If you want to learn how to use Lightroom Classic CC, there are plenty of options at your disposal. We cover the pros and cons of five different methods to learn Lightroom, from getting started to more advanced usage.

Five Ways to Learn How to Use Lightroom Classic CC

Learning how to use Lightroom Classic CC seems like a never-ending task. I think most of us choose a method to get started, and then mostly stick with what we know.

There are two problems, though:

* Most of us learn Lightroom in different ways

* Most teachers seem to only teach Lightroom the same way

As you listen to the podcast, you'll see that Lee has a very unusual way of working with Lightroom. While it wouldn't work for me, her method reminds me that one size of training isn't right for everyone.

That's why we wanted to discuss some of the different ways to learn how to use Lightroom Classic CC, and give our thoughts on the pros and cons of each method.

Learning by Doing

At some point, we all learn by doing. I think it works best after you had an introduction to go over the basics, but some people like to just dive right in and start pressing buttons, moving sliders, and finding out what happens when you do something.

To be honest, that's not my style. I remember when I was a kid and my father wanted me to do something. If I replied, “I don't know how”, he'd belt out a loud voice with one word: “Learn!”

Now I loved my Dad (he's gone), but these were never my favorite moments.

How do you even know where to start? Mind you, it's much safer to start playing with Lightroom if you don't have any guidance than it was to learn how to work the lawn mower. It can still feel intimidating.

Lee's method of learning how to use the tools in the Lightroom Develop module is something I thought was pretty clever.

She got a number of Lightroom Presets to apply to her photos, and then started analyzing what changes they made. Some were just sliders that globally adjusted the photo, but she also looked for the tell-tale dots that indicated a Gradiant or other masking tool that had a Local adjustment.

The key to learning by doing isn't just to see what happens when you move a slider or use a masking tool. You want to uncover the reason why you would choose that tool to do your photo development.

As with most things in photography, it's important to find your answer to “why?”

Learning by Reading

Learning by reading used to only refer to books or magazines, but clearly a lot of people reach for a search engine result before shelling out money to buy a book for simple problems.

I bet someone find this post before they buy a Lightroom book.

That said, I still like to purchase and learn from Lightroom books. I have a growing collection of book reviews on my site from authors like Scott Kelby and Joe McNally.

So how do you know when to use a search for an article or if it's time to go buy a book?

If I have a one-off problem, I typically start with a Google search. That's because I already know how to use Lightroom for my basic needs. However, there are features that I don't use frequently. If I wanted to create a photo book in Lightroom, I'd probably start with a search engine to supplement what I already know about Lightroom.

Books are better for those who want to get started with Lightroom, or perhaps use as a reference for a new version of Lightroom. There are some features that I just don't use often, but it's nice to know where to find the answer. Google searches are nice,