Review: Michael Frye's "Landscapes in Lightroom 5: A Step-by-Step Guide" eBook

[bretedge]

Last weekend I bought and downloaded Michael Frye's newest ebook, "Landscapes in Lightroom 5: A Step-by-Step Guide".  Today I published my review of the ebook.

The quick and dirty, if you don't want to read the whole review: It's awesome. Very helpful for photographers working at almost any level in Lightroom.

If you do want to read the full review and learn more about the ebook, please visit the post on my blog:

Review: Michael Frye's "Landscapes in Lightroom 5: A Step-by-Step Guide

[HSakols]

Not only is Michael Frye a good photographer, but also an excellent teacher. 

[bretedge]

Not only is Michael Frye a good photographer, but also an excellent teacher. 

I've had a handful of my own workshop clients who had also done workshops with Michael tell me that he is a wonderful instructor, too.  I think all in all he's just a really good, talented guy.

[PhotoEcosse]

Is it only available as an eBook?

Although eBook versions of my own books sell almost as many copies as printed versions, personally I just cannot warm to the medium. For me a book has to be something that I can pick up, carry round, place on the shelf, scribble in the margins, read in the loo, etc., etc. I most certainly don't want a reference book that I have to view on a computer monitor or tablet.

I searched for "Landscapes in Lightroom 5" on Amazon.co.uk without any success.

[donbga]

Last weekend I bought and downloaded Michael Frye's newest ebook, "Landscapes in Lightroom 5: A Step-by-Step Guide".  Today I published my review of the ebook.

The quick and dirty, if you don't want to read the whole review: It's awesome. Very helpful for photographers working at almost any level in Lightroom.

If you do want to read the full review and learn more about the ebook, please visit the post on my blog:

Review: Michael Frye's "Landscapes in Lightroom 5: A Step-by-Step Guide

I just downloaded a copy - interesting read so far.

[stamper]

Is it only available as an eBook?

Although eBook versions of my own books sell almost as many copies as printed versions, personally I just cannot warm to the medium. For me a book has to be something that I can pick up, carry round, place on the shelf, scribble in the margins, read in the loo, etc., etc. I most certainly don't want a reference book that I have to view on a computer monitor or tablet.

I fully agree.

[bretedge]

Is it only available as an eBook?

Although eBook versions of my own books sell almost as many copies as printed versions, personally I just cannot warm to the medium. For me a book has to be something that I can pick up, carry round, place on the shelf, scribble in the margins, read in the loo, etc., etc. I most certainly don't want a reference book that I have to view on a computer monitor or tablet.

I searched for "Landscapes in Lightroom 5" on Amazon.co.uk without any success.

Yes, it is only available as an ebook.  I find that for reference books like this, I prefer an ebook because of the interactive element that allows authors to include video tutorials, direct links to helpful sites, etc.  Also, I don't have to fight with the book to keep a page open when I'm trying to follow along on a step-by-step procedure.  Just my 2 cents, though.

[Alan Klein]

Does the $15 fee cover downloads into and allow me to use it in multiple devices such as my Samsung Galaxy smart phone, desktop, laptop, ipad etc?

[bretedge]

Does the $15 fee cover downloads into and allow me to use it in multiple devices such as my Samsung Galaxy smart phone, desktop, laptop, ipad etc?

Yes it does, Alan. The ebook is delivered as a PDF file.  You can download that PDF file to as many devices as you want, so long as you are the owner of those devices (i.e. no sharing the ebook with others).  I've got it on my laptop and my iPad.

[Damon Lynch]

Hi Bret,

In you review you mentioned  "I learned things about several of the tools that I use daily, and I think having that knowledge will make me more adept at using each tool." Is it possible to be more specific? Which tools?

Thanks,
Damon

[bretedge]

Hi Bret,

In you review you mentioned  "I learned things about several of the tools that I use daily, and I think having that knowledge will make me more adept at using each tool." Is it possible to be more specific? Which tools?

Thanks,
Damon

Great question, Damon.  I use Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites and Blacks on nearly every image.  I had no idea that the 2012 Process Version retained the same default settings as prior versions, albeit at "0" rather than the old settings, to give images a bit more presence as soon as they are viewed in LR.  I don't have the ebook in front of me right now but the default 2012 Process Version contrast setting of "0" is actually the same as (if memory serves me correct) +50 in older versions, which can cause some loss of highlight and shadow detail. One of Michael's first workflow steps on high contrast scenes is often to move the contrast slider to the left, or more toward a true "0".  I also didn't know that LR automatically recovers highlight detail on import and that the new Exposure slider has more of an impact on mid-tones than shadows or highlights.

These are just a few examples off the top of my head as I'm not in front of the ebook at the moment.  As I said, these are all tools I use nearly every day.  The information in the ebook will most certainly benefit me in the future as I now have a more informed view of how each tool works.

Let me know if you have other questions!

