist from the moment you press the shutter until you have finished working with a file

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Workflow (cont.)

Workflows exist from the moment you press the shutter until you have finished working with a file

Every Step, Every Keystroke is part of your personal workflow

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Workflow (cont.)

Workflows exist from the moment you press the shutter until you have finished working with a file

Every Step, Every Keystroke is part of your personal workflow

This includes

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Workflow (cont.)

Workflows exist from the moment you press the shutter until you have finished working with a file

Every Step, Every Keystroke is part of your personal workflow

This includes

How you name your file

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Workflow (cont.)

Workflows exist from the moment you press the shutter until you have finished working with a file

Every Step, Every Keystroke is part of your personal workflow

This includes

How you name your file

Where you put your files

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Workflow (cont.)

Workflow is the key to modern digital photography

How many times have you been unable to find a specific photo?

What about having 10 copies of a certain image?

Workflow is the answer to these problems

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Workflow RequirementsWorkflows must have a way to:

Import from Memory Card

Rename Images

Input Metadata

Rate and Categorize Images

Adjust Image Properties

Develop Images

Crop and Resize Images

Print Images

Archive and Backup Images

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Workflow Goals

To Make the Process Repeatable

To Make the Process Safe for Images

To Retain the Highest Image Quality (IQ)

To Make it Easy for the Photographer

To Make it FAST!

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ADOBE LIGHTROOMTHE PHOTOGRAPHERS’ ANSWER TO DIGITAL WORKFLOW

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Adobe Lightroom

An Introduction

Lightroom is a Digital Imaging Workflow Software

Built by Photographers, for Photographers

Has (most) Everything you Need, and Very Little of What You Don’t

The Fastest, Most Efficient Way to Fulfill your Digital Workflow Requirements

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How Lightroom Works

Lightroom has a Unique Architecture

At its core is an Image Processor and an Image Database

These are the Guts Behind the Program

The “Modules” Access the Core for Performing Functions

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TWO MODULESLIBRARY AND DEVELOP

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The Library ModuleGateway to Image Management (and Happiness)

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Library basicsLike Every Module, the Library is Filled with Panels

Navigator

Find

Folders

Collections

Keyword Tags

Metadata Browser

Histogram

Quick Develop

Keywording

Metadata

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Navigator Panel

Easy Way to Navigate Around Images

Useful in Loupe View (1:1)

Can Fit or Fill

Always Gives You a Overall View of Your Image

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Library Panel

Quick View Look at Library Status

All Photographs

Previous Import

Missing Files

Updated Files

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Find Panel

The Key to Keywords

Allows You to Search for Images by Date or Text

Many Options

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Folders Panel

The Folders Panel Lists All The Locations of Images In Their Respective Folders

Useful and Valid Method

Not Used in My Workflow

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Collections Panel

My Favorite Way to Group Images

Can Make Collections From Images in Different Places

Collections and Sub Collections can Reorganize in a Flash

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Keyword Tags Panel

Lists ALL of Your Keywords

Not Useful Once You Get More than 100 Keywords

Better to Use the Find Panel

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Metadata Browser Panel

Super Creative and Useful Way to Find Images

Can Search by Almost Every Conceivable Parameter

e.g. All Shots taken at f/1.4

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Histogram Panel

First Place My Eyes Go

Shows All Important Camera Data

Very Detailed

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Quick Develop

The Only Panel I Disagree With

The Develop Module Does Everything with More Options and Control

Useful For White Balance Changes Across Many Images

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Keywording Panel

Keywords Make Your Life Easier

Tedious to Input but Lightroom Helps

You can Enter Keywords Directly or Use a Keyword Set

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Metadata PanelThe Place to Input, Edit, Sync, and Work with Metadata

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Library View ModesGrid, Loupe, Compare, Survey

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The FilmstripYour Constant Link Between Modules

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Rating Images

As Part of the Editing Workflow, One of the First Steps is Rating the Images

Number Keys 0-5 Assign Stars to Images

Easy Way to Sort Out The Best Images

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Color Labels

A Secondary Measure for Sorting Images

Useful for Categories

i.e. All Red Labels for Water Images, Green for Trees, etc.

