Lightroom workflow

[DMurray407]

I've heard so many great things about Lightroom I'm trying to give it a go here. I've been watching tutorials, reading blogs and have the mechanics of how things work down-now I'm looking for step-by-step workflow direction. I'm currently shooting .jpg (I plan to give RAW a go very soon, but haven't quite made it yet!). In PSE, I import my photos then choose whichever one I want to play with, do a quick initial unsharp mask 20-60-0 just to "defog" and go from there. I guess I don't really have a set workflow but usually I check the histogram and then shadows and highlights and then go from there if anything more is needed. I have been doing more in PSCS3 lately, as well, though I don't really do anything different there. I have Scott Kelby's 7 point system sitting on my desk but haven't read it yet, though I'm not sure how much of it applies to Lightroom. So, I have these questions:

1. What is your normal Lightroom workflow?
2. I read somewhere that using the clarity slider is the same as doing my 20-60-0 defog-is that true?

That's all I can think of right now-I'm sure there are many more questions!
Thanks!

[Codebreaker]

Deb....

When it comes to processing I don't believe in a formulaic approach because each image needs to be assessed for what it really needs. The only common thing I always do is apply the same amount of Sharpening during import, because I don't believe the Canon default is sufficient.

After that I work from the top down using the controls in the Develop Basic module but only adjusting if necessary. In other words you make adjustments to get a visually pleasing image - not to make a good looking histogram or set values that someone recommends. Histograms are only guidelines.

After that I may make some changes using the Develop HSL settings and then possibly noise reduction.

Again it all depends on the particular image.

One of the nice things about LR and ACR is that the order of adjustments don't make any difference - unlike doing this in PS Editor.

When it comes to the end process then this depends on what I intend to do with the image. For on screen applications like Slideshows I leave as is but for printing I do this from Photoshop and apply output sharpening there. So far I don't think LR Print Sharpening works enough for me and my printer.

Colin

[DMurray407]

Thanks, Colin! I think I just need to get in there and use the program-I can't believe it has me so nervous!

[Codebreaker]

The great thing about RAW is you can play as much as you like but you don't kill the original - unless you delete it of course. :)

Always have a backup strategy in place.

Colin

[JulieM]

Deb,

Just get out there and shoot some RAW! That is where you will see Lightroom shine, in my opinion.

I believe LR is meant to guide your workflow and to be used from top to bottom. Like Colin says, all images require different processing but I find that I tend to use the following controls for nearly all of my images:
White balance and toning. I often use the tone curve rather than the sliders.
The "Presence" settings; clarity, vibrance, and saturation. I almost always give these a little tweak.
Sharpening.As to your question about clarity, I don't think it is the same as unsharp mask but I haven't heard a great explanation of what it is actually doing. But I seem to remember Matt K. saying something like "boost clarity on all your photos because it just makes them look better". And that's what I do. I have also heard that the sharpening feature in LR is not as good as unsharp mask, so often I'll take the image into PSE if I think it needs further sharpening.

All the images in my gallery were processed at least initially in LR. "Dawn Mist" and "Autumn Garden" have LR Develop presets applied to achieve the effect.

I hope this helps answer some of your questions but I'm sure you'll get more reaction from others. Have fun!!!!!

[bayhli]

I work pretty much the same as Colin and Julie, basically following the order it is presented in. I find the clarity adjustment similar to defog but more subtle.

A really good book is "The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book" by Martin Evening. He also has a lengthy Add-on Article to cover the update, which you can download from the web after you've purchased the book.