As photographers we can easily fall into the deep well of creative pursuits and forget about the practical side to creating images. While the rights to your image are set the moment you press the shutter release, proving that is another matter. And that is where the value of registering your copyright becomes important. Most, if not all, countries have some sort of creative protections in place. I will look at this from the U.S. perspective so please investigate your country's copyright laws and procedures if you are not in the U.S..

Adjustment brushes are a really nice feature in Lightroom. Since they made their appearance localized adjustments became easy within Lightroom and I have found less of a reason to roundtrip images to Photoshop for these kinds of edits. A few months ago we took an in-depth look at the adjustment brush, Adjustment Brush Basics - Part 1 and Adjustment Brush Basics - Part 2. If you are unfamiliar with this tool that would be a good place to start.

This is a topic that has been covered more than once on quite a few sites. However, it never hurts to review some fundamentals in Lightroom since there are new users everyday! I received two emails last week with virtually the same question about Develop presets. Both readers were having issues when creating and applying their presets since the application of the second (or third or fourth) preset would alter a setting they did not want to alter. One reader's conclusion was that Lightroom's presets were not stackable. This, of course, is not at all true. Once you understand how presets work and how to create them properly, you can stack presets on top of one another and only change the parameters you intend to change.

Every camera manufacturer has its own way of storing the raw data that comes from the sensor. Several manufacturers even develop different formats for different cameras (or create a new format and abandon an older one). It sometimes seems that each new model introduces some wrinkle into the manufacturer's raw format. We see the effect of this in a lag between the release of a new camera and Lightroom's ability to interpret and render images from these new raw formats. While Adobe is rather good at deciphering new raw formats and providing support in a timely manner, they saw room for a new and open standard to store raw data. Enter the DNG, or Digital Negative, raw format.

So you're having some problems opening your raw files? Don't worry. It happens every now and then. Especially if you have one of those fancy new cameras that just hit the stores yesterday! The problem is that new cameras often bring with them new proprietary raw file formats.

As photographers we tend to be visual people. When we get stuck creatively we try to jump-start our idea engine. Looking at other photographers' work is one way. Brainstorming and making a list of ideas can be another. But lists of ideas may not be what you are looking for. At least for me, lists are too dry and don't fit the way I think. That's where I find mind mapping really fits! If you aren't familiar with mind maps take a look at the Wikipedia article. Another good source is Tony Buzan's site. While Mr. Buzan's claim to inventing mind maps is still being debated, he has contributed greatly to the concept.

By now you've had a chance to wander around the Slideshow module and get familiar with some of the controls we looked at in The Slideshow Module - Part 1: Basic Tour. If you haven't spent much time in this module before, I hope the basic tour was helpful and encouraged you to try things out. Let's finish up our tour of the Slideshow module and then we can talk about a few tips/tricks to make your slideshows snappier. After that we should talk about some issues and concerns with how Lightroom has implemented slideshows and some possible alternatives if you still want more slideshow pizzazz than Lightroom can deliver.

There are many articles, tips, and tutorials about the Library module. Even more has been written on wandering through the complexities and features of the Develop module. No doubt that these two modules are at the heart of Lightroom and where we spend the majority of our time. But Lightroom does have three other modules! The Print module seems to be the next most familiar. However, when I talk to users I am always surprised at how few ever really venture into the Web and Slideshow modules. Many have taken a look when they started using Lightroom. Few have returned. So let's take a tour!

There are quite a few features in Lightroom to help you automate your workflow. In every module you will find things to make your life easier! Well, workflow-wise anyway. Publish Services offer a streamlined way to keep your catalog and remote sites in synch. Develop presets let you quickly apply settings you have honed over time. Publishing a website? The Web Module assists you in putting it all together and even has FTP built in to get your masterpiece up on the web in no time! And so the list goes.

There's something new over at Adobe! A new feedback site has been launched over at photoshop.com! You can get there directly by going to feedback.photoshop.com. It looks to be a great way for users and the Photoshop Family teams to interact and discover new and exciting ideas for future versions of all the Photoshop Family applications. Whether it's Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Camera Raw, and yes, Lightroom, there is a way to not only offer up your ideas and suggestions but also interact and elaborate on them.