According to one image-editing expert, “The more troubleshooting I do for folks in Lightroom, the more I realize that a lot of problems stem from how the photos are imported into Lightroom.” The quick tutorial below explains three “best practices” for getting the job right.

Chrissy Donadi is an accomplished nature and landscape photographer, and an instructor we haven’t worked with before. She’s also an adept Lightroom user who shares practical, timesaving strategies for using the program more efficiently.

In this straightforward episode you’ll learn what Donadi considers the smartest and easiest way to import photos into Lightroom for a streamlined and faster workflow. In barely nine minutes she walks you through her method for importing Raw files and DNGs, how to avoid importing duplicate photos, and more.

Donadi demonstrates the approach she recommends, and she discusses several potential problems to avoid when importing images. She begins by opening Lightroom’s Library module and discusses the various choices available. As you’ll see, her preference is to simplify processing tasks whenever possible

Many users don’t realize that they have the option of telling Lightroom to import images in the Raw format or as DNGs—the latter being an acronym for “Digital Negative” that’s Adobe’s open-source, lossless Raw format. If you look closely at the top of the Library module you’ll see there are buttons for indicating your choice.

Donadi explains how DNG works like this: “It takes your camera’s proprietary Raw file—i.e. NEF when using a Nikon—and converts it into Adobe’s version of a Raw file. This way the converted file “will contain all your edits in a file that can be seamlessly synced across all Adobe applications.”

It’s important to understand potential pitfalls when using the DNG format. One is that it’s a one-way street; in other words, once the original file is converted you can’t change your mind and make a U-Turn. Another consideration is that DNG files may lose some metadata specific to the manufacturer of your camera, like Nikon’s Picture Control Profiles or Sony’s Pixel-Shift technology.

The foregoing is just a small taste of what you’ll learn in this eye-opening lesson. But by following Donadi’s suggestions the task of importing images into Lightroom will be easier and more effective than ever before. There are more Lightroom tips and tricks on Donadi’s YouTube channel, so pay a visit and see what else she has to offer.

And don’t miss the tutorial we posted recently from another post-processing expert, explaining everything you need to know about Lightroom’s important Lens-Correction settings.

Many photographers are confused by the fact that some modern cameras have two shutters; a conventional mechanical one and another that’s electronic. The explainer below from the Montana-based Rocky Mountain School of Photography (RMSP) demystifies the difference.

Forrest de Saintonge (we’ll call him Forrest) is the founder and lead instructor of RMSP that’s been training budding photographers since 1989.  In the episode below he explains the difference between mechanical and electronic shutters, their pros and cons, and when you may want to use one instead of the other.

Before jumping into the details Forrest explains how to determine if your camera includes an electronic shutter, and where to find the setting within the menu. As he notes, “If you have a DSLR (as opposed to a mirrorless camera) “There’s a slim chance that you’ll have the ability to flip between electronic and mechanical shutters.”

Many mirrorless models do include this option, but they typically arrive from the factory with the mechanical shutter enabled by default. Forrest uses the image of a camera sensor to explain the difference between the two types of shutters, which makes the concept very easy to understand.

As you’ll see, a mechanical shutter employs two curtains that block light from hitting the sensor except during the moment when you capture an image with whatever shutter speed setting you use. Electronic shutters work differently: “Instead of the entire sensor capturing light, the sensor actually reads light one row of pixels at a time at a time.” The illustration provided makes this easy to understand.

Technicalities notwithstanding, the real point is what all this means when shooting photographs, so you can make the right choice of which shutter you use depending upon the task at hand. One advantage of electronic shutters is that they’re able to shoot at much higher shutter speeds than their mechanical counterparts. There are other positive attributes too.

Like many technological choices, however, modern electronic shutters involve tradeoffs and there are a few potential pitfalls as well. As you’ll see, the most important disadvantage to consider is what’s known as the “rolling shutter” effect.

There’s much more worthy of note in this 11-minute video, and by the time you’re done watching you’ll also be done with any confusion. Be sure to take a look at Forrest’s popular YouTube channel, where you’ll find more helpful explainers like this one.

We also recommend checking out another video tutorial we posted recently, with a well-deserved salute to an “under loved classic camera,” the Pentax K20D.

There’s an amazing new image-editing feature that many photographers have been awaiting for years; namely the ability to integrate Lightroom and Photoshop. The quick tutorial below from the Photoshop Café YouTube channel explains how it works.

Instructor Colin Smith is a Photoshop wizard, and he says this new capability is absolutely “transformational” because it enables you to use Photoshop and Lightroom together with unlimited flexibility and potential.

Smith covers a lot of ground in less that nine minutes, so you may want to take a few notes. Before opening a couple images in Photoshop he demonstrates how to select which version of the program you want to use if there’s more than one on your system. All this requires is a quick trip to the Settings menu.

The key to using this powerful new technique, before doing anything else, is to select “Open as Smart Object Layers in Photoshop” from a subsequent dropdown menu. Then you’re ready to go, with access to the original image with every edit you make.

Once everything is set up properly, Smith walks you through a variety of important adjustments using Lightroom and Photoshop in tandem. You’ll see how to edit the Smart Object in Camera Raw, as well as how to edit the Smart Object with Photoshop and hide the background.

There are a variety of other helpful tricks, like editing Lightroom Masks in Photoshop, and how to adjust the Photoshop files from Lightroom. Another cool trick is creating what’s known as a “Nested Smart Object,” and he explains how to access the Nested Layers.

Smith ends the episode with a straightforward recap of the workflow demonstration, to make sure you got everything right. And he explains how you can obtain his free Presets for further streamlining the process.

There’s much more to see on Smith’s instructional YouTube channel, so be sure to pay a visit and subscribe.

We also suggest you take a look at the video tutorial we posted from another imaging expert recently, explaining how to give outdoor photos the “Orton Glow” effect in Photoshop.