If you are new to streaming you may be wondering how to use Streamlabs to capture your Photoshop. There are a few ways to do this and they are all relatively easy!

The easiest way to do this is to select sources in your Streamlabs app and simply select a new source. The screen capture will be there for you to select. Remember, it will not auto-detect as it does with video games.

There are some other methods on how to capture your screen and we’ll be going over those options with details so you can start streaming all your photoshop adventures!

1. Add Source

This is usually the most common issue that can fix the capture issue. With this, you are adding the display itself to be captured. This is also the easiest of the options.

Follow these steps:

1. Open up the Streamlabs desktop app.
2. Locate the box that says “sources”. It should say other things like a webcam.
3. Select the plus sign to add a new source.
4. Look through the options until you see “screen capture”.
5. You may now choose an entire screen to share or just the window you would like shared!

If you need more help with this specific issue, there is a detailed guide on the Streamlabs website. It also comes with pictures if you need extra assistance! You can find that guide here.

2. Disable Force GPU as a Render Device

This is a big one for those of you on laptops. This was specifically added to help those who were having difficulty getting a capture on laptops. This is because of how the integrated graphics card works with the system.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Streamlabs desktop app.
2. On the bottom left select the gear icon.
3. Look for the video options and select them.
4. Uncheck the box that says “Force GPU as a render device”.
5. Select “done” and restart your app.

When it comes to laptop video cards, there are some issues that go beyond this that can give you a black screen when trying to stream. The best way to get help if this option doesn’t work is to go on their Discord and ask for help there or you can submit a ticket if nothing else works.

3. Force It to Run as an Administrator

Running it as an admin is not necessary for most streaming, such as games, but because sometimes the screen capture can be a little wonky or difficult, launching it as an admin is something that may help you get to where you need to go.

Follow these steps:

1. Sometimes programs need to be launched every time with admin powers.
2. Right-click on the Streamlabs desktop icon to pull up the properties.
3. Go to compatibility.
4. Check the box that says “Run this program as an administrator.
5. Apply it and close the properties. Restart your Streamlabs if it is open.

This is a fairly easy option to work with. If you don’t want to go through these steps, you can just right-click on the icon that shows up on your desktop and select run as administrator. If that doesn’t work then you may need to go through all these steps.

4. Integrated Graphics Card

This may or may not help with capture problems. There are sometimes conflicts between integrated cards and dedicated cards that have been known to happen. This can happen with any sort of program as well. This problem seems to occur more often with Windows 11 compared to the older operating systems.

Follow these steps:

1. Make sure you are not running this as an admin.
2. Right-click on the Streamlabs icon once again to bring up the properties.
3. Select “Run with graphics card”.
4. Select “Integrated graphics card”.

This is less centered around laptops and more centered around those that have a motherboard with an integrated graphics card along with a dedicated video card that it is drawing off of.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a lot of options and tips to get Streamlabs to capture your screen. With video games, it’s easy and usually auto-detects everything, but with screen capture, it may be a little bit of a pain to get it to work properly.

Streamlabs also has support articles and customer service that you can contact if you are having issues and nothing is working to get your Photoshop to pull up. You can find some of the resources at this link here. That is the help center and they have info to submit a ticket at the bottom or get help from their discord.

Watercolor paintings are a popular art style that many artists try to incorporate into their designs. This is a great way to add texture and depth to an otherwise flat design, but it can be difficult to produce in a realistic way in a digital setting. However, adding a color wash effect in Photoshop just might do the trick.

In Photoshop, a color wash effect can be added to a painting or photo with the combined use of various filters, brushes, and textures. This can create the desired watercolor look on a digital painting or even a high-quality photograph.

Certain effects can elevate your photo to the next level. Keep reading to learn more about adding a color wash in Photoshop, so you can create that aesthetic, hand-painted appearance without the need for physical paints or watercolor skills.

How to Add a Color Wash Effect in Photoshop

A color wash is a technique used in painting to create a watercolor appearance with the use of thinned paint and glazes. Various colors are applied over the painted image with long strokes to add texture and create a translucent feel.

When creating digital art, a color wash effect can be applied to your image to create the same look. This can be done in various ways, and can even be applied to photos to turn them into a hand-painted piece.

Open Your Photo as a Smart Object

Start by opening your file in Adobe Photoshop. This effect can be applied to virtually any photo, so there is no need to be careful about which one you pick.

Next, create a duplicate of the background layer. This can be done by pressing Crtl/Command + J, or dragging the layer to the Create a New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel.

From here, you’ll right-click the duplicate layer and select Conver to Smart Object from the pop-up menu. As a Smart Object, you will be able to preservice the original characteristics of the image, allowing you to make nondestructive edits to the layer.

Apply Filters From the Filters Gallery

From the menu bar at the top, Click Filter and select Filter Gallery. This will open up a new window with the selection of special effects filters. Click the drop-down arrow for the Artistic Filter folder and select Dry Brush. Then click OK.

