It’s the holiday season – let’s have some fun today. I put together a quick quiz to test your Lightroom knowledge (this is for Classic users). This is NOT an open-book (errr, open Lightroom test), so quit Lightroom, grab a pencil (or open your Notes app), put on your thinking cap, and let’s see how you do: (the answers are displayed at the end of the quiz).

1. Which keyboard shortcut marks an image as a Reject?

a. R

b. X

c. U

d. P

2. When you rename an image within Lightroom, the new name:

a. Cannot exceed 11-alpha-numeric characters

b. is applied to the actual image file

c. the new name is only stored in Lightroom Classic’s Catalog

d. Does not change the actual name of the image file

3. A Collection used to organize other Collections is called:

a. A Super-Collection

b. Collection Group

c. Collection Folder

d. Collection Set

4. To stop the White Balance Selector tool from automatically returning to its well in the Basic Panel after clicking it within your image, you would: 

a. Hold shift as you click the tool within the image area

b. Hold shift before click on the tool to select it

c. Turn off the ‘Show Loupe” checkbox in the toolbar

d. Turn off the “Auto Dismiss” checkbox in the toolbar

5. The keyboard shortcut to hide the thin gray toolbar below your image is:

a. Shift-+

b. the letter k

c. the letter t

d. Shift-5

6. In the Quick Develop panel, clicking the Exposure button with a single right-facing arrow does this:

a. Increases the Exposure value by 1-stop

b. Increases the Exposure value by 1/2-stop

c. Increases the Exposure value by 1/3-stop

d. Increases the Exposure value by 1/4-stop

7. Which of these is not available in the Quick Develop panel?

a. Sharpening

b. Dehaze

c. Saturation

d. Clarity

8. Clicking the ‘Auto’ Button in the Develop Module’s Basic panel:

a. Does not auto-set the White Balance

b. Does not auto-set sliders in the Presence section

c. Does not auto-set sliders in the Tone section

d. Does not set the Vibrance amount

9. Clicking the ‘Auto’ Button in the Develop Module’s Basic panel:

a. Does not adjust Vibrance amount

b. Does not adjust Dehaze amount

c. Does not adjust Saturation amount

d. Does not adjust Clarity amount

10. To reset all the sliders in the Basic Panel’s Tone section, you would: 

a. Double-click the White Balance Selector tool

b. Double-click the Exposure slider

c. Double-click the Auto button

d. Double-click the word Tone

END (put down your digital pencils).

ANSWERS:

[1. Answer: X]

[2. Answer: b. Is applied to the actual image file]

[3. Answer: Collection Set]

[4. Answer: d. Turn off the “Auto Dismiss” checkbox in the toolbar]

[5. Answer: c. The letter t ]

[6. Answer: c. 1/3-Stop]

[7. Answer: Dehaze]

[8. Answer: a. Does not auto-set the White Balance]

[9. Answer: b. Does not adjust Dehaze]

[10. Answer: d. Double-click the word ‘Tone’]

SCORING

Give yourself 1-point for each correct answer.

8-10 points – you’re a Lightroom Master!
5-7 points – you’re a Lightroom Apprentice!
3-4 points – you’re a Lightroom Novice
0-2 points – You’re a Lightroom newbie. You should downgrade to Lightroom cloud. [kidding. Just a joke]. Just a little holiday fun.

Thanks for taking the quiz. Hope you found it fun. OK, I have got to get out and get my holiday shopping at least started, so here’s wishing you a happy Holiday shopping experience.

–Scott

The post Test Your Lightroom Classic Knowledge With This 10-Question Quick Quiz appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

I know what a blessed and charmed life I’ve led – I’m so aware of it and genuinely thankful for it every day. I’m also thankful I have this blog to put my feelings down on paper (well, in words, anyway), and today, I’m grateful I get to share 100 things I’m thankful for with you.

I’m thankful….

1. That Alabama is still in the hunt for the College Football Playoffs (#RollTide!)

2. for the new Mastering feature in Logic Pro X (thank you, Apple!)

3. I found something that goes great with the yellow-capped EZ Cheese (the new Ritz Toasted Pita Oven-baked Crackers). A match made in heaven.

4. that we put up our Christmas tree a little too early (it’s already been up for a few days), and that we keep it up longer than we probably should.

5. for SNL re-runs (especially the ones we can stream from the night before on Sunday).

6. my wife’s amazing new “Lasagna Bowl” recipe, which is just insane! Top 5 dish!

