ADOBE® PHOTOSHOP®

LIGHTROOM®
QUICK START

NOVEMBER 2023 EDITION

LIGHTROOM CLOUD ECOSYSTEM
INCLUDING MOBILE, DESKTOP & WEB
Victoria Bampton & Paul McFarlane
LEGAL NOTICE:

Last Updated 4 November 2023

Copyright © 2023 Victoria Bampton & Paul McFarlane. All rights reserved.
Published by The Lightroom Queen, an imprint of LRQ Publishing Ltd.

This eBook is available as a free download for Lightroom Queen members from
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/free-downloads/

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of
the publisher, with the exception that a single copy of the eBook may be printed for personal
use and may not be resold. Permissions may be sought by email to [email protected]
or via the website https://www.lightroomqueen.com/

The publisher/author assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that
may appear in the informational content contained in this guide.

Adobe, the Adobe logo, Flash, Lightroom, and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

THIS PRODUCT IS NOT ENDORSED OR SPONSORED BY ADOBE SYSTEMS

INCORPORATED, PUBLISHER OF ADOBE PHOTOSHOP LIGHTROOM.

Adobe product screenshot(s) reprinted with permission from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

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All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE i

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 - INTRODUCTION  1 7 - EDITING PHOTOS   32

2 - GETTING STARTED   2 Analyzing the Image   36

Installing & Updating Lightroom   3 Non-Destructive Editing   37

3 - VIEWING PHOTOS & VIDEOS   5 Cropping & Straightening Photos   38

The Lightroom Workspace   7 Selecting Your Look using Presets   40

Viewing Photos on a Mobile Device   11 Editing Using Sliders   42

Viewing Photos on the Desktop   14 Fixing Light and Color   43

4 - ADDING ​PHOTOS & VIDEOS   17 Retouching Distractions   45

Capturing Photos using the Lightroom Masking  48

Camera  18
Example 1 - Sunset at Steephill
Adding Photos on Mobile   19 Cove  53

Adding Photos on the Desktop   21 Example 2 - Sunny Coast   54

5 - SYNCING WITH THE CLOUD   23 Example 3 - The Guy On The Steps   55

6 - ORGANIZING PHOTOS & VIDEOS   24 8 - SAVING & SHARING PHOTOS   56

Flagging or Star Rating Photos   25 Exporting Edited Photos   57

Grouping Photos in Albums   26 Sharing Web Galleries   59

Deleting Photos   29 9 - YOU’RE OFF TO A GREAT

START!  61
Searching for Photos   30
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 1

INTRODUCTION
For many years, Lightroom has been the LIGHTROOM CLASSIC
1
industry standard for photo editing. When
Lightroom was first introduced to the world The traditional folder-based version of
in 2006, editing your photos meant sitting Lightroom, now known as Lightroom
at a desk at a “proper” computer. Mobile Classic, has been refocused on its greatest
phones were used for phoning people and strength—being an advanced desktop app.
sending text messages, and iPads didn’t It’s had many years of development, so it
exist. How times have changed! has a lot of advanced features and a steep
learning curve to match.
In 2017, Adobe announced that the
Lightroom family was growing and being
reorganized. Like a human family, the
Lightroom family of apps all share the same
foundation: the Camera Raw engine. But
like the members of a human family, the
individual apps have different strengths and
weaknesses.

THE LIGHTROOM CLOUD ECOSYSTEM

The Lightroom cloud ecosystem, with its

mobile, desktop, and web interfaces, has Lightroom
been redesigned and rewritten from the
ground up to meet the needs of today’s
photographers.

These cloud-based apps retain the best

of Lightroom’s heritage, including the
world-class non-destructive editing tools,
but also add cutting-edge image-analysis
artificial intelligence, allowing you to find
your photos by subject, even if you haven’t
manually added that information.

Lightroom Classic
 2 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

GETTING STARTED
I’m sure you’re excited to start, but you may SUBSCRIPTION
2
also be a little apprehensive if you’re not
entirely comfortable with technology. Even The mobile apps are free of charge in the
if you consider yourself computer-literate, iOS App Store and Android app stores. The
every app is different, and you won’t want low-cost in-app purchases unlock additional
to create additional work for yourself, or Premium features and include 100GB of
worse still, risk losing any of your photos. So, cloud storage, but they can’t be used on
let’s start with the basics... other operating systems.

The Lightroom 1TB subscription includes

APPS RUN LOCALLY Lightroom (for iOS, iPadOS, Android,
Windows, macOS, and Web) and 1TB of
Although Lightroom stores the photos in cloud storage space.
the cloud, the application installs and runs
on your mobile device or computer. This If you haven’t signed up yet, here’s the link
means you can still use Lightroom even if you need: https://www.Lrq.me/ccphoto.
your internet connection goes down.

MINIMUM SPECIFICIATION

To run Lightroom, you’ll need a mobile device

or computer that meets (or preferably
exceeds) the minimum specification.

Adobe publishes minimum system

requirements, which are the bare
minimum to make Lightroom run.
Higher specification hardware
significantly improves performance.
https://www.Lrq.me/cc-sysreq.
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 3

INSTALLING & UPDATING LIGHTROOM

Ready to get started? You can be signed The first time you open Lightroom on
in on multiple mobile devices and web mobile, it displays a series of welcome
browsers. The desktop app is limited to five screens highlighting the main features, so
desktop/laptop computers if you have the swipe through them or skip to move on.
Lightroom 1TB plan or only two if you have a
Photography Plan 20GB / 1TB or an All Apps You must sign in using your Adobe ID
subscription. and password or social login. Previews
immediately start downloading if you’ve
already synced photos to the cloud using
INSTALLING THE MOBILE APPS another device.

To install Lightroom on your phone or tablet, The first time Lightroom uses a device
visit the Apple App Store (iOS) or Google feature, such as the camera or notifications,
Play Store/Samsung App Store (Android), as it asks for permission. These permissions
you would for any other app. Here are the can be granted or revoked again later in
direct links: Settings app > Lightroom (iOS) / Settings app >
Apps > Lightroom (Android).
iOS: https://www.Lrq.me/ios

Android: https://www.Lrq.me/android
INSTALLING LIGHTROOM ON THE
Once the installation completes, return to DESKTOP
your Home screen and tap the app icon to
open Lightroom. You need to be connected The desktop app installation and updates
to the internet while setting it up. are managed using the Creative Cloud app
(often shortened to CC app), which is a small
app that constantly runs in the system tray
(Windows) / menu bar (Mac).

To install the CC app, follow Adobe’s

instructions at https://www.Lrq.me/ccinstall.
When the installation completes, sign in
with your Adobe ID and password.

To install Lightroom, select the Apps tab in

the CC app, find Lightroom (not Lightroom
Classic), and click the Install button to start
the installation.

After installation, Lightroom opens

automatically. To open Lightroom again in
the future, click the Open button in the CC
app or go to Start menu > Adobe Lightroom
(Windows) / Applications folder > Adobe
Permissions: iOS (top), Android (bottom) Lightroom > Adobe Lightroom.app (Mac).
 4 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

While Lightroom’s open, let’s set up a CHECKING FOR UPDATES

shortcut for easier access. On Windows,
right-click on the Lightroom icon in the Lightroom is updated regularly, adding new
Taskbar and select Pin to Taskbar. On camera support, feature enhancements, and
macOS, right-click on the Lightroom icon in bug fixes.
the Dock and choose Options > Keep in Dock.
On mobile, updates are available from App
When Lightroom opens for the first time, it Stores. They usually update automatically,
displays some welcome screens, followed by but if you’re in a hurry, return to Lightroom’s
a series of tips to introduce you to the main page on the App Store and tap the Update
features. If you’ve already synced photos button.
to the cloud, previews immediately start
downloading. On the desktop, updates are installed using
the CC app, where you can click the Update
If Lightroom Classic or an earlier version button to start the update installation. You
of Lightroom is installed on the computer, can open the CC app from the system tray
Lightroom may ask whether you wish to (Windows) / menu bar (Mac) or go to the
migrate your catalog. If so, say no for now, as Help menu > Updates within Lightroom.
it’s important to tidy up your Classic catalog
first to avoid potential issues. You’ll also
want be sure that the cloud ecosystem will
fit your needs as it’s a one-way move.

CREATIVE CLOUD APP (DESKTOP)

Apps tab View available updates Creative Cloud app Preferences

Sign In/Out

Open app

Show app
menu incl.
install older
versions and
uninstall

Install app

Update app
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 5

VIEWING
PHOTOS & VIDEOS
Lightroom offers two different options to HYBRID WORKFLOWS
3
view your photos:
Sticking to one or the other is most
straightforward, as you don’t have to
BROWSE DEVICE/LOCAL PHOTOS remember where you’ve stored your
photos and which tools are available in
You can browse and edit photos stored each mode. However, some people choose
on your device or computer’s hard drive. a hybrid workflow, browsing their photos
The name of this mode varies by operating in the Device (iOS) / Gallery (Android) / Local
system: Device (iOS) / Gallery (Android) / (desktop) view, then only copying their best
Local (desktop). photos to Lightroom’s library and cloud.

