Today is Memorial Day in the United States, and our offices are closed as we honor and remember those who gave their lives in service to our country.

This post is dedicated each year to the memory of David Leimbach (shown above; the brother of our dear friend and colleague Jeff Leimbach), who died 15 years ago in combat in Afghanistan.

Just a humble word of thanks to the dedicated men and women of our armed services and to all those who came before them who laid down their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy each day.

Here’s wishing you all a safe, happy, and healthy Memorial Day.

-Scott

The post A DAY TO HONOR OUR NATION’S FALLEN SOLDIERS appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Programming note: I posted Behind The Scenes photos and the stories behind my New York City travel photography workshop, and instead of sharing my photos, I shared some of my participant’s images they made during the workshop (and they crushed it). If you ever wanted to see what these workshops are really like (and how hard we work), give it a quick look. Here’s the link. Now, onto the soul-crushing news of this new stuff:

Adobe turned the imaging world upside down with its release earlier this week of an incredible new AI-powered feature called “Generative Fill,” which lets you simply type what you want it to add to your photo (or create from scratch), and it not only does it, it does a pretty fantastic job. So now, if you can type a few words, you can create Photoshop magic. 

When you add something to your image, it matches the lighting, applies the proper perspective, adds the appropriate shadows, and scales it appropriately. In most cases, even on the first try, the results are amazing. If you don’t like one of the three initial results, you can just hit “Generate,” and it gives you three more to choose from. It’s crazy! I knew something like this would be here one day, but I never thought it would be here this soon. I thought this was five to 10 years away, but it’s here now, and it’s fairly terrifying for many of us (like me). 

People have lots and lots of questions about this new feature, so today, I thought I’d address at least a few of them. Here goes: 

Q. How do I get this new feature? I download the new Photoshop update, and it’s not there.
A. It’s not in the latest version of Photoshop – you have to download a special Beta version of Photoshop (called Photoshop Beta) from the Creative Cloud App. Once you launch the app, click the “Home” button up top, and then in the list on the left side of the window, click on “Beta Apps,” and you’ll find the Photoshop Beta App. You can download it and run it without it interfering or messing with your existing copy of Photoshop (so yes, you will have two versions of Photoshop on your computer).

Q. I can’t get the “Generative Fill” button and type box to appear in that new floating Contextural Task Bar. 
A. If you downloaded a Beta version earlier (to get the new Remove Tool before its official release), you’ll need to go to the Creative Cloud app and get the latest Beta version, which was just recently updated. 

Q. Can I use these images in my commercial work?
A. Not yet. The program is still in Beta (it’s not a fully finished product, and Adobe is stressing it’s not to be used yet for commercial work). It’s available for you to test and give Adobe feedback on how the AI is working, but again – it’s Beta and not “ready for primetime” quite yet. 

Q. How do we give Adobe feedback on how it’s working? How do I let them know if an image it created isn’t usable? 
A. There’s a Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down a set of buttons in that floating contextural taskbar. If it did a great job, hit the thumbs up. If the result is trash, let ’em know by hitting the down button. 

Q. What are the words I type in called? Is there an “Official Adobe Name” for those?
A. Yes, they are called “Prompts.”

Q. What if I want to type in something naughty or what some might call (ahem) “inappropriate?” 
A. I knew you were going to go there. What’s wrong with you? 

Q. I’m naughty and inappropriate. 
A. That’s what I thought. Anyway, Adobe keeps you from doing that by using strict filters that block you from doing that kind of stuff. It will pop up a warning on the screen telling you it’s blocking that prompt, and it also uses your computer’s camera to take a photo of you, and it emails it to everyone in your Contacts app along with what you typed. 

Q. Really?
A. No, but if it did, imagine what a deterrent that would be, right? The first part, the pop-up warning part, is for real, though. It’s very sensitive, so sometimes you’ll get that warning even when you feel like you weren’t doing anything that should be blocked like that. 

Q. What do you recommend if I get that warning but wasn’t doing anything inappropriate?
A. Make a slightly different selection and try again. That will often do the trick. 

Q. If you have it add an image to your image. Does it match the resolution of your image?
A. All of the edits it makes are a maximum of 1024×1024 at this point (remember, it’s Beta), so as long as you don’t select a large area, it works fine. If you do select a large area, it scales that 1024×1024 up to fill that area, so if you need to fill a large area, you’re better off doing it in small pieces rather than trying to fill a large area all at once, but I recommend trying it once, see how it looks, and if you don’t like, just trash that layer. 

Q. So, if I have it create an object, let’s say a flock of birds in the sky, and they appear on their own layer, the background behind those birds is not transparent?
A. That is correct – it is not. It renders a square background behind those birds that perfectly match the environment you’re adding it to. At this point, there is no way to make that background behind the first transparent other than using Select Subject (or selecting them some other way) and putting them on their own separate transparent area. 