Next, open up the Filters Gallery again. This time, however, you will apply the Cutout Filter.

Finally, you’ll want to add a blur to the image. From the Filter menu, find Blur and select Smart Blur. A new window will open, allowing you to set the radius and threshold of the blur effect. Once those are set, click OK.

Once your filters are applied, you will see them show up on your Layers Panel under the selected layer. If you need to make any adjustments to the filter, simply double-click the filter and the options menu will pop up.

Create a Finished Look With Watercolor Brushes

Your photo should now have somewhat of a watercolor effect with the filters you’ve applied. However, if you would like the brushstrokes added for more realism, there are a few more steps to follow.

Start by creating a new layer and changing the blending mode to multiply. This can either be a blank, white layer, or you can use a texture layer that more resembles paper. The layer should be above the duplicate image layer.

Now, select the image layer and apply a mask. Fill the mask layer with black, then select your brush tool. By right-clicking anywhere on the canvas, the brushes options should pop up. Select your preferred watercolor brush, and set the color to white.

Now, you can begin clicking around the canvas to bring the image back into view. You may want to use a few different watercolor brushes during this process to avoid any repeating patterns.

What Are the Best Brushes for Color Washing?

If you don’t have any watercolor brushes, you’re going to have somewhat of a hard time getting that bleeding edges look on your photo. While a color wash effect can certainly be applied without watercolor brushes, your photo will lack the realism seen in real paintings.

Here are some watercolor brushes you may want to consider if you will be using this technique often:

• Watercolor Brush from Little Bean
• Brusheezy Watercolor Basics
• Watercolor Brushes from Tom Chalky
• Watercolor Splatters by pstutorialsws

Using a variety of brushes will give you the most realistic look and help you avoid repetition in your edits.

Final Thoughts

Color washing can create a beautiful aesthetic for any design. Whether you’re working on logos, brochures, or web graphics, you should now be equipped with the skills to create that watercolor look in Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop offers numerous features for inserting photographs and editing them, but these features have their limitations. For instance, they often fail when using typographical elements such as clip art. In those cases, you might need a workaround to use those elements in your designs.

How you add clip art, text, and other typographical elements to Photoshop largely depends on the element source and your desired outcome. Sometimes, you can use native Photoshop features to do it. Other times, you need the help of third-party solutions and add-ons.

Each method has its limitation and benefits. Therefore, by reading further, you will learn what these methods are and how to implement them.

How to Insert Clip Art into a Photoshop Project

Most Photoshop projects require importing images in the application. These tasks as so common that Photoshop offers several easy-to-use options:

1. Drag and drop the images onto your Photoshop window. Your image will appear as a new layer.
2. Copy and paste the images into your project. Works best when moving images between Photoshop projects but can work with any image source
3. Use the Open menu command. Gives you full control over how Photoshop will insert the images
4. Create a “smart object”. Include the image location when asked during setup

Once imported, you can quickly and easily edit them to achieve desired effects and outcomes. There are tools for everything changing the scale, moving the new images around the screen, and cropping them to fit a design. You can even combine layers to create more complex designs as well.

These Image Import Options Will Not Work with Most Clip Art

On the surface, these options should work with clip art as well.

Clip Art is graphics design elements consisting of separate objects and images. They are rarely used on their own. Instead, you combine them to make a more complete graphics design or image. People use clip art for:

• Collages
• Desktop wallpapers
• Infographics
• App icons
• Logos and Trademarks
• Presentations and magazines
• Website designs.

You can find clip art as standalone files or in sets called galleries. People love them because of their universal nature. They appear “cartoonish”, making them easier to use than stock photos.  Either way, they come in vector and raster varieties, and it is the vector variety that causes problems with Photoshop.

Photoshop is a raster image editor, which means it works entirely in pixels. This is fine for raster images which are just a list of pixels. However, vector images and clip art use math equations to define themselves. Therefore, you will need to rasterize your clip art before you can use them in your Photoshop projects.

Ways to Add Clip Art to Photoshop

How you prepare your clip art for Photoshop largely depends on where you get your clip art. If your clip art gallery includes just raster images, you can just use the internal import methods mentioned above. As long as the raster clip art comes as a standalone file, it should work like any other raster image.

However, if your clip art only comes as galleries or as vector files, you will have more work to do. You can still add them as Photoshop raster layers or Smart Objects, but you need a third-party solution to bridge the gap. This third-party solution will largely depend on the source of the clip art.

Clip Art from a Webpage

You can copy and paste the clip art into Photoshop from most web browsers. After copying the graphics in your web browser, you select Photoshop’s “Edit > Paste” menu option or press the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl-V in Windows or Command-V on a Mac). Photoshop will insert the clip art as a new raster layer.

Clip Art from Microsoft Word

If you want to import some clip art from Microsoft Office, the procedure is similar to getting the art from websites. You just create a new Microsoft Word document and add the clip art to it. From there, you select the art to activate it, then select the “Edit > Copy” menu option. You can then switch over to Photoshop and paste it in as above.

