14 Extending the Power of Elements

Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Lightroom

It might seem a little strange talking about Photoshop Lightroom in a Photoshop Elements book, but the reality is that I have found more and more readers have started to use Lightroom as their image management, raw adjustment and output software and Elements as their editing tool of choice. Yes that is right, contrary to what you might have heard you can use Photoshop Elements as the ‘linked’ editor for Lightroom. For this reason it makes sense that Elements users who are wanting to stretch their imaging wings a little would see Lightroom as the next logical step.

Perfect partners >> Many Photoshop Elements users see moving to Lightroom as a logical step in the Progression of their editing skills, but such a move doesn’t render Elements to the back room. Instead the program can be linked with Lightroom to perform the pixel editing tasks that are not possible in the Lightroom itself. All the editing skills built through time spent with Elements can then put to good use on Lightroom managed photos.

Introducing Photoshop Lightroom – The ultimate in Raw control

It is true that Elements users can process raw files using the version of Adobe Camera Raw that ships with the program, but if you are a dedicated raw shooter, then you may find that you want a few more tools and features when processing your raw files. This is where Lightroom can help. Designed as a complete raw workflow product, the program is a deceptively simple product that feels like a well-designed and streamlined photographer’s work tool.

The software is based around a workflow that includes the following modules:

Library – All image management starts with the Library module. Here you import your photos, arrange them in collections, add keywords, search your library or browse individual shots. All this activity is handled with the options in the left-hand panel, while in the workspace you can view your images in magnified Loupe mode, side-by-side Compare mode, the sorting Survey mode, or Grid mode.

Develop – The Develop module is the next step in the Lightroom workflow and is central to all enhancement changes that are applied to your photos. Just like when you are working in the Adobe Camera Raw dialog, the enhancement settings and controls are grouped in a panel on the right of the window and a preview of the interpolated raw file is also included.

Slideshow – The Slideshow module is where you can lay out a group of images and present them to clients or family and friends as a slideshow or produce them as a self-running PDF presentation.

Print – Here in the one dialog are all the controls you need to output contact sheets, picture packages as well as individual prints. Gone are the layer upon layer of settings dialogs, replaced with a single pane of settings with all the critical controls and settings up front.

Web – The Web module has the ability to create both traditional thumbnail and feature image HTML-based galleries, or the more interactive Flash-based sites complete with animation and simple navigation controls.

The whole workflow is lossless – read ‘non-destructive’. Image enhancement and raw conversion settings are stored separately to the original image data and are then used to generate screen previews of the pictures, print output and the screen-based slideshows of the files.

Workflow based >> The workflow employed in Lightroom roughly follows a route that progresses from one module to another. Import and management functions are carried out in the Library module. Raw conversion settings are applied in the Develop module and output to screen or print processes are handled in the Slideshow, Web and Print modules. Elements can play an important role in this workflow by providing pixel based editing for images managed in Lightroom.

Why Lightroom plus Elements

With this level of functionality you may well ask why Lightroom users need a dedicated editing program like Elements in addition to what seems to be a comprehensive imaging program. Well the short answer is that Lightroom’s forté is global enhancement of images. That is, tweaking the tones, colors and sharpness contained in a single image. Even with the extra power resulting from the addition of the local correction tools introduced in version 2.0, Lightroom is designed to be used with a single image.

Now we know that this is not the case with Elements. Because of the layer structure used in the program, Elements users can montage picture parts from several different photos in a single composition.

In its most basic form this means that you can do things like swap skies in a landscape photo, or heads in a portrait image. These type of changes are generally referred to as pixel editing, and it is for these features that Lightroom users need Elements.

So what does that mean in terms of workflow? Well, this way of working positions Lightroom as the program used for image management, raw processing, presenting and printing and Elements as the package used for ‘nitty gritty’ pixel based editing. This is great news for Elements’ users who are migrating to Lightroom as all the editing skills that they have built can be applied to Lightroom managed photos. Cool!

With this ‘modus operandi’ in mind, I thought that it would be a good idea to use this chapter to introduce Lightroom to Elements users and then to describe how to employ Elements editing power with the package.

Enough talk, let’s get to it!