[t6b9p]

I wish I had known about this earlier. I just spent several days correlating data based on experimentation and postings by Eric Chan, Jeff Schewe etc. for the purpose of knowing the differences between PV2010 and PV2012 tone and presence controls. It also seems important that most of those controls are image adaptive in PV2012.

This link was quite helpful
https://forums.adobe.com/message/4154460?tstart=0

[bretedge]

I wish I had known about this earlier. I just spent several days correlating data based on experimentation and postings by Eric Chan, Jeff Schewe etc. for the purpose of knowing the differences between PV2010 and PV2012 tone and presence controls. It also seems important that most of those controls are image adaptive in PV2012.

This link was quite helpful
https://forums.adobe.com/message/4154460?tstart=0

Agreed. I had no idea those controls were image adaptive.  Very good to know.

[Evanford]

An interesting read.  I love the examples and the fact the author makes the sample image downloads available.  Text is a little light in some areas such as sharpening.   

I have a hard time with the author's suggested starting point of -1.0  exposure and -33 contrast.  For me, that makes my images looks really dark and flat.   The first thing I want to do is increase exposure and contrast back up.   I usually bracket my exposures.  90% of my images are the shots with +1/3 stop exposure to begin with.   Mr Frye certainly gets great results with his methods. 

The author has other inexpensive PDF's available.  I also purchased his 'Exposure for Landscapes'  PDF for $5.  I look forward to checking it out. 

[stamper]

An interesting read.  I love the examples and the fact the author makes the sample image downloads available.  Text is a little light in some areas such as sharpening.  

I have a hard time with the author's suggested starting point of -1.0  exposure and -33 contrast.  For me, that makes my images looks really dark and flat.   The first thing I want to do is increase exposure and contrast back up.   I usually bracket my exposures.  90% of my images are the shots with +1/3 stop exposure to begin with.   Mr Frye certainly gets great results with his methods.  

unquote

The point that you are missing is if you have taken an image that has + exposure then the added default settings in LR might mean that the image looks overexposed in LR when in fact it wasn't. I am not sure about the -1.0 exposure because it looks a little too much to me but he is certainly on the right track with his thinking.

[Rhossydd]

I have a hard time with the author's suggested starting point of -1.0  exposure and -33 contrast.  For me, that makes my images looks really dark and flat.

Quite, it could only make sense if you've chosen to over expose the image in the first place (ETTR etc).
For correctly exposed images it makes no sense.


Much of the other aspects mentioned earlier in the thread, eg with respect to differences between process versions and image adaptive corrections, have been very well discussed and explained here when they were first released. So old news really.

[Peter_DL]

Quite, it could only make sense if you've chosen to over expose the image in the first place (ETTR etc).
For correctly exposed images it makes no sense.

The "0" settings with PV2010 and the corresponding -1 Exposure/-33 Contrast/... settings in PV2012
just zero out the base tone curve* which is applied on the image as defined by the camera profile
(*provided that the base tone "in" the profile = camera raw default).

With the default settings in PV2010 (50 Brightness/25 Contrast) and the corresponding default "0" settings in PV2012
the highlight details of an image can already be compressed and affected by the upper right shoulder of this tone curve
(unless the base tone curve "in" the profile would have been set to Linear, e.g. by means of the DNG profile editor).

Best regards, Peter

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[Rhossydd]

The "0" settings with PV2010 and the corresponding -1 Exposure/-33 Contrast/... settings in PV2012

That's not correct though (as pointed out at reply #13).
Just try it; Load a correctly exposed image into LR 5, then switch between process versions. Very little changes, there might be an expansion of the highlights with the new process engine, but nothing as noticeable as moving the sliders in pv20112 to ex-1 ct -33

People were confused with the change in number scale between process versions, but it was only to make the values more logical by working from a zero rather than defaulting to 5 for blacks, 50 for brightness and 25 for contrast. It worked fine, but the values confused some in the early versions.

But I see no benefit in setting the default to -1ev -33con in PV2012 for correctly exposed images.

[stamper]

Quote

The "0" settings with PV2010 and the corresponding -1 Exposure/-33 Contrast/... settings in PV2012
just zero out the base tone curve* which is applied on the image as defined by the camera profile
(*provided that the base tone "in" the profile = camera raw default).

unquote

I find this hard to believe. The 2010/2012 settings have been discussed extensively on the forum and elsewhere. Eric Chan and other experts have posted on the subject yet none of them have recommended this. A sudden "discovery" after all this time???  It looks like something to sell a book?

[Peter_DL]

Just try it;

...precisely what I would recommend.

Some guidance is given in the attached notes,
including a compilation of some key posts by Eric Chan in the earlier discussions.

Load a correctly exposed image into LR 5, then switch between process versions. Very little changes, there might be an expansion of the highlights with the new process engine, but nothing as noticeable as moving the sliders in pv20112 to ex-1 ct -33

And ?
This test does not meet the point and what was claimed.


Cheers! Peter

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