Just note that you must enlarge the clip art from inside Word if it is too small.

Use a Drawing Program to Add Vector-Based or Proprietary Clip Art

If your clip art is in a vector format, such as the Windows WMF format, you must use a third-party solution such as Placeit or Adobe Illustrator. These programs will convert the art into something Photoshop can use. This can be done in a few ways.

Copy and Paste

If your drawing application supports it, you can just copy and paste the clip art into Photoshop as mentioned several times before. You must follow the copying procedures of your drawing program, but once you get inside Photoshop everything should be the same as before.

Save in a Raster Format Then Import

If you cannot copy and paste the clip art, you can just save it to a raster format Photoshop supports. You then just import it into Photoshop like any other raster image file. This procedure is always guaranteed to work. It also gives you the most insertion options.

Use a Photoshop Smart Object

Smart Objects are the only way Photoshop works with vector images natively. They are just containers linked to an external application, usually another Adobe application. As such, any changes you make to the source file will automatically be included in your Photoshop project.

You can use add your clip art as Smart Objects by choosing the “File > Place” menu option and choosing the clip art file. Photoshop will add the object with a boundary box you can adjust and move. Once you configure it as you need it, you can double-click inside the box to save the object, and your clip art, to its layer.

However, you cannot edit the image from within Photoshop. If you must continue to edit the clip art after you import it, you must choose one of the raster-image importing methods above.

Conclusion

Using clip art is a great way to add universal flare to your designs, but they do not always play nicely with Photoshop. Luckily, there are workarounds you can use to add clip art to your projects.

If you often work on making logos, one of the most common elements you may come across is bending objects and/or text around a shape, like a circle or oval. While this is a classic look found in many designs, it can be hard to accomplish if you don’t know what to do. So, you might be wondering, how exactly do you bend an image around a shape?

An image can be bent around a circle in Photoshop with the use of the Warp command in the Edit menu. If you would only like to warp part of the image, the Lasso tool can be used to hone in on that exact area.

Adobe Photoshop offers a plethora of tools and features that open the door to just about anything you can think of in terms of design. However, you first need to know how to use them. This quick guide will walk you through the easiest way to bend an image around a circle in Photoshop.

How to Bend an Image Around a Circle in Photoshop

While there are many ways to achieve something in Photoshop, the easiest way to bend an image around a circle is to use the warp command. This is a transforming effect that lets you drag the control points of an object or image to manipulate its shape.

Below are the exact steps you’ll want to follow to bend your image with this method.

Draw a Circle

The first thing you’ll want to do is create a document with the shape you would like to bend your image around. In this case, a circle.

To create a circle:

1. Grab the Ellipse Tool from the toolbar
2. Click and drag over the canvas while holding the Shift key
3. Holding down Shift locks the aspect ratio of the tool so you can create a perfect circle and not an oval.
4. Once the circle is drawn, it can be resized at any time from the Options bar

You can also move the circle to any place on the canvas by selecting the Move Tool and dragging it to where you want it to be.

Open Your Image in Photoshop

Next, you’ll need to open your image in Photoshop.

To do this:

1. Click File in the menu bar at the top of the screen
2. Select Open
3. Locate the file that you wish to bend
4. Click Open
5. Now, drag the image onto the canvas with the shape you’ve just created

Photoshop will create a new layer for the image, which will appear in the Layers panel.

Bend the Image With Transform Warp

To bend the image around the circle, with the image layer selected, navigate to the Edit tab in the menu bar and select Transform, then Warp. You should see a dotted box appear around the image. These dots are called control points.

To shape your warped image:

1. Click the Warp pop-up on the options toolbar
2. A list of Warp presets will then appear
3. Select the preset that best fits your circle
4. In this case, the Bulge and Inflate options are your best bets for wrapping around a circle

You can also manipulate the image by dragging the control points to where you want them to be. When you are done, press Enter to lock in your changes. 

How to Warp Part of an Image

Another bending option you might want to consider is only warping a section of an image.

This can be done with the help of the Lasso Tool:

1. Before selecting the Warp command, grab the Lasso Tool from the toolbar and highlight the area you would like to bend
2. Activate the warp effect from the Edit tab

The control points should be confined to a much smaller area, allowing for more precision over how you bend your image.

Warping Text Around a Circle

If you would like to warp text around a circle, you’re going to need to follow a bit of a different approach.

However, the concept is still the same.

1. Type out the text you would like to bend
2. Position it near your circle
3. Select the Warp Text command from the option bar
4. Select the preset that best fits your shape. Depending on where you want your text to sit in the circle, the Arc or Bulge options are the best choices.

Once you’re done, simply hit OK.

Final Thoughts

You should now be able to confidently bend images around a circle. Warping images and text is a fun and easy way to add life to an otherwise bland design. Just remember to choose the right shape when using presets and make simple adjustments if needed.