7. that my son or daughter-in-law will just pop over at any given time for a visit. It makes my day.

8. for recliner chairs (what my son calls “a pappy chair,” and yes, he has one, too)!

9. that Terry White is a dear friend. He is one of the greatest people I’ve ever known.

10. for Black Friday sales on plug-ins for my music studio. I wait all year for these deals.

11. we got to take a family vacation this summer with the whole family. It was just a blast!

12. for my wife’s warm smile and that I get to see it so often.

13. that Apple finally switched to USB-C ports on their phones (even though I still have a 14).

14. for the new Sola Keto Certified bagels. Way better than their old ones, and super low carb, for days that are not Thanksgiving.

15. for Ted Lasso. The whole series. Just wonderful.

16. for Rick Sammon. The whole guy. Just wonderful.

17. the non-stops laughs we have when we have a family dinner around the table (and how much my wife loves having us all together. If any of us accidentally eats a vegetable, it’s her best day ever!).

18. anytime we go to the movies. Even if the movie isn’t that great, I still love the whole experience.

19. for really good air conditioning. It what makes living in Florida work.

20. Taylor Swift. I saw her concert movie with my daughter-in-law (who is a total Swiftie), and I left being a Swiftie, too. She is pretty incredible.

21. that we always watch, “Love Actually” and “The Holiday” every year during the holidays. They always put me in the Christmas spirit (despite the many times I have tears in my eyes).

22. for the times I get Vondel instead of Ashika Island when I’m playing Warzone Resurgence maps at night with the guys.

23. they opened a Mandola’s Italian Kitchen not far from our house. Their chicken Piccata sautéed in a lemon butter white wine sauce is Bella Bella!

24. for all the times Dobson assists me on a photo shoot in the studio or on location.

25. for when my sweet wifey and I just chill on the couch and watch Big Bang Theory, Raymond, and her favorite, “Naked and Afraid.”

26. for Pine River Spicy Beer Cheese spread (you can get it at Amazon). Awwww, yeah!

27. for Rod Temperton, and all the awesome funk and dance songs he wrote during his lifetime (everything from Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Rock with you, and Off The Wall [among others], to Groove Line, Boogie Nights, Always & Forever, Gimme the Night [George Benson], Baby Come To Me, and so many more. The guy was a legend!

28. for stand up comic Nate Burgatze (and the fact that my wife got us tickets to see him live).

29. that my wife keeps her Christmas Classic Spotify playlist running all day. Our house is filled with awesome Christmas music.

30. Baker Mayfield is doing a better job than all the NFL pundits claimed he would. The Bucs aren’t tearing it up, but we’re doing better than anyone expected (in a pretty bad conference), and Mayfield has earned a lot of respect from his teammates and fans. #GoBucs!

31. For grammerly. Seriously. It’s a lifesaver.

32. for our awesome dogs: Maki, Nami, and Maggie the WonderDog.

33. that my photo rig is as lightweight and easy to use as it’s ever been. It just makes everything so much easier. I mostly use one lens (my beloved Canon RF 24-240mm), which is small, light, and awesome.

34. for Brad Moore, and all the years he’s run the guest blog post feature on my scottkelby.com blog. He’s done an amazing job with it, and I’m so thankful for all his efforts. Nobody could have done it like he did.

35. that first cup in the morning (and I’m particularly thankful for CoffeeMate. I couldn’t drink coffee without it).

36. Our local Vet, Dr. Farid Saleh at Ehrlich Animal Hospital. He is just fantastic (and our doggos love him). It’s great having a vet you have such faith and confidence in.

37. For Saturday college football. I look forward to it all week.

38. For my Apple Watch and all the times it reminds me to do stuff that I would normally forget.

39. This year, I celebrated 34 years of marriage to my wonderful, sweet, awesome wife.

40. That the dating show “Love in the Wild” was way, way better than we thought it would be. Way better.

41. For Larry Becker, and all the low-carb goodies he always turns me on to. He’s always got “the goods.”

42. For all the days and nights when I hear my daughter’s car pull in the driveway, so I know she’s home safely.

43. for all the folks who share such nice comments and just “howdy’s” on my social media accounts. It means more than you know.

44. for all the cool Generative Fill stuff Adobe added to Photoshop. It has blown my mind (and saved a bunch of images that needed saving).

45. people are pretty kind when they point out my typos here on the blog or on my social media posts.

