- Step 1: Choose a Sort Order for Displaying the Photos
- Step 2: Delete the Worthless Shots
- Step 3: Mark Any Other Rejects
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Step 3: Mark Any Other Rejects
Now that the lamest shots are gone, it’s time to find other rejects that are less obvious. You could sort the images manually, right there in the Grid view, by clicking-and-dragging the thumbnails into the order you want. This method is slow and tedious—worse, you’re not taking advantage of Lightroom’s powerful filtering features. The only time I sort thumbnails manually is after I’ve used the filtering features, and I’m working with just the results. If I want one of the final images to be in the first position, I’ll just drag it over there (as shown in Figure 6). Otherwise, the click-and-drag sorting method is simply too slow and inefficient. After all, I imagine that one of the things that attracted you to Lightroom was its ability to help you work faster and smarter, so manual sorting isn’t for you.
)
When I come in from a shoot and start sorting, I’m only concerned with three things:
- Finding unusable shots and deleting them (we’ve done that)
- Finding the best shots and separating those so I can develop them
- Pretty much ignoring the rest of the shots
Lightroom’s pick flags can really help with marking the remaining images as keepers or losers. To see the pick flags, you’ll need to make sure that they’ll be visible as you apply them. Follow these steps:
- Choose View > View Options.
- In the Library View Options dialog box, make sure that the checkbox for Include Pick Flags is turned on (see Figure 7).
)
If this simple good/bad form of editing appeals to you, here’s how to use the pick flags to get rid of the stinkers. Not only is it easy (lame shots usually stand out pretty well), but getting them out of the way lowers the number of photos you’ll need to search through later to find your "keepers." When you come across a photo that’s messed up (like the out-of-focus shot in Figure 8), just press the letter X on your keyboard, which flags that photo as rejected. If you’re in the Loupe view, the words "Flag as Rejected" appear briefly on the bottom third of the photo. If you’re in the Grid view, a little black flag with an X on it appears just outside the upper-left side of your photo (circled in red in Figure 8), letting you know that the photo has already been flagged as rejected. Quick and easy!
)
Editor's Note: For more great books from best-selling author Scott Kelby, check out the following titles:
The Photoshop Elements 6 Book for Digital Photographers