OBS is the premier application to screencast over the internet while doing a streaming video. Photoshop is useful for making graphs and other media that could enhance your streaming video. So how do you capture Photoshop in OBS?

Learning the ins and outs of new software and how it interacts with other programs on your computer can be a real pain in the hind end. So many options could cause damage that professionals could have difficulty sorting them out. Don’t sweat it! Read on and learn two methods to capture Photoshop in OBS.

Capturing Photoshop in OBS

The capturing process of OBS ensures that data on your screen will be broadcast to your outgoing video signal. If there isn’t a video, chances are that part of the display screen will be greyed out, and you won’t be able to see the screen on your streaming video.

The First Way to Capture Photoshop with OBS is to Update

The first thing to do when the screen is greyed out, and there is no Photoshop screen populating on the video stream is to check the version of OBS that you are using. Often when the software is updated, it adds and removes bits of code that will make the video play. So there could be broadcasting problems if you are not using the current version.

The steps to update your version of OBS Studio are:

1. Click Help – On the menu bar at the top of the screen, you should move the cursor down to the end until you see the Help option. There are a few good options in this drop-down, but we are looking for one that reads Check for Updates. There are always a few little wrinkles in the menus that allow for more functionality. You should explore them!
2. Download Updates – The next screen will populate with a series of messages about the software type and version. There should be a button that allows you to download the updates.
3. Restart the Software – If it doesn’t do it for you, now would be a good time to restart the OBS software. Restarting the process will ensure that all the code and algorithms are running correctly with the appropriate bug fixes.

Once the software restarts, the screen should populate with the Photoshop screen you are trying to share.  If it doesn’t, there’s another thing you can try to make it work. Sometimes it could take a second for the screen to populate, so give it a couple of tries before moving on to the next step.

Changing the Video Card is a Great Option

Now don’t get upset and think you have to remove the physical card from the machine. That’s a job for experienced and certified repairpeople. The thing you are doing is selecting the card that your computer is using for the process. This allows the program to access the correct info to rid you of the grey screen and get your Photoshop window populated.

The steps to change the video card on your program are:

1. Open Settings – On your Windows computer, you should move over to the left-hand side of the screen, and the buttons will appear. You are looking for the cog-shaped button which will take you into the settings.
2. Move to System – The next option you are looking for is System. System options open up the computer’s internal processes and allow you to browse through some of the frameworks that make the programs run on your machine. Look for the Display option and click on it.
3. Graphics Settings – Once in the Display menu, look for the graphics settings and go into them. Here you can choose the locations for the output video and see the hardware installed on your machine. Look for the OBS icon in this menu.
4. Screen Capture – Inside the OBS settings, you will see a button that enables the video in your stream. You can choose a few other options inside the menu to save power, but you should just stick with enabling video.

Once the screen capture is enabled on the display, you should be able to see the output in your stream and no longer have the grey screen. The OBS system is easy to use but could take some tweaking to ensure everything works before going live.

Conclusion

When you are messing with complicated situations like broadcasting live video and using media elements in the background, it is easy to get confused. However, you have an excellent chance of fixing the problem by checking the updates on your computer.

If the problem persists after you have updated the version on your computer, you should check the OBS graphics card. Inside the graphics card settings, look for the button to enable screen sharing. Once it is allowed, you are good to go!

Like most Adobe products, Lightroom runs using the Adobe Creative Cloud services, a subscription service that allows cloud access to their suite of software. However, this may not always be the prefered option for some users. Can Lightroom CC be used without the cloud?

Lightroom CC requires the use of cloud storage. However, users are not required to use the cloud when using Lightroom classic. They can edit their images on a local computer without needing an internet connection.

There are a few reasons why this is the case. Is it worth it to use the cloud features Adobe provides and will Lightroom benefit from them? Read on to find out.

Can Lightroom CC Be Used Without the Cloud?

The Adobe Creative Cloud (previously known as Creative Suite) is a collection of online software services that allow users to edit and create images. The most prominent feature of the Creative Cloud is its editing software, one of which is Lightroom CC. Lightroom CC is a powerful image-editing program with a strong organizational element.

It offers an abundance of features to edit photos and videos and provides comprehensive tools for managing your digital assets. It’s also the software used by professional photographers worldwide to organize, edit and manage their photo libraries.However, many people have concerns about using it because of the necessary cloud services.

There are a few advantages to using Adobe’s cloud services when compared to downloading  local versions:

• It runs better. Lightroom CC is a lot less intensive than a locally downloaded version of lightroom. The cloud takes a load off your PC so you can run more powerful software on less capable devices.
• It saves space. The new version of Lightroom CC is much smaller in file size; it only takes up 2GB of space compared to the previous version’s 20+ GB. Thanks to that, it  makes it much easier to store photos and use that keeps them safe from issues like hard drive failure.
• It frequently updates, Adobe has made significant improvements to their application’s performance with each new release. Local versions update as well, however Cloud updates take full advantage of its unique features.