Q. What if I generate something, like a single cloud in the sky, but I want to move it once it appears? It’s on its own layer – can I just drag it to a different location? 
A. You can, but you won’t like the results. It renders a square area around the object you’re adding, and it blends into that particular area. If you move it, chances are it’s no longer going to be a clean match (probably not even close), so if you want your cloud (or whatever) to be in a different location, trash that layer, draw a new selection where you want that cloud, and Generate a new cloud. 

Q. Is there a way to keep that old cloud? I really liked it. 
A. At this point, unfortunately, no. Each cloud is rendered unique and pulled from an archive of about a bazillion clouds, so that exact cloud, which was rendered just for you, just for this image, will probably never happen again. 

Q. Do I need a model release if I use a photo of a person it generated in my image?
A. I’m not a copyright attorney, and this is not legal advice, but it is my understanding that the person in your image does not exist. It is a composite of several different people, so you don’t need a model release for someone who doesn’t exist. 

Q. Can I type a prompt for something specific, like “Blue Ford F-150 Truck on the highway?” Will that render a Ford F-150?
A. It doesn’t do brands, so while it will give you a truck, it won’t be a Ford F-150. It will build some sort of a composite made from several trucks, and they may not even be pickup trucks. So you’d have to say something like “Pickup Truck.” 

Q. What if it makes a truck, but I wanted it to be larger in the scene? Do I type “Big pickup truck?”
A. It doesn’t do things like “big.” You’d just need to make a larger selection, and it will make a larger truck in that selected area. 

Q. Do you know when this will be finished and released into regular Photoshop?
A. I do not. I’m not sure Adobe knows. They’ve put it out there in Beta to get your feedback and help the AI learn and grow. When it’s fully baked, I imagine that’s when it’ll be released in regular Photoshop, but the way AIs generally work, they get better and better over time – it keeps learning as it gets feedback from users, so even after it is finally released, it will continue to learn and get better. 

Q. Which topics or objects are likely to look messed up when it generates them?
A. People’s faces are the most troublesome for it at this point. Sometimes they look really messed up, as they are a combination of multiple people’s faces, but then sometimes, they look amazingly real, but in my experience, it’s hit or miss with faces. Also, it has trouble with hands. Sometimes the fingers are in weird positions, or it adds more fingers and stuff like that. Also, sometimes animals (from dogs and cats to wild animals) can look weird from time to time. 

Q What’s it do best?
A. It really nails landscape stuff, so if you ask for mountains or trees, a lake or a desert, or a sky, it shines on those and things you might realistically find in those environments. 

Q. Will Adobe charge for using the final version of Generative Fill?
A. There’s no charge for using an unlimited amount of generations in the Beta version, but when the final thing is realized, I don’t know. As far as I know, Adobe hasn’t said anything about charging separately, but there are so many ways they could go with this, from being absolutely free as part of your existing subscription to a fee per use or a fee after a specific limit each month or a fee just for commercial use. Since it’s part of Photoshop, if I had to guess, I would think it will be part of your subscription, or maybe they’ll make a special subscription that includes this – I just don’t know. 

Q. When I try it, it says that the server is busy right now and to try again later. What should I do?
A. You should try again later. I imagine right now, as the whole world is wrapping their heads around this, everybody is using this thing non-stop, just seeing what they will do and having fun watching their own jaws drop. So, I imagine as the days go by, things will calm down, and you’ll see fewer of those warnings. 

Q. As a photographer, as you at all freaked out about this?
A. Yes, I am. I’m kind of freaked. I can see this is going to change my world as a photographer and the entire playing field, but I’m just sitting back at this point and see how this all shakes out. 

Q. Is there a particular group of photographers that is more freaked out than others?
A. Yes, photographers who submit images to any stock photography outlets. They are freaking out. Those folks have a lot of questions for Adobe about how they are going to be compensated for the fact that Adobe is pulling these AI creations from the millions and millions of images submitted to Adobe Stock on the idea that they would be paid if somebody used them. I don’t know what Adobe’s compensation plan is for those users, and I don’t know if they have articulated what that is yet (I haven’t seen it, but it may already be out there), but I’m sure that info will be forthcoming. Whether those contributors embrace or reject their proposal remains to be seen, but that group is letting me know they are pretty freaked out (and that’s being kind). 

Q. Is photography as we know it over? Should I sell my camera?
A. I’ve seen your photos. Yes, you should sell your camera. 

Q. #Ouch! Really, I should sell my gear? That’s mean. 
A. I know. It’s why I love doing these Q&As. But, actually, you should not sell your camera. I doubt you bought your camera to make a buck. I bet you bought it because you love photography. You love making images and documenting your life, travels, family, and your world – and this doesn’t change any of that. 

Q. But how will we know if an image is real, or did AI add that rowboat, fisherman, seagull, or sun beaming through the clouds?
A. You don’t, but you didn’t before this. You could do all this stuff last month in Photoshop. You could add a rowboat to a scene, a fisherman, a seagull, or sun beaming through the clouds. We could always add these things to our images, and for the past 30+ years, people have been doing just that – creating composites and things and places that don’t really exist. They entered photo competitions and won with images where they “cheated” and composited things into their images that weren’t there. They sometimes have also been caught in the act and exposed. We’ve always been able to add stuff to our images that weren’t there or create aspects that didn’t exist – this just makes the process much faster and/or easier, but we’ve always been able to do this stuff if you had the skill, time and patience to make it happen. 

