In to this:

This image was created by following adjustments:

• Recovery to 100
• Fill light to 100
• Blacks to 43
• Clarity 100
• Vibrance 100
• Saturation -76

Along with a post crop Vignette:

• Amount -50
• Midpoint 56
• Roundness 0
• Feather 65
• Highlights 0

Theses settings will not work for every image but they are a good place to start.

Download this Preset (Grunge) to apply the above adjustments with just the press of a button in Lightroom. You will have to change the file extension from “TXT” to “LRTEMPLATE” and then import into Lightroom by Right Clicking on “User Presets” and selecting “Import”.

Good luck and have fun experimenting.

• Day One was “Overview” with a quick rundown from image capture to print.
• Day Two naming and organizing your images.
• Day Three is a great look at DNG versus the RAW format.
• Day four is editing.

If you take a lot of images and/or don’t have a great deal of time to process then then a good workflow is essential. My greatest weakness is not doing a better first cut once I upload new images. Because of this I spend to much time in later steps continuing to plow through the images that are not worth keeping. In my experience after awhile you will recognize a good or great images right away and those are the ones to spend your time on. My two best time savers have been getting a fast card reader (Kingston FCR-HS215/1) and uploading all of the images to their directories and letting Lightroom generate the thumbnails overnight. This way the next day I can sort through the images with a fresh set of eyes and don’t have to wait for the thumbnails to generate. During Football season I generally sort through ~4,000 images and narrow that down to 500 to post to my web gallery. For me a good efficient Workflow is key.

Adobe has released a beta version of their new web based version of Photoshop! This is a slimmed down version of Photoshop but still very powerful and useful. You have to sign up for your free account that includes 2 GB of online storage. The interface for uploading your files is quite simple to navigate and use. Once the images are uploaded rotating and adding captions to them in the gallery viewer is quick and easy. The editing of a full sized image (10 MP JPEG) was slow for me. I realize this is a beta but still I was a little let down by the extremely slow response to edit a single image. Once you have done your editing you can share them with other users, email them, or use them in your Photobucket or Face Book gallery. I recommend you check it out and reserve your custom URL today.

Part Three – A fast lens

I am a big proponent of expanding your possibilities and trying something different. Most people (me included) when they purchase their DSLR typically get the “kit” lens with it. Today this lens is often an 18-55 mm lens with a variable aperture of f3.5 – f5.6. This works ok in really bright situations or higher ISO speeds. Once you move indoors you either have to use flash or max out the ISO. Depending on what you are doing this can be limiting and not always giving you the photo you were looking for.

I am a big fan of candid shots with only existing light. I also like to blur out the background behind the subject. The tool for both of these is a “fast prime lens” which for me is either a 50 mm f1.8 or 85 mm f1.8 lens. These lenses are typically $100 and $400 respectively. An f1.8 lens is 2 stops faster than a lens at f3.5 and 3 1/3 stops faster than a f5.6 lens.

Said another way with two stops faster say your f3.5 lens requires an exposure of 1/25 of a second at f3.5 you could shoot at 1/100 of a second at f1.8 and at f5.6 if the exposure requested is 1/30 of a second at ISO 1600 you could shoot at ISO 400 and use a shutter speed of around 1/80 of a second. In the first example you would reduce the change of blur from hand shake and in the second not only would your potentially reduce the blur but also reduce the noise due to the high ISO setting.

As for the image blur (Brokeh) a fast lens provides a very narrow depth of field when shot wide open at f1.8. The depth of field or space in front of and behind the subject that will be in focus is about 4.5 inches (2.25” in front and 2.25” in back) if the subject is 5 feet from the camera. So if you focused on your subject’s nose their ears would likely be slightly out of focus. That is a narrow depth of field! You can have a lot of fun with a fast lens like this and enjoy a great deal of flexibility as well.

Another great advantage is the view finder will be much brighter since four times as much light (2 stops) is coming into the camera. It will also focus faster and quicker as well. Remember though when shooting wide open and close to your subject you have to choose where you focus very carefully or you will get out of focus pictures. Typically if you focus on your subjects eyes you will get the best results. I suggest everyone get a 50 mm f1.8 lens since they are relatively inexpensive and a great way to add a new dimension to your photographic bag of tricks.