It’s a good option if you only use Lightroom

on one device and prefer to organize photos WHAT IS WORKFLOW?
using the Photos app (iOS) / Gallery app
(Android) / folders on your hard drive The term workflow describes a series of
(desktop). steps undertaken in the same order each
time. For photographers, this workflow runs
The downside is that some of Lightroom’s from the time of shooting (or even before),
tools only work on photos in Lightroom’s through adding your photos to Lightroom,
library. These include albums, stacks, sorting and selecting your favorites, editing
people tags, AI-based search, versions, and retouching them, and then outputting
cloud backup, multi-device access, and web to various formats, whether on screen or in
gallery sharing. print.

Doing the same thing in the same order

COPY PHOTOS TO LIGHTROOM’S every time reduces the risk of mistakes.
LIBRARY Photos won’t get lost or accidentally
deleted, metadata won’t get missed, and you
You can copy photos to Lightroom’s won’t end up redoing work you’ve already
managed library and sync them safely to completed.
the Lightroom cloud. You don’t have to
worry about file management or backup. There’s a sample cloud sync workflow on
Your photos are accessible on all your the next page to help get you started, and
devices, and all Lightroom’s tools are we’ll go through the basics in this Quick
available (subscription only). Start eBook.
6 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

CLOUD ECOSYSTEM WORKFLOW

This is a typical workflow using Lightroom on mobile, desktop
and web, and storing photos safely in Lightroom’s Cloud...

ADD TO LIGHTROOM & SYNC TO THE CLOUD

Import photos directly into Copy photos to Lightroom’s library

Lightroom’s library from the Device/Gallery/Local view

VIEW & ORGANIZE

View thumbnails in a Grid View in larger Detail view

View Grouped by Capture Date Group into Albums

Delete bad photos Group into Stacks (desktop only)

ADD METADATA & SEARCH FOR PHOTOS

Add Flags & Star Ratings Add Keywords

Add Titles, Captions & Copyright Add People’s Names

Add Location Data Fix Incorrect Dates &

Times (desktop only)
Search using metadata
you’ve added Search using Lightroom’s AI

EDIT & RETOUCH

See Edit Workflow diagram in Adobe Lightroom - Edit on the Go

SHARE ON THE WEB EXPORT EDITED COPIES

Share photos as web galleries Save edited photos back to

Photos (iOS) / Gallery (Android
Get notifications of likes app) / folders (desktop)
and comments
Share photos to email/
social media (mobile)
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 7

THE LIGHTROOM WORKSPACE

Once the welcome screens are cleared, button at the top. When you tap on a photo
you’re looking at the Lightroom workspace. to open the Detail view, the Toolstrip on the
You might also hear it called the UI or user right opens the Edit and Metadata panels.
interface.

There are four main elements, which are THE DESKTOP WORKSPACE
laid out slightly differently depending on the
device. The central preview area on the desktop
holds the Grid and Detail views. The Photos
The Grid views allow you to view panel on the left can be opened and closed
thumbnails and select photos and videos. using the button above, and the Toolstrip
on the right opens the Edit and Metadata
The Detail views show a larger view of the panels.
photos and allow you to zoom in on photos
and play videos. This view is also used for
editing. On iPad and desktop, a Filmstrip of LIGHTROOM ON THE WEB
thumbnails runs along the bottom.
If you’re using someone else’s computer
The Albums panel (mobile) / Photos panel or device, there’s no need to install the
(desktop) allows you to organize the photos Lightroom app. You can access your photos
into albums in your Lightroom cloud library. using Lightroom Web, by navigating to
When browsing in the Device (iOS) / Gallery https://lightroom.adobe.com in any modern
(Android) / Local (desktop) view, the same web browser and logging in with your
panel shows your device albums (mobile) / Adobe ID. You can also share web gallery
local folders (desktop). links with family, friends and clients, to allow
them to view the photos. The web interface
The Toolstrip at the bottom of the iPhone/ will be familiar, because it’s designed to look
Android Detail view, or on the right on iPad/ like the desktop apps.
desktop, opens the Edit panels.

You can see these elements in the

workspace diagrams on the following pages.

THE MOBILE WORKSPACE

Due to their small screen size, the iPhone

and Android apps use a series of screens.
The Grid view shows first, with a pop-up at
the top to open the Albums panel. When
you tap on a photo, it opens into the Detail
view, which has the Toolstrip at the bottom.

On the iPad, the Albums panel is on the left

of the Grid view and can be hidden using the
 8 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

THE LIGHTROOM WORKSPACE (IPHONE/ANDROID)

In the Device/
Gallery tab,
browse photos
stored on your
device and
open them into
Detail view.

Or in the
Lightroom tab, tap
the blue button to
add photos to your
library and then
browse, organize
and edit them.

In the Lightroom
tab, tap the
pop-up at the
top to view the
Albums panel.

Use the Toolstrip

buttons to access
the Edit tools
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 9

THE LIGHTROOM WORKSPACE (IPAD)

On an iPad, the Albums panel and Grid view can be active at the same time.

Tap the button to show/hide the Albums panel. Tap All Photos or
an album to display the photos in the Grid view to the right.

Tap on
thumbnail
in Grid view
to open the
photo into
Detail view

Tap arrow to
go back to
Grid view

Tap the buttons in the Toolstrip to open

the edit and metadata panels

Swipe left <> right to flip through the photos

Double-tap on the photo to zoom in

 10 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

THE LIGHTROOM WORKSPACE (DESKTOP)

In the Cloud mode, add photos Cloud Sync Status
to your library and then browse,
organize and edit them. Share/Save Edited Photos
Menubar
Or switch to Local mode View Notifications
to browse and edit photos
stored on your local drives. Search for photos or
refine the current view.

The Photos panel contains Main The Toolbar The Toolstrip

organizational tools. Preview shows view buttons open/close
Area shows modes, the right panels.
In Cloud mode, it shows All the Grid, zoom, star
Photos, photos organized Compare star and The top buttons
by date, people, albums and Detail flags, and open the Edit tools:
or shared web galleries. Views. some edit Presets, Edit Sliders,
tools. Crop, Healing,
In Local mode, it shows your Masking, Versions
local drives and folders. Switch photos and the ... menu.
using the Filmstrip
Open & close the Photos panel when in Compare The lower buttons
using the button at the top, or Detail view, open the Info,
or step forward/backward or use the left/ Keyword and
through recent sources. right arrow keys. Activity panels.
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 11

VIEWING PHOTOS ON A MOBILE DEVICE

Let’s find some photos to start exploring
Lightroom’s Grid and Detail views on your
mobile device… To view photos in the local device storage,
tap the Device (iOS) / Gallery (Android)
button at the bottom of the screen. Using
DEVICE & LIGHTROOM ALBUMS the pop-up at the top of the Grid view, you
can select which device album to show.
At the bottom of the screen, Lightroom is The Android app also lets you view photos
split into the Device (iOS) / Gallery (Android) from other storage locations, such as Google
mode and the Lightroom mode. Photos.

GRID VIEWS (MOBILE)

Recent Activity
Search Photos Sync Status
Tap to view (Lightroom tab only) (Lightroom tab only)
Albums panel
Menu
On an iPad in the
Lightroom tab, the
Albums panel and Filter & Sort Order
Grid view can be
active at the same In Device/Gallery
time. Tap the button mode, LR Badges
to show/hide the show which
Albums panel. photos you’ve
already edited
in Lightroom

Pinch/spread to
change thumbnail
size (iOS only)

Long press on
Swipe up/ a photo to open
down with one multi-select mode
finger to scroll
Add photos
Tap to open Photo to Lightroom
in Detail view & Camera

Device/Gallery Photos Grid Lightroom Grid Community Tutorials

 12 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

To view photos that you’ve already added GRID VIEW OPTIONS

to the cloud, tap the Lightroom tab. Then to
open the Albums panel on iPhone/Android, The Grid views allow you to view and select
tap the pop-up at the top of the screen. On multiple photos to see them in context and
an iPad, the Albums panel is on the left, and quickly scroll through them, looking for
you can show/hide it by tapping the button specific photos.
at the top. We’ll come back to managing
albums, but for now, tap on All Photos, and To scroll through the photos, swipe up/
we’ll start viewing some of your photos in down the screen.
more detail

DETAIL VIEW (MOBILE)

Share menu
Undo/Versions Sync Status

Back to Grid view Menu

Enable metadata
or histogram in the
View Options menu On an iPad the
Edit Toolstrip is
One finger tap on down the side
metadata cycles (more detail in
metadata views the Edit Panels
diagram later)

Swipe left <> On iPhone/

right on the photo Android,
with one finger Rating, Activity,
to view the next/ Keywords and
previous photo Info are found
under ... menu
Double-tap > Info & Rating
anywhere or
pinch/spread to Ratings
zoom in and out
Activity
Tap on the photo
to hide controls Edit Toolstrip Keywords
(iPhone/Android
above, iPad right) Info
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 13

If you tap on a photo in the grid, it opens in Using ... menu > Info and Rating (iPhone/
the Detail view, where you can zoom in and Android) or the i button in the Toolstrip
edit the photo. (iPad), you can open the Info panel. This
displays the photo’s metadata and allows
you to edit the Title, Caption, and Copyright
SELECTING MULTIPLE PHOTOS IN GRID and add star ratings and flags.
VIEWS
When viewing Lightroom’s Detail view on
To select multiple photos, hold your finger iPad, there are additional Rating, Activity,
on a photo in the grid to enter multi-select and Keywords panels to add metadata and
mode (or go to ... menu > Select). Tap the view people’s comments on shared photos.
individual photos to select them, or drag
across a series of photos to select multiple. If you make any type of edit, whether
using the Edit tools or metadata, the photo
Tap an icon at the bottom of the screen to and edits are automatically saved into
apply an action. What you can do with the Lightroom’s library when you return to the
selected photos depends on which grid grid or move to the next photo. If you have
you’re viewing. a subscription, it’s also synced up to the
Lightroom cloud, so it’s available on other
devices.
DETAIL VIEW

The Detail view displays a much larger view

of a photo, so you can take a closer look and
zoom in to check it’s perfectly in focus.