Q. What about photography competitions? Where does this leave them?
A. Many, many photo competitions already allow composites; they just require you to disclose that your image is a composite (and most folks do, but some don’t or claim they didn’t know they were supposed to disclose that it was a composite). Competitions may require you to submit the original Raw image alongside your finished image, or if you shot in JPEG, you may have to submit to having your image sent through an authenticity verification site that. There are already Websites that can show if an image has been altered from its original state and exactly what was done to it. The game is changing, and the rules will be amended to keep up with them. You’ll probably even see entire photo competition categories just for generated images that don’t exist in real life and were created by your typing and AI rendering. 

Q. So, is what you’re saying that I shouldn’t freak out about all this stuff?
A. No, you should totally freak out. I know I am. 

I hope you found that helpful. If you have more questions, I’ll try to add them to this list, and if I need to update any of these Q&As based on new info, I’ll do it right away. Or I’ll just go to ChatGPT and have it update it.  

Have a great, totally freaked-out weekend, everybody!

-Scott

The post Q&A On Photoshop’s New “AI-Powered Generative Fill” Feature and the End of the World As We Know It. appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Tuesday morning, we are doing a live Webinar to share some of the most amazing things you’ve ever seen from Adobe and then discuss it all. Discussion? Therapy session? You decide, but we will remember Tuesday for many years, so you don’t want to miss this news from our friends at Adobe.

When: 9 AM ET Tuesday, May, 23rd
Where: You can watch on my Facebook page (facebook.com/skelby) or KelbyOne on YouTube
Why: Because this is mind-blowing stuff. Seriously.

Mark your calendars, and bring some alcohol. It couldn’t hurt. See you then!

-Scott

The post Tomorrow at 9 AM Join Us For Some Absolutely Mind-Blowing News From Adobe appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

In the most recent update to Lightroom, Adobe included an AI-powered noise reduction feature that works really well (they are tearing it up with their AI stuff). Here’s my first look at it and how to use it:

STEP ONE: Here’s our original Raw image, and at this size, you don’t see the noise very much, but if you zoom in to 100%, there’s noise a-plenty!

STEP TWO: Scroll down to the Detail panel, and at the bottom of the panel, under Noise Reduction, click on ‘Denoise’ (as shown circled here in red).

STEP THREE: The Enhance Preview window appears (seen above), and Denoise will be selected by default (as seen here). There’s an amount slider so you can increase or decrease the amount of noise reduction you’d like to apply, and it also shows the estimated time it will take to apply this fix (in this case, it estimates 55 seconds).

STEP FOUR: Here’s a zoomed-in before and after so you can see the results. I used Compare mode to show this because when it does its thing, it creates a new separate Raw DNG image, so you have your original and a new file). This is those two side-by-side). You can see it did a pretty nice job removing the noise (better than anything we had built in within Lightroom or Photoshop before.

Above: here’s a zoomed-in look where you can see it did a really nice job of holding the detail.

Next time you have a noise image, give this a try – I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the result. Let me know what you think. Have a great Monday, everybody!

-Scott

P.S. The Lightroom Conference kicks off this afternoon with a special pre-conference session I’m teaching on “Lightroom Classic for Absolute Beginners” – then starting Tuesday, it’s two full days, two full training tracks, amazing instructors, and so much to learn (plus, the entire conference is archived for a full year for you to stream on demand). Don’t miss you – tickets and more info at bit.ly/3BqMWvN – see you online.

The post First Look at Lightroom’s New Built-in AI-Powered Noise Reduction appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

It’s one of our biggest online conferences each year, and this year’s kicks off next week; where on Monday, I’m teaching a pre-conference session called “Lightroom for Absolute Beginners,” followed on Tuesdays by two full days of training, with two full tracks packed with incredible Lightroom class sessions taught by some of the very best, most talented instructors in the business!

We would love to have you with us for the conference (and the pre-conference session the day before). Here’s the link to grab your ticket today at the early-bird discount price. Hope you can make it.

Have a great weekend, everybody, and we’ll catch you next week at the conference. 🙂

-Scott

The post Next Week: the Lightroom Conference is here! appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

The May 2023 issue of Photoshop User is now live on the KelbyOne site and the KelbyOne app for iOS and Android.

In this issue, we’ll tell you all the reasons why showing off your work online is key to your success, and how Lightroom and Adobe Portfolio make it easy, plus a look at all the new Lightroom updates released in April, a test-drive of Adobe’s entry into the AI image-generation race, creating rusty text in Photoshop, building a mixed-media collage, exploring Retouch4me plug-ins, and so much more!