46. beautiful days sitting on the porch, in a rocking chair with my wifey, while the doggos run around the yard playing.

47. for all the wonderful places and get to do travel workshops and all the great people I get to hang out with during the workshops. I’ve made some great friends from them that have really enriched my life.

48. I get to play music every day. It lifts my spirits every time.

49. that I still get to write books, and I’m extra thankful for Ted and Scott at Rocky Nook (who publish most of my books). They are top men. Top men!

50. at how great I feel when good things happen to the people around me.

51. that an Einstein Bagel shop is opening right near our house. I love their hot dogs wrapped in a bagel. Super yummy!

52. to all my mentors whose wisdom and whip-cracked have helped me immeasurably in my life.

53. my days start with a big hug from the love of my life.

54. For online guitar teachers like Carl Brown, Tim Pierce (my hero), JustinGuitar, Eric Blackmon, Rick Beato, The “Shut up and play” guy, Steve Stine, and John MacLennan, among others. I’ve learned so many songs, and techniques, from them.

55. For a mom and dad who always made sure I knew I was loved. We’ve passed that on to our own kids and it’s one of the best gifts you can give.

56. For Dave Gales, the man who bought me my first Bible (I still have it after all these years, ragged and pretty torn up at this point, though I read the YouVersion digital version now, which is great).

57. To all our service members who sacrifice so much to keep us safe, and for their family members who sacrifice so much as well.

58. That my doggos can communicate with me very clearly (though what they generally communicate is that they want me to give them a frozen broccoli treat).

59. For Rob Foldy, and the way he pops into my text messages when I least except it.

60. For the time I went to lunch with my son to Waffle House, loved it, and lived to tell about it. Please don’t tell my wife.

61. that I have a way to tell the people I care about how much I care.

62. that I get to work with Christina Sauer and her awesome video team (including Eric, Juan, Ron, and Jason). It’s a blessing to get to work with them week in, week out. They are the best!

63. I love my weekly dinners with my crazy daughter. We laugh from the minute we walk out the door until we get back home. It’s just so much fun (she has an incredible sense of humor).

64. I love that writing these takes no time at all. I could do this all day.

65. My Fantasy Football team, which is not managed at the level it should be, is still one of the top two teams (it doesn’t hurt to have Mahomes).

66. That Delta Airlines rolled back their nearly unattainable requirements for getting Frequent Flyer status. It’s a lot harder than it used to be (a lot), but at least it’s not crazy. They rolled it back to “just kind of crazy.”

67. for Village Inn Pies, on a day like this. French Silk. Just sayin’.

68. for my wonderful daughter-in-law and how she truly is an important part of our family. I love it when she comes into the house and says, “Hello family!” It always warms my heart.

69. I love it that it’s going to be a little chilly today. It doesn’t happen often, and rarely on Thanksgiving, but it’s happening today.

70. For my buddy Paul. He’s just fun. Slightly crazy, yet fun.

71. For Instacart. We generally still go to Publix and pick up our groceries (they bring them out to your car, which is great), but it makes grocery shopping so much easier.

72. For every time I get a hug from one of the kids. Every single time.

73. for the fact that we have a day like today where we reflect on all our blessings. A grateful heart is a happy one.

74. For the fact that we live so close to Walt Disney World, and our kids love it as much as we do (or vice versa).

75. Maxx Hammond , our non-legally adopted son and that he spends the holidays with us every year. He’s my son’s best friend, my Warzone team partner, and one heck of a great kid. He’s “one of us.”

76. that the Bucs are playing the Colts this week, and might have a chance to win. It’s just a chance, but it could happen.

77. The new Frasier show. It’s better than you’d think (though the first episode is pretty lame – it gets way better). Has the same feel as the old show – I just which a few other folks from the original were there. One or two would have put it over the top.

78. For the times my sister-in-law Heidi comes and stays with us for a week or so. She’s a lot of fun, with a great sense of humor, and we love having her here.

79. for the Publix TV spot where the daughter calls her mom on FaceTime for help with a recipe she’s clearly made many, many times (and they reveal the written recipe at the end), so she really just want to spend some time with her mom under the guise of needing her help. I cry every time I see it. Dang it.

80. that my wife usually tells me what she wants for Christmas, which makes my life so much easier. I sweat getting her something special each year because she deserves the world!

81. that I get to work with so many cool people, like my dear friend Erik Kuna, who is awesome on so many levels I can’t even tell you.

