Photo How To

Very few photographers prefer sitting behind the computer processing photos than being out in the field shooting with their camera. If this sounds familiar, and you use Lightroom to edit your images, the quick tutorial below is definitely worth a look.

That's because you'll learn five timesaving keyboard shortcuts in barely seven minutes for streamlining your workflow. Instructor Iwona Podlasinska a professional portrait photographer based in Poland, and she's a notable image-editing expert who has taught workshops across the globe—everywhere from Europe, Brazil, and China, to the U.S.

There are dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom, but In this episode Iwona has picked out five of her favorites that she insists every user "needs to know." At the top of the list is a shortcut that works just about everywhere in Lightroom whether you're working in the Library mode or the Develop mode. All you have to do is click the letter "I" on the keyboard, at which point you'll be presented with vital information about the image at hand.

Another quick trick involves tapping the letter "O" when cropping within the Develop module. By doing so you'll see various overlays with guides for The Rule of Thirds, the Golden Ratio, the Golden Spiral and others. You'll also be able to explore different aspect ratios for cropping the shot.

The next shortcut is helpful when using Edit Pins during masking. It this case the "H" key temporarily hides the Pins instead of making them disappear forever. Then hit the "H" key again whenever you want the Pins to reappear. Iwona demonstrates how this shortcut can be helpful for a variety of purposes, like when using Lightroom's Healing tool.

How about when you're making a selection within Lightroom's Library module and there are number of images you no longer want—either because they don't meet your standards or there are duplicates of the same shot? All you have to do is hit the letter "X" and the selected photos are rejected.

Iwona has two additional keyboard shortcuts that she deems essential, and you'll have to watch the remainder of the video to learn what they are. We're certain that by the time this lesson concludes you'll want to add these helpful shortcuts to your Lightroom bag of tricks.

There's much more to learn on Iwona's instructional YouTube channel, with helpful suggestions for elevating your shooting and image-editing skills.

And for another quick primer be sure to check out the tutorial we posted earlier in which a top pro demonstrates five basic techniques for using Curves to achieve better edits of your photographs.