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Author Topic: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers  (Read 2677 times)

nemophoto

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LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« on: April 08, 2011, 04:41:09 pm »

Many times I'll create different versions of an image. Maybe color, then another layer that's a gritty B&W version. In the end, sometimes I'll print both versions. Needless to say, I do this in Photoshop by hiding one layer or making the other visible. I do this because sometimes I find it easier having one file with different permutations than multiple files of the same name only perhaps renamed "..... - color. tif" or "..... - BW.tif".

Is there a way to work with different layers within Lightroom? My current method works (and I often prefer the Canon 16-bit plug-in), but there are times when I'm doing a lot of printing and printing from within Lightroom is quicker and easier.

Thanks,

Nemo
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Schewe

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Re: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2011, 04:47:47 pm »

Is there a way to work with different layers within Lightroom?

No...Lightroom don't need no stinking layers...

Hint, if you want the ability to save multiple iterations of an image look into either Snapshots which live inside a single image or Virtual Copies what are, well, "virtual" copies of an image.
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nemophoto

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Re: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2011, 05:21:11 pm »

Hi Jeff, thanks for the reply. I'm well versed with the virtual copies -- I use them quite a bit. But, since I do a lot of post- work in Photoshop for certain effects and retouching, I'm still working with TIFF files rather than permutations of a RAW image. I've found (and it is perhaps my own limitations with Lightroom), that I can only go so far with Lightroom and it's RAW manipulations. LR is still my database for these images, so I guess I'll just stick to what I was doing originally.
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aduke

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Re: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2011, 06:52:06 pm »

You could combine the two with a master TIFF containing all of the layers, some of which, such as the B&W or the Soft-Proof adjustments, turned off. Then make a virtual copy of each of desired renditions. You would then print from LR without the need to go to PS.

Alan


Edit: This does not actually work, at least the way I thought it might. One seems to need separate, real copies rather than virtual copies. The idea did lead me to think about soft-proofing in LR and how the variants might be saved, stored and accessed. But that is another thread.
« Last Edit: April 09, 2011, 06:57:03 pm by aduke »
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nemophoto

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Re: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2011, 03:16:18 pm »

Alan, thanks for your suggestion. I'll have to see whether the virtual copy of the master TIFF will work for the layered permutations. It sounds like a good idea.
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Kirk Gittings

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Re: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2011, 04:03:27 pm »

Alan, thanks for your suggestion. I'll have to see whether the virtual copy of the master TIFF will work for the layered permutations. It sounds like a good idea.

If I understand you correctly, that is what I do and it works fine.
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Thanks,
Kirk Gittings

nemophoto

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Re: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2011, 12:33:51 pm »

Kirk and Alan, I tried working with virtual copies of a layered file, and if I changed the visible layer and resaved in PS, it changed all the virtual copies. It sort of defeats the whole purpose if I make a new copy (which LR labels EDIT), because I'm still ending up with multiple copies rather than the different variations of the one that are "virtual". See the thumbnail of the layers pallet. I have a "master" color image from which I created three additonal B&W layers: 1) B&W, 2)sepia with border effect, 3) B&W with border effect. Then see the screen shot of the file saved again toi "expose" the sepie layer. It changed the virtual copy to match.

I suppose there just is no way to do what I wanted except work in PS. I guess the only way is if I do everything in LR, but I've yet to achieve anywhere near the quality B&W that I get from Silver Efex, nor the variations of effects.

Nemo
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aduke

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Re: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2011, 03:08:54 pm »

I agree. After trying the experiment, it seems to boil down to a choice of having multiple TIFF's and printing from LR directly or a TIFF that, at least, requires processing in PS just before printing. javascript:void(0);
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digitaldog

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Re: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2011, 04:17:39 pm »

Or just open the TIFF in Photoshop, turn on or off the layers you don’t want, save. Upon going into LR, the active layer will print. Now one could argue you might as well just print the darn thing in Photoshop. But there’s no harm to the TIFF to open, set the layer visibility you want and save.

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frugal

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Re: LR printing - a way to use/print different layers
« Reply #9 on: April 13, 2011, 09:12:32 pm »

Why not save them as separate edits? LR will still stack them with the original like with Virtual copies. The downside of this is that you're dealing with multiple files on the hard drive but you already have LR to help manage that.
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