What's new in Lightroom Classic CC 7.4

Adobe have just released Lightroom Classic CC 7.4, and it contains a couple of interesting organisational features: from now on, you can temporarily disable preset and profiles folders to reduce the amount of clutter without having to physically delete them. You can also add color labels to folders. In the following video, I walk you through these features, and I also give a recap of the new features that were introduced in 7.3 for those of you who missed those.

As a reminder, if you haven't done so already, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter. You'll be rewarded with 10 free Lightroom presets!

How to scale back the effect of a Lightroom preset with the new OPAL plug-in

If you like to work with Lightroom presets, then the just-released OPAL plug-in is a must-have: this plug-in allows you to fade the effect of a Lightroom preset. Without this-plug-in, you'd have to find out what sliders a preset changes and then dial them back individually. This plug-in does it all for you, with one handy master opacity slider.

The video below shows you the plug-in in action. It's available here for $15 (+ VAT in Europe), but code MTW20 will save you a nice 20% ($3) - until further notice. For that price, this is a must-have plug-in for any serious Lightroom user! 

Last minute update: the Arrow-Up shortcut only works on Macs. Not sure if this feature will come to Windows computers. For now, Windows users can invoke the plug-in like any other plug-in via File > Plug-in Extras > Opal.

What's new in Lightroom Classic CC 7.2

Today, February 13, 2018, Adobe released the 7.2 update for Lightroom Classic CC. It's an interesting upgrade, because it contains amongst others a new set of performance improvements and even better news is that more improvements are announced for future updates. 

“This news is not only encouraging for the speed improvements in and of themselves, but it also shows that Adobe stays committed to Lightroom Classic.”

There are also a couple of cool new features, such as the ability to search through your folders panel. The video below gives you an overview of all the new features.

If you like it, please give it a little thumbs-up on Youtube or subscribe to my Youtube Channel to get notified of future videos.

As usual, there's also support for new cameras and lenses...

New Camera Support

• Fujifilm X-A5
• Fujifilm X-A20
• Panasonic LUMIX DC-GF10 (DC-GF90)
• Panasonic LUMIX DC-GH5s

Lens Correction Support

• Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM
• Rokinon SP 14mm f/2.4
• Rokinon SP 85mm f/1.2
• TAMRON 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD A035E
• TAMRON 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD A035E x1.4
• TAMRON 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD A035E x2.0
• Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 ZE
• Leica M
• Leica NOCTILUX-M 75mm f/1.25 ASPH.
• Leica THAMBAR-M 90mm f/2.2
• Nikon F
• TAMRON 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD A035N
• TAMRON 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD A035N x1.4
• TAMRON 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD A035N x2.0
• Zeiss Milvus 1.4/25 ZF.2
• Sony E
• Sony E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS

10 Useful Lightroom Tricks and Shortcuts involving the Option (Alt) Key

The Option key (Alt key on Windows) is one of the so-called 'modifier keys': it modifies the behaviour of a button or a slider. In the following video, I cover ten useful things the Option/Alt key lets you do in Lightroom. I'm sure even seasoned Lightroom users will pick up a couple of useful tips as I not only talk about the shortcuts themselves but also try to give some insight as to why you'd want to use them in the first place.

I hope you'll like the video. If you do, please give it a little thumbs-up on Youtube or subscribe to my Youtube Channel to get notified of future videos.

If you know any other cool Option/Alt Lightroom tricks yourself, let us know in the Comments!

The End of an Era: Lightroom 6.14 is the last update for Lightroom 6

Adobe has just released Lightroom 6.14, the last update for Lightroom 6 users. Therefore, this blogpost is only relevant for those of you who are still on Lightroom 6. If you've already moved  to Lightroom Classic CC (the subscription version of Lightroom, this message does not apply to you).

What's new in Lightroom 6.14

Lightroom 6.14 doesn't bring any new features. Only a couple of bug fixes and some new camera and lens support. Among the new cameras, the Sony Alpha 7RIII and the iPhone X are probably the most noteworthy. 

What should I do when I buy a new camera in 2018?

Well, you have three options, basically. If you stick with Lightroom 6, you can use the free Adobe DNG converter, which will be able to convert your new camera's files to DNG files which you will subsequently be able to import into Lightroom 6.

The DNG converter workflow. Image © Adobe

The second option is to upgrade to Lightroom Classic CC, the subscription version of Lightroom. Not only will you have continuous camera support, but you'll also gain access to all the new features you have been missing out on for the last 2 years, since Lightroom 6 was introduced. You can find a comprehensive video review of all the features in these blog posts (English, Dutch).

Finally, your last option would be to leave the Lightroom ecosystem altogether and switch to one of the many competing applications, such as Capture One, On1 Photo Raw, Luminar and the like. Personally, I won't be making that switch any time soon, as the only true Lightroom alternative is Capture One in my opinion (because it has database functionality in addition to being a raw developer), and this application doesn't support the Fujifilm GFX. Maybe Capture One think it's too much of a threat for their Phase One Medium Format systems, which are three times as expensive. I personally don't.

How can I upgrade to Lightroom 6.14?

The best way to upgrade is to not use the Adobe Application Manager but to use the direct installer links you find here. This way, you won't accidentally install Lightroom Classic CC instead of the 6.14 update.

