In the Moment:
Michael Frye's Landscape Photography Blog

Landscapes in Lightroom: Importing the DNG Raw Files

Here’s how to import the DNG Raw files into Lightroom:

1. Go to Lightroom’s Library Module, then click on Import in the lower-left corner:

2. In the ensuing Import window, on the left-hand side under Source, navigate to the folder called LRLandscapes that contains the DNG files and select it. (Unless you moved it, this should be in your Downloads folder.)

3. Still in the Import window, in the middle along the top, make sure that “Add” and “All Photos” are selected:

4. Still in the Import window, along the right side under Apply During Import, make sure that Develop Settings and Metadata are both set to “None:”

5. Now you’re ready to click on the Import button in the lower-right corner. It should only take a few seconds for Lightroom to import the images, and then you’re ready to use them.

Landscapes in Lightroom: Frequently Asked Questions

Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide

PDF ebook with video tutorials
116 double-page spreads
17 video tutorials
DNG sample files available for download
$39

Purchase from the Eduction Center

Do I need any special software to read the ebook?

No! It’s a PDF file, and it’s easy to read on both Windows and Apple computers with the free Adobe Reader (or with Preview on a Mac).

How do I view the videos?

There are links and passwords to the videos within the PDF ebook itself. The text and videos are designed to provide an integrated learning experience, with the videos expanding on the ideas presented in the text. For instance, in the first example I describe how I used the Adjustment Brush to darken the top part of the image, then provide a link to a video tutorial about using the Adjustment Brush, where I delve into more detail about using this tool, and show you exactly what I did to the example image. (Note that videos are not downloadable; they can only be streamed.)

Can I read the ebook on my tablet?

Absolutely. When you purchase the ebook, you’ll get an email with a download link. You can click on that link from the email application on your tablet to download the PDF directly to your tablet.

On an iPad, once the PDF has opened in Safari you’ll want to open it in iBooks to automatically save it so you won’t have to download it again (iBooks also provides the best reading experience). The procedure for doing this varies depending on which iOS version you’re running. Try just tapping on the screen in Safari; you might then see an option to “Open in iBooks.” If you don’t see this option, tap the Share button (looks like a square with an arrow), and look for the option to “Copy to iBooks.” Either way, it may take a minute or two to open in iBooks, so be patient.

You could also download the PDF ebook to your laptop for desktop, then transfer the file to your tablet with Dropbox or another file-sharing service. With an iPad you could also use Airdrop to transfer the PDF, or sync the PDF to your iPad using the Books tab in the iPad panel in iTunes.

How do I download the DNG Raw files so I can follow along with the examples?

When you purchase the ebook you’ll get an email with a link to the DNG files (there’s also a link within the PDF ebook itself). When you get to the page, don’t click on the folder – just click on Download in the upper-right corner. That should download the entire folder (called LRLandscapes) to the Downloads folder on your hard drive. Then just unzip the folder (if it didn’t unzip automatically) and import the images into Lightroom.

If you’re not sure how to import the DNG files into Lightroom, click here for detailed instructions.

Still have questions?

Email us at support@michaelfrye.com and we’ll try to help! If you’re experiencing problems downloading the PDF, please try to include as much information as possible, including the device and operating system you’re using, and what exactly happens when you try to download the PDF. Any information you can provide will help us help you!

Back to the Landscapes in Lightroom main page

Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide

PDF ebook plus video tutorials
116 double-page spreads
17 video tutorials with a total runtime of 3 hours and 45 minutes
DNG sample files available for download
FAQ
$47

Here it is! The third edition of my course Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide is now available. This new edition is revised and updated for Lightroom Classic CC, and includes a brand new example where I take you step-by-step through processing a Milky Way photograph, plus six new videos about the Range Mask, the Profile Browser, fixing coma, removing color fringing around stars, and more.

Of course this new version still has all the features that made the first two editions so popular. First, you can download the original Raw files used as examples in the ebook, and then follow along with each step yourself – just as if you were attending one of my workshops.

Second, when you purchase the ebook you get exclusive access to 17 videos demonstrating different aspects of Lightroom’s Develop Module, like the Adjustment Brush, Spot Removal Tool, Point Curve, HDR Merge, Panorama Merge, performing advanced retouching, and much more. It’s great to read about a tool or technique; it’s even better to watch a demonstration, and then try it yourself on the same image.

And third, there's the PDF ebook itself. This includes nine examples, where I take you step-by-step through processing each image in Lightroom. You’ll get to see my workflow in action, with a variety of images – high contrast, low contrast, color, black and white, HDR merge, panorama, and even a Milky Way photograph. You’ll learn many specific techniques and tips, but perhaps more importantly, you’ll gain insight into the decision-making process that so many photographers struggle with. How much contrast is enough? How far can you push the saturation without making the image look garish or fake? What’s the right white balance?

And there’s much more. The first section of the ebook is devoted to understanding the Develop Module, and especially the powerful Basic Panel Tone Controls. There are many things going on under the hood that haven’t been talked about much (not even by Adobe, for some reason) like the automatic highlight recovery, and how all the Basic Panel Tone Controls are image-adaptive – that is, they auto-adjust their behavior based on image content. To help you understand how all this works you'll find a completely revamped video on the tone controls that covers that image-adaptive behavior, how each tool works, why you might consider changing your default settings, and how to approach processing both high-contrast and low-contrast images.

Here’s just a partial list of things you’ll find in the ebook:

• An in-depth look at the Basic Panel Tone Controls
• Image-adaptive behavior: how Lightroom’s tone controls auto-adjust their behavior internally based on image content.
• The best recent features in Lightroom Classic, including the Range Mask and Profile Browser.
• Default settings: where should you start?
• Establishing a workflow
• Adjusting white balance
• Using the Adjustment Brush and Graduated Filter
• Using the Target Mode in the HSL Panel
• Straightening leaning trees
• Handling high-contrast scenes
• Converting images to black and white
• Using curves
• Using the spot removal tool
• Advanced retouching in Lightroom
• Integrating Lightroom with Photoshop
• Using the HDR Merge
• The Panorama Merge
• Processing a Milky Way photograph

And if you’re still using a standalone version of Lightroom, almost everything in this ebook still applies. And that goes for ACR too! All the tools in Adobe Camera Raw are essentially identical to Lightroom's Develop Module – they're just laid out differently, and sometimes work slightly differently. But everything I talk about in this book can be done in Adobe Camera Raw 10.0 or later, and most things with ACR 6.0 and up.

Questions? Read the FAQ
 

Free Video

To give you a taste of what the video tutorials are like, here's a seven-minute video that explains how the automatic highlight recovery and automatic black point adjustment work (some of that image-adaptive behavior I mentioned above). The full 44-minute video about the Basic Panel Tone Controls is included with the ebook and video package, and has much more, including an in-depth look at all the Tone sliders, an explanation of why Adobe's default settings might not be the best starting place for many images, and demonstrations of how I approach processing both high-contrast and low-contrast images in Lightroom. Here's the short version:

Sample Pages