To view a photo in Detail view, tap on it in

the grid. Double-tap on the photo or use a
spread/pinch gesture to zoom in or out.

To switch to a different photo, tap the

back arrow in the top left corner and select
a different photo from the grid, or swipe
through the photos in Detail view. (In
Device mode on iOS, you can’t currently
swipe through the photos in Detail view
unless you go to ... menu > App Settings >
Early Access and enable the Swipe through
device photos switch.)

EDITING PHOTOS

To access the Edit tools, tap the buttons

in the Toolstrip below the photo (iPhone/
Android) / on the right (iPad).
 14 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

VIEWING PHOTOS ON THE DESKTOP

Let’s find some photos to start exploring SELECTING AN ALBUM OR FOLDER
Lightroom’s Grid and Detail views on the
desktop… To view photos on your hard drive, select
the Local tab and then select a folder of
photos to view.
LOCAL FOLDERS AND CLOUD ALBUMS
To view photos that you’ve already added
On the desktop, your photos are organized to the cloud, select the Cloud tab and then
using the Photos panel. It may already be select All Photos, or skip ahead to learn how
visible on the left of Lightroom’s interface, to add photos.
but if you can’t see it, click the button above
the left panel or press the P key.
GRID VIEW
Show/Hide Photos
panel (desktop) The Grid views allow you to view and select
multiple photos at once, so you can see
At the top, it’s split into the Cloud mode, them in context and quickly scroll through
which displays Lightroom’s managed library, them, looking for specific photos.
and Local mode, which shows the folders on
your hard drive. To select a Grid view, use the buttons in the
toolbar below the grid or press the G key.

Photo Grid Square Grid

Photos panel: Local (left), Cloud (right)

 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 15

SELECTING MULTIPLE PHOTOS When you switch to the Detail view, most
actions only affect the single photo you’re
In the Grid views, you can select the photos viewing.
you want to view, edit, and share. Selected
photos have a white border.
DETAIL VIEW

The Detail view displays a much larger view

of a photo, so you can take a closer look and
zoom in to check it’s perfectly in focus.

To switch to the Detail view, click the

button on the toolbar or press the D key.
Selected Not Selected You can move between photos using your
keyboard’s left/right arrow keys.
If you select multiple photos in Grid view,
your actions apply to all of the selected
photos. For example, you can select ten
photos and add your copyright or star rating Detail view
to them all in one go.

GRID VIEWS (DESKTOP)

Photo Grid
View

Square
Grid View
 16 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

ZOOMING IN two photos at a time to help you decide

which one you like best or to help you match
To zoom in to see more detail, click on the appearance when editing.
the photo or click the 100% button in the
toolbar. When you’re zoomed in, click and To switch to the Compare view, click the
drag the photo to move it around to see button on the toolbar or use the keyboard
hidden sections of the photo. shortcut Alt-C (Windows) / Opt-C (Mac).

To zoom out, click on the photo again or

click Fit to zoom out. Fit view fits the whole
photo in the preview area. Compare view
If two photos are selected, both display
COMPARE VIEW in the preview area. Otherwise, select a
second photo from the Filmstrip.
The Compare view allows you to compare

DETAIL & COMPARE VIEWS (DESKTOP)

Detail View
& Filmstrip

Compare View
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 17

ADDING ​
PHOTOS & VIDEOS
We’ve already learned that if you edit IMPORTING FROM LIGHTROOM
3
photos in the mobile app’s Device view CLASSIC/1-6
(iOS) / Gallery view (Android), they’re
automatically added to Lightroom’s library. If you’re migrating from Lightroom Classic
In the desktop’s Local mode, edits are saved or earlier, use the migration tool (discussed
with the files on the hard drive, but you can in detail in Adobe Lightroom - Edit on the Go).
copy specific photos to the cloud using the This retains most of the organization and
Copy Photos to Cloud buttons. edits done in Lightroom.

However, if you’re planning to use A word of warning before you start: the
Lightroom to store and organize all of your migration is a one-way process. Continuing
photos, as shown in the sample workflow to use and sync Lightroom Classic after
on page 6, then it’s easier to add all of migration is a recipe for disaster.
your photos directly to Lightroom before
browsing. If you’re unsure whether Lightroom offers
all of the functionality you require, don’t
In this chapter, we’ll focus on how to add migrate until you’re certain. Instead, use
photos directly to Lightroom’s managed Lightroom Classic to sync smart previews
library, ready to sync to the cloud. to the cloud so you can view/edit them
in Lightroom. This will allow you to fully
test Lightroom before committing to
FILE FORMATS switching over completely. See the Cloud
Sync chapter of our book, Adobe Lightroom
Lightroom can manage a wide range of Classic - The Missing FAQ to avoid potential
file formats. There’s a complete list at problems. We’ve also published a feature
https://www.Lrq.me/file-formats comparison at https://www.Lrq.me/
lightroom-cc-vs-classic-features/
In addition to photos, many photographers
also shoot short video clips on their mobile
devices. Lightroom allows you to view,
organize, and edit some video formats. We’ll
refer to adding photos for simplicity, but the
same principles apply to adding videos.
 18 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

CAPTURING PHOTOS USING THE LIGHTROOM CAMERA

The mobile apps include a built-in camera ACCESSING THE CAMERA
with some specific advantages over other
camera apps, including: To open Lightroom’s camera, tap the blue
camera icon in the Lightroom Grid view.
• Advanced manual controls.
Camera
• Non-destructive crop for zoom.

• Raw capture (on supported devices). The Lightroom camera is also available as a
widget to add to the Home Screen for easy
• HDR capture (on supported devices). access.

Some settings are only available on more

powerful devices due to the complexity
of the image processing or the operating
system’s limitations.

LIGHTROOM’S CAMERA (MOBILE)

Back to Lightroom Front/Rear Camera

Flash On/Off/Auto More tools/settings

File Format (JPEG/

DNG, if available)
Available options
vary depending on
the device used

Pro Capture Settings

Exposure Lock
Last Capture
Apply Preset
Shooting Mode (non-destructive)
Auto/Pro/HDR
(if available) Lens (Ultrawide/
Wide/Telephoto,
Shutter if available)
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 19

ADDING PHOTOS ON MOBILE

If you want to use Lightroom to view and 1. Tap the Add Photos button at the bottom
organize all of your photos, it’s easier to of the Lightroom Grid view.
add them directly to the Lightroom tab
on your mobile device rather than using
the Device (iOS) / Gallery (Android) tab. Add Photos
Photos can be added to your Lightroom
library automatically, or you can add them 2. Lightroom asks whether to add photos
manually. from:

Device displays the photos in the Photos app

ADDING PHOTOS AUTOMATICALLY (iOS) / Gallery app (Android)

If you’re going to add all of your mobile Files allows you to navigate through folders
photos to Lightroom, the easiest option is to and files, including the Downloads folder,
enable Auto Add. On iOS, go to App Settings cloud storage such as iCloud or Dropbox,
> Import and toggle the Photos, Screenshots, and external storage units like Gnarbox or
and Videos switches to the right. WD My Passport Wireless.

Connected Camera/Card (iOS) allows you

to import photos from a camera connected
by cable or from a memory card in a card
reader.

Lightroom only shows if you’re viewing an

album. It adds photos from All Photos into
the selected album.

On Android, go to App Settings > Preferences,

toggle Auto Add from Device, and select
which file formats to add automatically.

Adding photos automatically saves you from

having to remember to upload your photos.
On iOS, you must open the Lightroom app
occasionally to allow the photos to import,
whereas on Android, the import happens in
the background. 3. At the top of the grid, select the album
of your choice, for example, Device. Photos
already imported into Lightroom have an LR
ADDING PHOTOS MANUALLY icon in the corner. Tapping the ... icon allows
you to filter the photos by file type and
Auto Add only adds new photos change the thumbnail size.
automatically, but you can add older photos
using the Add Photos button. 4. Tap the photos individually, a segment at
a time (Android only), or tap the ... button
 20 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

to select all. Selected photos have a blue

border.

5. After selecting the photos to import, tap

the Add button to confirm your selection.

ADDING PHOTOS FROM A MEMORY

CARD

If you’re shooting with a separate camera, for

example, your DSLR or mirrorless camera,
you can add the photos to Lightroom in the
same way. This is particularly useful when
traveling without a laptop, allowing you to
start viewing, editing, and sharing them.
You’ll need a card reader, camera cable, or
adaptor with a supported connector, for
example, USB-C, Lightning, or Micro USB.
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 21

ADDING PHOTOS ON THE DESKTOP

If you want to use Lightroom to view and
organize all of your photos, it’s easier to
add them directly to the Cloud tab on your
desktop rather than browsing folders in
the Local tab. You’re in control of which
photos (or videos) you import, and the same
principles apply whether you’re adding
existing photos from your hard drive or new
photos from your camera.