Photoshop Lightroom is based on two core technologies: a relational database that stores all the details, settings and metadata relating to your images and the engine that drives Adobe Camera Raw. The database provides fast, reliable searching and cataloging options and the ACR engine supplies the tools needed for enhancing your pictures. The user accesses these technologies via an interface based around the five workflow modules that we briefly looked at earlier. Let’s start with the interface.

Lightroom Interface As a full workflow product Lightroom contains not just the tools and controls needed for the conversion of raw files, but also for their management and presentation. These functions are all contained in a slick interface with a workspace that can be broken down into the following sections: 1. left panel, 2. filmstrip, 3. preview area, 4. right panel, 5. module menu, 6. program menu, and 7. tools.

The workspace

The Lightroom workspace can be divided into several sections.

1. The left panel’s role changes depending on which module or mode you are in. The example screen shot shows Lightroom in the Develop mode, which is primarily designed for enhancing the file. You will find settings here for controlling colors, tones and sharpness as well as tools for cropping, straightening, spot removal and local correction (dodge and burn, etc.). If you switch to the Library, Slideshow, Print or Web modules the contents change to display preset and saved options settings.

2. The filmstrip area is located at the bottom of the screen and displays all the images from the currently selected Collection, Folder or Find results. Individual pictures, or groups of images, can be selected from the filmstrip in any module.

3. In the default setting for the Library module, the main workspace displays a grid view of thumbnails. Double-clicking any thumbnail will display an enlarged preview in what is called Loupe view. A single mouse click on the preview image zooms the picture to and from a default 1:1 magnification setting. Images can be viewed in Grid (like a sorting area on a slide box), Loupe (enlarged to 1:1 or a range of other settings), Compare (side-by-side comparisons of multiple photos) or Survey (interactive review of multiple photos) modes. In Slideshow, Web and Print modes the workspace displays a preview of the images as they will appear on screen or on the printed page.

4. The right-hand panel holds the settings controls available for the current module. In Library mode it displays some quick development options. In the Develop module the panel contains the complete set of enhancement controls, and in the Slideshow, Web and Print modules it houses layout and output settings.

5. The module menu appears at the top of the screen and not only lists the options available but also highlights the one currently selected. There are five modules included in Lightroom (Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, Web).

6. The menu bar provides access to standard menu commands, but like most screen elements in the Lightroom interface, this too can be hidden from view and restored when needed.

7. The small section beneath the histogram in the right panel of the Develop module houses the tools that can be used to crop, straighten, remove spots of red-eye and brush on adjustments. More tools or options are available in a section just below the preview space. These change according to the module selected. For instance, when Library is selected view mode buttons, rating settings, and zoom settings are just some of the options available here.

The Lightroom workflow modules

Adobe consulted far and wide when they were putting together Lightroom. Who did they talk to? The answer is photographers! They asked them to describe their workflows and to list the sort of enhancement controls they regularly used. From these discussions the Lightroom team created a simple modular-based workflow. Let’s look at each module in turn.

Library module

Library left panel contents

As we have seen in the quick look at the interface on the previous pages, the contents of both right and left panels change according to which module is selected. The left panel of the Library contains the following options:

Navigator – The Navigator acts as another way to preview images in a slightly larger format than what is generally displayed with the filmstrip thumbnails. The options at the top of the Navigator provide various zoom modes for the Loupe view. Selecting any of these entries will automatically switch the preview space to the Loupe view and enlarge to the zoom setting. With settings greater than the Fit option, a rectangle is shown that indicates the extent of the area currently displayed. Click-dragging the rectangle around the Navigator will move the picture parts previewed.

Catalog – The Catalog section lists details of the status of the Lightroom database. Here you will find numbers relating to all the photographs in your Catalog, the images currently marked for inclusion in the Quick Collection and the amount of photos in the last import.

Folders – The Folders section mirrors the folder hierarchy of your hard drive and displays the folder where images currently included in the catalog are located. It is possible to move files from one folder to another by selecting the pictures in the grid view and dragging them to the new folder. Unlike many other management changes in Lightroom, moving files in this way forces a corresponding change at system level. The same is true for the changes made in the operating system file browser outside Lightroom. Folder structure and contents made in the OS file browser are reflected in the Folder display. Folders can be added or removed using the + or – buttons at the top of the section.

