[Robert1950]

Does anyone here use Adobe Lightroom? If you have, what do you think of it, what do you use it for?

 

[knight_yyz]

I just use Corel for my photos.

 

[Chito]

I have Lightroom and used it a bit when I first got it. But I haven't use it much after that. I'm not really a post processing person as I don't have the patience for it. LOL Also, I got a new camera and I can't use it with the photos from that camera unless I upgrade Lightroom. So I didn't get to use it a lot. But yes, you could a lot of things with it. It is a good software.

 

[luker0]

Lightroom is an incredible tool for light post processing and image management. Have used it since version two. I don't use it or photoshop for heavy post since I try to shoot and get it in camera first (hold over from my 18 years of shooting on film). Don't shoot much anymore though.


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[Robert1950]

Just watch a video on Lightroom (~28min). This seems to cover about 95%+ of the post processing I do with photographs. Generally I am a non-anal/type B personality type of person (19x/20 or more). But when it comes to post processing pictures, I can get really type A, nit-picky. I may not spend hours and hours on a particular set of photos like I used to, but still,... Even the phone snaps of my grand-daughter or whatever, I have to crop it just right, adjust the tonal curve, apply sharpness, enhance the colour, etc.

I had Photoshop 6 or 7 (academic edition - Ryerson)on my old computer when it died some 6 or 7 years ago. Since then I've got by with a little known, compact but powerful photo editing program called Picture Window Pro (PWP) 90% of the time and Photoshop Elements for the rest. I like the way Lightroom works. It is definitely worth looking into more. And there are a massive amount of YouTube Vids on working with Lightroom. There is one on PWP.

Thing is, photo gear/software competes with the same resources ($$ and time) as do guitar gear/recording software.

 

[Robert1950]

A monthly photography subscription for Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC is $13.59 Cdn ($9.99 US). Netflix is $9.99 Cdn. To buy Lightroom outright is at least $199 Cdn. Bargain really.

 

[Robert1950]

Just subscribed Adobe Photography CC. $14.54Cdn/mo. You Get Photoshop and Lightroom. I spent last night trying to figure out the file and catalog system and gave up This morning I watched some different YouTube vids and mostly got. What I did first was move all my raw file folders and put them under a single folder. Then I got started. Went right back to the beginning with the first photos I took with my Nikon D70s 12 years ago. Walked through the processing with the vid above. Photos have been converted and resized to JPEG for the web.

This is the before processing. The second shot I ever took with the camera. Lake Ontario, Ajax.

This is what it looked like after I developed it with Lightroom. I can go back in and tweak this at any time.

 

[KapnKrunch]

Spent a more than a decade in Photoshop making up advertising. Also Illustrator and InDesign.

Typical day was spent photographing merchandise on the store floor, and drawing clipping paths around them later, on the computer. About as much fun as grinding a half-inch plate down into a quarter-inch plate. Batch processing and automation was possible for routine stuff, so that helped somewhat, but things were much better when the bigger stores like Canadian Tire got decent stock photos online, elimininating most of the Photoshop drudgery.

For quality custom photos, a professional photographer was hired. Here's the bottom line that everyone in graphics knows -- and something for every amateur photo buff to keep in mind:

"Shit in, shit out."

Work on your skills with the camera, not with the computer. Then Photoshop becomes a fantastic creative palette, not just a medicine cabinet to cure your woes.

Whatever. Have fun!!

 

[Robert1950]

I spent 30 years on and off shooting film, a lot of B&W, printing my in a darkroom. My "photographic eye" is always on as a result. I have BOXES of prints, negatives and slides. Have done some scanning and digitizing of photographic prints. I have enough to keep me busy as a retirement project until I am no longer with this earth.

 

[Budda]

Just wanted to say that your A/B example is pretty good! I want to take more photos, but all I really have access to is my phone. "We" have a nice enough DSLR but someone is a little protective of "our" stuff haha. I have not, however, messed with post processing in any real capacity (applying a filter to a social media post doesn't count).

