Lightroom CC - Comparing, Rating, and Prioritizing Images | Adobe Lightroom

Summary

In this tutorial, Julianne Cost demonstrates how to effectively label images in Adobe Lightroom to streamline the selection process. She covers three labeling methods: flags for identifying the best image, star ratings for creating a hierarchy, and color labels for versatile categorization. Cost guides viewers through using keyboard shortcuts for flags, navigating compare mode for image comparison, and utilizing survey mode to sequence and rate images. She also touches on using the paint can tool for quick ratings and offers tips for full-screen viewing and auto-advancing images.

Takeaways

• 😀 Julianne Cost introduces three methods to label images in Lightroom: flags, star ratings, and color labels.
• 🏁 Flags are used for selecting the best image from a collection, with 'P' for pick, 'U' for unflag, and 'X' for reject.
• 🌟 Star ratings are suitable for creating a hierarchy among images, allowing for a more nuanced sorting system.
• 🎨 Color labels can be used for various purposes, such as marking images that need specific adjustments like black and white conversion.
• 🔍 Compare mode is accessed by tapping 'C' or the third icon, useful for selecting the best image by direct comparison.
• 🖼️ The 'Tab' key hides panels for a larger view, aiding in the comparison of images.
• ⬆️ The up arrow key in compare mode promotes a candidate image to the select slot, helping in the decision-making process.
• 📊 Survey mode, accessed by 'N', allows for viewing all images at once and changing the custom sort order.
• 🖱️ The 'paint can' tool can be loaded with attributes like star ratings for quick and efficient labeling of multiple images.
• 🔄 The 'F' key toggles full-screen mode, and using the 'Caps Lock' key with rating or flagging auto-advances to the next image for a streamlined workflow.
• ➖ The 'minus' key adjusts thumbnail size, providing better control over the viewing and selection process.

Q & A

What are the three ways to label images in Lightroom as mentioned in the script?

The three ways to label images in Lightroom are using flags, star ratings, and color labels.

What is the typical use case for flags in Lightroom according to the script?

Flags are typically used when you have a collection of images and you're looking for the best image of the group.

How can you add a flag to an image in Lightroom?

You can add a flag to an image by selecting the image and pressing the 'P' key for a pick flag, 'U' key to unflag, or 'X' key for a reject flag.

What is compare mode in Lightroom and how is it accessed?

Compare mode in Lightroom allows you to compare two images side by side to select the best one. It can be accessed by tapping the 'C' key or by clicking on the third icon in the interface.

How do you unflag an image in Lightroom?

To unflag an image in Lightroom, you can select the image and press the 'U' key.

What is survey mode in Lightroom and how can you access it?

Survey mode in Lightroom allows you to view all images at once and create a hierarchy. It can be accessed by pressing the 'N' key or by clicking on the fourth icon in the interface.

How can you change the custom sort order of images in a folder in Lightroom?

In Lightroom, you can change the custom sort order of images in a folder by using the survey mode, where you can sequence the images as desired.

What is the keyboard shortcut to add a one-star rating to an image in Lightroom?

The keyboard shortcut to add a one-star rating to an image in Lightroom is to press the '1' key while the image is selected.

How can you quickly add star ratings to multiple images in Lightroom?

You can quickly add star ratings to multiple images in Lightroom by using the 'paint can' tool, loading it with the desired rating, and then clicking on the images.

What is the purpose of color labels in Lightroom as described in the script?

Color labels in Lightroom can be used for various purposes, such as to remind you that certain images need to be converted to black and white or for any other categorization.

What keyboard shortcuts can you use to add color labels to images in Lightroom?

You can use the keys '6' through 'N' to add color labels to images in Lightroom, with '6' for red, '7' for yellow, '8' for green, and '9' for blue.

Outlines

00:00

📸 Image Labeling Techniques in Lightroom

In this segment, Julianne Cost introduces various methods to label images in Lightroom for efficient selection and organization. She explains the use of flags for quickly identifying the best image in a collection, star ratings for creating a hierarchy among images, and color labels for categorizing images based on specific criteria such as requiring conversion to black and white. Julianne demonstrates how to use keyboard shortcuts to apply flags, navigate through images in compare mode to select the best image, and utilize survey mode to sequence and rate images. She also shows how to remove unwanted images from the selection without deleting them from Lightroom and how to use the 'paint can' tool to apply star ratings quickly.

05:02

🌟 Advanced Image Rating and Organization in Lightroom

This part of the video script focuses on advanced techniques for rating and organizing images in Lightroom. Julianne Cost discusses how to use the grid view to apply star ratings to selected images and how to adjust the custom sort order for a better sequence. She also covers the use of the 'paint can' tool to assign star ratings to multiple images at once, saving time during the editing process. Julianne further explains how to adjust thumbnail sizes for better visibility and how to use full-screen mode with the auto-advance feature for a more immersive and efficient rating experience. The segment concludes with a recap of the different labeling methods and a reminder of the importance of using these tools to streamline the image selection and organization process.