82. For all the little things.

83. For the trips I get to take with my big brother Jeffrey each year. We have so much fun, so many laughs, and such a great time from start to finish.

84. For my Epiphone ES-339 red sunburst guitar. When it’s a funk song, that’s the one I reach for.

85. That I get to do workshops with Mimo Meidany. He is an absolute gem. Gem!

86. for all the family traditions that my wife fosters and we all love

87. For Joey’s pizza. Mmmmmm. Pizza.

88. For Kim, Jess, and my awesome book team. I’m so lucky to get to work with them.

89. For the smell of my wife’s incredible Chicken & Yellow Rice. You can smell it all around the house, and it is heavenly.

90. For all the folks who joined KelbyOne this year. I’m so grateful to have people put their trust in us.

91. For Victoria, and for what a great friend she is. She means a lot to us.

92. To Serge Ramelli, who is a truly great guy, great friend, and one of the most helpful people anywhere. I owe him a lot.

93. For Kizik shoes. Game-changing comfort. I wear them every day (unless I’m hiking, and you can imagine how frequent this is).

94. that my daughter still cares that I bake my special “Christmas Cookies” each year when we put up the tree (and I’m grateful she thinks Pillsbury means ‘special’).

95. For all the companies that sponsor or support the Grid. I couldn’t do it without you.

96. that I have friends like Chicky Nando. What a great friend!

97. For the sound of my wife’s voice

98. For how excited my daughter gets about the stuff she’s into, and the friends she has. She is truly enjoying life (and she would be the first to tell you so).

99. For every time I get to eat at Carmine’s on W. 44th Street in NYC. Their Chicken Scalopinni with lemon butter sauce over angel hair pasta is just insane. It’s probably stunted my growth, but that’s something I’ll willing to do.

100. for God and His Son Jesus Christ, for leading me to the woman of my dreams, for blessing us with such amazing children, for allowing me to make a living doing something I truly love, for always being there when I need Him, for blessing me with a wonderful, fulfilling, and happy life, and such a warm, loving family to share it with.

Here’s wishing you and your family a blessed, grateful Thanksgiving surrounded by the people you love (or at the very least, a highly motivated Doordash driver).

Sending lots of love.

-Scott

The post 100 Things I’m Thankful For This Thanksgiving appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Well, technically, as I write this, I’m in Atlanta waiting on the final leg of my trip home, so…I’m almost home. I’m feeling “home-ish.” We had an absolutely magical time visiting Porto, Portugal, and Lisbon with the kick-butt instructor team, along with a group of 12 talented, fun, totally awesome photographers, and it was a trip I’ll never forget.

I don’t really have any photos to share. The plan was to work on them on my three flights home, but I was so tired from this week that I slept instead, and I feel like it’s sleepy time again on the short 1-hour flight home to Tampa, coming up, too.

I had also planned on blogging while I was there, but that didn’t happen either – we were going from literally dawn until after midnight (we put the “work” in workshop), but I think this week will be much more interesting here on the blog.

Lots to catch you up on (hope you’ll watch The Grid this week), but until then, I just wanted to say “howdy,” and let you know I’m back and that I’ll be sharing some photos and stories from the trip soon.

Here’s to a great week (and a good night’s sleep).

-Scott

The post I’m Back From My Workshop in Lisbon appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

With the Catalog Panel expanded we can select the All Photographs collection, which puts every photo (and video) we’ve ever imported at our fingertips. Press G for Grid view if not there already.

Above the thumbnails in Grid view is the Library Filter bar. If you don’t see it, make sure you are in Grid view, and if you still don’t see it press the \ key which shows and hides the Library Filter bar. Next, click the drop-down menu on the far-right of the Filter bar (it may say Filters Off) and choose Default Columns.

This opens the Metadata section of the Filter bar and displays columns for Date, Camera, Lens, and Label (color labels). If you have photos in your catalog from other years, as I do, scroll down on the Date column until you can see 2022 and click on that. Now my All Photographs view has been filtered down to just the photos I captured in 2022, and I can already see a few things, such as that I took 8,744 photos and videos, I used 20 different cameras, and 42 different lenses. Looking over each month of the year I see that June was my most photographically active and that April was my least active. I shot the most with the R5, followed closely by the R3, and then the R7. My iPhone was way down the list, which surprised me considering it is always with me. My most used lens was the RF 100-500. Now, all of that won’t be meaningful to you, but hopefully as you look at your own work, you’ll find your own interesting patterns and statistics.