This issue’s cover image by KelbyOne member Jack Kosowsky

Current KelbyOne members can log into their account to access the new issue, or you can visit https://kelbyone.com/magazine to sign up and start reading today.

KelbyOne Pro members have access to more than 100 back issues of Photoshop User magazine all the way back to January 2012, plus all 64 issues of Lightroom Magazine. Not a Pro member yet? Click here for more information.

The post The May 2023 Issue of Photoshop User Is Now Available! appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Great video – short and sweet, but if you haven’t gotten up to speed on what all the new features are, and how they work, then check out this below.

Fantastic! Thank you Terry!

I’m off to New York for my Travel Photography Workshop

I know, I know, I just got back from Lisbon last week, but Erik and I wanted to hold our workshop before it gets summer-time hot in New York (which can be a scorcher), so we needed to go now, and thankfully we’re going to have perfect temperatures throughout (we’ll even have to dress in layers if you can believe that).

I have one more workshop coming up this year, in London in September, and if you want early notice when the tickets go on sale (there are only 12 spots total), then head over to my workshop website and get on the early notice mailing list (it’s at the bottom of the page). You’ll get a shot to grab one of the spots before they go up for grabs to the public. Here’s that link again.

Have a great weekend, everybody, and I’ll be seeing 12 of you up in New York this coming week!

-Scott

The post Terry’s Favorite New Lightroom Features appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

I get asked this question more and more as more people take their camera phones more seriously, especially for things like travel photography.

Here’s how to set things up so any photos you take with your phone’s camera not only go straight into Lightroom but a nice bonus is – when you do this, they also automatically sync back with Lightroom on your desktop so that you can edit your images on your phone right there on the spot, or after you get back on your computer.

You set this up in Lightroom mobile: click on the Gear icon in the top right corner to bring up the App Settings (preferences), then tap on ‘Import’ (as shown above).

When the Import preferences screen appears (seen above), where it says “Auto Add from Camera Roll” at the top, toggle the switch to the right of “Photos” to the on position (shown circled in red above), and you’re done. It’s that easy – now, images you shoot with your phone’s camera will automatically be imported into Lightroom for editing.

Hope you found that helpful. Have a great Monday, everybody!

-Scott

P.S. Don’t forget, The KelbyOne Lightroom Conference is coming up next month, and you don’t want to miss out. Get all the details right here.

The post How To Have Photos You Take On Your Phone Automatically Go Into Lightroom Mobile appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

It’s a new plug-in that works with Lightroom Classic from the folks at On1 called “Sky Swap AI,” and it lets you pop in new skies (and tweak them a bunch if you like) really easily. Check out the short video from our buddy Dan Harlacher below:

Pretty slick, right? Here’s a link to download a 30-day free trial or to buy it (It’s $39.95).

Here’s wishing you all a great weekend! I’m hoping to share some of my images from my trip to Portugal on Monday – we’ll see how the weekend goes.

-Scott

The post Check Out This Lightroom Plug-in For Sky Replacement appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Adobe has just released an update containing new features, new camera support, new lens support, and some bug fixes. Open up your Adobe Application Manager, click on the Updates tab, and then click Check for updates if you don’t see the latest releases for Lightroom Classic 12.3, Lightroom 6.3, and Camera Raw 15.3.

AI-powered Denoise

A new AI-powered tool has been added to aid us in removing noise from our photos. Built into the Enhance set of features (Super Resolution and Raw details), we now have the ability to reduce noise with a single click. You can launch Denoise from the Detail panel in Develop, or via the Photo > Enhance menu.

With a photo selected, click Denoise to open the Enhance Preview. Here you can adjust the Amount slider (50 is the default) to adjust the intensity of noise reduction (higher values are more aggressive in removing noise and can smooth detail more). Click and hold on the preview to see before and after views.

Once you’ve chosen the Amount value, click Enhance to create the new DNG copy with Denoise applied. Adobe recommends applying Denoise before other adjustments. This feature currently only works on Bayer and X-Trans RAW images. I’ve been very impressed with the results so far, and I think it works better than the existing noise removal tools found in Lightroom making this a great addition.

Enhanced photos will now have a new badge visible in Grid view and the Filmstrip. In addition, there is a new preference setting on the File Handling tab of the Preferences to automatically add a keyword to the enhanced photo indicating whichever of the features were used to create the enhanced version (Denoise, Super Resolution, or Raw Details). You’ll want to check out Eric Chan’s Denoise Demystified article to learn more from the ACR team.

Edit Indicators and Eyeballs

A simple but very useful feature is the addition of new indicators to quickly see which panels contain edits as well as a new eyeball icon that you can click and hold to temporarily disable the adjustments in a given panel. This is a feature that has existed in Lightroom since the beginning and I am so glad to see it has made its way into Lightroom Classic.

Dots will appear under tools in the Toolstrip (like Masking) to indicate if a tool has been used. On each panel, a dark eyeball indicates no settings in that panel have been applied, while a lit eyeball indicates a panel with settings. This can be so helpful determining what settings are included in a given preset, just click the preset and see which lights come on.