STEP-BY-STEP

1. If your photos are not currently stored

on the computer, plug in the mobile phone, Windows (top), Mac (bottom)
tablet, camera, or memory card reader.
(Card readers are generally more reliable 5. The thumbnails start to appear in a Grid
than camera cables.) view.

2. Click the Add Photos button at the top of 6. Select the photos you want to import by
the left panel. clicking the checkmark in the top left corner
of each thumbnail. To select or deselect all
3. To add photos from a memory card or photos simultaneously, toggle the Select All
mobile device, select the device from the checkbox.
pop-up.

8. Click Add X Photos to start importing the

photos into Lightroom.
4. To add photos from your computer’s hard
drive, select Browse... from the pop-up to
show the standard file browser for your
operating system. (If no memory cards or 9. The photos appear in the preview area,
mobile devices are connected, Lightroom and you can start looking through them
skips the pop-up and immediately opens the immediately.
file browser for you.)

Select a folder (such as the Pictures folder)

or individual photos, then click Choose
Folder (Windows) / Review for Import (Mac)
to move to the next window.
 22 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

ADD PHOTOS DIALOG (DESKTOP)

Select Add Photos

in the left panel
Browse computer
hard drives

Memory cards,
cameras,
phones, tablets

Return to Thumbnails File type badge Add the

dialog to of photos Close dialog selected
change in selected Add to Select all without photos to
source source Album thumbnails adding photos Lightroom

Photos without Photo selected Hover cursor Faded thumbnails

previews may to be added to show tooltip are duplicates of
still import ok to Lightroom containing photos already
photo info in Lightroom
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 23

SYNCING
WITH THE CLOUD 4
Once you’ve added photos to Lightroom’s CHECKING SYNC STATUS
library, Lightroom automatically uploads
them to the cloud whenever you have an You can check the overall sync status by
internet connection and downloads changes tapping/clicking the cloud icon in the top
made on other devices. (You must have an right corner.
active Lightroom subscription to use Cloud
Sync.) Synced and Backed Up means the local
database cache is in sync with the cloud.
Lightroom’s smart about minimizing the
space it uses on your mobile device or Syncing X Items means originals and/or
computer’s hard drive, so you don’t need edits are currently being synced to/from the
to worry too much about file management. cloud. The mobile apps show extra detail,
On mobile, Lightroom is even more selective such as Uploading X Photos or Auto-Importing
about what it downloads, to minimize the from Device.
space required, so it downloads most files as
they’re needed.

Sync Status:
iOS (top left), Android (bottom
left), Desktop (right)
 24 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

ORGANIZING
PHOTOS & VIDEOS
Having added your photos to Lightroom’s
managed library, you can start organizing
5
tap the arrow next to Lightroom Albums.

them into albums. Lightroom also offers To view the special albums on the desktop,
a number of special albums that populate select the Cloud tab in the Photos panel and
automatically. They vary slightly, depending then click the arrow to the right of All Photos
on whether you’re using a mobile device or a if they’re not already showing.
desktop computer.
All Photos is useful for scrolling through
your photos or searching.
VIEWING SPECIAL ALBUMS

To view the special albums on mobile, select

the Lightroom tab. On iPhone/Android, show
the Albums panel by tapping the pop-up at
the top of the Lightroom Grid view. On an
iPad, the Albums panel is on the left, and you
can show/hide it by tapping the button at
the top. If you can’t see the special albums,

Special Albums:
Mobile (left), Desktop (right)
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 25

FLAGGING OR STAR RATING PHOTOS

Marking the best photos with flags or star photo in Grid or Detail view.
ratings makes them easy to find again later.
Lightroom offers two different ways of
ranking your photos:
• Click the icons on the thumbnail border
Flags have three different states—flagged in the Square Grid view. The icons appear as
(picked), unflagged and rejected. Most you float the cursor over the border.
people use flags to mean:

¶ Flagged—photos worth keeping.

¶ Unflagged—not sorted yet. • Use the keyboard shortcuts: Z to flag, U to

unflag, X to reject. 0-5 for 0-5 stars. Add the
¶ Rejected—to be deleted. Shift key to these shortcuts to automatically
move to the next photo.
Star Ratings are used by photographers
worldwide. Most use 5 stars for their
very best portfolio images and 0 stars for
unsorted photos.

APPLYING FLAGS OR STARS ON MOBILE

To show the star and flag buttons on

iPhone/Android, open the photo into the
Detail view, then go to ... menu > Info and
Rating. On an iPad, tap the star icon in the
Toolstrip. You can then:

• Tap the star and flag buttons.

• Swipe up/down on the left of the screen

for stars or on the right for flags.

APPLYING FLAGS OR STARS ON THE

DESKTOP

The star and flag buttons are always

displayed under the photo in Square Grid or
Detail view. You can:

• Click the icons in the toolbar beneath the

 26 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

GROUPING PHOTOS IN ALBUMS

Albums are found in the Albums panel on
iPhone/Android or in the left panel on the
iPad/desktop. They allow you to group
photos for a specific purpose, for example:

• Your best photos as a portfolio.

• Photos to share with someone, perhaps

as an online gallery.
On the desktop, click the + button at the top
• Photos of an event, such as a vacation. of the panel, select Create Album, then give
the album a name. If a folder is selected,
The same photo can appear in lots of you can place the album inside by checking
different albums. Even if a photo is not in the Inside folder checkbox (desktop only).
an album, it’s still available in the All Photos While creating an album on the desktop,
view. you can also choose to include any currently
selected photos.
Over time you may end up with lots of
albums, so you can group related albums
together into folders.

To open the Albums panel on iPhone/

Android, tap the pop-up at the top of the
Lightroom Grid view. On an iPad, the
Albums panel is on the left, and you can
show/hide it by tapping the button at the
top. On the desktop, albums are in the
Photos panel on the left.

CREATING & MANAGING ALBUMS

To create an album on mobile, tap the

Create New button at the bottom of the
Albums panel, then select Album. If you To add photos to an existing album on
have a folder selected, the new album is mobile, hold your finger on a photo in Grid
automatically added to the selected folder. view to activate selection mode (or go to
... menu > Select). Tap the photos to select
them, or hold a finger on a photo and swipe
across other photos to select multiple
photos. On iOS, tap the Add To button; on
Android, tap the ... menu and select Add To.
Finally, select the target album and tap Add.
On the desktop, select the photos in Grid
view (or in the Filmstrip) and drag them to
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 27

the album in the Albums panel. available in Detail view but only apply to
single photos.
To remove photos from an album on
mobile, hold your finger on a photo in Grid To delete an album, tap the album’s ... menu
view to activate selection mode, select the (mobile) / right-click on the album (desktop)
photos, tap the trashcan icon, and select and select Delete. This deletes the album but
Remove from Album. On the desktop, select not the photos inside the album.
the photos in the Grid view, then right-
click and choose Remove Photos or press
the Backspace key (Windows) / Delete key
(Mac).

Remove from Album just removes the photos

from the selected album, but the photos
remain available in the All Photos and
Date views, as well as in any other albums
that contained the photos. Delete, on the
other hand, actually deletes the photos
everywhere, so be careful to select the right
option!

These Remove from Album options are also

ALBUMS PANEL (DESKTOP)

Show menu to create Show menu to change sort
New Album or Folder order and view options

Album Folder

Toggle arrows
to expand/
collapse folders

Album

Album photo
Album Cover count
Photo

Right-click on folder or Right-click on Album to share

album to rename/delete using Lightroom Web
 28 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

LIGHTROOM ALBUMS PANEL (MOBILE)

Close Albums panel
All Photos
(including those Show/Hide
not in albums) Special Albums

Edited & Unedited

Photos

Photos captured
using Lightroom
or Imported

People view

Deleted Photos

Sort Albums/Folders
Shared Albums
& Photos
Folder menu
Album Folders
(tap to open)

New Folder
or Album

Albums Album menu

On an iPad, this Albums panel

and Grid view can be active at
the same time. Tap the button to
show/hide the Albums panel.
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 29

DELETING PHOTOS
Whether your finger slipped, the camera On the desktop, select them, right-click
settings were incorrect, or you just missed and choose Delete Photos, go to Edit menu
the moment, some photos aren’t worth > Delete Photos or use the shortcut Alt-
keeping. Backspace (Windows) / Opt-Delete (Mac),
then confirm your choice.
While you could mark bad photos as rejects
and hide them, completely deleting the The confirmation dialog confirms the
really bad photos frees up space on your number of photos you’re deleting. Always
device/hard drive and in the cloud. double-check this number!

REMOVE VS. DELETE

In the last lesson, we discussed how to

remove photos from an album. It’s worth
noting the difference in terminology
between removing photos and completely
deleting them.

Remove just removes the photos from the

selected album or stack, but the photo
remains available in the All Photos and date
views.

Delete deletes the photos from your

computers and mobile devices. They’re
temporarily placed in the cloud trash if they
were already synced to the cloud.

DELETING PHOTOS

To delete photos from All Photos on mobile,

hold your finger on a photo to activate multi-
select mode (or go to ... menu > Select). Tap
the photos to select them, or hold a finger
down on a photo and then swipe across
other photos to select multiple photos, then
tap the trashcan icon and select Delete.

If you’re viewing a single photo in a Detail

view, tap the ... menu and select Organize
> Delete. On Android, if you’re viewing an
album, it’s ... menu > Organize > Remove from
Album and then Delete.
 30 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

SEARCHING FOR PHOTOS

One of the main benefits of having all your To search your photos, simply type the
photos in one place is that they’re easy to search terms in the search field and press
search. the Enter key or tap one of the suggestions
in the pop-up.

