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Alcina,
And anyone else out there that knows!! Thanks all for your replies, I just wanted to ask one more thing, I see when I go to buy lightroom that its a compliment to photoshop, do i need to buy both??? Many thanks for your help.
 
Alcina,
And anyone else out there that knows!! Thanks all for your replies, I just wanted to ask one more thing, I see when I go to buy lightroom that its a compliment to photoshop, do i need to buy both??? Many thanks for your help.
No you don't. It's a free standing program. It doesn't have the full range of graphic tools that Photoshop CS or Elements has - however.... it DOES have all the stuff you'd normally need to correct photos quickly and easily. It's made specifically for photographers.

I have to be honest, I'm so used to using Photoshop that I still haven't really explored Lightroom to any great extent myself. However.... it's a really big hit on the photography forums, so maybe I should make a little more effort! :D
 
Kim's right, you don't *need* to have Photoshop with Lightroom but it's a nice extra. There is no reason you can't simply run Photoshop Elements or even GIMP instead of the full CS3 version of Photoshop though.

And the new LR 2.0 Beta may remove even more from needing to go to Lightroom...I have it downloaded but haven't found time to play with it.

Lightroom is by far the best thing I have bought for my photography - money extremely well spent. Not only is it heaps of fun, but it does what I want it to do lickety split and my processing time, already pretty low, was further decreased.

Oh, and if you're shopping, pick up a copy of the DVD Underwater Photoworkshop - I have only looked at a few sections to be honest, but what I've learned from it is phenomenal and I apply it to every day land snaps as well as underwater stuff. Need to find time to watch the whole disk! Link is in the Sticky...
 
Kim's right, you don't *need* to have Photoshop with Lightroom but it's a nice extra. There is no reason you can't simply run Photoshop Elements or even GIMP instead of the full CS3 version of Photoshop though.

And the new LR 2.0 Beta may remove even more from needing to go to Lightroom...I have it downloaded but haven't found time to play with it.


Ok here I'm gonna sound stupid but:dork2: ... ah well..... What is GIMP???:confused: And will lightroom work on its own without another programme and do what I will be wanting to do?? Its just the adobe website makes it sound like it wont do much except organise my shots!! And why would LR 2.0 "remove even more from needing to go to Lightroom" Is LR 2.0 beta not the same as Lightroom???:confused:

Sorry if these questions are really stupid but I just wanta make sure I buy the correct software so as not to have to go out and buy more software when I get on my feet and know what I'm doing!!!:wink:
 
Lightroom will do all processing that you will need to do if you don't want to deal with layers, text, borders, cloning etc - all the "extra" "fancy" stuff.

I think you really should have Lightroom and something like Elements to really get the best bang for buck, but I rarely do anything to photos outside of Lightroom now (other than borders & adding my copyright etc).

Lightroom 2.0 is in Beta test right now and should be realised some time in the nearish future. It's got some layer masks type things, supports dual screens and does some other things that Lightroom, the one for sale, doesn't do. Don't go there just yet, imho.

Short answer, yes, LR will do all you need to do to put out nice images. You can choose the file type, dimensions, sizes for output without touching your originals so once you set it, just hit the button and you're ready to rock for web output or whatever.

I don't actually like the sharpening that LR does, so do use PS for that when I remember...but that's a pretty little thing really.

Sorry, long winded...make sure you have Elements (comes free with so many things, but is under $100 anyway), then get Lightroom would be my suggestion.

GIMP is a free photo editing program. It's extremely powerful and can do virtually everything that Photoshop CS3 can do. The downside is that it isn't as intuitive and there isn't as much online or other support for it as there is for the Photoshop range. If you like to learn stuff, it's a great option.
 
Sorry, long winded...make sure you have Elements (comes free with so many things, but is under $100 anyway), then get Lightroom would be my suggestion.
Would be my suggestion too...... :D
 
On selecting white balance points, I've always found something closest to neutral gray works better than white. Our water in SoCal is very dark, and for my processing here, something gray works best. Try several in your shot until you find one that achieves the objective for the shot.

My first choice is usually the bezel on a Suunto compass. Nearly perfect neutral gray. The zinc on the front of a scooter is my next choice, followed by a Steel tank. All three of these will put you in the ballpark and let you move away from that annoying blue wash (you want a little, after all you are underwater) that covers most W/A shots.

For Macro you're bringing your own light - its very rare I color balance Macro.

---
Ken
 
Don't forget (digital) noise. You can adjust white balance after the event, but if the photo was under-exposed there's nothing you can do about the resulting noise.
 
On selecting white balance points, I've always found something closest to neutral gray works better than white. Our water in SoCal is very dark, and for my processing here, something gray works best. Try several in your shot until you find one that achieves the objective for the shot.

My first choice is usually the bezel on a Suunto compass. Nearly perfect neutral gray. The zinc on the front of a scooter is my next choice, followed by a Steel tank. All three of these will put you in the ballpark and let you move away from that annoying blue wash (you want a little, after all you are underwater) that covers most W/A shots.

For Macro you're bringing your own light - its very rare I color balance Macro.

---
Ken

I tend to use the tank too as a WB point.

Another point for those new to Lightroom is that you can move the eyedropper around the area you choose and see the changes in WB in real time on the small image in the left panel.

Beautiful website by the way Ken...I am a fan
 

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