Masking Updates

Masking tools continue to evolve and improve. Now, under People masking we have the ability to automatically generate masks for facial hair and clothes.

In addition, Curves adjustments have now also made their way into Lightroom Classic. We have had this in Camera Raw, and I’m glad to see this has been added to Lightroom Classic and Lightroom for desktop.

Edit in Photoshop

Sure, we’ve been able to send photos to edit in Photoshop since the dawn of time, but with this update we’ve gained a couple of cool additions. The first is that we can now choose which version of Photoshop we want to use as the primary external editor. Head over to the External Editor tab of the Preferences to see the new drop-down. This is really helpful for those of us exploring the Photoshop Beta or who just like to use more than one version of Photoshop.

Beyond that, we can now select multiple photos in LrC and use the Photo > Edit In menu to access a new option to open as Smart Object Layers in Photoshop. Very cool! There’s a lot to love and explore in this update. I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts on the new features!

The post April Updates for Lightroom Classic, Lightroom, and Camera Raw appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Well, technically, as I write this, I’m in Atlanta waiting on the final leg of my trip home, so…I’m almost home. I’m feeling “home-ish.” We had an absolutely magical time visiting Porto, Portugal, and Lisbon with the kick-butt instructor team, along with a group of 12 talented, fun, totally awesome photographers, and it was a trip I’ll never forget.

I don’t really have any photos to share. The plan was to work on them on my three flights home, but I was so tired from this week that I slept instead, and I feel like it’s sleepy time again on the short 1-hour flight home to Tampa, coming up, too.

I had also planned on blogging while I was there, but that didn’t happen either – we were going from literally dawn until after midnight (we put the “work” in workshop), but I think this week will be much more interesting here on the blog.

Lots to catch you up on (hope you’ll watch The Grid this week), but until then, I just wanted to say “howdy,” and let you know I’m back and that I’ll be sharing some photos and stories from the trip soon.

Here’s to a great week (and a good night’s sleep).

-Scott

The post I’m Back From My Workshop in Lisbon appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

The April 2023 issue of Photoshop User is now live on the KelbyOne site and the KelbyOne app for iOS and Android.

In this issue, see how applying blur effects creatively in Photoshop can bring your images into focus, plus learn a unique way to create and apply scan lines to your subjects in Photoshop, speed tips for quickly reviewing and culling images in Lightroom, masking images with graphic patterns, tips for building books in Lightroom, adding digital face paint, create your own custom vinyl album, and so much more!

This issue’s cover image by KelbyOne member Don Hoekwater

Current KelbyOne members can log into their account to access the new issue, or you can visit https://kelbyone.com/magazine to sign up and start reading today.

KelbyOne Pro members have access to more than 100 back issues of Photoshop User magazine all the way back to January 2012, plus all 64 issues of Lightroom Magazine. Not a Pro member yet? Click here for more information.

The post The April 2023 Issue of Photoshop User Is Now Available! appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Terry is back, and this is such a good one – packed with tips and techniques for both Lightroom Classic, Lightroom Cloud, and Photoshop. You will learn a ton! (check it out below).

Thanks, Terry! You rock!

I shared some photos from Friday’s Airshow over on my other blog today Here’s the link if you’ve got a sec.

Have a great Monday, everybody!

-Scott

The post Selection and Masking Tips & Tricks appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

It’s installment #5 in my Lightroom retouching column, and while last time we looked at retouching wrinkles, this time around, we’re looking at a related technique, which is reducing hot spots (those shiny areas on your subject’s face that almost look kind of sweaty). Obviously, unless you’re photographing an athlete (or somebody that should be sweating), this isn’t usually a good look, so let’s look at how to deal with it (and a few other little things while we’re at it).

Here’s our original image, and you can see the large hot spots on her forehead. I think the highlight going down the bridge of her nose is a bit hot as well, so let’s at least deal with those two. (KelbyOne members can click here to download a JPEG version of this image for practice purposes only.)

STEP ONE: Click on the Healing tool in the toolbar at the top of the right side panels (its icon looks like a bandage), and then in the list of healing tools, click on the only one that actually does a decent job most of the time, Content-Aware Remove (it’s the first one, as shown here). This is the only one of the three that uses Photoshop’s Content-Aware technology to do its thing, and it’s usually pretty decent (not nearly as good as Photoshop’s Healing Brush, mind you, but way better than any tool we’ve had in Lightroom before).

STEP TWO: Make your brush size larger than the hot spot on her forehead. It’s a pretty large hot spot, which will create a problem because it needs a clean area from which to sample. And, because what we’re removing is nearly the size of her forehead, the Healing tool won’t have much area to sample from, but we have what I hope will help. For now, let’s just get that brush to the size we need it (as shown here).

STEP THREE: Now go ahead and click once to remove the hot spot, and, well, it’s as I thought. Because there’s so little area left on her forehead from which to sample, it didn’t work out well (as shown here). The area it sampled from didn’t have enough of a clean skin area to make a decent removal, but all hope is not lost.

