EXPLORING THE WORKSPACE
4
Collections provide a way for Lightroom
to group photos in one place for easy
viewing, or for performing a variety of
tasks. For example, to assemble photos
into a slideshow collection, or a web photo
gallery. You can create as many Collections
as you need from Regular, Smart and
Quick Collection listings. These can store
custom defined rules, temporary groups
and various other clever features.
5
The Publish Services options menu allows
you to export collections of photos to
your hard drive or a variety of defined
online services, such as popular social
networks Facebook and Flickr. Additional
information can be added to the export
process and you can find more services
online via the available button. It’s even
7
9
possible to publish entire folders, or
collections of photos, reducing the process
considerably compared to manual uploads.
These can be used in much the same way
as the Collections, with various options
and custom defined rules if needed.6
The Film Strip view bar is where you
can quickly display and also access the
photos you are working on, as you move
between the modules. This scrolling bar
contains photos and all images from the
currently selected Library folder, your
photo/image collection, or keyword set.
By using this option, you can quickly
access your images without having to
open additional folders outside of the
Lightroom software. You can quickly and
easily move between each of the photos
in the Filmstrip using the Left and Right
Arrow keys or by choosing a different
source from the Filmstrip SourceIndicator pop-up menu to the right of
the navigation buttons.(^7)
The Histogram is an often overlooked
feature of Lightroom, which is a shame
as it’s an extraordinarily useful tool to
master. However, we have covered this
and these areas will be looked at in
further detail as we move through the
various Lightroom modules, such as
the Develop Module alongside other
elements of the software in this book.
8
The top toolbar contains the familiar
aspects of a traditional program, with
File, Edit, Library, Photo, Metadata, View,
Windows and Help. Most of these are
self-explanatory, and function in the same
was as any other program. Others though,
contain elements and options to enhance
each of the modules. You could spend a
lot of time investigating the numerous
different menu options and we cover
many of them throughout this book. For
now though, take a moment to explore
what’s available and see just how in-depth
Lightroom can get with a few clicks of the
Mouse button.
9
Lightroom has seven workspace modules
available: Library, Develop, Map, Book,
Slideshow, Print and Web. Each module
offers a unique set of tools and features
tailored to your workflow: importing,
organising and publishing, adjusting
and enhancing and generating output
for screen, print or web detail. These
tools, within each Module, are startlingly
powerful in their use, whilst still being
relatively simple to use. We’ll look at
these Modules and the tools within, as we
progress through the book.
- To show or hide a single panel group, click the triangular
Show/Hide Panel Group icon. A solid icon indicates the
panel group is showing. - To show or hide both side panel groups, choose Window
Panels > Toggle Side Panels, or press the Tab key.
- To hide all panels, including side panels, the Filmstrip
and Module Picker, choose Window > Panels > Toggle
All Panels, or press Shift-Tab.
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