Lightroom

In today's world of large-capacity memory cards, we tend to snap the shutter button more liberally than in generations previous. Our archives fill up quickly, and we forget about the images that we've shot. Upon registering for 500px.com, I read about their emphasis on including only your best work. Since it was a whole new start for me after having been on Flickr for a while, I booted up the external hard drives in a quest to find hidden gems.

Most professionals (and serious photographers) working digitally, shoot RAW files. They usually do so because of the incredible degree of control and the higher image quality that comes with RAW files. Being able to correct white balance after the fact is one of the many great things about RAW files. The worst thing about RAW files, in my mind, is what I call the ongoing proprietary RAW file wars. In this blog entry, I will talk about what you need to know to stay clear of the RAW format wars.

Have you heard about creating an HDR image with a single exposure? In this quick video, Cory Barker from Kelby Training demonstrates the HDR toning feature in Adobe Photoshop CS5 to, "Grunge up" a photo. HDR toning allows you to simulate different effects by tweaking particular areas of the image such as the highlights, shadows, etc. Your creativity won't stop there though: Cory will also show you how to add editable smart filters to the image to turn it into your very own piece of art.

Take a look at the video after hitting the read and discuss button. For more in-depth training please visit Kelbytraining.com. They also have full one day seminars at Kelbytraininglive.com.

Lightroom really makes printing a breeze, with many features for all your printing needs. You can place multiple-size images on a single page, and have multiple pages of multiple-picture layouts. You can even use draft-mode printing, which renders from the Previews. This is even more amazing, because you can select a group of images, print them as a PDF, and accomplish the task in seconds. 

Most of us who are amateurs have limited budgets for photography.  When it comes to buying software, we need to be prudent and frugal.  I've made both good choices and bad ones.