Collections – Collections are one way that Lightroom helps you organize your photos. Unlike folders, collections are virtual groupings of images. The same image can be a member of several different collections. This doesn’t mean that the photo is duplicated and stored several times, rather that the

Library – Left panel

different collections reference the same image in its original folder. Elements users should think of Collections as being similar to Albums.

Import and Export buttons – The Import button at the bottom of the left-hand panel provides a shortcut to importing files or other Lightroom catalogs. More extensive import options are located in the File menu. The Export button displays the Export dialog which contains a range of options that can be used to output either single or groups of photos in specific formats.

Library right panel contents

Histogram – The Histogram appears in both the Library and Develop modules, but in slightly different forms. In the Library module the graph provides a visual representation of the spread of tones in the image from black (left) to white (right).

Quick Develop – The Quick Develop section provides the most used tone and color controls right inside the Library for easy and fast adjustments during the picture management phase. The controls are button driven rather than slider based. The single sideways arrow makes changes in small steps, whereas the double sideways arrow uses larger settings jumps.

Keyword List – Another approach to image management is to use keywords for searches and creating groups of similar photos. These descriptive words are added to the metadata either at the time of importing, or during the sorting process in the Library module. You can filter the images currently displayed in the grid view by selecting specific Keywords from those listed .

Metadata – The Metadata section is used to display groups of images based on the metadata entries associated with the photos. Selecting an entry from the list will sort through the photos and only display those images that contain the metadata entry. Much of the metadata or EXIF information associated with digital photos is recorded at time of capture and is inaccessible to the user, but there are groups of metadata details that can added, or changed, by the users.

Keywording – Unlike the Keyword List pane, which is used to filter the preview display based on keywords attached to images, the Keywording section is used for adding keywords to photos. You can attach a keyword to a selected photo by either typing it directly into the Keywording space (using commas to separate multiple keywords) or by clicking onto one of the keyword entries in the Keyword Set section of the panel. Click on the entry a second time to remove a keyword attached incorrectly.

Library – Right panel

Sync Settings and Sync Metadata buttons – The Sync Settings and Sync Metadata buttons are active when two or more images are selected in the grid view. The Sync Settings button copies the Develop settings from the reference image to the rest of the preselected photos. The Sync Metadata button copies the metadata to the selected photos.

Library tools

Several view options are grouped under the preview area. The specific entries listed here change according to the module currently selected. The following are options for the Library module, but the display can change depending on those entries selected in the Toolbar Content menu.

Views Modes – Used for setting how images are displayed in the preview area.

Sort order and direction – The order that thumbnails are displayed in the grid view can be adjusted with the drop-down menu option displayed in the toolbar.

Adding Ratings, Flags, Pick settings and Color Labels – Clicking any of the buttons will then place the Rating, Pick flag or Color Label on the selected image or images in the preview space.

Rotating photos – The Rotate buttons pivot the selected photo or photos in 90° increments either left or right.

Navigate and Slideshow options – There are two Navigation buttons available for display on the toolbar. The Select Next Photo or Select Previous Photo buttons move the selection from one photo to another. The Play button displays the images in a full screen slideshow using the current settings of the controls in the Slideshow module.

Zoom settings – The Thumbnail slider controls the size of the thumbnails in the Grid View of the preview area.

Information bar – When the filmstrip is displayed, an information bar is also shown just above the filmstrip area and below the preview space.

Develop – Left panel

Develop module

Develop left panel contents

Navigator – The Navigator as displayed in the Develop module functions in the same way that it does in the Library module. For more details refer to the Library section of this chapter.

Presets – The Preset section stores groups of Develop settings. Some of these are supplied with the program as general defaults (Zeroed, Flat, Sepia, etc.) and are stored under the Lightroom Presets heading. Others are presets saved by the user.

Snapshots – Snapshots are saved history states. They can be used to revert a photo’s development to a specific stage in its enhancement.

History – An entry is placed in the History panel for each editing or enhancement setting change. The values for specific controls are listed to the right of each entry. The entries are listed chronologically. This process of creating ent ries happens automatically, and the entries remain associated with the file until the Clear button, located at the top of the panel, is selected. Like the Snapshot entries, selecting an entry from the History list will adjust the image to the settings listed.