Adobe has made great improvements in light of user feedback with their newest version of Lightroom CC. The new program is easier to use thanks to redesigned settings interfaces and improved performance.

People also have several easy options for backing up their settings and accessing their images wherever they go. Anyone who owns an Adobe product should be able to use Lightroom CC without any complications!

Is There a Cloud Free Option of Lightroom?

For those who want to use Lightroom without the cloud, the best option is Lightroom Classic. This is a version of Lightroom that can be downloaded and used locally without being tied to Adobe’s cloud services.

When you first download Lightroom, you must connect your computer to the internet for the software to work. After that, you can use Lightroom offline as long as your computer is active and connected to the internet. As long as there’s a connection, you can access, edit and export your photos without an internet connection.

Users are not required to use the cloud when using Lightroom Classic. They can edit their images on a local computer when they:

• Don’t have internet while editing
• Feel more comfortable handling their storage by themselves

However, at times it requires that the device has a working internet connection so the software can download updates.

Which Version of Lightroom CC Should I Use?

Adobe Lightroom Classic is the desktop-based version while Adobe Lightroom CC is the cloud-based version. They both have their pros and cons, but users can take advantage of both to get the best results.

The main difference between the two Lightroom version is that:

Adobe Lightroom Cloud	Adobe Lightroom Classic
– Stores all of the photos in the cloud – Is a newer, better version – Has more features to choose from	– Stores the photos on the user’s computer – Older and outdated version – Not as feature-rich

Regardless of your choice, One of the best things about Lightroom is that it is very easy to use. Even if you are a beginner, you will be able to edit your photos with ease.

Another great thing about Lightroom is that it has a lot of features that can help you improve your photos. If you want the process even easier using only the internet, you can use an easy online service to create high quality graphics for you.

Which Options on Lightroom Will Benefit Me the Most?

Lightroom cloud services keep your photos safe from corruption or accidental loss.

Sometimes, if there’s a power failure, hard drive issues, or loss of USB connectivity, your photos will no longer be accessible and have the possibility of getting corrupted. To prevent this from happening, cloud services can be used to keep your photos safe, but also accessible at all times.

Lightroom CC also works great with mobile devices such as phones and tablets. You can use it for managing your photo library or editing photos on the go. There are also mobile apps that allow you to view and edit Adobe Lightroom images on your smartphone or tablet. This way, you don’t have to worry about running out of space on your device while editing photos.

Concluding Thoughts

While Lightroom CC cant be used without cloud services, you can use the Classic version instead.  At the end of the day, the version of Lightroom that will be best for you depends on your specific needs.

If you will be offline a lot and you can’t guarantee a stable internet connection, you should use Lightroom Classic. However, if you have lots of photos and a stable internet, you will benefit more from the cloud.

When working with editing digital images, you’ll probably start to deal with color spaces at some point. You may have heard photographers mention shooting in a specific color space when using JPEG files. But what if you shoot in RAW?

As a general rule, RAW files do not have a defined color space. Instead, when a RAW file is loaded into a RAW processor, like Lightroom, it is then that the software turns the file into an image and a color space is chosen.

Though RAW files don’t have their own color space, choosing the right color space can have a major impact on how your image looks. Keep reading to learn more about color space in RAW files and why which one you use matters.

Do RAW Files Have a Color Profile?

You may have seen the color space setting on the back of your camera and wondered what it should be set at if you shoot in RAW. You may be shocked to find out that what this is set to doesn’t really matter at all.

RAW images don’t really have a defined color space. In fact, when your camera takes a photo as a RAW file, it doesn’t capture an image but a stream of information detected by the sensor. Although a digital camera’s sensor has a unique color signature, it does not have a typical color profile.

Only after it has been opened and exported as a rendered file does a raw file receive a profile. When you load it into a raw processor, like Lightroom, that software then converts the saved data into an actual picture. The color space you want to work with can then be decided.

What Is a Color Space?

A color space describes a fixed range of potential colors and tonal values. Its primary purpose is to explain how well a capture or display device can reproduce color information.

A color space is best understood by photographers in the context of what it does for their images, which is to map a variety of colors into a space that is available.

When Do You Choose Color Space for RAW Files?

Though there are many photographers who start to think about color space before they’ve even taken the shot, this isn’t always necessary. This is due to the fact that almost all professional-grade cameras today allow users to select from a variety of capture color spaces. However, when it comes to working with RAW files, editing is really the first place you have to make a color space decision.

You’ll typically be working in the Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB color spaces when using editing software like Lightroom, with Lightroom handling all the development work to preserve all the colors your camera recorded. In actuality, selecting a color space is only necessary when exporting an image from the software so that it can be edited in another program or saved as a finished file.

Which Color Space Should You Choose?

What you’re doing will determine which color space you use. There are three popular color space options available in Lightroom:

• Adobe RGB
• ProPhoto RGB
• sRGB

Generally speaking, you should be working in one of the spaces with a wider gamut, like Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB.