STEP FOUR: Go over to the Healing options panel (just below the Histogram on the right side panels), and click the Refresh button (you can also just press the Forward-slash key [ / ] on your keyboard), and it will choose a different area from which to sample.

STEP FIVE: Well, that’s certainly looking better, but it’s not great. We’re not done, though. Let’s try clicking that Refresh button again and see how that looks (it will pick a different area from which to sample when you click it again like this).

STEP SIX: I think this try is probably worse. So, let’s hit that Refresh button once again and see if we have better luck.

STEP SEVEN: Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did! Okay, let’s try Refresh again.

STEP EIGHT: Yikes! Well, let’s do this: keep clicking Refresh until you get back to at least something as decent as where we started back in Step Five. So, just click it a few times until you get something that you can work with.

STEP NINE: Okay, this is about as good as we’re going to get in this case, but at least I think we can work with this version.

STEP 10: Here’s the plan; go to the Healing options and drag the Opacity slider all the way to the left to zero. This will bring the Hot Spot fully back as if we had never used this Healing tool at all, as shown in the bottom image on the left (the Opacity slider here kind of works like “undo on a slider”).

STEP 11: Now, slowly drag the Opacity slider to the right (as shown below), and keep an eye on your hot-spot area as you drag. Keep dragging it until the shiny, sweaty part goes away, but the nice highlight stays in place (after all, we don’t want the highlight to go away, just the sweaty, shiny look). Here, I had to drag it to the right to around 37% (you can see the result in the image at the top of the next page). If you drag any farther, you start to see the bad sampling appear and what looks like a bruise on the right side of her forehead (it’s not a bruise; it’s that bad sampling), but this was far enough to get rid of the shiny look and still look natural.

STEP 12: Here’s the image after removing some of the shininess from her forehead while keeping the highlights in place. Now let’s do the same things for the highlight going down the bridge of her nose.

STEP 13: Your Opacity settings will still be at 37% (it’s sticky, meaning whatever setting you used last stays in place), so you can just paint a stroke down her nose and let’s see how it does.

STEP 14: Make sure you scale the brush size down to where it’s just a little larger than the highlight you want to remove on her nose and paint down the bridge of her nose (as shown here).

STEP 15: Here, you can see it did a pretty decent job the first time out. If it didn’t pick a decent sample spot, remember you can click the Refresh button and have it try again.

STEP 16: Below is a side-by-side of the before and after. No, it’s not a retouching that “hits you over the head” with a night-and-day difference, but that’s how retouching should be. The retouches should be fairly subtle but effective overall in reducing the issue, so it doesn’t distract the viewer or show the subject differently than they’d appear while standing in front of you.

Okay, that’s it for this time. Next time, we’ll continue our portrait retouching journey.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

-Scott

The post Portrait Retouching in Lightroom, Part 5 (Remove “Hot Spots”) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Here’s the trailer (it’s really short – check it out below):

Here’s a direct link to the course. Hope you’ll check it out (people are super digging it!).

Have a great Monday, everybody!

-Scott

The post Catch My New Course on Lightroom’s Masking Tools appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

This opportunity shouldn’t be overlooked! Whether you are a new photographer or have been involved in photography for years, this bundle provides something for everyone at every level. Upgrade your skillset from experienced photographers and master editing techniques using $1000+ worth of materials: renowned courses, software assets, and creative content to achieve stunning results.

Educational courses

Broaden your photography editing expertise with high caliber courses from renowned photographers. With this selection, you can be sure to find the right combination of landscape, portrait and drone lessons for amateurs or professionals alike. 

• Full Editing Course on landscape photography from Albert Dros
  Professional photographer Albert Dros — whose work has graced some of the world’s biggest brands — reveals his editing secrets and teaches you how best to capture that perfect outdoor moment, whether on location or in post-production. Delve into exposure blending, focus stacking, noise reduction and much more – equipping yourself with all the tools necessary for beautiful landscapes every time.

• Portrait Fundamentals from Darlene Hildebrandt
  From camera basics right through to using multiple flash rigs on location, this comprehensive guide will teach the fundamentals of radiant light capturing so that each shot can be as flattering as possible with stunning results! Perfect for experienced photographers or complete beginners – hone in those vital techniques and become an expert at lighting portraits.

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  Learn the ins and outs of drone cinematography – look no further than Stewart & Alina Carroll, a husband-wife filmmaking team since 2012. Take their intensive 100-minute crash course filmed in Scotland’s breathtaking Highlands. In this class you’ll gain insights on how to fly like a pro with any drone, adjust settings for stunning footage, use 5 steps for cinematic results every time plus tips and tricks specifically designed to help develop creative approaches – all presented during 3 live flight adventures.

Creative content

Try a professional style on your photos with collections of creative content from real pros.