Keywords

💡Lightroom

Lightroom is a photo editing and organization software developed by Adobe. It allows photographers to edit, organize, and manage large volumes of digital photos. In the video, Lightroom is the primary tool used to demonstrate how to label and select images, showcasing its features for image management and curation.

💡Flags

Flags in Lightroom are a way to mark or label images to quickly identify them. They are particularly useful for sorting through a collection to pick the best image. The video mentions three types of flags: pick (flagged with a 'P' key), unflag ('U' key), and reject ('X' key), which are used to categorize images during the selection process.

💡Star Ratings

Star ratings are a hierarchical labeling system in Lightroom that allows users to rank images based on their quality or preference. The script describes how star ratings can be used to create a hierarchy among images, which is essential for selecting the best shots from a shoot. The video demonstrates how to apply star ratings using keyboard shortcuts or icons.

💡Color Labels

Color labels in Lightroom serve as a versatile tool for categorizing images for various purposes beyond the basic selection process. They can be used to indicate specific actions or characteristics, such as the need to convert an image to black and white. The video explains how to apply color labels using keyboard shortcuts from 6 to 9, corresponding to different colors.

💡Compare Mode

Compare mode in Lightroom is a feature that allows users to compare two images side by side to determine which one is better. This mode is activated by pressing the 'C' key or clicking the corresponding icon. The video uses compare mode to illustrate the process of selecting the best image from a group of similar shots.

💡Survey Mode

Survey mode in Lightroom is a view that lets users see all selected images at once, which is useful for creating a hierarchy or sorting images. Activated by pressing the 'N' key, this mode is highlighted in the video as a way to sequence and rate images within a folder.

💡Custom Sort Order

Custom sort order refers to the ability to arrange images in a specific sequence based on user preference rather than the default order. The video mentions changing the custom sort order in survey mode to better organize and sequence images from a photo shoot.

💡Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are quick key combinations used to perform actions in software more efficiently. The video script provides several examples of Lightroom shortcuts for flagging, rating, and navigating images, emphasizing the importance of these shortcuts for speed and ease of use in image selection and organization.

💡Loop View

Loop view in Lightroom is a mode that allows users to cycle through images in a loop for a more detailed review. The video mentions using loop view for a more thorough examination of images, particularly when applying star ratings or making fine selections.

💡Thumbnail Size

Thumbnail size in Lightroom refers to the visual representation of images in the workspace. The video discusses adjusting thumbnail size using the plus and minus icons to better fit the user's screen and viewing preferences, which is crucial for reviewing and selecting images efficiently.

💡Full Screen Mode

Full screen mode in Lightroom is a view that maximizes the image display, hiding all interface elements for an uninterrupted view of the images. The video script mentions using the 'F' key to enter full screen mode, which can enhance the image review process by focusing solely on the content.

Highlights

Introduction to different ways to label images in Lightroom for quick selection.

Explanation of using flags to identify the best image in a collection.

Demonstration of keyboard shortcuts for flagging images: P for pick, U for unflag, and X for reject.

Guidance on using compare mode to select the best image from a group.

Tutorial on how to zoom in and pan around images in compare mode for detailed comparison.

Instruction on promoting an image to 'select' using the up arrow key in compare mode.

Description of how to add a pick flag to an image after comparison.

Introduction to survey mode for creating a hierarchy and custom sort order of images.

Explanation of how to remove images from selection without deleting them from Lightroom.

Tutorial on applying star ratings to images for a hierarchy.

Demonstration of using the 'paint can' tool to quickly apply star ratings to multiple images.

Explanation of how to adjust thumbnail size for better image review.

Introduction to color labels for additional image categorization.

Shortcut keys for adding color labels: 6 for red, 7 for yellow, 8 for green, and 9 for blue.

Tip on using full-screen mode with auto-advance for efficient image rating.

Instruction on exiting full-screen mode and adjusting thumbnail size for better overview.

Conclusion and thank you note from Julianne Cost.