Copy and Paste buttons – The Copy and Paste buttons at the bottom of the left side panels are used for copying the Develop settings from one photo and applying them (Paste) to another photo.

Develop – Right panel

Develop right panel contents

Histogram – The Histogram we see here contains the same füll color graphof the spread of pixels in the image as was the case in the Library modulebut with a couple of differences – the graph can be directly manipulated with your mouse Cursor (push and pulled around) and the top left and right corners contain the shadow and highlight clipping warning buttons anddisplays.

Basic – The contents of the Basic panel reflect those provided by ACR in the Photoshop Elements Version of the Utility. See Chapter 3 for more details on the raw enhancement controls found here.

Tone Curve – The Tone Curve Option in Lightroom provides the user with the Option of adjusting the shape of the curve, and therefore the tones in the photo, in four different ways:

• You can push/pull the curve directly by clicking onto the line of the curved and click-dragging with the mouse.

• Segments of the curve are broken into four tonal ranges called Highlights, Lights, Darks and Shadows. Beneath the curves dialog are slider controls for each of these tonal ranges.

• Yet another way to manipulate the curve in Lightroom is to select an entry from the Point Curve drop-down menu at the bottom of the dialog.

• The ünal curve control is again a unique feature in Lightroom as well as being one that is used for other controls. The Targeted Adjustment Tool (TAT) located at the top left-hand corner of the dialog is used to make changes by click-dragging on the image itself.

HSL/Color/Grayscale – In the color modes (HSL and Color) the feature allows the independent adjustment of Hue, Saturation and/or Luminance of red, orange, yellow, green, aqua, blue, purple and magenta colors. Selecting the Grayscale option switches the concerns of the control to how the eight color groupings are mapped to gray tones. .

Split Toning – The Split Toning control allows for separate tinting of shadow and highlight areas and has both Hue and Saturation controls plus a Balance slider that controls the position of the split along the tonal scale.

Detail – Like the Basic panel the options available here are similar to those found in the Detail tab of Adobe Camera Raw. See Chapter 3 for more information.

Camera Calibration – The controls in the Camera Calibration panel allow for fine-tuning of the default color conversion options of specific camera models.

Previous and Reset buttons – Selecting the Previous button applies the Develop settings of the last selected photo to the newly selected image. Clicking the Reset button changes the Develop settings for the current image back to the Lightroom defaults.

Develop module toolbar >> Lightroom contains five tools that you can use to alter the way that your photo appears

Develop tools

The toolbar located below the histogram in the Develop module of Lightroom contains five key features used for editing your photos.

Crop Overlay – The Crop Overlay tool is used for removing unwanted edges and straightening photos.

Spot Removal – Designed to eliminate dust spots and unwanted subject marks, the tool works by sampling another part of the photo and using this detail, color and texture to paste over the problem spot.

Red Eye Correction – This tool allows you to non-destructively remove Red Eye from your flash photos.

Graduated Filter – This feature can be used to apply custom gradients across the full height or width of the photo. Once created, the size, position and rotation of the gradient remains editable along with the image characteristics that can be altered via the gradient.

Adjustment Brush – Like the Graduated Filter, the Adjustment Brush is used to apply image changes to specific areas of the photo. This means that you can brush on changes in exposure, brightness, contrast, saturation, clarity, sharpness and color to selected parts of your picture.

Slideshow module

Slideshow left panel contents

Preview – The Preview panel displays a thumbnail view of the current selected template. Moving over the template entries will switch the preview between different slideshow templates whilst view-ing a preview of how your images will look with each layout.

Template Browser – Lists Lightroom default and user-created slideshow templates.

Export PDF and Export JPEG buttons – The Export PDF button produces the slideshow as a self-running PDF presentation. The Export JPEG option creates a series of JPEG screen shots of the current slideshow.

Slideshow right panel contents

Options – The options panel contains Stroke Border and Cast Shadow set-tings as well as the option to force photos to ‘Zoom to Fill Frame’.

Layout – The four slider controls in the Layout panel control the margin spaces around the slideshow picture. Changing these values will alter the size and positioning of the photo in the slide frame.

