Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 2 for Digital Photographers Only

foreword

Writing a book is somewhat like giving a presentation — which Rob, by the way, does many times a year and does very well.

In a presentation, the presenter must grab the audience's attention in the first few seconds. Body language and enthusiasm help during those critical moments. That attention must then be held with informative facts, but just as important, with entertaining wit and with eye-catching slides. And of course, the presenter's knowledge of the subject and energy is key.

Like a guitar solo, the presentation must have a beginning, middle, and end. It has to be well organized, or else the audience may get lost in a sea of facts. At the end of the presentation, the audience should say, if the presenter has done his or her job well, "That was one of the best presentations I've ever been to." That's different from, "I learned a lot," or "those were great photographs," and so on.

In reading the draft of Rob's book, I felt as though I was at one of his fun-filled and info-packed presentations, which I've attended many times, usually with standing-room only. Rob grabs the reader right up front, offering the features and benefits of Lightroom. I stress "and benefits" because, as I learned in my ten-year stint at a New York ad agency, stating only the features alone does little good unless you state the benefits as well.

I like Rob's title for this book, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 for Digital Photographers Only. If I were the copywriter, I'd add my own subtitle: Everything ...