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Flagging ImagesLightroom Provides Two “Flags”

The Picks Flag (P) Puts a White Flag on the Image

The Rejects Flag (X) Puts a X Flag on the Image

Easiest Way to Erase Image From Lightroom

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StackingAn Amazing Tool

Enables Images to be Grouped by Subject Matter

Useful for Compressing Your Library

CANNOT be used in Collections only Folders and Library

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Auto Stack by Time

Lightroom Has an Amazing Feature to Determine, by Metadata, when Each Shot was Taken and Stack Automatically

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Renaming and Converting Images to DNG

Located in the “Library” Menu Bar

Two Separate Functions, Both Very Useful

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The Develop ModuleWhere the Magic Happens

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The Real Power Of Lightroom

Many Programs (i.e. Bridge) are able to Sort, Organize, Edit, and Contain Images, But Lightroom Also is a Full-Featured RAW Processor

Lightroom is Also Non-Destructive

Uses the Same Processing Engine as Adobe Camera RAW

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RAW vs. Jpeg

Quick Poll

Being Able to Manipulate Data Without Destroying It is the Greatest Strength of RAW Files

RAW’s Come With More Requirements

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Develop PanelsNavigator

Presets

History

Histogram

Basic

Tone Curve

HSL/Color/Grayscale

Split Toning

Detail

Lens Corrections

Camera Calibration

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PresetsThese are Essentially Actions Where You Can Set a Series of Changes and Save Them to Be Applied to Other Images

Lightroom Comes Pre-Installed with Many Creative Choices

The Navigator Shows a Quick Preview of the Change

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Snapshots

Much Like History Settings in Photoshop, This Panel Allows You to Get Back to A Certain Setting

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History Panel

A Running Total of EVERY Action You Have Performed in Lightroom from Import to Export

Able to Change or Go Back Non-Destructively

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Basic Panel

Very Powerful Imaging Tool

Controls Every Basic Image Editing Function

Hold Option (alt) to See Clipped Channels in Exposure, Blacks, and Recovery

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Tone CurveAdvanced Way to Adjust Contrast and Tone

Can Be More Precise Than the Basic Panel

Localized Adjustments

First Panel that Uses Targeted Adjustment Tool

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HSL / Color / Grayscale Panel

HSL = Hue, Saturation, Luminance

Easiest Way in Lightroom to Convert to Grayscale

This Panel with the Targeted Adjustment Tool can Create Amazing Creative Effects

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Split Toning Panel

A Specialized Panel that Allows You to Adjust the Highlights and Shadows Differently

Primarily Used in Black and White Image Manipulations

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Detail PanelBetter Termed “Noise Reduction / Sharpening” Panel

Lightroom Can Take Out Slight Noise

Lightroom can Also Do Sharpening

Both Adjustments Must be Looked at in 1:1 Mode

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Lens Corrections

Lens Corrections Panel can Fix Chromatic Aberrations, as well as Vignetting

Creative Uses As Well

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Camera Calibration Panel

In This Panel, You can Adjust Lightroom to Each Individual Channel

Advanced, and Quite Frankly, Not Worth Doing

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The Develop ToolbarSimple Editing Tools

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The Compare Tool

In the Develop Module, The Compare Tool Is To Look at Changes Between Settings

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The Crop Tool

The Crop Tool Also Involves the Straighten Tool

Able to Pick Crop Based on Aspect Ratio

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Red Eye Tool

Can You Guess What it Does?

Simplicity

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Clone / Heal Tool

Lightroom has a Basic Clone/Heal Tool

Easiest to See In the Live Demo

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THE OTHER THREEPRINT, WEB, SLIDESHOW

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The SlideShow Module

Quick and Easy Way to Make Instant Slideshows

Useful for Showing Images Within Lightroom

Customizable

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Outputting to the Web

Most Professional Photographers are Outputting their Images to the Web for Client Approval

Lightroom Has Streamlined this Process to Make it Efficient and Simple

Not Many Options, Other Than Color

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Web Module Options

In the Web Module, You Have Five Options for Galleries

Lightroom Flash Gallery

Lightroom HTML Gallery

Airtight AutoViewer

Airtight PostcardViewer

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Differences in Galleries

The Airtight Set of Galleries are Flash Based Unique Ways to Put the Images on the Web

The More Traditional Lightroom Galleries are Familiar to those Web Galleries that Used to be Found in Bridge

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Printing with Lightroom

Fine Art Printing from a Computer has been a Difficult Thing to Do in the Past

Lightroom Streamlines the Process, but There are Still Some Quirks

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THE LIGHTROOM CATALOGTHE CENTRAL DATABASE

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The Catalog StructureLightroom Catalogs are Simply Databases

Lightroom Makes it Easy to Run Multiple Catalogs, however, Only One Can be Open at a Time

Multiple Catalogs Can be Used for Differing Image Sets, but Not Excessively

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The Catalog Structure (cont.)You can Export a Selection to Its Own Catalog

Useful for Including Lightroom Specific Instructions (i.e. Collections) with Images

Great Way to Backup

To Open, “Import From Catalog”

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The Lightroom Database

The Lightroom Database File (.lrdb) is Where Your “Instructions” Reside

Lightroom Prompts You To Backup this File to a New Location, Do It

If You Lose This File, You Lose all the Changes You have Ever Made in Lightroom

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COLOR MANAGEMENT IN LIGHTROOMA UNIQUE APPROACH

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Color Management in Lightroom

Lightroom Uses A Unique Color Space, You Have No Choice of Color Space When Working In Lightroom

It is Important to Understand How Lightroom Is Affecting Your Color

Lets Take a Closer Looks at Gamuts and Color Spaces

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The Gamut

The Total Range of Colors a Device Can Reproduce

Each Device has its own Gamut

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Color Spaces

A range of colors available for a profile or model

Pro Photo RGB

Adobe RGB (1998)

sRGB

Thousands of others

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Color Management (cont.)