ENTERING SEARCH CRITERIA Lightroom searches the photos in the

current view. To search all of your photos,
To access the search field on mobile, tap select All Photos in the Albums panel
the magnifying glass icon at the top of Grid (iPhone/Android) / left panel (iPad/desktop),
view. On the desktop, the search field is or select an album to limit the search.
found at the top of the Lightroom window.
To delete a search term, tap/click on its
token.

SEARCHING CONTENT

If your photos are synced to the cloud,

Adobe’s artificial intelligence machine

REFINING THE VIEW (MOBILE)

Clear search criteria

Show Refine View options

Star Rating (swipe left

across stars to set to 0)

Flag Status

Other metadata fields. Tap

arrow to show options:
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 31

learning tool, Adobe Sensei, can search your tap the Refine button at the top of the
photos and guess their content. Grid view. On the desktop, click the Refine
button to the right of the Search bar.
This image analysis allows you to find your
photos, even if you never got around to Refine View
adding keyword tags manually.
These filters allow you to show/hide photos
This automated tagging is done in Adobe’s and/or videos based on their star rating,
cloud, so there is a slight delay before flag, file type, keywords, camera models,
they’re searchable, and it does rely on you locations and sync status pop-ups. Some are
being connected to the internet. only available on the desktop at this time.

You can search for all sorts of terms, for

example, subjects (boats, cats, dogs, trees), CLEARING FILTERS
colors, locations, cameras, lenses, dates,
filenames, file extensions, etc. To reset the filters to show all photos, click
the X at the end of the search criteria.

REFINING THE CURRENT VIEW

The Refine toolbar filters the current view

based on specific criteria, for example, to
show all of your photos marked with 4 stars Click/tap the X to reset the filters
that were shot using your iPhone.

To show the Refine toolbar on mobile,

REFINING THE VIEW (DESKTOP)

Search for photos using text Cancel search Show Refine View toolbar

People Likes &

Edited Comments
or not Cameras Sync Status
Star Rating
File Type Locations Contributed by Others
Flags (Shared Albums)
Keywords
 32 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

EDITING PHOTOS
Most photographers want to get on to the
6
Tap/click the Edit sliders button, or press the
fun bit—editing their photos! Editing photos E key (desktop) to show the Edit panels.
is not about making them look fake or
photoshopped, nor is it a new phenomenon.
Edit sliders
Photographers were editing their photos
in the darkroom long before computers On iPhone and Android devices, tapping the
existed. Even the Masters, such as Ansel Edit button shows a second line of buttons
Adams, edited their photos, not to fix that open the panels. When you tap on one,
mistakes but because a print can’t match the the sliders appear above, and if some sliders
dynamic range of the human eye. are hidden, you can scroll up and down to
see additional sliders. Tapping the buttons
within the panels opens the advanced sub-
THE TOOLSTRIP & EDIT SLIDERS panels, and you just press the Done button
to return to the main panels. If you rotate
To show the Edit tools, open a photo an Android device horizontally, the Toolstrip
in Detail view. The Edit tools are in the and panels move to the right.
Toolstrip at the bottom of iPhone/Android
or on the right on iPad/desktop. The main On iPad and desktop,
tools are Presets, Crop, Edit (sliders), tapping/clicking the Edit
Masking, and Healing. button displays the panels
on the right of the screen.
The Editing tools work essentially the same Tapping/clicking a panel
way regardless of the device you’re using, name opens and closes the
but the layout is a bit different to suit each panel, and tapping/clicking
screen size. Some advanced editing tools the buttons within the
are only available on the desktop, but the panels opens and closes
edits are still applied to the photos when the advanced sub-panels.
they’re viewed on other devices.

The Edit sliders are grouped into panels...

Light, Color, Detail, etc. The main sliders are
immediately visible in each panel, but more
advanced sliders are tucked away in sub- The Edit Toolstrip:
panels, such as Tone Curve and Color Mix. iPhone/Android
Remember, you don’t have to use every tool (top), iPad (right),
and slider! Desktop (far right)
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 33

EDIT PANELS (IPHONE/ANDROID)

Back to Undo/Versions menu
Grid view
Share Menu

Sync Status

...Menu
Enable metadata
or histogram
in the menu
Tap on photo to
hide all controls

Hold finger on
Double-tap anywhere photo to preview
or pinch/spread to without edits
zoom in and out

Swipe left <> right on

the photo with one
finger to view the
next/previous photo

Drag left <>

right on slider to
adjust value

Edit panels Double-tap

slider handle to
Scroll up/ reset slider
down to show
additional sliders Presets Sliders Healing
Crop Masking

Tap Toolstrip button to view Edit panels

 34 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

EDIT PANELS (IPAD)

Share menu Sync Status

Undo/Redo ... Menu

Advanced Sliders
tools can be
found in the Presets
sub-panels
Crop / Trim tool
Drag left <>
right on slider Healing tool
to adjust value
Masking tool
To view clipping
warnings, hold Lens Blur
two fingers
while dragging Paste from Previous
slider handle
Versions
Swipe left <>
right on the
photo with Toolstrip
one finger to
view the next/ Rate & Review panel
previous photo
Activity panel
Tap on photo to
hide controls Keyword panel

Double-tap on Info panel

photo or pinch/
spread to zoom Tap to open/close panels
in and out
Reset Edits

Double-tap slider Hold finger on photo to

handle to reset slider preview without edits
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 35

EDIT PANELS (DESKTOP)

Presets

Sliders

Crop &
Trim tool

Edit slider panels Healing &

Red Eye
Toggle the
arrows to open/ Masking
close panels
Versions

... menu (see

below)
Advanced tools
can be found in A dot to the right
the sub-panels of the tool icon
shows which
tools you’ve
Hold eye icons used on the
to temporarily selected photo
hide the panel’s
adjustments

Toolstrip

Toggle the slider

arrows (called
Disclosure
Triangles) to
show additional
advanced sliders
 36 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

ANALYZING THE IMAGE

When you watch a professional photo
editor editing a series of photos, it looks like
they “just know” what to change. They don’t
start randomly moving sliders, hoping to hit
on the right combination of adjustments.
Instead, they first analyze the photo.

Due to years of experience, that analysis

may only take a few seconds and may be a
subconscious process, but it happens every
time. Without necessarily realizing they’re
doing so, they’re running through a series
of questions in their head—and you can ask
yourself the same questions.

PLAN YOUR JOURNEY

Starting to edit a photo without first taking

the time to analyze it is like setting off on
a road trip without looking at a map. You’ll
end up somewhere, and the trip might still
be fun, but you’re unlikely to get to the best
destination.

You don’t have to plan every detail, but

having a rough idea of where you want to
end up means you can make good decisions
along the way and avoid going in circles.

IN EDIT ON THE GO, WE CONSIDER IN

MORE DETAIL:

• How to analyze the image, looking for

technical faults.

• How to analyze the image from an artistic

point of view.

• How to start to develop your own

consistent editing style.

• How to use a checklist and worksheet to

help analyze your own photos.
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 37

NON-DESTRUCTIVE EDITING
Lightroom’s Editing tools are non- a better choice. These reset a single slider,
destructive. This simply means that the edits a whole section of sliders, or all of the edits
are saved as a series of text instructions. applied to a photo back to their default
If you make an edit one day in Lightroom, settings.
and change your mind the next day, you
can simply move the slider back, without To reset a single slider on mobile, double-
degrading the image quality. tap on the slider handle. On the desktop,
float over the slider label, which changes to
a Reset button, then click on it.
UNDOING / REDOING ACTIONS

To undo your last edit (or the one before

that, or the one before that...) on iPhone/
Android, tap the undo button to show the
pop-up, then tap the undo or redo buttons. To reset a whole panel of sliders (desktop
On iPad, undo and redo are separate only), hold down the Alt key (Windows) /
buttons at the top of the screen. On mobile, Opt key (Mac) and click on the panel name.
undo/redo only apply to the edits you’ve
made since you last switched photos. To reset the entire photo back to default
settings on iPhone/Android, tap the Undo
button to show the pop-up, then tap the
Reset button. On iPad, tap the Reset button
Undo Redo at the bottom of the Edit panels.

Versions Reset button

Reset
On the desktop, click the ... menu in the
On the desktop, undo doesn’t just apply to Toolstrip to show the fly-out menu, then
edits on the selected photo. It remembers select Reset Edits, or use the keyboard
most things you’ve done in chronological shortcut Ctrl-R (Windows) / Cmd-R (Mac).
order—including adding star ratings, flags,
metadata, and even switching photos—for
as long as Lightroom’s open. When you
quit Lightroom, the undo history is cleared.
To undo your last action, just keep hitting
Ctrl-Z (Windows) / Cmd-Z (Mac) to step
back in time. If you go too far, use Ctrl-Y
(Windows) / Cmd-Shift-Z (Mac) to redo the
last undone action.