Overlays – Choose what other content will be included on the slide along with the photo in this panel. You can include the Identity Plate, Rating settings and/ o r m e t a data or custom text.

Backdrop – Select the background color, or whether to include a color wash or a background image.

Titles – Customized intro and ending screens.

Playback – The Playback panel includes options for including an accompa-nying soundtrack, and settings for slide duration and transition timing and for systems with two screens, a choice on which screen the slideshow plays.

Preview and Play buttons – The production can be previewed in the central workspace by pressing one of the VCR-type Play buttons in the toolbar or the Preview button at the bottom of the right panel entries. Press the play button to present the slideshow full screen.

Slideshow – Right panel

Slideshow tools

Navigation buttons – The First Slide button displays the initial image in the show. The Play and Stop buttons are used for previewing the show using the current settings.

Add Text to Slide button – Selecting the Add Text button allows the user to input custom text, or choose from a list of metadata entries, to be displayed in the slide. Adding text automatically selects the Text Overlays option in the Overlays panel.

Print module

Print left panel contents

Preview – The Preview pane displays the layout of the print template that is currently selected. The images are not shown in the layout, just the spaces where these photos will be positioned.

Template Browser – The Template Browser contains a list of supplied print layouts along with any template designs saved by the users.

Page Setup button – Printer level control is also possible with the options accessed via the Page Setup button on the toolbar.

Print – Right panel

Print right panel contents

Layout Engine – Provides a choice between Contact Sheet/Grid for multiple images, and Picture package, for a single image repeated, layout styles.

Image Settings – The Image Settings panel houses placement controls such as Zoom to Fill Frame, Auto-Rotate to Fit, and Repeat One Photo per Page options along with border size and color settings.

Layout – The Margins, Grid and Cell options in the Layout panel control the image positioning and overall design of the print template.

Guides – Controls for displaying non-printing guides.

Overlays – Just as was the case for the Slideshow module, the settings in the Overlays panel determine what other details are printed alongside the images themselves.

Print Job –The Print Job settings group together the main output options of Resolution, Sharpening, and Color Management. Users can input their preferred pixels per inch (ppi) setting in the Print Resolution section.

Print One – This option bypasses the OS print dialog and uses the current settings to produce a print.

Print button – Pressing the Print button will also display the OS and printer dialogs to ensure proper setup before finally outputting the photo. Holding down the Alt/Opt key will bypass these dialogs and print the photo using the last settings.

Print – Right panel

Web module

Web left panel contents

Preview – The Preview panel displays a small version of the Web Gallery template currently selected in the Template Browser.

Template Browser – The Template Browser lists supplied and user-created templates. Applying a template to the current group of selected images is as easy as clicking on the entry in the template list.

Preview in Browser – The Preview in Browser button produces the website and then displays it in a new browser window. This process can take some time as Lightroom performs all of the web optimizing of the image files and the building of the pages and navigational structure. The progress of the action is detailed in the top left corner of the Lightroom workspace.

Web right panel contents

Engine – This section contains two gallery template options: Flash Gallery, for websites created with Flash technology, and HTML Gallery, for more traditional style web pages and sites.

Site Info – The contents of the Site Info panel may vary slightly depending on the gallery template selected and if the website is Flash or HTML based. In most cases, the site title, collection title, collection description, contact info and web or mail link can be added here.

Color Palette – The colors used in the template design can be adjusted or replaced with the controls in the Color Palette panel. The number of website components listed here will depend on the design of the template.

Appearance – Along with the Color Palette, the Appearance panel con-tains the main controls for changing the look and style of a web template. In this section the user can adjust characteristics such as drop shadows, selection borders, the number of images displayed in index or grid pages, displaying or hiding of cell numbers and the use of photo borders.

Image Info – The Image Info panel contains settings for the inclusion of extra text with each of the photos displayed. There are two areas where more details can be added – the Title and Caption areas.

Output Settings – The Output Settings for most templates include a Quality slider that governs the image quality of the larger gallery images, plus the option to display a watermark-based copyright on the larger images.