December Lightroom Update

A New (and much better) Auto Tone algorithm

Good news for those of you who use Lightroom through Adobe's subscription model (either the full Creative Cloud suite or the Photography plan, including Photoshop). Adobe has just released Lightroom Classic CC 7.1. There are a number of bug fixes in this release, including a fix for the bug where Loupedeck users could not use their Loupedeck in specific languages. There's also support for a couple of new cameras, including the Sony Alpha 7 RIII. But, perhaps most importantly, there is an interesting improved feature: the Auto option in the Tone section of the Basic panel has been completely reworked. Contrary to the old version, the tool can now also change Vibrance and Saturation and it is less prone to produce overexposed results. It uses machine-learning technology and a database of thousands of photographs (and their edits) to come up with a better automatic correction of your images. I was never a fan of the old Auto, because it seemed to be very hit or miss to me... The new Auto however is, although not perfect, quite an improvement. It's definitely worth trying out.

In the above example, Lightroom's Auto did a remarkable job of correcting this severely underexposed image.

A slightly less extreme example, where Lightroom's new Auto helped to reveal sky detail.

Delete Color Mask Sample Points

Another small new feature is that you can now Alt/Option click on an individual color sample in the new color range mask tool, to remove existing sample points. If you're unfamiliar with the range mask tool, this blog post tells you all about it and the other new features. It's one of my favourite features of the October Lightroom Classic CC update.

Lightroom D850 users will be happy to hear that there is now tethering support for their camera.

New features in Lightroom CC

The improved Auto technology is also in the new cloud-centric Lightroom CC App (and in Lightroom for iOS and Android, for that matter).  Lightroom CC also received some other new features, such as:

• Tone Curve
• Split Toning
• The ability to edit the Capture Time
• A Full Screen mode (Shortcut: F)

What about Lightroom 6?

If you're a Lightroom 6 user, this update isn't for you. Adobe have announced there will be one more update 'towards the end of the year'. There probably won't be any new features in this update, but there might be support for some extra cameras. If you buy a new camera next year, you'll have to convert its raw files to DNG using the Adobe DNG Converter, if you still want to process the files in Lightroom 6.

What's new in Lightroom Classic CC?

Today, October 18th, Adobe has announced the long-awaited update to Lightroom 6 and Lightroom CC2015, which were released two years ago. The most visible new feature is actually... the name: Lightroom 6 and Lightroom CC2015 are now called Lightroom Classic CC. This probably brings up two questions in your head right away, so let's address the elephant in the room before we talk about the new features. The text below is just a quick summary of my 30 minute video tutorial, so make sure to watch that if you want to get the full lowdown of the name change, its implications and the new features.

In this 30 minute video, I talk about the name change and what it means for Lightroom users. I also cover the speed improvements and two of my favourite new features!

1) If Lightroom CC is now called Lightroom Classic CC, what happened to Lightroom CC itself?

Well, in a marketing move that will probably cause confusion for quite some time for Lightroom users and Lightroom educators alike, Adobe has not only rebranded good old Lightroom 6/CC into Lightroom Classic CC, but has slapped the 'Lightroom CC' name on a completely new application. I explain what Lightroom CC is and how it relates to Lightroom Classic in my video round-up. So, bear that name swap in mind when you go online and look for Lightroom training!

2) What happened to Lightroom 6?

Well, this is the elephant in the room. Lightroom 6 does not get an update. You'll still be able to buy Lightroom 6, and there will still be updates with new raw support and updates that would address compatibility issues with upgrades of your operating system, but... only until the end of 2017. So Lightroom 6 is basically a dead-end street. You will still be able to use it in 2018, but if a new version of your operating system comes out that does not play nicely with it, you'll be out of luck. Your options are - to use a term that was popular in personnel management in the big accounting firms in the eighties  - 'Up or Out': you can either upgrade to Lightroom Classic CC or basically you'll have to find a new home for your images. Personally, although I fully understand the reasons why people might object to the subscription model, I think the price for the Lightroom Classic CC + Photoshop CC subscription is very fair. In a sort of roundabout way, if you decide to upgrade from 6 to Classic CC, you get a great deal because not only do you get the new features of Lightroom Classic CC, but also you can finally play catch-up with the new features that were introduced in during the Lightroom CC2015 lifecycle as well. I'll do a separate blog post on that later.

3) What are the new features?

Well, the first isn't really a new feature as such, but the engineers main priority was speed. And it must be said that Lightroom Classic CC is faster on a number of levels: switching between Library and Develop, switching between images in Develop and other things have become a somewhat to a lot faster. A lot obviously also depends on your configuration.

4) Aside from speed, are there any REAL new features?

Yes, there are two really nice ones in my opinion, and I explain them in detail in the video, so i'll just sum them up briefly here: the first is a feature that high volume photographers will love. In fact, to me it would be worth upgrading from 6 to Classic CC only for this feature: you can now use the embedded JPG in a RAW file to zoom into your image to determine sharpness instead of having to wait up until ten seconds for Lightroom to build its own 1:1 preview. Really folks, this is huge!

The second new feature are two new Range Masks found in the local adjustment tools: you can now refine a mask that you made with the Radial or Graduated Filter or the Adjustment Brush using a luminosity range slider or a color picker. I have a couple of examples in the video and I really love this new feature. 