Part Two – A bulb type blower

One if the downsides of DSLR cameras is dust. It is all but impossible to avoid but can be easily minimized. Newer cameras now have “Anti-dust” features built-in but trust me you will still get dust inside the lens box. I reality you don’t actually get dust on your sensor but on the filter that covers it and protects it.

Depending on how you shoot as to how much of a problem dust will be for you. If you don’t typically shoot in dusty environments, don’t change your lenses, and only shot at wide apertures you may not notice a dust problem. If this does not describe you then your likely to be like most DSLR photographers and have a dust problem.

The best way to gauge if you do have a dusty or dirty sensor is to stop down your lens to f16-f22 and shoot a photo of a white wall while the camera is moving side to side. By moving the camera only the dust specks will be stationary in the photo. Look at the image in you photo editing software and you will likely see some dust specs. Try adjusting the brightness and contrast of the image to make them stand out even more. Those dark specks you see are dust.

Before you proceed a few words of caution about cleaning your sensor. Never use compressed air on the mirror box or sensor as it can permanently damage it. Do not touch any thing to the sensor or insert anything into the mirror box.

For me I want to avoid every having to physically touch the sensor with anything in order to clean it. What I prefer is an air bulb blower that pulls air from the rear of the bulb and expels it out the front. This way us you dislodge dust from the camera and lens box you are not sucking it right back in to your blower.

I use the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster

This is where the blower bulb comes in handy. Find a relatively dust free spot and remove your lens. Using your blower and with the camera body pointing down gently give you mirror box a few quick blasts to blow out and dust that has accumulated in there. Now activate your cameras sensor cleaning function and this will open the shutter and allow you to blow out sensor with your blower. Give it another few quick blasts and put the lens back on, reset the camera, and take another frame.

Hopefully the dust specks have been diminished and if not repeat and check again. Also I do not recommend doing this any more than is needed. Some photographers can become obsessed with cleaning their sensors. Now for really stubborn dust specks you may have to either have it clean professionally ($$) or if you feel comfortable try cleaning it yourself. Be warned that if you do not know what you are doing you can ruin your camera. I have cleaned mine before in this way with great success and will share that in another post at a later date.

Part One – A tripod

The more support/stability you can give your camera while acquiring the image is likely to give you better sharper images. If you don’t have a tripod you will likely be amazed how much better your photos will be with one.

Try to avoid the cheap video/camera tripod with pan/tilt head. Often times you are getting a hybrid that really does not really work that well for photos or video. For the head I prefer a simple ball head sized according to the weight of your camera body and largest lens you will be using. I also recommend a quick release style head and associated plate for the camera/lens.

If you plan on hiking a lot with your camera consider a carbon fiber model. The extra savings in weight may be the difference between taking it or not if you are like me. I recommend one with a hook on the bottom of the center column so you can hang your bag from it for stability when setting up a shot. Want to reduce your weight even more consider a monopod.

For studio or portrait work consider a heavier model and one that is adjustable up to a height you are comfortable shooting at as well as the height your subject will be at as well. Here heavier is better for stability.

For all around general shooting consider something between the two and you should be alright. A good tripod will last you longer than the camera body if properly taken care of. The best tripod is the one you use.

Tired of the same old gallery templates provided in Lightroom? There are a number of places on the web that have free downloads to change things up a bit. “Lightroom Galleries” not only has some neat gallery add-ons that you can download for free but tutorials, news, and a user forum as well. The latest addition is TTG Panic Gallery from the Turning Gate website. If you like their galleries you are encourage to donate.

Scott Kelby who is in my opinion a guru of everything about digital photography has many books out and recently published “The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom book for Digital Photographers”. Scott has authored a number of book that deal specifically with Adobe Photoshop and now Lightroom. The style that Scott writes in is very informal and a welcome change from most books I have attempted to read on Photoshop. All of his “For Photographers” books are just that and really are written in a way that a Photographer can relate to and easily use. I purchased the Lightroom book and was learning about functions and features that I had no idea existed or how to do them in Lightroom. This book and his others has continued to move me along in improving my workflow and quality of work. Scott is also heavily involved with NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals). Please support the blog and click on my Amazon links to purchase on of Scott’s books