I do not spend a lot of time with color labels these days, so that last column is not that interesting to me. However, it is super easy to change the data type displayed in any column. Just move your cursor over a column’s header and you’ll see it is a drop-down menu you can use to select from a wide range of other data points.

Maybe it would be interesting to see what your most used aperture or focal length was as it could help you factor in a future lens purchase, or you started being less afraid of high ISO and you’re curious how high you went? To see the photos represented by any of those groupings just click on one of the labels. So, to see what images I shot at 102,400 ISO I clicked on that label to filter them into view.

If you want to really geek out about Library Filters, check out this other tutorial I wrote on how to save custom Library Filter templates. I hope you have a wonderful 2023 and reach all your photographic goals!

The post Use Library Filters to Look Back at Last Year appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

As you might have guessed from the headline, I’m taking next week off to enjoy some time with my family, watch lots of disappointing Bucs football, play lots of Call of Duty Warzone II, play with my new tripod (well, I asked my brother for a new tripod and he’s got a perfect track record of getting me cool stuff), and record some songs in my studio. Might even take a picture or two.

Here’s wishing you and your family all the joys of the season — I hope you get lots of awesome Christmas presents, and here’s wishing you a happy, safe, and fun 2023. 

With much love and thanks,

-Scott
The Holiday Break Guy

The post It’s Official: I’m on Christmas Break! :)  appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Greetings from the Atlanta airport (a delayed flight had me missing my connection back home last night from Boston, so I chose to come halfway home – my flight’s boarding in 20 minutes), but I’m back from my travel photography workshop in the gorgeous Tuscany region of Italy. Gorgeous doesn’t begin to describe it. 

I don’t have images to share yet (beyond that shot from Jason above) because we had one heck of a busy week, but man, was it a fantastic one! Great weather the entire time; had an absolutely wonderful group of people with me, took tons of images, had tons of laughs, and had some amazing food. From beginning to end, it was a pretty amazing experience all the way around. And Mimo: Mimo is the greatest. The. Greatest. 

Lots more to share, but we’re getting ready to board. Just wanted to let you know I’m back in the saddle, and I’ll be doing an Adobe Spark page on the trip very soon, and I’ll be sure to share it here. 

Looking forward to being home, seeing my wonderful family, the doggos, sleeping in my own bed, and seeing my friends and co-workers on The Grid this week.  

Have a kick-butt Monday!

Ciao!

-Scott

The post I’m Back From Tuscany. Well, Almost appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

I can click Select Sky, and that works great for the actual sky, as it should.

But wouldn’t it be cool if it could also detect the reflection of the sky in the water below and select that in some automated way? I may not want to apply the same exact settings to the reflection as the sky itself, but a way to automatically select it could be helpful (sure, you can always brush over it and fiddle).

I thought, what if I flip the photo vertically so that the reflection was on the top of the photo and the sky was on the bottom, then click Select Sky? I tried that, but the AI was too smart and still selected the actual sky at the bottom of the photo.

Then, I thought, I wonder if Lightroom (cloud) could be tricked into selecting the reflection in a flipped photo, so since my collection was synced to the cloud, I switched to the desktop version of Lightroom, opened the photo in the Crop tool and flipped it vertically there.

Then, clicking the Masking icon to exit the Crop tool I choose Select Sky on the flipped photo, and … well what do you know? It worked!

Then I went back to the Crop tool and flipped it back upright, hopped back to the Masking tools and choose Create New Mask, and Select Sky, and it selected the actual sky.

Now I had a mask for the sky and for the reflection! I named them both (double-click the mask to rename), and switched back to Lightroom Classic. Once the sync was up to date, I opened the photo back in Develop and both masks were ready for me to make desired adjustments independently. Pretty cool!

What if I don’t use Lightroom cloud?

Well, it turns out this same workaround works in Adobe Camera Raw too. So, you could either open the original raw file directly into the Camera Raw plug-in (first use the Metadata > Save Metadata to file command in Lightroom Classic to write from the catalog to the photo’s metadata) and create your masks there, then click Done to exit ACR. Back in Lightroom Classic, use the Metadata > Read Metadata from file command to import the changes made in ACR into LrC.

Alternatively, you could use the Edit In > Open as Smart Object, which embeds a copy of the source photo in a Smart Object layer, which you could then open into ACR in Photoshop and do the flip dance to create the masks. However, this method results in a new copy that will be TIF or PSD with a copy of the original raw embedded in the file, so you won’t see the masks on your source raw photo in LrC. I didn’t say it was pretty.