Transcripts

hi and welcome my name is Julianne cost

and in the next few minutes we're going

to take a look at the different ways

that you can label your images in

Lightroom so that you can quickly select

the best images from your shoot now

there are three ways that you can add

labels to your images in Lightroom you

can add flags and that's typically used

when you have a collection of images and

you're really just looking for the best

image of the group we also have star

ratings which are much better suited for

a group of images where you need to have

a hierarchy and we also have color

labels which can be used for pretty much

anything else like maybe to tell you or

to remind you that those images need to

be converted to black and white so let's

take a look at how we're going to use

these uh with these group of images from

Japan so the first thing I want to do is

I want to use the flags and there are

three keyboard shortcuts for the

different ways that you can flag things

I have this first image selected if I

tap the P key then I get a pick or a

flagged image if I tap the U key it unfl

Flags it and if I tap the X key that

will actually give me a reject flag so

let's go ahead and tap the U key again

to unflag this and I'm going to select

this entire series of bicyclist images

and I just want to pick the best image

of this group now it's going to be

difficult for me to just move through

them and try to remember which is the

best image so I'm going to move into

compare mode now compare mode is this

third icon right here you can also

access it by just tapping the c key but

the images are a little bit too small so

I'm going to tap the Tab Key which will

hide those panels and enable me to see

the images a little bit larger on the

left we have the select and on the right

we have the candidate we can see down

here that the select actually has the

white diamond on it in the film strip

and the candidate has the black diamond

now my goal is to find the single best

image

so I'm going to want to look at these

two images and whichever image is better

I want it to be the select so I can move

through the candidate images either by

clicking on this Arrow or by using my

arrow key so I'm going to move to the

next image and then move again I think

that one's a little out of focus move to

the next one and so on until I find an

image that I think is better than the

one on the left when I do I'm going to

use the up Arrow key and that promotes

the candidate image over to the select

then I'll continue using the right arrow

until I find an image that I like better

once I've got an image that I like

better I'll use the up Arrow key to

promote it now I have two images that

are very similar so one of the nice

things that you can do in the compare

mode is you can actually zoom into an

image so I'll click and zoom and you'll

notice that both images Zoom at once and

that's because they're locked right down

here in the

toolbar I can then pan around an image

if I want to look at different areas and

then click again to zoom back out since

I liked the image on the right better

I'll use the up arrow in order to move

it to the select and then we'll continue

to move through the rest of the images

in the sequence until I reach the last

image because I don't like any of these

other ones any better than the select I

now have the image that I like I'll go

ahead and add a flat to it but before I

tap the P key for the pick I will need

to make sure that this is the targeted

image see there's a little white line

around the candidate image right now

that is the targeted image so I need to

click over on the select side and then

tap the P key to add a pick to that

image when I go back to grid view by

tapping the G key we can see that that

image is the picked image now let's go

ahead and scroll all the way down to the

end of this photo shoot and I want to

select all of these images but here I

actually want to create a hierarchy so

I'm going to tap the N key this time the

N key takes me to this fourth icon which

is survey mode now I can see all of

these images at one time and because

they're in the same folder I can

actually change the custom sort order

and sequence these images so in this

case I think it actually would work

better if I sequence the images like

this and I'm going to give them some

different star ratings if I feel that

any of these are duplicates or they're

not going to make the final cut you'll

notice when I hover my cursor on top of

them I can remove them by clicking on

the X icon so I'm going to remove the

images that I don't want but understand

I'm only removing them from my selection

I'm not actually removing them from

Lightroom so they're still in the folder

they're just no longer part of the

images that I have selected when I tap

the G key to go back to the grid view

those are the images that are selected

and they're now in that custom sort

order I want to add a star rating to

these so because they're all selected

when I tap the one key they will all get

one star if I want to move to a

different image and just select that

image I'll click in the narrow gray area

right here now this image is selected

and I can tap the two key to give it two

stars or of course we can always use the

icons down here in our extended view to

add our second star now let's say I want

to move through this whole shoot and

rate my different images well let's go

ahead and scoot up near the top of the

shoot and to quickly add my star ratings

I could click on an image and then tap

one scroll down click on another image

and tap one but what might be faster is

to use this paint can I'll select it and

then we can choose to load the paint can

with different attributes I'm going to

choose rating and choose one star and

then I can simply click on top of any

image and it will give it a onestar

rating so this is going to save me from

having to select the image and then give

it one star so let's say I like this

image and this

image I like this image as well and I'm

just going to move through here fairly

quickly selecting some of my favorite

images and don't forget we could go

through these one by one in Loop view or

if I wanted to I could change the

thumbnail size by using the plus icon to

increase the thumbnail size or the minus

icon to decrease the thumbnail size I

just want to make sure that I have a

number of these set to at least one star

finally when I move through the entire

shoot and I've labeled all of the ones

that I want with my one star I put back

the painter tool by either clicking the

Escape key or by setting the paint can

back into the toolbar finally because I

mentioned that you can also add color

labels well I'll just select an image

and the easiest way to add a color label

is to tap 6 through n so six will give

us a red color label seven goes to

Yellow eight goes to green and nine goes

to blue one last short cut before I wrap

up if you decide that you do want to see

your images full screen you might want

to try tapping the F key that will hide

all of the interface then toggle on your

cap locks key because what that will do

is every time you rate your image or you

flag your image it will auto advance the

image so that you don't have to

continuously tap the right arrow or left

arrow keys so with the cap locks key on

if I give this image one star Lightroom

automatically moves to the next image if

I give this one star it automatically

moves to the next image if I don't want

to give this one star instead I can just

use the right arrow and move to the next

image and of course once I'm finished I

can tap the F key again to get out of

that full screen mode and if I want to

bring back my panels I can tap the tab

key the thumbnails are a little bit

large so I'll just use the minus key to

zoom out so that I can see a few more

images at one time so there you have it

three different ways that you can find

the best image and label it using either

a flag a star rating or a color my name

is Julianne cost thanks for watching