I love Lightroom.. after waffling between Aperture and Lightroom when both came out a few years back, I committed to Lightroom in the end. While it’s been a bit rocky (their database recovery just plain sucks), I love how the program integrates into Photoshop and lets me most of the grunt work before I get into Photoshop.
The one thing so far that drives me just nuts is that when you export a collection of images as a new catalog, Lightroom does NOT export the presets you used with the original database. I found this out the hard way when I exported a collection for a road trip, opened them on the road and all my custom presets were not there. This was most irritating as one can imagine.
To fix this strange oversight by Adobe (but I can understand it in a way, when you export for a client, they do not get the presets or should not), you can easily fix it by going to preference menu and click on the presets tab. You will see a tick box that is off by default and controls if the presets will be stored with the catalogs. Tick it ON and your presets will be copied to all new exported catalogs.
You can always copy the presets by taking a copy of the Lightroom presets folder and replacing the Lightroom folder on the target machine. An easy way to get the folder while still on the preference pane, you can click a button that will show the folder.
Warning. This is a very SHORT post.. of course, that might not be a bad thing 
One of the things a photographer can use to make an image something special from just another average picture, is the use of textures in the development of the image. A good choice of texture can really add something to an image. It can add that something special to really make an image pop or look “grungy” or just add some very cool visual interest.
There are a wealth of textures on Flickr for free under the CC (Creative Commons) copyright.
Old Film
Grungy walls
Metals
Sticky Tape
You can find a nice tutorial on Flickr by Ayush.Bhandari
Photoshop Texture Tutorial
Here are 25 different tutorials on using Textures in Photoshop. You get the normal surface texture but cool ones like using textures with a displacement mask, making grunge style textures and more
25 Tutorials
I just read an interesting piece about lens scratches and how they impact (or not) pictures. The popular myth (more on this later) is that scratches are the devil. I’ve seen very expensive lenses sold for pennies on the dollar due to a scratch on the front element, not even a big scratch, just enough to be seen. And when someone finds one, oh my, let the hair pulling and wearing of sack cloth and ashes commence. You would think the world had just ended.
One of the companies I have used to rent lenses from, Lensrentals.com, put up a very cool piece on this with some pictures. They showed two pictures of a trash can and a close up of a alignment card. Both looked ok, not super sharp or contrasty but better than a typical point and shoot. Then came the coup d’etat in the form of a picture of the lens used to shoot the prior two images. Oh my god, a wide angle had taken a hit dead center and splintered into a dozen pie shaped pieces held together by friction and the outer barrel of the lens.
Picture 1
PIcture 2
Article here:
I think this puts to rest any notion that a tiny scratch on the front element is fatal to a lens. Of course, if someone has a scratched 70-200mm VR Nikon lens for sale, I’d be happy to remove your source of grief for a small amount of cash, it IS flawed after all
According to tests, a black marker or better, matte black paint filling the scratch will prevent it from adding any flare or other visual artifacts by keeping stray light from bouncing off the scratch and showing up on the image.
This also pushes back on the idea of using a filter to “protect” your front element. I’m personally in the middle on this. If I’m shooting in a studio, no filter. If I’m at a kids party or traveling, always a filter to keep the crap off the lens. I can always remove it when I want the absolute best image but it does stop finger prints, small rocks, dust, stray nerf darts and whatnot from impacting on the lens element itself.
So read the article at Lensrentals.com and watch the video from Digital Photography Tips from the Top Floor and make up your own mind. It’s definitely food for thought if you can get past the myth of scratched lenses are junk. And in my opinion, it’s a busted myth.
