Lightroom Love

Lightroom Web Module Crash Course: Part One

by Leave a Comment

Lightroom has a lot of hidden gems, and I’m not sure that there’s one that shines brighter than the web module. Today, I want take some time to show off the power of the web module and teach you how it could be a great part of your workflow.

No matter your photograhic situation, I’ll bet that you have some need to get your work showcased online. Whether you’re casually sharing with friends or pitching a client on your latest body of work, there has to Professional web design can be costly (but worth it!), or a huge headache if you attempt it on your own. That’s why I love Lightroom’s Web Module.

Hosting & Such

Now, before we get started, there’s a prerequisite to all of this: you have to have a website to send it to. (If you already have a site, feel free to skip this section) This requires two things typically: a domain, and a webhost (often called “hosting”). Some companies like GoDaddy (not recommended) offer both hosting and domains through their services, but it’s not necessary to choose the same business for both.

The domain is simply the URL to your site, such as LightroomLove.com . Domains are pretty cheap, at around just $10 per year. I recommend buying all domains at Dynadot.com . Their sign up process is simple and I love the way I do business. The most popular domain registrar, GoDaddy, is a choice I would not recommend for a variety of reasons.

Hosting brings with it more choices and complexity. You’ve probably heard of lots of webhosts like Hostgator, Bluehost, and many others that are out there, and the choices are varied and plentiful.

The aforementioned Bluehost is my preferred host for their outstanding customer service and ease of use.

Once you buy the domain and get a hosting package, you’ll need to DNS

Using the Web Module

Why the web module? In short, it’s because it’s the fastest and easiest way to get work online, and it also has enough features to be customizable to your needs.

When doing web galleries, I always prefer to use the HTML gallery options. Flash is not a great technology to be using – it is slow, and doesn’t work on a huge amount of mobile devices. I know that the animations are appealing to some people, but I am of the belief that we want fast and functional over anything else. 

Getting it Online

What is a Lightroom Module?

by Leave a Comment

Learning to love Lightroom is based around learning how it works from the inside out. Too often, users don’t understand how the parts of it fit together as a whole.

Lightroom is divided into a number of powerful modules. At the end of this post, you’ll find a list of all of the modules found in Lightroom 3 and 4. Lightroom 4 added several new modules that really increased what the program can do.

The seven modules of Adobe Lightroom 4.

Think of each module as a separate workspace. They do different things. There are some functions that transcend modules, but for the most part they are different areas in which to work. When you switch, Lightroom may even take a few seconds to load the selected module.

More importantly, each module is a solution. Each of the modules is a way to tackle an issue with your photo collection.

Lightroom 3 modules:

  • Library – organize, tag, manage images
  • Develop – edit images
  • Slideshow – create image slideshows
  • Print – manage printing images
  • Web – create web galleries for images

Lightroom 4 modules:

  • Library – organize, tag, manage images
  • Develop – edit images
  • Map  – view and tag where images were made using GPS data
  • Book – create and print photo books via Blurb
  • Slideshow – create image slideshows
  • Print – manage printing images
Which Lightroom modules do you find yourself using the most? Are there any that you’ve never ventured into?