Other than that, there are a couple of minor improvements but those two features and the speed improvements are the real stars of this update. And, although they might not look as impressive as the CC2015 headliners (HDR, Pano and People View), they're features that really help to speed up your everyday workflow. 

So, what do you think about the name change and its implications and... about the new features? If you're on Lightroom 6, will you upgrade to the subscription or will you turn to one of the competing raw converters? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Lightroom Unmasked. Your ultimate guide to Lightroom.

5DayDeal product review: David Duchemin's "After The Camera" Lightroom video tutorial

As you may have noticed on the blog, it's 5DayDeal time again. The 5DayDeal is a once-a-year event in which an extraordinarily valued bundle of photographic training content, Lightroom presets, Photoshop actions and other digital tools such as overlays and textures are offered at an incredible discount. This year's bundle contains over $2,750 worth of content and it's being sold at more than 95% off, for only $117.

There's something for everyone (see this post for the full lowdown), including a lot of Lightroom training which - as a reader of my blog - I know you're interested in! One of my favourite products in this year's bundle is a After The Camera, a video tutorial series by David duChemin. I reviewed this tutorial last year on the blog. Below is the recap. By itself, this tutorial costs $40 but right now, it's included in the 5Day Deal, along with over 70 hours of other training content, 1400 presets and actions and much more. Some of the training titles cost more than the price of the entire bundle!

The only catch is that you have to buy the bundle before October 18th, because this sale only lasts for five days.

Here's my original review of 'After the Camera'

What can I say. I love postprocessing. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you probably know this by now. The great thing about digital cameras and raw files is that postprocessing has become very accessible. Back in the film days, you had to be a digital alchemist even only for performing basic tasks such as dodging and burning or adding some contrast to your print.

Postproduction in the digital age

These days, it's just a matter of dragging some sliders around. At least, that's what software manufacturers want you to believe. But all the sliders in the world won't make up for a lack of vision, both at capture time but also during postprocessing.

And that's where “After the Camera. Vision-Driven Editing and Postproduction”, the brand new video series of David "Gear is good, vision is better" DuChemin comes in. In 20 video episodes totalling 4 hours of tuition, David introduces you to what he calls his "vision-driven editing and postprocessing workflow".

This video series does not claim to be a complete guide to what every button and slider in Lightroom does. There are already plenty of resources like that, including my own Lightroom Unmasked eBook over at Craft & Vision.

What it does do is show you the entire workflow of a living, breathing, money-making professional photographer. Nothing more, nothing less.

What's in the box?

Well, first of all, there is no box. We're in the digital age, remember? What you do get is an access code to watch the videos online on Vimeo.com, but you can also download them so you can view them offline. The first chapters are about the Library module and give an introduction to importing, organizing, working with collections. As a Lightroom trainer, it still surprises me how many people don’t use collections. It’s like buying a convertible and never taking the top off.

Although the main focus lies in the Develop Module, David does touch on some important aspects of the Library module as well, such as importing, collections and back-up.

David also – rightly – mentions the importance of backing up and explains his own – simple but effective – workflow.

Editing your work

As of Chapter 4, we dive into the meat of the videos: the first couple are about the editing (some say “culling” process): how do you separate the wheat from the chaff. The answer lies again in what your intent, your vision is. David talks about the importance of having a project, even an imaginary one, in mind when you go through your images.

Maximising mood & Minimising Distractions

The next chapters are about “Maximising mood” and “Minimising distractions” and to me, that’s really the core of what good post-processing should be about: good postproduction should make your viewers feel what you felt when you were at the scene while minimizing the uninteresting details.

Drawing the Eye

The bulk of the remaining videos are about the photographic principles (what pulls and pushes the eye) and the tools in Lightroom that you can use to apply those principles.

Whether you work with a Radial Filter...

... or the Adjustment Brush...

Local adjustments help to draw the eye to where YOU want it to be.

I’m happy to see that David gives a lot of attention to local adjustments as well.

Before and Afters

Everybody loves a good Before & After and I’m not different. That’s why I especially liked the 6 cases-studies, in which you get to follow along with 6 images and see the principles and the techniques applied. But again, that’s the difference between this tutorial and many others: it’s as much about the why as it is about the how. Or, to use David’s terms, as much about the artist as it is about the geek.

Final chapters

The final videos are about the importance of sharing your work and speeding up your workflow by using presets so that you have more time to do what you love most (that is, if that’s what you love most): go out and shoot!

Conclusion

Every once in while, a video tutorial comes along where I think "I wish I made that". Well, this is one of those tutorials. If you’re a beginning Lightroom user, I very much recommend this course. But even (or maybe especially) if you’re already more advanced and you know what all the buttons do of the Lightroom cockpit do, but you feel like no-one ever told you where to fly the bloody plane to, you will learn a lot from this video series.

After the Camera is very reasonably priced at $40 (+ VAT in Europe). After The Camera is available here at Craft & Vision.com. UPDATE: If you read this between October 13 and October 18, you can also get After The Camera as part of the 5DayDeal bundle, with over $2,700 worth of other training titles, for only $117. Still not entirely convinced? Watch the trailer below.