Print – Right panel

Upload Settings – Lightroom has the ability to upload the completed website directly to the web server where your pages are stored and displayed to the world. For this to occur the program uses an FTP, or file transfer protocol, utility that links the user’s computer with the web server and then transfers the files. To make the connection, Lightroom uses details contained in the Custom Settings section of the Upload Settings panel.

Export and Upload buttons – The Export button at the bottom of the right panel provides the option to save the Lightroom website to disk in a format that can be viewed with a web browser. The Upload button uses the in-built FTP utility to transfer the files to your web server.

Web tools

Go to First Page – The Go to First Page button looks like a square box on the left side of the toolbar. Click this button to change the main preview window in the center of the screen to main or front page of the website.

Previous and Next photo – The right and left arrow buttons in the toolbar are the Previous Photo and Next Photo buttons. These controls move the focus between the selected photos in the filmstrip that are featured in the website.

Elements edits Lightroom files >> Once Elements has been registered in Lightroom as an External Editing program it is possible to open Lightroom photos into the Full Edit workspace, make your adjustments and then save the files back to the Lightroom Library. The edited file is stored as a separate photo in an image stack.

Using Elements to edit Lightroom managed images

When an Elements user switches to a Lightroom based workflow the features and tools described on the previous pages would largely be used instead of the image management, raw conversion and output functions found in Adobe Camera Raw and the Organizer workspace. It is the pixel based editing tools and features located in Elements’ Full edit mode that are not present in Lightroom that will form the basis of the partnership between the two programs.

Selecting Elements as an External Editor >> Use the settings in the External Editing section of Lightroom Preferences (Edit > Preferences) to select Elements as a inked program.

Setting up Lightroom

In order to use Elements as a linked program you must first adjust the preferences for Lightroom. Start by going to the Edit > Preferences > External Editing dialog. If Photoshop is installed on the computer then it will automatically be selected as a editing program. To choose Elements, go the the Additional External Editing part of the dialog, click the Choose button and locate the PhotoshopElements.exe file. This program file is located in c:/Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop Elements 7.0/ folder.

You will also need to select the file format, color space, bit depth and resolution for the file that is transferred across to Elements. Selecting PSD as the file type will ensure that you can use the complete functionality of the Full Edit workspace. Bit depth, color space and resolution will be dependant on the end outcome for the file. For instance AdobeRGB is generally used for files that will be published, where as sRGB is employed for pictures destined for the web.

These settings can be saved as a preset by picking the Save Current Settings as a New Preset entry from the Preset menu. Creating a preset will automatically add an entry to the Photo > Edit In menu.

Editing in Elements >> To edit a file in Elements you can select the Edit in Photoshop Elements option from the Edit In menu of the right-click menu.

Edit Photo options >> Depending on if you are trying to pass a raw or iff/jpeg/psd file to Elements you will have up to three different processing options. These include the ability to create copies of the original file with or without Lightroom adjustments applied and also the possibility of editing the original picture.

Edit Photo dialog

Once the Edit in Adobe Photoshop Elements option is selected, Lightroom displays the Edit Photo with Adobe Photoshop Elements dialog. Here you can select from three possible options:

Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments – Lightroom duplicates the raw file, applies the current set of development or conversion settings and then opens the new file into Photoshop Elements. The file format, color space and bit depth of the copy are determined by the settings in the Copy File Options section of the dialog. This is the only option available for raw or DNG files. The duplicated file is titled with the original filename plus ‘-Edit’.

Edit a Copy – Lightroom opens a copy of the file in Photoshop Elements. No Develop settings are applied to the copy. This option is only available with non- raw files (i.e. PSD, TIFF or JPEG). The format, color space and bit depth of the copy are controlled by the settings in the Copy File Options section of the dialog. The filename of the copy is automatically set to the original name plus ‘-Edit’.

Edit Original – Again this option is only available with non-raw files. Lightroom opens the original file into Photoshop Elements. All saved changes are applied to the original file.

Stacking edited versions in Lightroom

Selecting the ‘Stack with original’ option i n the Edit Photo dialog saves the dup licate or copie d photo that you edit in Elements alongside the original in the Lightroom library. Once you have completed your editing inside Photoshop Elements and you save the file (File > Save) automatically the new photo is stacked with the original inside the Lightroom Library.