• With selection of LUTs and Skies by Mathew Browne, you can enhance your photos to tell more powerful stories. Each item is optimized for Luminar, Photoshop, or Lightroom so that achieving picture-perfect shots becomes even more convenient. Leverage 24 nature inspired LUTs plus 8k footages perfect as background skies – now’s the time to make an impression with every snap.
• Looking for an exquisite touch to add vibrancy and beauty to your photographs? Rene Ledrado’s captivating collections might help you – 25 Northern European skies in 8K resolution, plus 12 Classic B&W presets with timeless elegance! Transform any image into a memorable masterpiece.

Furthermore build up an impressive arsenal of tools such as 125 LUTs, Skies Presets and Overlays from Luminar team members. You can experiment with them within Luminar, in Photoshop or Lightroom). Learn how to apply assets and more from “Image Editing with Luminar Neo: A Complete Guide”: well-structured content, easy-to-follow instructions, and step-by-step workshops, practical and inspiring. The eBook is designed for both macOS and Windows users and comes with a folder containing 62 image files for practice.

The Ultimate Photography Bundle is truly a one of a kind package, available to photographers of all levels. With access to courses taught by world-renowned photographers, an array of creative content from real pros, and an assortment of tools from the Luminar team, you can be sure to expand your knowledge base and perfect your craft quickly and easily. 

Don’t miss out on the chance to unlock the offer – take control of your photos today. Discover the Ultimate Photography Bundle and upgrade your skills.

Ultimate Photography Bundle for New Users (includes Lunminar Neo lifetime license)

Ultimate Photography Bundle for those who already own Luminar Neo

The post Get a Powerful Start with the Ultimate Photography Bundle appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Check out this short video below and you’ll see why this often overlooked masking tool is one of most useful of all the masking tools.

Pretty darn handy, right?

This is for travel photographers:

Today on scottkelby.com I shared the best travel power adapter I’ve ever used. I love this thing. Here’s the link.

have a great Monday everybody!

–Scott

The post Are you Overlooking One of Lightroom’s Best Masking Tools? appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Picking up from last week where we covered renaming catalogs, folders, and collections, let’s run through the rest of the files you might want to rename.

Renaming Photos

There are a few opportunities to rename photos in your workflow. You can choose to rename as part of the import process, you can rename from within the Library module after import, and you can even choose to rename the copies created during export. One thing all these options have in common is that they can leverage Filename templates. Several Filename templates are included by default, but you can create as many custom Filename templates as you need using the Filename Template Editor, which we’ll get to in a bit.

To rename photos as part of the import process, you have to be using a Copy or Move function (can’t rename using Add), and then simply check the Rename Files box in the File Renaming panel of the Import dialog and choose a desired Filename template.

To batch rename in the Library module, go to the folder or collection containing the files you want to rename, select all the files you want to rename, and go to Library > Rename Photos to open the Rename dialog where you can select a desired Filename template. With the template selected, click OK to rename all selected photos.

If you just need to rename a single photo, select the photo, expand the Metadata panel set to Default view, and simply type the new name in the File Name field and press Return (PC: Enter). Just like with renaming your catalog file, be certain to retain the file extension when renaming. And, just like when renaming folders you want to do it within LrC so that you don’t break the connection between the file and the catalog.

To rename copies during export, simply expand the File Naming panel of the Export dialog, check the Rename To box and choose the desired Filename template from the drop-down menu.

Ok, I’ve mentioned these Filename template files a number of times, so let’s look at how to create a custom Filename template. From any of the locations I just mentioned, instead of selecting an existing Filename template, scroll to the bottom of the drop-down menu and choose Edit to open the Filename Template Editor.

Within the Filename Template Editor you’ll find a drop-down menu at the top to choose between existing templates, an editable field for creating custom templates, and four groups of tokens for building a template. Let’s go through the process of creating a Filename template that uses the date the photo was captured, a field for adding custom text that we can populate as needed when renaming, and part of the camera generated file name.

Step One: Select and delete all tokens in the editable field at the top to start with a clean slate.

Step Two: In the Sequence and Date section, select the desired date format token that works for your needs. I selected Date (YYYYMMDD). I like to separate tokens using a hyphen between each one (to make it easier to read after renaming), so I’ll type a hyphen right into the editable field after the date token, and then do that again after each other token until I get to the end of the name. Feel free to type anything else you want hardcoded into the filename.

Step Three: In the Custom section, click the Insert button to add a token for entering custom text during renaming. Add a hyphen after that if you wish.

Step Four: In the Image Name section, choose the Original number suffix token, which retains the numeric part of the camera generated filename. If you don’t want to use any part of the camera generated name, feel free to use a Sequence number token in this place instead. You just want something that will increment with each file so each photo has a unique name.

You can continue to add any other tokens you wish. Notice above the editable field there is an example of what this filename will look like when used (note, where it says untitled will be replaced with whatever custom text you insert at the time).

Step Five: Click the Preset drop-down menu at the top and choose Save Current Settings as New Preset, then enter a meaningful name in the New Preset popup dialog that appears and click Create. I like to name the templates in a way that reflects how they work, so for this one I called it YYYYMMDD-customtext-suffix, so when I see it in the list of templates I remember what it does.