 

[KapnKrunch]

I spent 30 years on and off shooting film, a lot of B&W, printing my in a darkroom. My "photographic eye" is always on as a result. I have BOXES of prints, negatives and slides. Have done some scanning and digitizing of photographic prints. I have enough to keep me busy as a retirement project until I am no longer with this earth.

Darkroom. Black and white. Fully manual old camera. It's magic!!

 

[laristotle]

Darkroom. Black and white. Fully manual old camera. It's magic!!

My wife and I were into that way back too.
Now, I'm just happy if I can hold the camera steady enough for clear pics.
That's why I like digital. I'll take 3 dozen shots of a subject to get just one in focus.

 

[butterknucket]

I would really like to do some black and white photography but I have no clue where to start.

 

[Robert1950]

I would really like to do some black and white photography but I have no clue where to start.

First, what do you use to take pictures??

 

[butterknucket]

First, what do you use to take pictures??

Nothing at the moment, apart from the bad camera on my old cell phone. I want to get a decent camera.

 

[Robert1950]

Okay, I gonna be a bit thorough here. Well, first you have to set a budget. How much do you want to / how much can you spend. The next part is harder,... what type of camera, what brand of camera do you want / are suited to. I would suggest going on to YouTube and spend some time looking at vids on such topics, such as "How do I choose my first camera?" or "So you want to take photographs" "Do I want one I can stick in my pocket?" "Do I want one that can take different lenses?" "DSLR or mirrorless or point and shoot?"etc, etc. (. If you have a friend who is a photographer, that will help a lot and may cut back on the your research time. )

Make sure sites you look at have many views. Major USA retailers will make useful vids on this. After that you may want to spend time on a large Canadian retail site, like Henry's, just to research the camera you have on your list. Make short list. Look up some reviews on your short list. Then go to a local camera store, ideally reputable, with your short list. The sales person might even suggest something not your list. Who knows

Brand loyalty and stuff can be just like guitars, I'm a Fender guy, or It's PRS or nothing. Some people will say I only use Canon. There are a lot of good camera brands and it really comes down choosing what works best for you and you are comfortable using.

 

[butterknucket]

I used to have a Canon that was a step up from a point and shoot that was fairly full featured but it died, and I also took some photography classes in college so while I'm in no way even approaching an expert level, I do have a bit of grounding in things, but that was a long time ago.

What is the difference between DSLR and Mirrorless?

 

[Robert1950]

Okay, now to give you my opinion. I you just want take pictures To make prints and post online, a Point and Shoot with a zoom lens and built-in flash will do. The technology has improved and matured over the last tens year to where they are better than PRO level DSLR camera of 15 years ago. If after a while you want to upgrade, like my Squier/Epiphone is fine, but I want a to Fender/Gibson now, then you can move up.

 

[Jim DaddyO]

I don't do any processing of my photos. With big memory cards and digital photography I subscribe to the theory of taking lots of photos, one of them will be what you are looking for....lol. I do mess around with camera settings a lot of times, just to learn. My son is a photographer and he has not raked me over the coals yet for my methods.

 

[Robert1950]

What is the difference between DSLR and Mirrorless?

Previous post was before I saw your latest. DSLR cameras are digital Single Lens Reflex cameras modelled after the film base SLR cameras. Your view is through your lens, reflected by the mirror through the optical system into your eyepiece. What you see is what you get, sort of analog style. You press the shutter the mirror moves up the shutter curtain moves at the speed you set, the image is recorded, the shutter closes and the mirror comes back down.

Mirrorless have removed the mirror and the optical viewing system. A digital viewing system has replaced the mirror mechanism and optical view system. The results is a smaller and lighter and quieter camera. You can get them with interchangeable lens systems. Camera makers like Fujifilm and Panasonic only make mirrorless systems. Most of Sony cameras are mirrorless now.