I think the sync to cloud and back is the best option I’ve found so far. Why does it work in Lr and ACR but not LrC? I don’t know, but wonder if it is due to the different ways they handle flipping a photo vertically? Just a guess since Lr and ACR are similar in how they do it. Let me know if you find something better.

The post Lightroom Classic Masking Hack for Selecting Reflected Skies appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Each year, we go to our partners and ask them to offer a crazy low price on something, but only for 1-hour. Sometimes these deals are so incredible it crashes their servers, but today they’re doing it with us again.

Starting at 10:00 am ET today and running until 5:00 pm at the top of every hour we’re doing another LIVE Screamin’ deals Webcast. They’re short, right at the top of the hour, we give you the deal, and the discount code, and you’re off to get some screaming deals.

Who: Join Larry Becker and Me LIVE from our studios
What: Unbelievable Cyber Monday deals that only last 1-hour TOTAL!
Where:Here’s the link
When: Today starting at 10:00 am and at the top of every hour until 5 pm ET.
Why: Cause we always do something cool on Cyber Monday!

Happy shopping!

All The Things You Missed in Lightroom!

This is such a great video from Terry – he uncovers all those little hidden things that most Lightroom users have missed, don’t know about, or were so hidden we’d just never find them on our own. This is really good stuff – check it out below!

Our Best Deal of the Year on a KelbyOne Pro Membership Ends Today

This is your last chance to get our absolute best price of the year on KelbyOne Pro annual membership, and this coming year is going to be our best yet! 

Here’s the link to save BIG! (Save $90)

Happy Cyber Monday, everybody – here’s hoping you snag some killer deals

-Scott

The post Today live: “1-hour Only” blow-out deals from our partners (and “All The Things You Missed in Lightroom” video) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Shooting on the Trail

I mentioned in my previous post that I’d be primarily shooting with my iPhone and a small Nikon point and shoot as backup. As it turned out, the iPhone was all I really used. I ended up giving my son the Nikon, so he had that and I didn’t have to carry it. A mobile phone ended up being perfect for this as it was lightweight, fit in my pocket, and was ready to go at a moment’s notice. I primarily used the native camera app because it was easy to access and I could switch between stills and video as needed. If I wanted to shoot raw, HDR, or use the simulated long exposure mode, then I opened the Lr app from the lock screen and used that.

I kept the phone in Airplane mode (and Low power mode for good measure) the entire time, with a few exceptions to check for a signal at different times (didn’t have any service at all until nearly the end of the trek). The other benefit of using a smartphone was that I also used an app called GPS Tracks to see where we were and as a silent backup to the Scouts navigation if needed. The Scouts did all of the actual route planning and navigation with map and compass, and they did great. I just liked being able to see where we were, how much further we had to go, our elevation, and so on. GPS works just fine in Airplane mode, so it was fine to not have any service at all. The one thing to be aware of if you don’t have Internet, then Lr can’t process the HDR and long exposure images until you do (same goes for uploading photos, but I guess that almost goes without saying).

Side note, I also wore a Garmin Instinct watch, which I used to measure the distances we hiked each day from campsite to campsite. It also gave me a way to monitor elevation gain and other bits of data that I found helpful.

I kept everything charged (my iPhone, headlamp, and watch) throughout the trek with the Anker battery pack I brought along. I only charged my phone up to about 80% and never let it go below 40%, and I still had power in the battery pack when we returned to base camp. No need for solar panels at all.

Photo Management

Before I left I created a new album in Lr, originally named Philmont, but later renamed to Philmont Scout Ranch, and set to Auto Add from camera roll. This way all photos I took with the native camera app were automatically added to this album. Upon returning to base camp (cell service and wifi), I opened Lr and let it begin uploading all full resolution photos to the Lr cloud. I also manually added all photos taken with the Lr app to the album (since that is not done automatically), as well as imported all of the videos I took on the trek. All in all, it added up to 635 files in total. My fellow adult leaders were also taking photos, as were the Scouts, and all of those are being added to a shared folder on Dropbox to make available to all families.

