Adobe Lightroom Classic CC: The Complete Guide

Overview

Watch now – this video will only be available on The Great Courses Plus until November 7th. Add a vital resource to your photography toolkit as you master Adobe Lightroom Classic CC. In 20 helpful, illuminating lessons, Adobe Lightroom Classic CC: The Complete Guide teaches you everything you need to become confident and efficient in using Lightroom. Join popular software instructor Ben Wilmore, a member of the Photoshop Hall of Fame, as he offers a detailed boot camp that’s also an enduring resource for building and honing your photo editing skills.

Course Lessons

01: Bootcamp Introduction and Overview

In this first lesson, start getting your files into Lightroom with a few key basics. Learn the difference between Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic. Pick up basic terminology like “libraries,” “smart previews,” and “RAW.” Then, get yourself into the Lightroom mindset by learning key differences between Lightroom and Photoshop.
Duration: 83 min

02: Importing Images and Customizing Lightroom

Dive into Lightroom’s myriad import tools. Learn what different import options mean, then create your own import preset for easily importing images and saving them in your preferred folder scheme. Afterward, learn to customize your workspace, from the tools you see to the image data visible in your library.
Duration: 101 min

03: Understanding Catalogs and File Management

Lightroom is also an excellent tool for organizing images. That organization starts with a Lightroom catalog. Here, dig into catalogs, from how many you need to what files you need to edit photos on the go. Also, avoid the headaches that come when Lightroom can’t find your photos.
Duration: 68 min

04: Baseline RAW Image Adjustments

Jump into the editing process by digging into the basic RAW adjustments inside the Basic panel in the Develop module. Walk through what each tool does along with some behind-the-scenes insights. Also, uncover hidden tricks like how to quickly see what parts of your image are a true black.
Duration: 89 min

05: Creating Finalized Files and Printing

Lightroom has, so far, only recorded all your changes as a text file. Learn how to turn that edited Lightroom preview into a finalized file for printing and sharing. Learn the different export options, as well as advanced tools like adding a watermark. Then, explore Lightroom’s Print module.
Duration: 89 min

06: Organizing Your Images and Managing Projects

Lightroom works with the folder structure on your hard drive. But what if you want more structure than that? Learn how to organize photos with Collections, Lightroom’s “playlists,” as well as how to use the Smart Collections, which automatically update themselves, and Collection Sets.
Duration: 79 min

07: Making Your Images Searchable with Keywords

Using searchable keywords, you can find an image from any collection in a matter of seconds. In this lesson, Mr. Wilmore walks through adding keywords to images, then using those keywords inside Lightroom for different tasks. Plus, learn advanced keyword tools, like adjusting one keyword in every image using the term.
Duration: 51 min

08: Fixing Isolated Problems

Lightroom adjustments don’t have to apply to the entire image. Some of Lightroom’s most well-loved tools are local adjustment options. Join Mr. Wilmore for a guided tour of the Lightroom tools that can help you perfect your images in small pieces. Among them: the adjustment brush and the graduated filter.
Duration: 99 min

09: Image Adjustment Techniques

Sometimes an image isn’t great on the first try—it needs to be tweaked. In this lesson, explore Lightroom’s editing tools that exist beyond the Basics Panel and local adjustments. Here, Mr. Wilmore walks through adjustments like sharpness and noise reduction, along with correcting common types of distortion.
Duration: 78 min

10: Fine-Tuning Your Image

Go beyond the Basics Panel and dig into the creative tools for fine-tuning your image. First, learn how that histogram in the corner can guide your edits. Then, custom color your image using hue, saturation, and luminance. Also, dig into tools for vignetting (or correcting a natural vignette from the lens) and working with curves.
Duration: 74 min

11: Facial Recognition and Map Viewing

Shooting with a GPS-enabled camera or manually adding location keywords allows Lightroom to literally put your images on the map. Learn the fun ways to use the Map module. Then, discover how Lightroom can actually recognize the people in your photographs and how to best use the Adobe Sensei facial recognition inside Lightroom.
Duration: 39 min

12: Adjustment Workflow: BW, HDR, and Panoramas

In this lesson, investigate the tools Lightroom packs in for specialty edits. Start with controlling the black-and-white conversion of color images, then learn how to merge high dynamic range, or HDR, images without leaving the software. Finally, stitch multiple photos together with a panorama merge.
Duration: 77 min

13: Organizing Your Keywords

Sure, adding keywords can be time-consuming—but we live in a world where keywords are the norm, not the exception. And organizing your keywords can help speed up the process, allowing you to easily find images without as much time commitment. Here, Mr. Wilmore walks through organizing keyword lists and creating related keywords.
Duration: 49 min

14: How to Find Any Image Quickly

Lightroom has powerful search tools—powerful enough that, when using the tools properly, the software can find any image in five seconds or less. Here, Mr. Wilmore walks through all the different search tools and options for narrowing down the results to quickly find that specific image.
Duration: 56 min

15: Showcasing Your Work: Slideshows and Books

What happens when it’s time to display your work? Adobe Lightroom has built-in tools to help you show off multiple images. In this lesson, explore how the software’s Slideshow tool works, from creating an impromptu slideshow to customizing the results. Then, learn how to create photo books directly inside Lightroom.
Duration: 87 min

16: Image Adjustments: Start-to-Finish Workflow

Now that you’ve dug through all the adjustment tools, it’s time to watch closely to learn how they work together. Follow Mr. Wilmore’s editing process as he puts all the tools together from start to finish and gives you tips and tricks to go from original image to finished photograph.
Duration: 67 min

17: Lightroom to Photoshop and Back

Most of Lightroom’s photography plans also include Photoshop—and there are times where those Photoshop tools are essential. Thankfully, Creative Cloud programs are designed to work together. Here, Mr. Wilmore explains the process of adjusting a Lightroom image in Photoshop, all the while keeping the Lightroom catalog up to date.
Duration: 62 min

18: Basic Troubleshooting

Sometimes, things go wrong with programs. Why is Lightroom doing this? Why won’t Lightroom do that? In this lesson, gain the tools you need to troubleshoot common Lightroom problems. Mr. Wilmore walks through the most common Lightroom problems you might face, many typically experienced by students and learners like you.
Duration: 56 min

19: Advanced Tips and Tricks

Lightroom can certainly be used by beginning photo editors, but it can also be an essential tool for advanced photo editors as well. Here, discuss topics like working on two computers. Then, launch into some advanced tips and tricks to get the most out of your Lightroom subscription.
Duration: 63 min

20: Workflow Refinement and Final Summary

In the final lesson of this workshop, put the final pieces together with tips to refine your workflow, from ways to share photos to a friend’s smartphone to syncing with Lightroom Mobile to using web galleries. Then, wrap up with a recap before leaving as a fully-fledged Lightroom guru.
Duration: 62 min