Does Color Space Matter?

In the past, color space was only used by post-production broadcast teams and image scientists. However, in recent years, it has become essential for those working in all aspects of the production process to have a basic understanding of the color space they will be working in. This has a lot to do with how technology and workflow have evolved.

The way your image will appear in various software and application contexts depends heavily on the color spaces you use. If you select the incorrect one and use a color space that is incompatible with some devices, it can ruin the appearance of your image.

A certain piece of content, for instance, might need to be played on HDR TVs, mobile devices, and theater screens. Using an incompatible color space can cause colors to seem washed out or oversaturated in digital settings, or make prints come out with strange color palettes.

Final Thoughts

Even for the most seasoned photographers, it can take years to become fluent in color spaces. Luckily, if you shoot in RAW, color space isn’t something you need to worry about until you reach the editing stage.

However, as our cameras and screens advance, this idea will become more valuable than ever. Hopefully, this article left you with some information on color spaces so that you can shoot confidently for years to come. 

If you are a photographer you know how tedious it can be to keep your photos organized and find them quickly. Lightroom was created to help people like you keep everything in one easily accessible space. If you are like most photographers you likely have a ridiculous amount of images to store and may be wondering how many photos Lightroom can handle at once.

There is no definitive number of photos that you can store and edit in Lightroom. Many photographers have over 50,000 images in Lightroom with plenty of space to spare. The primary factor is how you keep them organized and the processing speed and storage space on your computer.

For more information on Adobe Lightroom’s storage capacity and tips for keeping things organized continue reading.

Understanding How Lightroom Stores Photos

With the digital age in full bloom, it is easier to snap more pictures than ever; keeping thousands of photographs organized can be a tedious task for anyone. That is one reason why Lightroom is such a great addition to your design arsenal.

Lightroom has no limit to the number of photos you can import into a catalog. That is another reason why most professionals recommend only using one catalog. This will be discussed more further in the article.

When you need to organize photos it helps to have a clear understanding of how Adobe’s Lightroom stores photos and how best to organize them so you don’t lose your mind searching through endless thumbnails.

Easy Organization With Keywords and Links to RAW Files

The reason Lightroom is so handy is that it manages information such as where the original file is located as well as a link to the file. The program also stores certain keywords, ratings, and processing information so you can easily search for and find the file when it is needed.

When you import a photograph into Lightroom the program automatically creates the link telling you where which device and location the file’s original file came from.

Any changes made to the photo will be applied to the file in a non-destructive way so that you always have an original copy in the event you need to do further edits or use the original photograph for something else.

For more information on how many photos can be stored in Lightroom and the best way to organize them once imported continue reading.

Easily Organize Thousands of Photos in One Lightroom Catalog

Whether you are using Lightroom Classic or Lightroom CC it is important to take some time to consider a few things before randomly importing a whole bunch of photos.

Importing a whole bunch of photos without any strategy can result in a very messy storage situation that can cause time delays or lost photos.

To avoid common issues that many photographers run into follow these steps.

Create a Homebase For RAW Files

The first step to consider is where you plan on storing your RAW files that will be uploaded to Lightroom. If you only use one computer then storing them on your computer should be sufficient as long as you have plenty of storage and memory.

If you tend to hop from one computer/device to another it is best to store your RAW files on a removable USB drive or some other external hard drive storage device so you can easily take your files with you wherever you go.

Cut The Cuteness And Be Practical

When naming files, folders, and sub-folders it is important to use labels that make sense. Don’t use weird names or random letters and numbers to describe the image because it will be very difficult to search for the image later.

If Lightroom cannot find the file you are searching for because it was poorly labeled the result will be you searching through thousands of images until you come across the one you desire.

It is equally as important to label your RAW files in the same way you do in Lightroom so you can easily find the original files if necessary.

One And Done – Multiple Catalogs Gets Confusing

Professional users highly recommend creating only one catalog rather than multiple catalogs for every category/sub-category.

When you create more than one Lightroom catalog it can become extremely difficult and time-consuming to find images, and import or export files. It is just generally harder to keep up with things if you have more than one Lightroom catalog.

One well-organized catalog has been proven to be more beneficial to hobbyists and professionals.

If you are organizing photographs for personal and professional reasons you can still effectively use a single catalog as long as you are mindful and clear about how you label and categorize your files.

An example of how best to organize your photographs is listed below to give you a more clear understanding.

Create A Catalog

Begin by creating your catalog in Lightroom.

Create Two Main Catagories

Next, Create a folder for your professional photographs. It is best to label it with the name of your business/company or simply label it as “Work”.

Next, create a second folder for your personal photography. You can also name this folder whatever you like, but be sure it is clear so you don’t get confused later on down the road.

A good label would be “Personal” or “Memories”.

It is not set in stone that you can only create two main folders however it will help to simplify the process of searching for particular images.