The 5DayDeal is back! $2.500 worth of photo education and tools for only $117

From now until October 18th, noon PDT, it's 5 Day Deal time again! The 5 Day Deal is a unique bundle of photographic training content. If you were to buy every item separately, you'd be looking at a total bill of over $2.750. Now, you're only paying $117 (+ European VAT unless you have a VAT ID), a savings of more than 95 percent! The total bundle contains over 75 hours of video training, several eBooks and over 1400 Lightroom presets, Photoshop actions and other digital tools. In total several gigabytes worth of training goodness.

Yes, but what's in it for me?

Of course, the real question is: 'What is this bundle worth to you?' Unless you're really into all genres of photography, probably not the full $2.500. But I can guarantee you that even if you're only remotely interested in photography, the 5 Day Deal bundle is certainly worth more than the measly $117 it's selling for. In fact, this bundle will do more for your photography than the umpteenth camera bag or a shiny new UV filter. 

To help you determine if it's worth your dollar, I've broken the bundle down into three typical areas of interest: general postprocessing, landscape photography and portrait photography. You'll see that even if you're only really into one of those three areas, the bundle is a steal. Heck, if you're into two or more, you should already be ordering!

1. You're into Lightroom, Photoshop and Postprocessing

Postprocessing seems to be the main theme of this year's bundle, so if image editing is your thing, you're in for a treat. The bundle is ideal to hone your editing skills over these cold winter months and get you ready for a great start in 2018. There's hundreds of Lightroom presets and Photoshop actions, overlays like smoke and sun flares and loads of training videos. As you can see, I'm very honoured that my own Black & White Lightroom Preset pack is included in the bundle. But even if you already have that, there's still $2.767 of other stuff :-) The total value of the highlighted items alone is over $1.500. The 5 Day Deal price is less than ten percent of that. If you're a Lightroom or Photoshop user, this bundle really is a no-brainer.

2.  You're mainly interested in nature photography, landscapes, cityscapes and how to postprocess these

The total value of the highlighted items is about $700. From previous 5 Day Deals, I remember the excellent quality of the stuff that people like Jimmy McIntyre and Christopher O'Donnell put out, so I'm looking forward to discovering their new courses. Also, note that I've only counted items that have a direct relationship to landscape photography. There are lots of resources, like the many preset packs, that will without a doubt also be useful when you're editing your landscape images.

3. You're mainly interested in portrait photography and portrait retouching

The total value of the highlighted items is almost $800. Again, there are some hidden gems in this line-up. For example, I really enjoyed Jeff Rojas' no-nonsense approach on how to interact with, light and photograph 'normal people'. After all, we not always get to choose who winds up in front of our lens!

Still in doubt?

Here's 5 final reasons why you should really consider this bundle:

10 percent of each sale goes to charity. Since 2013, people buying the 5DayDeal have raised over $1.000.000 for charity.

1. This way of learning is one of the cheapest to improve your photography skills, at your own pace, when and where you want it. Furthermore, there's always a couple of hidden gems in bundles like this. For example, I really enjoyed Andrew S. Gibson's Black & White Presets and Jeff Rojas' posing and lighting video.
2. A lot of this bundle's resources are new and if they aren't new, at least they've never been in any other 5 Day Deal bundle, so there's no overlap with previous 5 Day Deal purchases.
3. The bundle is gone forever on October 18th, noon PDT.
4. 10 percent of the entire turnover (not the profits, but the turnover, so almost $10 on every sale) goes to charity. Since the start of the 5 Day Deal in 2013, over $1.000.000 was donated to good causes. To that effect, upon checkout, you can opt for the 'Charity Match bundle'. This is an extra, separate bundle, worth over $900 which costs an extra $24,97, half of which goes to charity. Some 50% of people who bought the bundle so far have chosen this option. If you want to maximise your savings and in the mean time maximise your charity donation, look for the 'Charity Match' section, you'll see it on the 5 Day Deal page.
5. But wait, there's more :-) Another extra option is the 'Pro Bundle Addon'. That's almost $500 worth of content for an add-on of only $12,47.

You see, I'm shutting up already. Yes. I'm that easy :-)

For an extra $24,97, you not only double the amount of money that goes to charity, but you also get access to over $900 worth of extra stuff. There are two photography courses in there, including the world-famous one by Fstoppers, one of the largest photo websites. Then, if you still have another $12,47 to burn, you can get the Pro Bundle Add-on as well...

Stepping out of your comfort zone

From short lighting with a big softbox...

[Recommended soundtrack while reading this blog post: Stepping Out by Joe Jackson :-) ]

People are creatures of habit. So are photographers, at least this photographer is. There are areas where we feel more comfortable than others. For me, lighting wise, my comfort zone is flash. I love using flash. I know a lot of you find it complicated but I don't - at least not anymore. [Shameless plug: if you find flash intimidating, I've written a book that will help you overcome your fears. It's available here in English and here in Dutch - end of shameless plug].

The fact that I can reach into my gear bag and whip out my own portable sun is very reassuring to me. Comforting. Within that broad comfort zone of using flash, I have one technique I am more comfortable with than others. If flash is my house, then this technique is my sofa, so to speak... I could perform it on my slippers. In fact, I already have :-)

That go-to technique is the one you see in the image below: it's short-lighting with a relatively big softbox, combined with natural rim-light from the sun. My preferred softboxes are the SMDV Alpha 110 (this thing sets up in less than 15 seconds and breaks down in less than 2) and the Elinchrom Rotalux 175 cm. Generally, I'll be working with a standard to wide angle lens fairly wide open. In this image, the softbox was camera left, almost at a 90 degree angle to the camera. Because the subject has his face slightly turned to his right, the softbox predominantly lights the side of the face that's turned away from the camera, leaving a - in my opinion at least - beautiful Rembrandt triangle on the side of the face that's closest to the camera.

