Go Ask Erin Lightroom Intensive for Beginners – October 25-27, 2019

This is an intensive, hands-on, and above all fun underwater-specific workshop.

The beginning session is suitable for Lightroom newbies, or anyone wanting to renew their Lightroom chops. Though it’s a beginning Lightroom class, you should have basic computer skills and know how to navigate your computer’s operating system. This workshop is hands-on. With the limited class size (12) there’s lots of one-on-one coaching. It’s an intensive and comprehensive introduction for beginners, and a great way for people who’ve been using Lightroom in a limited way to step up their game, with plenty of tips and techniques developed specifically to deal with common problems faced by underwater photographers.

To get the most out of the workshop, you’ll need a laptop running the most recent version of Lightroom that your OS can handle, and at least 1 external hard drive (preferably 2), all with the appropriate power sources and cables. Make sure your laptop is functioning well and you can open Lightroom on it. There’s a lot of information to cover, and we won’t have time to fix computer problems.

The class includes a 16GB flash drive with work files and tutorials, and the coveted Go Ask Erin Lightroom Intensive workbook. All skill levels of shooter are welcome!

FRIDAY 6PM – 9PM

Friday evening is a peek into the key concepts of Lightroom, and a check-out dive for your editing system. Everything covered in this session will be reviewed on Saturday.

Bring your laptop and drives, and set them up to make sure everything’s in good working order. I’ll also be asking you what your goals are for the workshop. Try to think of something more specific than “I want to make my images look better” (although that’s a good one!).

• What’s a Lightroom Catalog?
• What’s a Lightroom Library?
• The language of Lightroom
• Setting the right Preferences and View Options

SATURDAY 10AM – 6 PM

Saturday’s session focuses on workflow – you’ll get the tools and techniques you need to save yourself from drowning in your own images. Learn to organize efficiently, so you can get to the fun part of the editing process more quickly.

• Folder organization and naming conventions
• Importing from a media card
• Importing from existing folders
• Creating presets to automate and customize
• Sorting, Comparing, Flagging and Deleting – Making a QUICK first pass
• The power of Collections – Collection Sets, Collections, Smart and Quick Collections
• Where the #$%! are my images?
• 3 things to NEVER do in Lightroom
• Keywording, Filtering, and Searching
• Exporting, Uploading and Emailing
• Troubleshooting – What to do if you screw it up
• End of day Q&A

SUNDAY 10AM – 6PM

Sunday’s session focuses on the Develop Module – This is the fun part. Learn to harness the power of post and maximize the potential of your shots. It’s magic.

• White Balance, tonal corrections and contrast
• Adjusting water color and minimizing unwanted color casts from ambient light
• Selective sharpening
• Local Brushes and Filters
• Adjusting your lighting in post
• Vignettes and custom vignettes
• Lightroom to Photoshop round trip
• Backscatter and object removal
• Video editing for dabblers in Lightroom
• End of Day Q&A.

Class limit of 12 people

I’ll be teaching from the newest versions of Lightroom CLASSIC (not Lightroom CC) and Photoshop CC.

If you haven’t looked into it already, I recommend checking out Adobe’s Photography Package. Get the $9.99/mo package that includes Lightroom Classic and 20 GB of storage. It’s a dynamite deal and the way of the future, like it or not.

http://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

Contact info: erin@goaskerin.com323.708.8482

Erin Quigley is an Adobe ACE certified expert specializing in customized workflows and editing strategies using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. She is an award-winning underwater photographer and editor, and creator of GoAskErin.com, which provides one-on-one instruction, and Photoshop and Lightroom resources specifically developed for the underwater photographic community. Erin is a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, the Boston Sea Rovers, and the Ocean Artists Society. She writes the imaging techniques column for Scuba Diving magazine, and leads trips and workshops worldwide.