If you have multiple companies or clients you can still create a folder for each one in your main “Work” folder.

Create Sub-Folders As Needed

Once you have your two main folders created you can begin to create folders and sub-folders in each main folder as you import new images.

As you take more photographs you can add more sub-folders/categories within the main “work” or “personal” folders as necessary.

Continue reading to learn why it is better to use Lightroom than an online file browser.

Don’t Be Fooled By Online File Browsers

Online browsers can be helpful for some organizing however if you want to have access to your photographs from any location it is best to stick with Adobe’s Lightroom.

Lightroom allows you to access your files no matter where you are even if you are not using the device in which the RAW is stored.

Lightroom saves any changes you make to the image and applies them in a way that the original image will not be altered or harmed. Lightroom is considered to be a non-destructive way of editing and storing photography.

The Only Limitation Is The Size Of Your Hard Drive

Lightroom is such a great addition to a photographer and designer’s portfolio of tools because there is no worry about how many photos can be uploaded and stored. The only thing you have to worry about is the device you are using and how much room is on your hard drive whether it is on a computer or an external drive.

Lightroom is a program that allows you to process uploaded photos. It works like Photoshop without a deep dive into editing and manipulation. Lightroom works to allow for the organization of your photos, and when you pair Lightroom and Photoshop, the sky is the limit. So do you need Lightroom Premium to use its presets?

Yes, you need a Premium subscription to access the presets in Lightroom. By paying the Premium fee, you get access to brushes and filters that allow you to add the same theme to photos. In addition, you can use these items quickly and efficiently as they are saved and get hotkey access.

Using software like Lightroom can be a bit of a hassle for people who are used to other programs or could be new users. There are similarities between them that could be downright confusing. By following a few rules, you can nail down Lightroom and begin to explore its functionality. So do you need Lightroom Premium to use the presets?

Lightroom Presets and How to Use Them

While Lightroom doesn’t get down in the pixels like Photoshop, it does allow a level of editing that goes beyond what your camera can do. By buying into the Premium tier, the level of editing you can do is raised in efficiency and quality. Editing your raw photos is made much easier by using presets.

The Tools in Lightroom Premium are Easy to Use and Helpful

Editing photos is often as hard as learning to take effective shots with your camera. Remember that if you use Lightroom mobile, there could be less functionality even though it is free. Using the tools gives you a great idea of how the program works and all the helpful tools that are part of the Premium package.

The essential tools that you will use in Lightroom Premium are:

• Brushes – One of the most common tools used while retouching and editing photos are brushes. They can be used to touch up photos’ edges or obscure something in the background that distracts from the subject.
• Filters – Another great tool that is available with Premium are the filters. They allow you to add swaths of color to a photo or to add a black-and-white mask over the image. Filters also can add distortions to backgrounds or subjects in your pictures.

Tools you are using in Lightroom will provide tons of experiment and work time for the young photographer. For veterans, Lightroom allows them to pre-edit sessions that can save them hours of computer time and give them more time to shoot their photos.

The Benefits of Using Lightroom Presets

While the Premium level of Lightroom might cost extra money from your budget, it provides many benefits you might not see from the outside. Setting the money aside for work projects might not be in your plans, but once you realize that you are saving time, the trade-off becomes a no-brainer.

A few of the benefits of using Lightroom Premium are:

• Sharing – Something you might not think about when you get the Premium Lightroom is how you can share your presets with other people. If you have created an excellent filter for a shared project, you can email or link the file to your co-worker, allowing them the same functionality you are using.
• Variety – Variety in the presets of Lightroom allows you to take filters and brushes made by industry professionals and legends and apply them to your work. The variety of editing tools is impressive, and these presets could trump the ones you have created.
• Environments – One of the biggest standouts for Lightroom Premium is the number of environmental changes you can make on the fly. The presets can create effects that change the background environment of pictures with color or a combination of filtering and obstruction.

The benefits of using Premium Lightroom are numerous. They allow you to organize and edit photos on the fly without sorting through drop-down menus. While it does cost more money, the functionality and time saved should allow you more time to work, which is an excellent trade-off for the presets you get with Lightroom Premium.

Using the Presets Save Time and Money

The presets are easy to use and provide lots of fun creation tools. The most impressive thing about them is how easy they are to use once you have the keystrokes memorized or stored in easy-to-remember locations. Once you get the hang of them, the presets will allow you to fly around the photo and edit with purpose. 

A few of the ways you can use the presets while working are:

• Keystrokes – One of the most common ways people store and use presets is with keystrokes. By tapping a series of keys, you add the filter or brush to your project without having to search around in other menus.
• Mouse Clicks – Clicking the mouse in specific locations with other keys pressed is another way to add some functionality to your presets. Using the mouse is one of the fastest ways to use presets, but the number of things you can do is limited.

Presets with Lightroom will not get down to the pixel types of editing. They concentrate on the big picture, not just tiny spots or areas. They increase your productivity by being general and can level up your photography business.