By putting my subject with the back to the sun, I kill two birds with one stone. First of all, I avoid squinting in the eyes and second, the sun gives me a free rim light, which helps to separate him from the background: do you see the narrow white line around the turban (camera right) and his shirt? That's the sun. I'll slightly underexpose the background and then I'll bring my subject back to the desired light level with the flash... I've done a zillion of these photographs and I'll probably do a zillion more, because I just like the look...

FUJIFILM GFX 50S | GX63mmF2.8 R WR @ 63 mm | 1-125 sec. @ f - 2,8 | ISO 500 - Flash was an SMDV BRiHT 360 in an SMDV 85 cm Speedbox

... Over short-lighting with a harsh light source...

The danger of having a preferred style like this, is that you'll use it always and everywhere and that you no longer even consider alternatives that might be better. You might get a nice, safe shot, but not necessarily the one that fits the subject or the situation best. For the shot below, for example, I decided to break my usual routine. The big softbox I normally use, creates soft shadows, but here I wanted the shadow to be a part of the image, probably even the most important part. So I switched out the softbox for a standard reflector in this portrait of dancer Bradley. That's one step away from my comfort zone... But I did keep the short lighting look... We're going to get rid of that, too, in the next image...

FUJIFILM X-T2 | XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS @ 31.5 mm | 1-160 sec. @ f - 7,1 | ISO 200 - Flash was a Godox AD200

... Over rim-lighting with a flash...

In this shoot of Barre, a BMX Flatland Rider (www.barrebmx.com) in an abandoned cooling tower, I started out in my comfort zone: two lights. For lack of sun, I used a second flash as a rim light. Both were Godox AD600 flashes. In this blog post, I explain why I am so fond of the Godox eco-system. This setup gave me a decent enough image. With that in my pocket, it was time to step out of the comfort zone.

FUJIFILM GFX 50S | GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR @ 32 mm | 1-60 sec. @ f - 8,0 | ISO 800 - Flashes used: 2 x Godox AD600

I love backlight, I love smoke and I looooove backlit smoke! To that effect, I'll often lug around my Scotty II,  a portable, battery powered smoke machine. It's a totally different shot. Not better or worse, just different. But what matters is that it's a shot that I wouldn't have had if I had stayed in my comfort zone.

FUJIFILM X-T2 | XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS @ 31.5 mm | 1-160 sec. bij f - 7,1 | ISO 200

To using natural light only...

One way to get out of your comfort zone in a ... comfortable way, is to team up with a model and another photographer for a TFCD shoot. There's no stress to deliver, so you're free to do what you want and you can learn from the other photographer's handling of light. For this shoot, my buddy and fellow Fujifilm Ambassador Ioannis Tsouloulis (as far as names go, that's not a comfort zone!) and I got to work with Mila, a very talented young model who also happens to be a keen ballet danser. I did my usual wide-angle-big-softbox shot that you can see below.

FUJIFILM GFX 50S | GF23mmF4 R LM WR @ 23 mm | 1-500 sec. bij f - 8,0 | ISO 100-2

And then Ioannis challenged me to work with natural light only, and a reflector. I hate using reflectors (that would be another blog post entirely) and I'm not a big fan of using typical portrait lenses either, but I got one of the best shots from the day by stepping out of my comfort zone.

It also helps to have a stunning model, obviously. Mila probably would still look great with an on-camera flash and a toy camera, I think...

Postprocessing

In case you're wondering, the images above don't come rolling out of the camera like this. At least not out of my camera. There's always some degree of styling and retouching going on. That's not a shame or a bad thing, on the contrary, it can be an equally important part of your style as the actual photography. I do try to get my images more or less right in terms of overall exposure and composition, but then comes the fun part: the postproduction. Unlike many photographers I know, I really love this phase. Especially since I've started shooting with the Fujifilm GFX. Man, those pixels can take a digital beating! Below are some before and after comparisons. My edits are mainly done in Lightroom, using one of my Lightroom preset packs.

I just warmed up this image slightly and gave it a slightly more crispy look with a preset from 'Piet's Power Preset Pack, Vol. I'

I thought the dramatic light would go well with a more dramatic postprocessing that gave a gritty, urban feel to the image. This look was achieved by using one of my favorite presets (I've named it after my son, go figure!) Noah, which you can find in my Colorific Colour Grading bundle.

As Barre was already wearing black and there wasn't much colour in the background either, black and white was a logical choice to process this image. All it took was one click on one of my 'Piet Van den Eynde's Black and White Develop Presets for Lightroom'

I wanted the image to radiate with warmth, so I chose a warming preset from my Power Preset Pack and increased the Exposure some more.

