Intro to Lightroom Classic
Seven free tutorials that take you through Lightroom Classic in the order you actually use it — importing and organizing a shoot, finding your best frames, editing them, then batching that work across hundreds of photos and exporting for print and web.
What You’ll Learn
Most people meet Lightroom Classic through its Develop sliders and never really leave. That works until the day you come back from a shoot with six hundred photos and no system for finding the good ones. This free series covers Lightroom Classic in the order the work actually happens — get the photos in, find the keepers, edit one properly, then apply that work across the whole shoot and get it out the door.
- Import and organize Getting photos off the card and into a catalog that still makes sense in two years: folder structure, keywords, collections, and what Lightroom is actually doing to your files.
- Filter and favorite Flags, star ratings and color labels used as a workflow rather than decoration, so culling six hundred frames down to twenty takes minutes.
- Edit photos The core Develop panel — exposure, contrast, white balance and tone — taught as decisions rather than slider positions.
- Advanced photo editing Local adjustments, masking, and the corrections that separate a processed photo from a finished one.
- Batch edit Sync, auto-sync and copy-paste settings, which is where Lightroom stops being a photo editor and starts being a production tool.
- Build and use presets Making your own, applying them intelligently, and understanding why a preset is a starting point rather than a finish.
- Export correctly Sharpening for output, color space, sizing and file format for print, web and client delivery.
Who This Series Is For
Anyone opening Lightroom Classic for the first time, and anyone who has used it for years without ever learning the catalog properly. The second group is larger than people admit — it is entirely possible to edit good photos in Lightroom for a decade while quietly dreading the Library module.
It also suits photographers moving up from phone editing or from Lightroom’s cloud version, who need the desktop catalog model explained rather than assumed.
No prior Lightroom knowledge is needed. If you can find your photos on your computer, you can start here.
What You Need
- Lightroom Classic Any recent version. The panels have moved over the years but the workflow has not.
- Your own photos Ideally a real shoot with more frames than you want to edit — that is where the organizing lessons pay off.
- Some disk space Lightroom leaves your original files where they are, but previews and the catalog take room.
- About seven sittings One tutorial each.
A calibrated monitor matters if you intend to print, but it is not needed to follow along.
How Long It Takes
Seven tutorials, each short enough to finish in one sitting. Most people work through the series across a week or two.
Do them in order the first time. The later tutorials assume you have a catalog set up and photos flagged — batch editing makes very little sense until you have something to batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this series free?
Yes. All seven tutorials are free to watch.
Lightroom Classic or the newer Lightroom?
This series covers Lightroom Classic, the desktop version with a local catalog. It is still what most working photographers use for volume. The editing lessons apply almost identically in the cloud version; the catalog, folder and import lessons are Classic-specific.
Do I need Photoshop as well?
No. Everything here happens in Lightroom. Photoshop becomes useful later, for images that need retouching or compositing beyond what Lightroom does.
What is a catalog, and can I break it?
The catalog is a database of where your photos live and what you have done to them — it does not contain the photos themselves. That is explained properly in the first tutorial, because misunderstanding it is the single most common source of Lightroom panic.
What should I do after this?
30 Days of Lightroom goes considerably deeper across a month, and is also free. This series is the foundation it assumes.
Where to Go Next
Start the Series
Begin with import and organizing. Every later lesson assumes a catalog that is set up properly.
On This Page
PHLEARN PRO
Hundreds of tutorials on Lightroom, Photoshop and photography, with sample files throughout.
Lighroom Classic is a powerful tool for photographers and image makers. Start learning the basics as we show you how to import and organize your photos within Lightroom and on your computer!
Sample Images Included
Thousands of photos to go through after a photoshoot? No problem! Learn how to use Lightroom Classic to quickly sort, filter, and choose your favorite images.
Sample Images Included
Learn all of the photo editing tools Lightroom Classic offers to help you fix exposure, recover detail, correct colors, color tone, and much more!
Sample Images Included
Let’s explore some of the more powerful and precise editing tools that Lightroom has to offer! Learn how to apply adjustments to specific parts of a photo using the Graduated and Radial Filters, the Adjustment Brush, Range Masking, and more.
Sample Images Included
Learn how to fix common issues across a series of images, prepare a large collection of work for a client, and quickly create multiple versions of a photo–all with batch editing in Lightroom!
Sample Images Included
When you’re looking for the perfect preset but can’t seem to find it, try making your own! Follow along as we create a vintage film look and then turn it into a brand new Lightroom Preset.
Sample Images Included
In the final episode of our Intro to Lightroom Classic series, we show you how to export your photos so you can share them with the world! Learn how to use the Export Dialog in Lightroom to name your files, resize images, and even create export presets!
Sample Images Included