RESETTING EDITS

If you made the change you want to undo

some time ago, then the reset options are
 38 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

CROPPING & STRAIGHTENING PHOTOS

Cropping is the removal of the outer parts of CROPPING PHOTOS
a photo. Most photos benefit from cropping,
whether to remove distractions from the To select the Crop tool and show the crop
frame, to straighten horizons, to improve options, tap/click the Crop button in the
the composition, to draw the viewer’s eye to Toolstrip or press the C key (desktop only).
the subject, to fit a specific paper or frame
shape, or simply to zoom in closer on the Crop tool
subject if you were unable to move closer at
the time of shooting. To crop a photo, drag the edges or corners
of the bounding box (the edge of the crop).
Any cropping you do within Lightroom is
non-destructive. No pixels are deleted from To crop a vertical rectangle out of a
the original files. They’re just hidden. horizontal photo, or vice versa, tap/click

CROP TOOL (MOBILE)

Rotate Crop
Aspect on iOS. On
Android, it’s in the Drag bounding
Aspects pop-up box edge or
(shown below) corner using one
finger to resize
Drag inside the crop boundary
bounding box to
move the photo
around under
the crop overlay Double-tap
anywhere to
Drag outside of reset the crop
bounding box to
straighten the Tap anywhere
photo under the to hide controls
crop overlay

Swipe row left

<> right to show
all buttons

Set Aspect Ratio

Tap to confirm the
Constrain Aspect changes or cancel
Ratio / Freeform
Flip Horizontally/
Auto Straighten Rotate 90° Vertically
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 39

the Rotate Crop Aspect button. under the crop overlay, hold (mobile) / click
(desktop) on the photo within the crop
To straighten the photo by eye on a mobile boundary and drag it.
device, drag your finger anywhere outside
the bounding box. On the desktop, float To completely reset the crop, double-tap
the cursor outside the bounding box (the on the photo (mobile) / click the main Reset
edge of the crop) so the cursor turns into a Crop button at the top of the Crop panel
double-headed arrow, then click and drag to (desktop).
rotate the photo. A grid displays to help you
judge the rotation. To apply the crop and close the Crop tool,
tap the checkmark/Done button (mobile)
As you rotate the crop, the photo remains / switch to a different tool in the Toolstrip
level, so you don’t have to turn your head (desktop).
to see how it will look To move the photo

CROP TOOL (DESKTOP)

Reset Crop

Set Aspect Ratio Rotate Crop Aspect

Auto Straighten Select the

Crop tool
Straighten Slider
(click label to reset) Constrain
Aspect Ratio
Crop Overlay

Rotate 90° Flip Horizontally

CCW or CW or Vertically

Drag handles on
edges or corners
of bounding box
to resize crop

Drag the corner

at a 45° angle to
switch orientation
or press X
 40 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

SELECTING YOUR LOOK USING PRESETS

Over the last few years, presets and filters import or create yourself.
have become a popular way of editing
photos. When used alone, they can be
a bit of a blunt instrument. However, in PREVIEWING & APPLYING PRESETS
combination with other editing skills, they
can be a valuable addition to your workflow. To show the presets in the Premium and
Yours tabs, tap/click the arrows to open/
To show the Presets panel, tap/click the close the preset groups.
Presets button in the Toolstrip or use the
keyboard shortcut Shift-P (desktop only). To preview a preset on mobile, tap the
preset thumbnail; the preset isn’t applied on
Presets button mobile until you confirm. On the desktop,
float the cursor over the preset name.

The Presets panel has three tabs: To apply a preset to the selected photo on
Recommended, Premium, and Yours. mobile, tap on the preset and then tap the
checkmark/Done button. On the desktop,
Recommended presets are AI-based click on the preset thumbnail or name.
suggestions for the selected photo, made
using edits shared by the Lightroom To close the Presets panel on the desktop,
community. click the Presets button again. On mobile,
it automatically closes when you tap the
Premium presets are provided by Adobe checkmark/Done button or the X/Cancel
and handcrafted by skilled photographers. button closes without applying the preset.
They’re only available for paid subscribers.

Yours includes some additional presets

provided by Adobe, and any presets you

PRESETS PANEL (DESKTOP)

AI-based preset suggestions Adobe’s best presets Presets you’ve created
or downloaded

Close Presets panel

Show menu

Create New Preset

Click to open/close preset group

Float over preset to preview effect

Click on preset to apply effect
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 41

PRESETS PANEL (MOBILE)

Show AI-based preset suggestions

Tap thumbnail to preview

preset on photo

Tap to apply the preset or cancel

(Done/Cancel buttons on iPad)

Show your presets plus free

Adobe preset groups
Show Premium presets
(only if paid subscriber)

Tap to view a preset group

Tap to view a preset group On your own presets, tap ...

to rename, update or delete
Tap thumbnail to preview preset. On Android, you can also
preset on photo move to a new preset group.
 42 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

EDITING USING SLIDERS

Most new photographers edit photos using sliders to get a specific result, like combining
profiles, presets, and filters. So why bother words to make a sentence. Because you’ve
learning to use the sliders? already analyzed the photo, you’ll know the
result you’re aiming for, so you won’t waste
time.
PHOTO EDITING IS LIKE A LANGUAGE
Finally, we start combining different sets
Photo editing is a skill, just like any other. If of sliders into full photo edits, like turning
you’re trying to learn a language, repeating these sentences into whole conversations.
phrases from a phrase book will only get you
so far. To become fluent in a language, you To purchase your copy, visit https://www.
must learn its structure and vocabulary to Lrq.me/shop/adobe-lightroom-edit-go/
start to build your own sentences that can
apply in any situation. Bonus benefits: included in your purchase
is one year’s complimentary Premium
Editing photos is the same. Profiles and Membership to the Lightroom Queen
presets are like those pre-built phrases. website from date of purchase, giving
They’ll work okay in some situations, but updates to the eBooks and direct email
they’ll never be a perfect fit. assistance if you get stuck with something
with the Lightroom cloud ecosystem!
Skilled editing can enhance photos in a way
that presets simply can’t match. Learning
which sliders to tweak is also much faster
than hunting through hundreds of presets
trying to find one that works.

LEARNING THE LANGUAGE OF EDITING

In Adobe Lightroom - Edit on the Go, you first

learn how to analyze a photo and work out
exactly what you need to adjust to get the
best result.

Then we introduce the sliders and tools,

like adding new words to your vocabulary.
While you can get the gist of how
Lightroom’s sliders work simply through
experimentation, many of Lightroom’s
sliders do all sorts of clever calculations
behind the scenes. Understanding how the
sliders work—and how they work together—
means you can get the best result.

Then, you learn how to combine related

 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 43

FIXING LIGHT AND COLOR

Lightroom has an overwhelming number of
sliders, but that doesn’t mean you have to
adjust every single one.

Most image adjustments are performed

using the Light and Color panels in the
Edit panel, so we’ll take a whirlwind tour to
understand how to use the basic sliders.

It’s generally most efficient to work from the

top down (although there are exceptions), 2. The Highlights and Shadows sliders affect
and then go back and tweak earlier sliders the light and dark areas of the photo. If the
again if needed. light areas are lacking detail, try moving the
Highlights slider to the left to darken them
However many times you move a slider, slightly. If the dark areas and shadows are
it doesn’t degrade the image quality lacking detail, try moving the Shadows slider
because the adjustments are saved as text to the right to lighten them.
instructions and only applied to the on-
screen preview, so you can experiment
freely.

STEP-BY-STEP

Let’s give it a try on a fairly standard photo...

3. Adjust the Whites and Blacks sliders

to control which tones are allowed to
clip (become areas of solid white or black
without detail).

1. Adjust the Exposure slider to set the

overall brightness of the photo, moving to
the right to brighten the photo or to the left
to darken it.

Get the exposure in the right ballpark, but

don’t worry about fine tuning yet.
4. Texture and Clarity (in the Effects panel)
add ‘punch’ to the photos. Architecture
 44 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

and landscapes can benefit from higher You can then go back and fine tune the white
values, but avoid using on portraits, as it balance by adjusting the Temperature and
accentuates lines and wrinkles. Tint sliders. Move the Temperature slider left
to make the photo cooler or to the right to
make it warmer. If the photo’s too pink or
green, adjust the Tint slider too.

7. If the colors in your photo are a little dull,

try increasing the Vibrance slider. It adjusts
how saturated or colorful your photo
appear, and it’s more intelligent than the
Saturation slider.

5. The Contrast slider is last. Does the

photo still look a little flat and muddy? Try
increasing the contrast by moving the slider
to the right.

6. If the photo’s the wrong color, adjust the

White Balance sliders in the Color panel.
This compensates for the color of the light
in which the photo was taken. For example,
a photo taken indoors without flash may be
too yellow.

The quickest way to set the white balance

is to select the White Balance Selector tool
(it looks like an eyedropper) and click on
something that should be light gray.
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 45

RETOUCHING DISTRACTIONS
Retouching has long been the domain blemishes. It works best in areas of similar
of pixel-based photo editors such as texture and tone, whether sky, grass,
Photoshop, but Lightroom has advanced seaweed, or stone.
healing tools that can remove many
distractions without a round trip to Heal attempts to intelligently match the
Photoshop. texture, lighting, and shading to blend
the repaired pixels seamlessly into the
The Healing tool can remove sensor dust surrounding area. Unlike the AI-based
spots in the sky, litter on the ground, Remove mode, you can select the source
raindrops on the lens, acne on faces, or of the pixels, so it works well in situations
even more complex distractions. If there’s Remove can’t handle.
something more complicated to retouch,
Lightroom can send the photo to Photoshop. Clone simply copies the pixels and pastes
them in another location, so it’s best for
Use the Healing tool before you build any repairing patterns, moving birds to a
AI-based masks (which we’ll learn about in different location in the sky, or retouching
the next lesson), as otherwise you may be along hard edges.
left with “ghosts” in the masked area.
For most spots, the Remove or Heal options
work best, particularly in clean areas such as
RETOUCHING SPOTS sky.