Along with uploading all files to the cloud, Lr was also able to begin processing the few HDR and long exposure photos I took with its camera. We arrived in base camp on a Friday, spent the night, and then took the scenic route to the airport in Denver the next day where we finally got to sleep in real beds and take long showers at a hotel. By the time we arrived home Sunday night all of the photos from the trip (including all additional photos taken on the way home) were safely uploaded to the Lr cloud. That meant that as soon as I opened Lightroom Classic (LrC) at home all of those photos and videos would automatically start downloading to the location I designated in LrC’s preferences.

By default, the files are downloaded into date-based folders. I like having the dates, but then I simply right-click each folder and rename to include additional information about subject or location. Because I created the original album in Lr, and because Lr folders do not sync (nor do LrC collection sets), the new album got placed in the catch all collection set named From Lightroom in the LrC Collections panel.

Now that all of the files have downloaded, and I have them safely in the cloud as well, I set about clearing off my entire camera roll on my iPhone. Since I keep either full resolution photos or smart previews in Lr there’s no need to waste space on my iPhone with copies of photos. Additionally, now that the photos have downloaded to my computer they are incorporated into my local backup via TimeMachine as well as my full system backup via Backblaze.

I’ve never just gone on a trip with only a smartphone for a camera, and I have to say that it was super easy, fun, and seamless to get my photos back to LrC. Now to start working on the book and slideshow from the trip!

The post Returning From My Backpacking Trip appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Our trek is listed as covering 69 miles, but when all is said and done, and we step back on the plane home we expect we’ll have covered over 100 miles on foot. That’s a long way to carry a lot of camera equipment. I’ve decided to whittle my gear down to just my iPhone 11 Pro Max and a rugged old Nikon Coolpix W300. Along with them I’ll have a battery brick, an extra battery for the Coolpix, and the cables/dongle needed to transfer photos to my iPhone and keep them charged. That’s it. I can’t remember a trip I’ve taken in my adult life that I’ve travelled so light in this department, but when you have to carry it all on your back, choices must be made.

Prepping the Gear

As the trip draws closer I’ve done the following things in advance:

• Label all cables and components with my name (if you’ve ever gone to summer camp you’ll know why this is important)
• Do a few test runs of the workflow
• Free up as much space on my phone as I can (sitting around 200GB free now)
• Create an album in my Lightroom app that will be used for all photos from the trip

The Planned Workflow

My hope is to do most of the shooting with the iPhone, but being in the mountains and starting with a white water rafting trip, there will be places and weather better suited to the Coolpix. I’ll have the iPhone in airplane mode and low power mode during the day and powered off at night (no cell service to speak off in the backcountry) to conserve charge. I’ll use the battery brick to top-off the charge to about 80% as needed. 

Inside the Lr app on my phone, I’ve set up Auto Add from Camera Roll for my new album, so all photos that land in my Camera Roll are automatically imported into that album. I’ll manually add photos taken in the Lr app itself to that album. Yes, it is dumb that I can set up Auto Import into an album from my Camera Roll, but it does not include photos taken with the Lr app itself (even if you open the camera while viewing the contents of the album).

By having my phone and the Coolpix I’ve got a little bit of redundancy for taking photos and flexibility with the weather conditions, which I’m hoping is worth the weight penalty. By having the ability to import the photos into Lr, I can start editing once we get back to basecamp (can’t waste power on that while on trail). We’ll spend one night in basecamp at the end of the trip to clean up and rest before beginning the journey back home. I know there will be a lot of anxious family members waiting for photos, so having a travel day to edit and share will be nice. Once I’m in Internet range again, all of those photos will start uploading to the Adobe cloud, along with all of my edits. 

Back Home

Once I’m home, assuming all photos have finished uploading, copies of all full resolution photos will automatically download into my Lightroom Classic catalog along with my edits into that same album/collection. Then I can pick up where I left off with editing, and create a new album that will be shared with all of the families. I’ve also created a Dropbox folder that all other crew members can upload their photos into. That Dropbox folder is synced to a local folder on my Mac, and that will also be imported into my Lightroom Classic catalog. Once I’ve imported all photos from the trip, I will add those to the same shared album. Then I can start working on the book to print through Blurb. 

At least that’s the plan as it stands now. I’m sure aspects will be tweaked and evolve based on what actually happens, but I’m trying to think of the entire workflow and make sure I’ve got the basics covered. 

Time for my daily practice walk with my pack. Wish us luck! 

ps – I’ve got a couple of posts scheduled while I’m gone, but will do a follow up on how this all worked out when I return.

The post My Workflow for Two Week Backpacking Trip appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.