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Introduction
It’s been over 12 years since I wrote the first edition of this book on what was then Lightroom 2. Saying a lot has changed since then is a bit of an understatement. At the end of 2017 Adobe released two similar, but distinctly different, versions of Lightroom with the goal of addressing two similar, yet different, digital photography workflows. I’ve structured this book to help you understand the differences between these versions of Lightroom — one now called “Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic” and a new one now just called “Adobe Photoshop Lightroom” — so that you are prepared to choose the right one for your needs. Just be sure to read all of Chapter 1 to get a handle on that. That said, the primary focus of this book is on how to get the most out of Lightroom Classic. There are a few chapters to help a Lightroom Classic user get started with the new Lightroom on the mobile platform, but if you are using only the new Lightroom on all your devices, you’ll want to check out a different book.
Back in 2007 when Lightroom 1.0 was released, it was considered a paradigm shift in the way photographers managed and edited their digital photos. Today we are witnessing a new paradigm shift thanks to the rise of the smartphone as digital camera with always-connected Internet (which is why there is this new Lightroom version). Although paradigm shifts offer new ways of doing things and the potential of improved workflows, they can sometimes be disorienting and frustrating to come to terms with at first. That’s why Adobe still offers the original version, which is now called Lightroom Classic. My hope is that this book can serve as a resource to keep you out of trouble, on task, and moving forward as you take your photos from camera to storage to output, over and over again.
About This Book
I am more than just a user of both versions of Lightroom. Through my roles on the KelbyOne.com Lightroom Help Desk, as an educator, as an author, and my participation in various Lightroom groups, workshops, and forums, I’ve worked with tens of thousands of fellow Lightroom users over the last decade. I’ve tried to understand the problems they faced as I’ve helped them find solutions. I wrote this book with the intention of preventing you from encountering the same problems that others have stumbled on, while also sharing the collective wisdom I’ve gained to make your workflow as efficient as possible.
How This Book Is Organized
I organize this book with the larger Lightroom Classic workflow in mind, but each chapter — and even the sections within a chapter — represent all the smaller workflows that make up the larger whole. So although there’s something to be gained from following the structure I lay out in the book, if you’re new to Lightroom Classic, my hope is that you can pick up this book when you need it and jump right to the place in your workflow that you want to learn more about.
Because of the existence of two different versions of Lightroom, I’ve also structured the book with the goal of minimizing confusion about which version I am talking about. I explicitly refer to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic as “Lightroom Classic” (as cumbersome as that is to read over and over again) and refer to the new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom as just “Lightroom” (along with references to it being cloud-based or part of an ecosystem) within a given chapter.
Note that up until the middle of 2019, both versions had the initials “CC” (for Creative Cloud) appended to the end of their respective names. Now that it is only possible to license any version of the Lightroom family of products through a Creative Cloud subscription, Adobe dropped the “CC” from the ends of both product names. For the sake of clarity, what was Lightroom Classic CC is now just Lightroom Classic, and what was Lightroom CC is now just Lightroom.
Lightroom Classic is a workflow tool by design, and within the macro workflow of capture to output there exist countless smaller workflows that cover all the micro tasks every photographer needs to complete. The very concept of a workflow implies that there is both a natural beginning and a finite end. I mean, you can’t start editing a photo if you haven’t first pressed the shutter, right?
Part 1: Getting Started with Lightroom Classic
If you’re new to Lightroom Classic — or new to digital photography — you’ll definitely want to spend some time in Part 1. I’ve seen too many people get off on the wrong foot with Lightroom Classic and lose time (and sleep) trying to get themselves back on track because they didn’t get a few