Fujilove Webinar: Getting Started with Lightroom for Fujifilm X Users

I am honoured to have been asked by Fujilove, the largest (and most active) international Fujifilm users community, to host the first

FUJILOVE MASTERCLASS
 

Fujilove Masterclasses are live webinars. The first one will be held on Saturday, August 19th at 16:00 Central European Time and is called:

Getting started with Lightroom for Fujifilm X Users

Over the course of three hours, I will get you up and running with Lightroom. I will cover what a Lightroom catalog is and how you can get your images in it. I'll introduce you to Lightroom’s many tools to review, rate, organise and manage your Fujifilm photos. Finally, we'll look at  a step-by-step approach on how to edit your images. I will be working on a mix of my own and user-submitted images and of course I'll also be answering questions.

This webinar is the first of its kind and is intended specifically for Fujifilm X users. I will be sharing some valuable tips on how to deal with RAF + JPG, how to get your RAW files looking exactly as your JPEG and much more. 

The amount of virtual seats on the masterclass is strictly limited to 100.

You can reserve your spot now for 79 USD. It will give you live access to the masterclass. If you won't be able to make it to the masterclass in real time you will receive a recording of the entire webinar afterwards.

Only 100 spots are available. Make sure you don't miss the opportunity!

What's new in Lightroom mobile 2.8 for iOS

Adobe have just released (yet) another update for Lightroom mobile! The headliner is the Adjustment Brush, or should I say: Adjustment Finger, as you can now use that to paint local adjustments directly on your iPhone or iPad. There's a couple of other cool new features in the camera as well. In this video, I walk you through all the novelties of this cool update.

Want to improve your Lightroom skills? Check out my English eBook Lightroom 6/CC Unmasked, my Dutch print book Lightroom 6/CC Ontmaskerd or my Dutch video lessons on www.photofactsacademy.nl.

R.I.P. Nik Collection? Sign the Petition!

The short story

Google have announced that it will no longer support the Nik Collection. In true David versus Goliath style, German photographer Sascha Rheker started an online petition on change.org. If you're a Nik Collection user, it's well worth one minute of your time to vote. 

The long story

Even if you're only a halfway regular reader of this blog, you know I was and still am a big fan of the Nik Collection. In fact, a few of you reading this might use the Nik Collection because I recommended it to you.

In September 2012 - I cannot believe that's almost five years ago - Google acquired Nik. Not so much for the Nik Collection, but rather because Google had set their eyes on Snapseed, Nik's mobile app. By the way, if you're looking for an excellent mobile editor on your phone or tablet (iOS and Android), Snapseed is a killer app (iOS link here, Android link here). It's basically the mobile version of the Nik Collection and it's entirely free.

One of the few, if not the only problem with the Nik Collection when it was still owned, developed and maintained by Nik Software GmbH was that it was pricey: around $200 for a single plugin, $300 for the Lightroom-only bundle and a whopping $500 for the Lightroom and Photoshop enabled version of the bundle. So one of the first things Google did was limit the number of versions to only one: the Lightroom and Photoshop bundle and drop its price to $149. They must have sold a virtual truckload. But if you buy software, even if it's discounted, and if you start to build your workflow around it, it's only fair to expect the company you buy the software from to keep updating it.

And this is where things started to go progressively bad: when Google made the software totally free last year, this move was also interpreted by some as the beginning of the end.

And indeed, one year later, Google have discreetly put up a banner on their website saying the Nik Collection will no longer be supported. Now, we kind of had come to expect that there wouldn't be any new features, but now, the message clearly states that there won't be any OS compatibility updates either. You can still download it for free, and use it for as long as your particular OS and hardware will support it, but basically Google is saying not to bother them nor to expect solutions if problems arise.

Silver Efex Pro 2 is now eight years old. In software terms, it's a dinosaur. Yet, its algorithms are still some of the finest that I know and if my regular Lightroom preset based workflow does not do the trick, I know that there's always Silver Efex Pro to turn to for rescue. Not to mention the power of the Control Point Technology.

On both my systems, the Collection is still working (I did have to manually copy over the Nik Collection folder from my Photoshop CC2015 Plugins folder to my CC2017 Plugins folder) but there are already reports of people where the Collection has stopped working.

What can you do?

I'm very much afraid that there is little we can do about this. The chances of Google turning this Open Source are very slim, because they still use an important part of the technology in Snapseed. The chances of them selling the patented tech to say Adobe, are slim, too... Personally, I don't need any new features - in fact I think that 8 year old Silver Efex Pro 2 is still miles ahead of any of the competing plug-ins - but I wouldn't mind paying for the software if at least compatibility updates would be guaranteed. Right now, there's little motivation to start or continue to use a piece of software if you know that any day you're using it might be the last. In fact, over the past years I noticed I have started using the Nik Collection (or any other plug-in for that matter) less and less, and try to do as much as possible in Lightroom. For my Black & White work, for example, I have created a set of Black & White Lightroom presets that I do 95 percent of my B&W work with, but for those cases where these presets fall short, I know that generally Silver Efex would have my back. And I hate to see that alternative go to waste.

Sign the petition!

German Photographer Sascha Rheker started an online petition on change.org. At the time I'm writing this, he has already reached over 10.000 virtual signatures, including mine. Now, personally, I'm rather sceptical about the petition's potential impact: 10.000 people probably don't even cause a blimp on the Google management's radar (unless they're wearing Google Glasses, maybe) but on the other hand, it's about the only thing any of us can do anyway (the only other solution being keeping a dedicated computer around for the Nik Collection and never updating it anymore). And there's still that story about David and Goliath, remember?