To open the Healing tool, tap/click the

Healing icon in the Toolstrip. STEP-BY-STEP

Healing tool Let’s give it a try with the sensor dust and
person in this photo.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BRUSH

Before you start retouching, you need to

decide on the type and size of the brush
you’ll use.

Lightroom can do three different kinds

of repair, selected using the Mode pop-up
(mobile) / buttons (desktop).

1. Select the Healing tool.

Remove Heal Clone 2. Using the options in the Healing Brush

panel, set the brush options to:
Remove uses Photoshop’s Content-Aware
technology to analyze the surrounding area Mode: Remove or Heal.
to remove entire objects, distractions, or
 46 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

HEALING BRUSH (MOBILE)

“Add” View
Enter Refine View
Repair Mode
(Remove/Heal/Clone)

Brush Size

“Refine” View Full screen view

Selected Repair Undo/Redo

Heal Repair
Tap on pin to select
Clone Repair and adjust it

Remove Repair Drag source or

target pin to
move spot

Feather (softness)
Spot Size (only
available for Opacity
circle spots)
Delete spot
Tap to confirm the
changes or cancel. Done to return
(Buttons at the top to Add view
on Android, or a Done
button on tablets)

Arrow shows source > target.

Drag source selection to select
Refresh (Remove mode only) a different source of pixels
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 47

Size: to suit the size of the distraction.

Opacity & Feather at 100 (set after creating

the spot on mobile, or at any time on
desktop).

3. Tap/click on a spot in the photo. 6. Lightroom automatically tries to find

a good source, but you can refine the
selection. On mobile, tap the Refine button
to access the additional controls. To update
the Remove repair, tap/click the Refresh
4. The spot overlay appears on the screen, button. Drag the overlays to adjust a Heal/
showing the outline of the retouched area Clone correction.
and the source of the new pixels.

5. For non-circular distractions, drag your

finger (mobile) / the cursor (desktop) over
the distraction to display the overlay. 7. When you’ve finished retouching, tap the
Done button to save your changes and close
the Healing tool (mobile) / select a different
tool in the right panel bar (desktop).

HEALING TOOL (DESKTOP)

Reset Healing

Hold to
Healing Mode temporarily
hide healing.

Brush Settings

Open Healing tool

Refresh Source

Show/Hide Overlay Red Eye tool

Visualize Spots

Visualize Spots
Threshold
 48 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

MASKING
Most of Lightroom’s sliders apply to the The Objects tool is like Subject selection,
whole photo, but the masking tools allow except you choose the subject. It uses AI to
you to apply settings to specific areas. This select whatever item you roughly scribble
isn’t a new concept. Photographers have over or draw a box around.
been dodging and burning photos in the
darkroom for years. The People selection automatically selects
entire people or specific body parts such as
the eyes, skin or hair. It’s a real time saver
when retouching portraits!

At the time of writing, only the Subject and

Sky AI-based selections are available on
mobile.

There’s also a number of manual selection

tools, so you can select specific areas of the
photo:
Masking allows to you apply edits
to specific areas of the photo, such The Brush tool allows you to create a
as lightening the shadow area on freeform selection by painting on the photo.
this lion’s face (highlighted in red). It’s not constrained to a specific shape, so
it’s very flexible.

SELECTION TOOLS The Linear Gradient is particularly useful

for darkening the sky in a sunset photo or
The simplest masking tools use artificial blurring a distracting foreground. It can also
intelligence to automatically select be useful if the lighting on one side of the
elements in the photo. photo is different to the other side.

Subject selection attempts to select the The Radial Gradient is particularly useful
subject, whether that’s a person, an animal, for off-center vignettes, to draw the eye
a flower or a bicycle. Perhaps you need to to a specific area of the photo. It can also
selectively lighten a black dog, or add a little be used to lighten faces in photos or put a
Texture to their fur. “spotlight” on one area of the photo, among
other things.
A Sky selection makes it easy to add Clarity
to highlight the clouds, or make it the shade Finally, there’s a few range mask tools,
of blue that you remember. Inverted, you which make selections based on the photo’s
might apply Sharpening or Texture to the own data:
foreground without making the sky too
noisy. The Color Range Mask selects an area based
on sampled colors, whether that’s skin tone,
A Background selection isn’t actually just the a blue sky, or a child’s t-shirt.
background, it also includes the foreground!
It selects everything except the subject. The Luminance Range Mask selects pixels
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 49

based on their brightness. This makes it Masking tool

much easier to select detailed objects
such as trees, or select just the shadow or Let’s take it for a spin by selecting the Brush
highlight tones in an image. tool. Set the brush size, feathering and
opacity by dragging up/down on the buttons
The Depth Range Mask can be used for (mobile) / using the sliders (desktop).
blurring and darkening backgrounds. It’s a
quick way of making a selection based on To paint with the brush on mobile, drag
the distance from the camera, but it requires your finger or stylus/pen across the photo.
depth information stored in the file, such as On the desktop, hold down the mouse
a photo captured using iOS Portrait mode. button, drag the cursor across the photo,
and then release the mouse.

CREATING YOUR FIRST MASK By default, Lightroom shows a red overlay,

so you can see where you’re painting. This
To select the Masking tool on mobile, tap disappears when you make some slider
the Masking icon in the Toolstrip and then adjustments, but you can show it again at
press the blue + button to select a masking any time by tapping the overlay button
tool. On the desktop, click the Masking at the top (mobile) / by toggling the Show
icon in the Toolstrip or press the M key. If
you haven’t already added a mask to the
selected photo, Lightroom asks what type of
mask you’d like to create.

Masking panel > Create New Mask:

Mobile (left), Desktop (right)
 50 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

BRUSH (MOBILE)
Undo/Redo Show/hide overlay

Overlays
menu
Brush tool (add
to selection)
Drag pin to
Eraser (remove move selection
from selection)

Brush Size

Feather (brush
softness)
Masks panel
Flow (build up
gradually)

Invert Selection

Delete Selection

Sliders Tap to confirm the

changes or cancel
Drag lines to show/hide panels

Overlay switch in the Masks panel or

pressing the O key (desktop).

If you make a mistake when brushing, it’s not

a problem. To erase part of the selection,
select the Eraser from the icons (mobile) /
Brush panel (desktop).

Brush (add to selection)

Eraser (remove from selection)

To invert the brush selection, to affect

everything except your brushed area, tap/
click the Invert button.
Brush panel: Desktop
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 51

Once you’ve created your mask, you can button (mobile) / click the Create New Mask
make adjustment using the sliders, just like button (desktop) at the top of the Masks
you would when editing the whole photo, panel and choose the type of mask.
but before we do that, let’s take a closer
look at the Masks panel. To reselect an existing mask, tap/click on it
in the Masks panel.

THE MASKS PANEL To show the Mask menu, which includes

commands like Hide and Delete, tap/click the
By creating multiple masks, you can apply ... button next to the mask.
different edits to different areas of the
photo, and they can be overlapped and You can delete a single mask using the
layered to build up the effect. The Masks mask menu. You can delete all masks on
panel lists all your masks, making it easy to iOS by tapping Reset > Masking, whereas
manage and switch between them. on Android, you can only delete them
individually. On the desktop, you can also
To create additional masks, tap the + delete all masks from the mask menu.

MASKS PANEL (MOBILE)

Undo/Redo Show/hide overlay

Overlays menu

Create New Mask

Tap to select mask

Selection
Tool Options ... menu

Drag lines to
switch between
hidden/compact/
expanded views

Sliders

Tap to confirm the

changes or cancel
 52 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

MASKS PANEL (DESKTOP)

Drag to dock/ Hold to temporarily
undock panel hide all masks

Create New Mask

Click to hide mask.
Click to select
Mask Show mask menu

Show components

Add/subtract
using additional
components

Show/hide
overlay

Overlay color Overlays menu

APPLYING EDITS TO THE MASKED combined, so a combination of - Exposure,

AREAS + Saturation and + Clarity can enhance a
sunset.
Once you’ve created your mask, you can
apply edits using the sliders in the toolbar
(phone) / right panel (iPad/desktop). Here’s ADVANCED MASKING
just a few examples of the changes you
could try: The real power of masking comes in
the ability to combine multiple types of
Dodging & Burning—The Exposure selection in the same mask. For example,
adjustment is similar to dodging and burning you might use a Sky selection to select the
in a traditional darkroom, lightening and sky in the photo and combine with a Brush
darkening areas of the photo. selection to add any bits that were missed.

Enhancing Faces—Settings such as The Masking tools are very powerful, and
Sharpness, Texture and Noise Reduction can be we’ve barely scratched the surface in this
used for softening skin on portraits without Quick Start, but full details can be found in
softening the eyes. Adobe Lightroom - Edit on the Go.

Mixed Lighting—Temp and Tint are useful

when adjusting for mixed lighting situations,
or changing the color of specific regions.

Enhancing Sunset Skies—Settings can be

 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 53

EXAMPLE 1 - SUNSET AT STEEPHILL COVE

Quick Analysis - Shadows need

brightening while retaining highlight
detail. Needs warming and clouds
enhancing to feel more like sunset.