Lightroom Uses the Pro Photo RGB Color Space Parameters, but has a Gamma of 1.0 Instead of 1.8

The Reason is that All RAW Files are Linear in Nature, and Therefore Have a Gamma of 1.0, so Lightroom Does No Conversion to RAW Files

Lightroom Also Use a 16-Bit Edit Space as Default!

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THE DEVELOP MODULEFOR ADVANCED USERS

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Tone CurvesAn Advanced Way to Edit

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Tone Curves in Lightroom

The Curves Function Differs Between Lightroom and Photoshop

The Basic Panel and the Tone Curve Panel are Used in Conjunction with Each Other

That Means Settings Are Applied in the Basic Panel First, and Tone Curve Panel Second

Major Tone Controls Should be Performed in the Basic Panel

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Curves (cont.)

The Point Curve Drop-Down Menu Helps to Offer A Quick Adjustment

It Also Provides a Starting Point for Images Originally Developed Outside of Lightroom

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Curves (cont.)

The Tone Curve is Designed to Be Used with the Sliders or TAT

You can Shift the Tone Curve Split Points to Alter What the Sliders Affect

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Syncing ImagesThe Time Saving Approach

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Syncing in Lightroom

Primarily Looking at the Develop Module, However Metadata Syncing is Just as Important in the Library Module

You can Sync Most Settings in the Develop Module or the Quick Develop Panel of the Library Module

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Syncing (cont.)

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Syncing (cont.)

Applying Changes to Large Batches of Images is a Key to an Efficent Workflow

Realize the the Settings Will Override Previous Work!

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SharpeningThe Truth of the Matter

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A Sharpening Workflow?

Ideally, Sharpening Should be Done in Three Steps

Input (or Capture) Sharpening

Creative Sharpening

Output Sharpening

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Sharpening (cont.)

Lightroom Offers All Three of These Steps If You Know Where to Look

Input Sharpening is Done to All Images, Lightroom is Preset to Amount - 25

You can Make some Creative Sharpening Choices

Output Sharpening is Applied to Both Web Output and Print Output

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Sharpening (cont.)

Third Party Software (Photokit Sharpener) is Still Prefered On Tough Images

Lightroom Sharpener is Better than Unsharp Mask in Photoshop, Though Most Likely Not as Good as Smart Sharpen (CS3)

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Live Demo :: Curves, Sharpening, and Syncing

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A NEW WAY TO IMPORTWATCHED FOLDERS

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Watched Folders

Tethered Shooting is a Way of Life for Many Studio Photographers

Cameras Can Now be Tethered Wirelessly or Wired

Lightroom Can Streamline this Process

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Watched Folders (cont.)

You Must Have Some Camera Control Software

Canon Viewer Capture

Nikon Capture or Camera Control Pro

Bibble

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Watched Folders (cont.)

Once You Start the Camera Software, Direct the Images to a Specific Folder

Lightroom Can then “Watch” the Folder and Simultaniously Import then Delete the Images from the Folder

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Watched Folders (cont.)

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Live Demo :: Watched Folders

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A NEW WAY TO EXPORTDROPLETS, ACTIONS, PHOTOSHOP AND MORE

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Export Actions

Lightroom Can Call on Photoshop to Perform an Action Upon an Image Export

You Must First Make a Droplet in Photoshop

Then Put the Droplet Into the “Export Actions” Folder

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Export Plugins

There are Many Popular Export Plugins

Flickr

Pictage

ZenFolio

Picassa

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Live Demo :: Export Actions and Plugins

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LIGHTROOM IN A HDR WORKFLOWA UNIQUE USE OF LIGHTROOM

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Lightroom and HDR

You Can Make the Source Files for an HDR (High Dynamic Range) Image Directly in Lightroom With Minimal Effort

Using Virtual Copies, You Can Create the Source Files from Only One Image

Not As Effective as Using Multiple Images, but Can be Used in a Pinch

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Live Demo :: Lightroom and HDR

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WRAPPING UPKNOWING THE LIMITATIONS OF LIGHTROOM

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Lightroom is an Incredibly Powerful:

RAW Converter

Digital Asset Manager

Website Builder

Wrapping Up

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Wrapping Up (cont.)

There are Some Things Lightroom Can’t Do, However

Anything With Layers

Localized Adjustments (LR 2)

Advanced Sharpening

Filters

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Wrapping Up (cont.)

Knowing When to Use Lightroom and When to Use Another Program Will be the Key to Successful Image Editing

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Thank You!

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