Other Nik-Collection related content

Now, for many of you, the Nik Collection isn't dead yet and it's still working as good as it did yesterday, So if you want to learn more about it (and if you happen to speak Dutch), last year, I created a 4 hour video course covering all of the Nik Collection plug-ins for my subscription-based Dutch training website www.photofactsacademy.nl. I also have a (Dutch) training video on Snapseed.

Below are a couple of shorter English tutorials and blog-posts that are Nik-related. I heartily recommend this one, where I show you how you can use Silver Efex Pro to enhance even your colour images. Hmm, might want to sign that petition after all, might you not?

New trailer for my Black & White presets

As you may know, I love Lightroom and I've written a number of books on it, both in Dutch and in English. One of the things I love most is the way presets can speed up your workflow in the Develop module. As I also love Black & White, I started to create Lightroom presets. At first, they were only intended for my personal use but as people seemed to like them, I have turned them into three preset packs.

For the first, 'Piet Van den Eynde's Black & White Develop Presets', I have just created a 90 second trailer that shows you a number of before and afters, all edited with just one click on one of the presets in that pack.

My Black & White preset pack is sold through my publisher Craft & Vision and is priced at only $20 (+ VAT in Europe). In addition to the 100+ presets, there's also a PDF manual and an accompanying video tutorial covering everything from installation to how to make the most out of them. You can also get the presets as part of my Lightroom presets bundle and save 25%.

My New eBook Released: LIGHT IT UP!

I am very happy to announce that Craft & Vision have just released my latest eBook: Light It Up! Techniques for Dramatic Off-Camera Lighting.

In this 160-page PDF eBook, I cover everything I have learnt myself over the past 10+ years in working with flash photography. The eBook includes essential theories about light but with a focus on the practical consequences for you as a photographer. It showcases techniques and gives advice on using speedlights and portable studio flashes on location. All the info is presented in case studies, lighting diagrams, and advice on the best gear to buy for different scenarios. Inside you’ll find: 

• Both beginner and advanced lighting setups
• Lighting diagrams and behind-the-scenes setup shots
• Real-life lessons from me on what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve
• A comprehensive discussion on the latest lighting gear and how to save big on gear by buying third-party flashes
• In-depth coverage of advanced techniques such as high-speed sync and hypersync
• Information on both big and small flashes and the importance of a “flash ecosystem”
• How to work with on-camera flash with excellent results 
• Post-production instruction

Light It Up! will help you overcome any fear you might have for flash photography (I know I had, years ago!) and help you turn your flash from a contrarian adversary to a trusted ally. Personally, I would rather leave a lens at home than my flash! I hope you will, too, after reading this eBook!

Pricing

Light It Up! is priced at $30 (+ VAT in Europe) and that's including two really cool bonuses (see below). Until May 29th, there's a special 25 percent off launch discount, making the price only $22,50. No coupon codes are needed. If you know that some of the third-party gear I use myself (and recommend in the eBook) costs between half and a third of the price of the brand flashes of the camera manufacturers themselves, you'll save the purchase price of the eBook many times over!

Bonus 1: Three Lighting Videos

In addition to the 160 page PDF eBook, you'll also get access to three 15 minutes bonus videos. That's 45 minutes total of bonus video content. The first video shows you how I shot this particular image on a recent trip to Varanasi and how I processed it in Lightroom and Photoshop. In the second video, I share my 'Layering Lights' technique with you: a cool technique to create really beautifully lit photos with just one light. In the final video, I walk you through some of the images in the eBook, giving you behind-the-scenes information.

Bonus 2: Five LIghtroom Presets

Because everybody loves bonuses, I have created a second bonus for you: five free Lightroom presets that show you how one click can take a picture from good to great.

Below is the first of the three bonus videos that come with the eBook. Watch it now for free!

And here you can see a couple of sample pages... (don't mind the compresson, the actual PDF pages are crystal clear).

Still in doubt? Here's what other photographers had to say about Light It Up!

“In the first couple of chapters alone, this eBook covers the same information that other photography courses spread across months or even years. Although the book contains some pretty techie stuff, Piet knows how to explain it in a simple way and illustrates it with practical examples. More advanced photographers will also benefit from this book by useful tips and examples from Piet’s daily practice, explanations on typical flash problems and solutions, setup shots, or lighting diagrams.”

— Erik v. R.

“Do you want to start using your flash creatively, both on- and off-camera but are getting lost in all the information that’s out there? No need to worry: this book will guide you through the world of flash techniques and gear. It’s a highly educational book that offers an interesting insight in technique and creativity.”

— Serge V. C.

“As an available light aficionado, reading this book had me go out and flirt with flash light.”

— Tom M.

“Don’t hesitate. Terrific book!”

— Ronald G.

“Impressively complete. Should be on every photographer’s bookshelf.”

— Philippe B.

“A truly marvelous book, both in terms of contents and layout, explaining complex concepts in an understandable way. Highly recommended!”

— Bart P.

Announcing the 2017 Kolkata and Varanasi Location Portraiture and Lighting Masterclass

Matt Brandon and I are pleased to announce the third edition of the Location Portraiture and Lighting Masterclass. This workshop will be held from November 26th to December 3rd, 2017, in two of India's most photogenic cities: Kolkata and Varanasi. We will shoot both classical portraits as environmental ones, and use available light as well as artificial (flash) light. Below are some examples of the types of photos you can expect to go home with at the end of the workshop.