Conclusion

Can you create eye-catching photos without Lightroom Premium? Absolutely. You lose out on the ability to take your art to the next level by exploring your programs. It is like chaining yourself to a tree to escape a bear. No one is asking you to cut corners on your budget but ignoring the advantages of the presets is a potential mistake. 

By splurging for the Premium subscription, you get access to brushes and filters that can be used quickly and effectively to enhance your photos before sending them into the final editing stages. These presets are chocked full of tools and time-saving shortcuts that could make your photography stand out. Lightroom Premium is required to use the presets.

Copyright is a major issue that permeates creative industries. Even presets for photos can be copyrighted, and users can run into legal trouble when they use these presets incorrectly. With this in mind, are Lightroom presets copyrighted?

Lightroom presets can be copyrighted, but the choice is up to individual creators. In other words, unless a user places copyright on their preset manually, it is not copyrighted.

Copyright ensures that others do not claim your creative content as their own. So, read on to find out more about copyrighted presets in Lightroom.

Do Lightroom Presets Have Copyright on Them?

Lightroom presets are not copyrighted unless users manually put a copyright on them through settings.

To copyright a preset in Lightroom, you have to follow the below steps: 

1. Open the Metadata panel in the Lightroom app
2. Navigate to Edit Presets in the panel
3. When the Edit Presets dialog box opens, under the IPTC Copyright section, change the copyright status to Copyrighted and input your desired usage terms in the Rights Usage Terms section
4. Fill in the IPTC creator section with the contact information you want 
5. When you are finished completing the sections, press Done to save them
6. Navigate to Save As and give the now copyrighted preset a name 

You can copyright the preset at two different stages of creation: when importing it into lightroom and adding it to existing photos. Let’s go over the steps to add the copyright during the import process.

Adding a Copyright to a Lightroom Preset During Import

When you are importing something, navigate to the Apply During Import Panel and select the preset you made in the Metadata dropdown menu. Once you do this, the copyright will be added to any new presets you create in the future.

This same process can be followed to apply the copyright preset to multiple presets at once. This saves time since you do not have to manually add the copyright each time.

The Importance of Copyright

Copyright on all creative products is crucial because it allows the creator to protect their work from being used without their permission. Without copyright, the creative world would lack originality because people could take credit for the creation of others and claim it as their own.

Copyright is part of federal law and it stems from Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution, and the U.S Copyright Office oversees copyright law and the Supreme Court enforces it. When creatives get copyright, it only lasts for several years, and then they have to apply to get their copyright renewed.

Anything from written works to pieces of architecture can receive copyright. However, there are also many things prohibited from copyright, such as ideas, slogans, and speeches given by someone that were not written down or recorded. When someone owns the copyright on something, their rights are:

• They can reproduce the work
• They can distribute the work
• They can create new work based on the copyrighted material
• They can perform and or display the work in public depending on the medium

Copyright does not last forever, and it is up to the copyright owners to maintain their copyright for as long as they need it. 

What Happens When Copyright Expires?

Unless a copyright is renewed after it expires, the copyrighted material is transferred to the public domain, where it is fair game for anyone to use as they see fit, Copyright rules vary for each medium of work. They all have different lengths that the copyright is active for, meaning that you have to renew them at different times.

On another note, there is the optional process of registering your copyright with the US Copyright Office. Although this is not required for official copyright, it gives you the added benefit of being able to pursue legal action if you become a victim of copyright infringement. According to the law, you must report your case within three years to go to court.

Always pursue legal claims against someone for stealing your work as soon as possible to have the maximum probability of success. If you can work with a lawyer, they can help you take action against the perpetrator without going to court as well.

Is a Copyright the Same as a Watermark?

In the US, pictures typically have automatic copyright protection. A watermark is not the same as copyright, A watermark is a graphic or signature placed over images to remind people not to steal your work. Watermarks make it harder for people to duplicate images because the signature is all over them.

Have you ever tried to find an image for a Powerpoint, only to have the one you like covered in a white font that says Shuttershock? This is an example of a watermark.

There is extra protection in the form of a law that makes it illegal to remove watermarks from images. This is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. 

Is a Copyright Better Than a Watermark?

Copyrights are inherently better and more secure than copyrights because watermarks do not have copyright protection. Without copyright, people can still steal your work. There are many stories from artists on Instagram where users have attempted to remove or write over the current watermark on a photo and pass it off as their own.

Now, watermarks can be added as extra protection on top of a copyrighted piece if you want extra protection. When you receive legal copyright and you register it with the US Copyright Office, you can also legally defend your copyright through a lawsuit. If you win the case, this will give you a financial settlement, and having the perpetrator pay you damages will discourage stealing.

Conclusion

Lightroom presets are not copyrighted unless the user adds the copyright manually or enables the option for automatic copyright. Copyrights ensure that people cannot take credit for your creation and they are more effective than watermarks. Without copyrights, there would be a lack of originality in creation.