Lightroom forensics - in forensis

I came across an outstanding paper from Sam Peisert, Matt Bishop (both from UC Davis), and Keith Marzullo (UC San Diego) called Computer Forensics In Forensis.

Here's the abstract:

"Different users apply computer forensic systems, models, and terminology in very different ways. They often make incompatible assumptions and reach different conclusions about the validity and accuracy of the methods they use to log, audit, and present forensic data. In fact, it can be hard to say who, if anyone is right. We present several forensic systems and discuss situations in which they produce valid and accurate conclusions and also situations in which their accuracy is suspect. We also present forensic models and discuss areas in which they are useful and areas in which they could be augmented. Finally, we present some recommendations about how computer scientists, forensic practitioners, lawyers, and judges could build more complete models of forensics that take into account appropriate legal details and lead to scientifically valid forensic analysis."

It's written about Computer Forensics, but a lot of the themes carry over to our work and our on-going discussion and debate about how to best utilise these artistic tools in a "forensic" setting.

Here's a good quote:

"Those involved in computer forensics often do not understand one other. Groups have evolved separately with only little interaction. Each group has largely separate conferences, journals, and research locations, and few attempts have successfully brought these groups together. Indeed, the language used to describe computer forensics and even the denition of the term itself varies considerably among those who study and practice it: computer scientists, commercial ventures, practitioners, and the legal profession. As a result, it is dicult for these groups to communicate and understand each others' goals." Amen.

Computer crimes folks preach removing the power cord as a method of shutting down a system. Yet, do that to many Linux based DVRs and you'll loose everything. We seem to be working in the same area of technology, but we each have our issues and the things that are of vital importance.

It's an outstanding paper and well worth reading.

Enjoy.

Lightroom catalogs

I wasn't sure how well the last post would go off when I put it up here. I said that I was looking into the issue and believed that I owed everyone the answer, good or bad or otherwise. The week's e-mails let me know how everyone felt about what I had to say. The responses weren't all that favourable. Here's a response to many of them:

"A catalog is how Lightroom tracks the location of files and remembers information about them. It’s like a database that contains a record of your photos. This record is stored in the catalog and contains data, such as preview information, links that indicate where the photos are located on your computer, metadata that describes the photos, and editing instructions recorded in the Develop module. When you rate photos, add metadata and keyword tags, organize photos into collections, or remove photos from the catalog—even when the original photo files are offline—the settings are stored in the catalog." - From Adobe.com

"The Lightroom catalog is a database ..." - From Adobe.com

Over on the Forensic Photoshop blog, I've posted a description of a recent decision regarding Metadata and discovery from the 2nd Cir. "Examples include ... database information."

If the Lightroom Catalog is a database that contains information, including Metadata, which may pertain to a case; and Metadata is discoverable ... then is your Lightroom catalog discoverable? With the latest trends in e-discovery, why would anyone not want to know the answers?

I never said it was or wasn't. I said to check with your council and to use it with caution. I also said that I love using it in private work, which is where I use it (exclusively). 

With this discussion behind us ... let's move on. Until then, enjoy.

Yah, yah ... I know

I know it's been a while since I've posted here. It's certainly not from a lack of working on and in Lightroom. I've been bouncing off the walls validating the program, then the upgrade ... talking with the engineers ... talking with legal experts ... and much more.

The update to all this and the determination we've all been waiting for:

Use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom with caution in the criminal justice / law enforcement world ... and only after having a serious discussion with your legal team.

This opinion (which is entirely my own) has nothing to do with how Lightroom works with images (edits, tonal controls, etc.) It has everything to do with e-discovery and record retention rules and how they vary from state to state.

For those like Adobe's Rick Miller and Julieanne Kost, who have photography passions outside their office, Lightroom is a great tool. They may have one catalog for personal stuff, and one catalog for professional stuff. Organising things inside each catalog is simple and efficient.

Unfortunately, those of us in the LE world have to deal with discovery. Depending on the jurisdiction, that catalog may be discoverable (it is, after all, a "document" that relates to the case). If the catalog is open for discovery, then you don't necessarily want to mix cases within the same catalog (you may in "serial" situations). This leaves you with hundreds or thousands of catalogs over time.

Again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's just an organisational headache. Additionally, there isn't a way (currently) to search across catalogs. This combined with a (current) lack of network support makes it harder to manage in multi-user environments.