Interested? You can find more info and a link to the registration form here.

Three ways to fade a Lightroom preset

I love Lightroom presets. Whether I'm pressed for time or pressed for inspiration on how to process an image, my favourite presets are always there to help me! However, sometimes, the effect of a preset might be a tad too much for the style you're after for a particular image. In this video, I want to show you three ways on how to dial back the effect of a preset.

In the video, I use one of my own preset packs as an example (you can learn more about it on www.lightroompresets.be) but obviously the techniques work with any Lightroom preset.

Lightroom 6/CC Unmasked. A Complete Guidebook to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Available as a PDF eBook from www.craftandvision.com

Lightroom 6/CC Ontmaskerd: hét onmisbare handboek voor Lightroom 6. Beschikbaar als gedrukt boek en eBook op www.lightroomontmaskerd.be

Lightroom plug-in The Fader lets you fade the effect of a preset within Lightroom. 

No flash? No problem! Lightroom and the Fujifilm GFX.

At the Photo Days photographic trade show in Brussels this weekend, I had the honour of doing some GFX studio demos with two lovely and very talented models: Rosalinde Kikstra and Sooraj Subramaniam. I had a number of Godox flashes and modifiers set up and I'll post some images later of those results but the image that probably underlines the GFX's fantastic capabilities the most was one I made by accident: on one of the shots in a Black and White portrait series, I had misaligned the trigger so the flashes did not fire. All I got was a heavily underexposed ambient exposure shot.

FUJIFILM GFX 50S | GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro @ 120 mm | 1/125 sec @ f/5.6 | ISO 400

So, in front of a live audience, I said, jokingly... let's try and see what we can make out of this... I increased the Exposure slider by almost 5 stops (the maximum in Lightroom), dragged a couple of other sliders around and half a minute later got this result... 

FUJIFILM GFX 50S | GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro @ 120 mm | 1/125 sec @ f/5.6 | ISO 400

Here's the two of them side by side in the Lightroom interface.

And below is a 1:1 crop. I added 25 Luminance Noise Reduction in Lightroom and of course there is still some noise but considering the fact that my ISO wasn't even at the base of 100 but at 400, I think the result is nothing short of fantastic...

For me, the takeaway from this accidental experiment is that if Lightroom and the GFX can do this on a completely underexposed file, imagine what you can do with a halfway decent exposure. Just about anything, I guess...

Oh... and just for the sake of being complete... here's the actual image with the flashes firing :-)

FUJIFILM GFX 50S | GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro @ 120 mm | 1/125 sec @ f/5.6 | ISO 400

Save 50 percent on my Lightroom presets until Nov. 19

Craft & Vision, the publisher of my Lightroom presets and my English video tutorials and eBooks on Photoshop and Lightroom are having a massive sale until November 19: everything in the store is 50 percent off! Even the bundle of my three preset packs, which by itself is already 25 percent off of individual prices, is another 50 percent off! At just over $20 + VAT, it's a steal.

Presets are the way to speed up your Lightroom workflow but they do more than that: they let you discover new looks for your images you might not have thought of yourself. Finally, they're a great teaching resource as you can verify each preset's settings to see how a particular effect is created!

Below are before and after videos of two of my preset packs: Black & White and Piet's Power Preset Pack, Vol. 01. What separates the 'after' from the 'before' images is litterally just one click! 

Piet Van den Eynde's Black & White Lightroom presets samples

Piet's Power Preset Pack before and after samples

As mentioned, the best deal to get my presets is in an already discounted bundle that consists of all three of them. Until November 19th, you can get them at another 50 percent off. You'll pay less than $25 including VAT for the whole collection!

Using Silver Efex Pro and a free Photoshop action to enhance colour images

This technique is taken from my eBook Pushing Light. Extending Dynamic Range with HDR and Other Techniques, published by Craft & Vision.

If you're a regular reader of this blog or my books (English link, Dutch link), you know that I'm big fan of the Nik Collection by Google in general and the Black & White plug-in Silver Efex Pro 2 in particular. I already endorsed these plug-ins when they still cost an arm and a leg (well, € 500 to be precise), and now that Google has made them completely free, that hasn't changed. If I can't get the job done with one of my own Lightroom Black & White presets, Silver Efex is where I turn to.

But, did you know that you can also use Silver Efex Pro to bring more life to your colour images? And that you can use Silver Efex Pro's Control Points to easily Dodge & Burn those same images? I'll show you how in the following video. You'll also pick up a thing or two on how to use Lightroom and Photoshop together and on the advantages of Smart Objects and Smart Filters. At the end of the video, you'll see me automate the workflow with an action that I created. Being the generous fellow that I am, this action is available as a free download below. But make sure to watch the video first so you can make the most out of it.

If you liked this tip, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter: there's more where this came from. You'll also receive my free '10 tips for better travel photographs' eBook absolutely free! The subscription form is in the sidebar to the right, under the 'Dutch or English' header because, guess what, I have a Dutch and an English one!

* Some users report that the .atn (Photoshop action) extension gets removed when downloading the file and that the action does not work. In that case, simply add .atn to the filename. Sorry for the inconvenience.