Click Done to exit the Filename Template Editor when ready to move on. The custom Filename Templates you create will be available from Import, batch rename in Library, and Export.

Renaming Templates

On the subject of templates, for reasons I don’t know or understand Adobe uses the words templates and presets pretty loosely and somewhat interchangeably. For example, in the Filename Template Editor we just worked in you can see the templates are accessible by using the Preset drop-down menu. Go figure. So, if you decide at some point that you want to rename any of your custom Filename Templates, here’s the secret handshake.

Step One: Open the Filename Template Editor just like we did before.

Step Two: Click the Preset drop-down menu and select the template you want to rename from the list.

Step Three: Click the Preset drop-down menu a second time and select Rename preset “[presetname]” from the list that now appears. This opens the Rename Preset popup dialog box where you can enter a new name and click Rename.

Note, there is also an option in there to delete the selected preset/template if needed.

In closing, there are a few other little odds and ends that you may one day want to rename, like Develop presets or keywords. These are straight forward in that you simply right-click the one you want to rename and chose from the contextual menu that appears. The only thing to keep in mind is that in general, LrC only allows you to rename custom bits you created and not the templates/presets that come pre-installed with the program.

The post Renaming-mania: renaming catalogs, folders, collections, photos, templates, and presets: Part 2 appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Hi gang, and it’s a glorious Monday (and I’m on my way to Zurich, Switzerland this afternoon with my brother Jeffrey – a Christmas gift from my awesome wife).

Just a quickie today, but it’s kinda important — especially if you’re working on a laptop or a desktop computer where you’re constantly running out of free space.

I am officially declaring today ‘Dump Your Outdated Catalog Backups” Monday!

Simply put: Check to see if you’re accumulating a bunch of useless outdated backup catalogs, and throw the ones away you don’t need anymore to free up space

You see that dialog above — the one that appears when you quit Lightroom Classic, asking you if you want to make a backup copy of your catalog? Each time you see it, it asks you to make a COPY of your entire catalog. Each time you hit that ‘Back up’ it makes yet another backup copy. Sure, it compresses that backup quite a bit, but still…those backups can get really big in file size, but worse yet, after a couple of weeks, they’re so outdated that those older ones become useless anyway.

So, go see how many backups you have (you really only need one or two very recent ones).

Look inside your Lightroom folder (the one where your catalog(s) are stored (mine was inside my Pictures folder on my Mac), and look for a folder named ‘Backups” and inside that folder, see if you don’t have a whole bunch of backups that are way out of date (as seen above), just eating up hard drive space for no reason.

If you don’t see a folder named ‘Backups’ that’s because you don’t have any backups (ack!) so if disaster strikes (your catalog gets corrupted), you will be starting over from scratch in Lightroom. For more on backing up your catalog, check out this article we did on backing up your catalog (why you should, and how to do it), hit this link. 

I still had some old backups hanging around from 2019. If somehow my catalog got corrupted, I would want to use a backup from March of 2023 — not one from April of 2019, and so on, so those outdated backups are doing just one thing — eating up space. Now’s the time to pitch ’em, seeing as it’s ‘Dump Your Outdated Catalog Backups” Friday!

Hope at the very least it frees up some space for you, and if you looked in your Lightroom folder and didn’t even see a folder named ‘Backups’ maybe it made you go and hit that ‘Make Backup’ button so you at least have one on hand in case disaster strikes.

I Just Had A Spot Open Up For My Lisbon, Portugal Photo Workshop

The workshop has been sold out for a while now, but I just had somebody have to cancel, but you can grab their spot. It’s coming up one month from now (April 12-15, 2023). 

Check out the short video below, and if you want to grab that last spot and join us in Lisbon, this is your chance – here’s the link: (NOTE: the button says Sold Out, but if you click the button, you’ll see there’s now one ticket available).

For more details on the workshop, visit scottkelbyworkshops.com – I hope to see you, with me, in Lisbon next month.

Here’s wishing you a great ‘Dump Your Outdated Catalog Backups” Monday.

-Scott

The post It’s ‘Dump Your Outdated Lightroom Backup Catalogs” Monday appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Check out the video below for the scoop on the new book, which includes the lighting, the shooting, and of course, the Lightroom and Photoshop retouching techniques (and you get to download the images and follow right along with each set-up). Check out the official trailer below:

The book is available in print, or eBook, and is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, direct from the Publisher Rocky Nook, or wherever photography books are sold.

Well, I’m off to Switzerland with my brother Jeff for one of our annual brother’s trips. I haven’t been to Switzerland since my wife, and I was dating (so 34 years or so ago), and I’m super psyched. It’s my first trip with my R6 II and my new Peak Design travel tripod, so I’m pretty excited to see how they both do. I’ll be posting some stuff on social while I’m out there, but in the meantime, hoping you have a great weekend.

-Scott

The post My New Book for Lighting With Flash Is Here: Light it, Shoot it, Retouch it! appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.