From what I've gathered, these issues won't be addressed soon. Remember, the LE market is tiny compared to the prosumer and professional photography market. We may be professional photographers ... but we have to answer to an entirely different client once that image has been captured.

Don't get me wrong. As a professional photographer, I love the program and use it almost daily (in private practice). For the "one-man cop shop" it may be the best thing for you in terms of asset management. Just use it with care and with a sound knowledge of how the program works under the hood.

I'd be happy to get into more detail off-line. In the mean time ... we'll resume the previously scheduled weekly posts next Thursday. We've got a lot of catching up to do.

Until then ... enjoy.

Lightroom 2 Adventure

There's been a bunch of new books on the market ... as always happens when a new version is released. I came across Photoshop Lightroom 2 Adventure by Mikkel Aaland and really loved it, so I had to share a bit about it.

First off, I like the premise: learning the tools wrapped in an adventure format - traveling around Tasmania and Iceland. There's a lot of information to digest, and the adventure format helps you to digest it easily. Plus the interesting stories related to the pictures used keeps things lively.

Also, it was cool to see a small feature on each of the contributing photographers. My particular favourites were the self-portrait of Maki Kawakita (pg 180-1) and Peter Eastway's Peninsula Storm (pg. 8-9).

And there's tons of tips and tricks throughout - like pressing L to engage the Lights Out feature. Give it a try - it's great for presentations.

Check it out on O'Reilly by clicking here. It's definitely worth the read.

PPhotoshop and Lightroom Integration - Part 3

If we've checked the Stack with original box on the way out to Photoshop, the rest of the process should be an easy one. Once you've preformed your clarification in Photoshop and saved the copy file, it should be tucked neatly away with the original in the same folder when you are done.

For the "what should I do in Photoshop?" question ... click here.

In other news ... Adobe Labs has a released candidate for Lightroom 2.1 available for download. Check it out by clicking here.

Photoshop and Lightroom Integration - Part 2

I've received a bunch of e-mails about working Lightroom into the workflow. Lightroom is great for managing your photos and/or getting them off of your camera. It's also a great little program for making quick adjustments. But what about using it with Photoshop? It's really easy.

We just looked at setting up Lightroom to make this process as easy as possible. Now, let's look at how it works.

After you've imported the image and made whatever adjustments are necessary in Lightroom, click on Cmd-E/Ctrl-E to open the Edit with Photoshop dialog. You can also find it in the menu by clicking on Photo>Edit In>Edit in Adobe Photoshop CS3 (assuming you have CS3 loaded, of course).

You are then presented with a dialog box and three options.

1. Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments - (RAW shooters, this is your only option) this applies the adjustments that you just made in Lightroom to the image, then opens it up in Photoshop.
2. Edit a Copy - just like it sounds, you'll open up a copy of the image in Photoshop ... but the Lightroom adjustments won't be applied.
3. Edit Original - again, just like the box says ... we're working on the original image here. It should go without saying that this option is not recommended for our work.

For me, I choose the first option most of the time. After all, what's the point of using the cool correcting features of Lightroom, only to abandon them on the way to Photoshop?

Stack with original should be checked so that Lightroom will keep your Photoshop edited version with the original image, making it easier to keep organised.

Next we'll see what happens when we get to Photoshop and back again. Until then, enjoy.

Photoshop and Lightroom Integration - Part 1

One of the first things we need to do in working these two programs together is to get our Preference settings synchronised.

In the Lightroom Preferences, click on External Editing. You'll be given a series of choices. For File Format, I generally choose PSD because it results in smaller files sizes. Choosing PSD has its issues, as the dialog describes (we'll go over this later). Regular readers of my blogs will already know my preference for ProPhoto RGB as the Color Space to work in, as well as the benefits of working in 16 bit mode. For Resolution, I've chosen what works best with my particular printer.

Once I've set these, I can move on to Photoshop to make sure that these two are playing nicely together. Upon choosing PSD, Lightroom warns us that we need to make sure that we select Maximize Compatibility in Photoshop or we'll face dire consequences, up to and including death by flogging. To do this, we open the Preferences dialog in Photoshop.

In the File Handling section, we can select to Always Maximize PSD Compatibility. You can set it to Ask, but you'll quickly tire of clicking the OK button each time.

In the next installment, we'll look at what happens when you want to move from Lightroom to Photoshop. Until then ... enjoy.