Set profile to Adobe Vivid, as we

want to enhance the sunset colors.

Highlights -100 to recover and enhance

the detail in the sky. Shadows -80 to
bring out detail in rocks and houses.

Whites +14, so the sun is just short

of clipping. Blacks -26 blocks the
darkest shadows in the rocks.

Clarity +100 is an extreme adjustment,

but using too much Contrast
would lose sky/rocks detail.

Saturation +70 to make it

much more colorful.

Temp 5450 and Tint +18 to warm it up.

Vignette -30 with Feather 70 to

bring down the brightness of the
corners, especially on the left.

It's still a little flat and

dark, so Contrast +20 and
Exposure +0.20 to finish.
 54 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

EXAMPLE 2 - SUNNY COAST

Quick Analysis - It's a little too bright,

very hazy and lacking contrast, but
the color's about right. There's too
much sky, so it needs cropping, and
there's some vignetting from the lens.

Apply Camera Landscape profile,

because the stones become too red
when using Adobe Landscape.

Enable Lens Corrections to remove

vignetting and distortion.

Dehaze +40 to reduce the

atmospheric haze.

Texture +50 to bring out

detail in stones.

Highlights -100 to bring detail back into

the waves on the shoreline. Shadows
+40 to increase detail in the rock face.

Auto Whites +17 and Blacks

-56 to expand the tonal range,
compressing the deepest shadows.

Brush over breaking waves and

rocks with +100 Clarity and +80
Texture for impact and detail.

Crop to 16x9 ratio to minimize sky.

 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 55

EXAMPLE 3 - THE GUY ON THE STEPS

Quick Analysis - There’s not much

interesting color in the photo, so try a
gritty B&W. to emphasize the textures.
The man needs to be highlighted
to draw the eye in his direction.

Crop to remove dark door at side

and excessive foreground.

Exposure 0.71 to lighten photo

overall. Highlights -80 to reduce
brightness of pillars. Shadows +60
to show more detail in his clothes.
Whites +7 and Blacks -23 to
compensate for loss of contrast.

Convert to B&W using the Adobe

Monochrome profile. Clarity +100
and Contrast +70 to give a gritty
feel, +80 Texture for stone detail.

Vignette -23, Feather 63 to

darken the bright edges and
draw the eye into the photo.

Exposure increased to 1.04 as

it looked too dark in B&W.

Linear Gradient from right side of

photo to darken, set to Exposure
-0.80 and Highlights -36.

Brush used with multiple different

strokes, mainly set to varying
Exposure values to lighten and darken
different areas of the photo.
 56 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

SAVING &
SHARING PHOTOS
Having selected all of your best photos and
7
edited them until you’re proud of the result,
don’t keep them to yourself. Share them
with the world!

Lightroom offers a number of different

ways of sharing your photos. You can’t print
directly from Lightroom on the desktop, but
you can save the photo as a JPEG to send to
an online lab or open into another program
to print. You can also save a smaller file
to email to a friend or share on Facebook,
Instagram or other social media apps.

If you have a whole selection of photos to

share, you can share the entire album as a
web gallery, and even add additional text to
describe the photos and tell the story.
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 57

EXPORTING EDITED PHOTOS

EXPORT (MOBILE)
You might want to save edited copies of your
photos for different purposes, including:

• Send to other people.

• Upload to photo sharing websites.

• Upload to online labs or take to local

photo labs to be printed as photographic
prints.

• Upload to online printers to create books,

calendars and other products.

• Print using other software.

• Open in other software for further

editing, such as Nik, On1, Topaz, etc.

There’s no need to keep these edited copies

once they’ve served their purpose (unless
you’ve edited them using other software), as
you can save a new copy at any time.

SAVING A PHOTO ON MOBILE

To save one or more photos to the Photos

app (iOS) / Pictures folder (Android) or
other file storage space:

1. Go to Grid view, hold your finger on a

photo to enter selection mode, then tap or
drag across the photos you want to save.
Alternatively, open a single photo in Detail
view.

2. Tap on the Share menu.

Share menu (iOS)

Share menu (Android)

3. Select Export As... to access the export

options, such as the size, file format,
 58 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

watermark, filename, sharpening or color SAVING A PHOTO ON THE DESKTOP

space.
To save one or more photos to the hard
4. (iOS) Tap the checkmark to choose drive:
where to store the exported photos. You
can send the photos to other apps such as 1. Go to File menu > Export or click the Share
Mail, Messages, Facebook, Instagram, or icon. Select one of the presets or choose
WhatsApp. You can also Save Images to the Custom... to select your own settings, such
Photos app to access the photos directly as the size, file format, watermark, filename,
from other apps. Save to Files allows you to sharpening or color space.
select any storage locations you’ve mounted
in the Files app, such as iCloud, Dropbox, or 2. Click Export X Photos and choose where
external storage drives. to save the photos on your hard drive.

4. (Android) Tap the checkmark to save

the photos to the Internal Storage/Pictures/
AdobeLightroom folder. They’ll appear in the
Gallery app.

EXPORT (DESKTOP)
 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 59

SHARING WEB GALLERIES

Entire albums or smaller groups of photos
can be shared with friends, family, or clients
by sending them a link to a web gallery. They
can then:

• View the photos in Grid or Detail view.

• View the photos as a slideshow.

• Like or comment on the photos (optional).

• Download full-resolution JPEGs

(optional).

• Upload their photos to your Lightroom

album (optional).

• Edit your photos (optional).

Share & Invite:

SHARING ALBUMS OR PHOTOS
Mobile (top), Desktop (bottom)
To share an album or specific photos on
mobile, select an album in the Albums panel the gallery. You can revoke their access or
or Grid view, then select the ... menu. change their access permissions at any time.

Select Share & Invite or Invite & Get a Link To invite someone to view your web
from the menu; the exact name varies gallery, tap Invite People (mobile only) /
depending on the operating system and click in the text field (desktop/web). Enter
current view. their email address, decide on their access
permissions (Can View, Can Contribute or
If Lightroom asks you to enter an email Can Edit & Contribute), and tap/click Send
address, tap the back arrow to access the (mobile) / Invite (desktop/web) to send an
main Share & Invite dialog for now, as we’ll invitation by email.
come back to sharing with specific people
shortly.

On the desktop, select an album in the

Albums panel or one or more photos in the
Grid view, right-click, and choose Share &
Invite to display the Share & Invite dialog.

By default, shared albums are set to Invite

Only, meaning only invited guests must
sign in with their email address to access
 60 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE

the Share & Invite dialog and choose Stop

Sharing.

DISPLAY & SETTINGS

To share the gallery link publicly, for Using the Customize Display & Link Settings,
example, on social media, tap/click the Get you have control over what’s visible in your
shareable link button and set the Link Access shared gallery, and if you visit the public
to Anyone Can View. Copy the link to the gallery link, you can see how it’ll look to
clipboard and send it by email, text message, other people.
Facebook, etc. Only people with the link can
view the gallery.
VIEWING A SHARED GALLERY
To stop sharing an album on mobile, tap
the ... menu > Share & Invite and choose When your friends, family, or clients visit a
Stop Sharing. On the desktop, right-click web gallery link, they can view the photos
on it again and choose Stop Sharing. Or set in a Grid or Detail view or watch a slideshow
the Link Access pop-up to Invite only to limit of your photos. They can also like and
access to those listed below. On the web comment on your photos if they sign in using
interface, click the Share button to show an Adobe ID or a Facebook/Google account.

PUBLIC VIEW (WEB)

Other Shared Albums Upload photos (if set to Can Contribute)

Sign in/out

Menu incl. Download

Play Slideshow

Open in Detail view

Back to Grid view

Download JPEG

Info panel

Comments panel

Sign in to Like/
Comment

Number of comments/likes Previous/Next Photo

 ADOBE LIGHTROOM - QUICK START GUIDE 61

YOU’RE OFF TO A
GREAT START!
In this Quick Start Guide, we’ve done a
whirlwind tour of Lightroom, but we’ve
8
• You’ll save time searching the web for
information that turns out to be written for
barely scratched the surface. While the the “old” Lightroom instead of your version.
interface may look simple, there’s a lot of
power under the hood. • Your photos will look so much better,
you’ll be excited to share them with others
In Adobe Lightroom - Edit on the Go, we look and have the confidence to try new things.
in much more detail at how the Lightroom
apps work, the approach professional • You’ll have all the latest Lightroom
photographers use to get outstanding information at your fingertips, whether
results. We work through a lot more photo you’re using iOS, Android, Windows, Mac,
examples from analysis to completion, so or Web apps.
you can start to put what you’ve learned
into practice. • You gain one year’s complimentary access
to Premium Membership on our site where
you can download updated eBook formats
IN SUMMARY: each time Adobe release updates. You also
get priority email assistance, along with
• The book’s written in a conversational many bonus features.
style that’s easy to read and understand,
even if you’re new to photography, just like The book’s available in PDF, ePub
this Quick Start Guide. and paperback formats from
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/. The
• You’ll learn to analyze a photo like a pro, paperback is also available from bookstores
saving you hours of frustration. such as Amazon.

• You’ll understand WHY to do things,

instead of just following recipes and so save
money on buying presets that are never
quite right.

• You’ll figure out what the sliders are

doing behind the scenes, so even more
experienced photo editors can benefit and
how to use sliders together, instead of in
isolation, so you can get the optimal result.