Frequently asked questions and instructor notes
All our courses assume that each student has a personal computer to use during the class. Our hands-on approach to learning requires they do. This topic gives information on how to set up the classroom to teach this course. It includes minimum requirements for the students’ personal computers, setup information for the first time you teach the class, and setup information for each time that you teach after the first time you set up the classroom.
Hardware requirements
Each student’s personal computer should have:
· A keyboard and a mouse
· Intel Pentium 4 processor or better (Conversion and rendering can be very processor intensive, so a faster processor is recommended)
· 768 MB of RAM (1 GB recommended)
· 1GB of available hard-disk space in addition to the operating system
· A CD-ROM drive
· A monitor capable of displaying 1,024×768 pixels at Highest (32 bit) color quality
Software requirements
You will need the following software:
· Windows XP with Service Pack 2
· Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v. 1.4.1 (see note below)
· Epson Stylus Photo 2400R inkjet printer driver software and profiles, downloaded from the Internet
· Adobe Flash player, downloaded from the Internet
· Adobe Reader, downloaded from the Internet
Network requirements
The following network components and connectivity are also required for this course:
· Internet access, for the following purposes:
· Downloading the latest critical updates and service packs from www.windowsupdate.com
· Downloading supplementary software
First-time setup instructions
The first time you teach this course, you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.
1 Install Windows XP on an NTFS partition according to the software manufacturer’s instructions. If the student machines have Internet access, and they are behind a software or hardware firewall, install the latest critical updates and service packs from www.windowsupdate.com.
2 From the Control Panel, open the Display Properties dialog box and apply the following settings:
· Theme — Windows XP
· Screen resolution — 1024 by 768 pixels
· Color quality — High (24 bit) or higher
3 Display file extensions and hidden files.
a Start Windows Explorer.
b Choose Tools, Folder Options, and select the View tab.
c Clear the check box for Hide extensions for known file types.
d Select Show hidden files and folders, and click OK.
e Close Windows Explorer.
4 Install Adobe Photoshop Lightroom according to the software manufacturer’s instructions.
a Install Lightroom and start the program.
b If using an earlier version, you’ll be notified that there is an update available.
c Download and install the update.
(Note: this course was written with Lightroom version 1.4.1. There were numerous changes from the initial release v. 1.0, and a few changes from the packaged v. 1.1. There may be some changes evident with any later updates.)
5 Download and install the printer driver for the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 inkjet printer to create a “virtual printer” (one that you can select in the Print dialog box without having the physical printer connected), as follows:
a Navigate to the downloads page for the printer at www.epson.com.
b Download the most recent version of the printer driver for your operating system. At the time of this writing, the file for Windows XP was epson12334.exe.
c Run the installer.
d In the WinZip Self-Extractor dialog box, click Unzip.
e Follow prompts in the installer dialog boxes.
f In the EPSON Printer Utilities Setup dialog box, click Manual (unless you have this specific printer, in which case you can simply connect it).
g Under Available Ports, select XPSPort (Local Port) or LPT1.
h Click OK when prompted.
6 Download and install the glossy paper ICC profiles for the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 inkjet printer. The profiles are available at the same location on the Epson Web site as the printer driver.
a Navigate to the downloads page for the printer at www.epson.com.
b Download the ICC profiles for glossy paper. At the time of this writing, the file for Windows was epson12368.exe.
c Run the installer.
d In the WinZip Self-Extractor dialog box, click Unzip.
e Follow prompts in the installer dialog boxes.
7 Download and install the current Flash Player from www.adobe.com.
8 Download and install the current Adobe Reader
from www.adobe.com. Open Adobe Reader and accept the license agreement, then
close the program.
9 Configure Internet Explorer to display active
content.
a Open Internet Explorer and choose Tools, Internet Options.
b On the Advanced tab, under Security, check Allow active content to run in files on My Computer.
c Click OK.
d Close Internet Explorer.
10 Install the data for the course suing the disk supplied with this book.
Setup instructions for every class
Every time you teach this course (including the first time), you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.
1 Delete all files from the following folders (not the folders themselves) to reset any defaults that have been changed in previous classes, if necessary. (For a standard hard drive setup, the primary hard drive will be C:\).
a C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>\Application Data\Adobe\Lightroom\Develop Presets
b C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>\Application Data\Adobe\Lightroom\Metadata Presets
c C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>\Application Data\Adobe\Lightroom\Slideshow Presets
d C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>\Application Data\Adobe\Lightroom\Print Presets
e C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>\Application Data\Adobe\Lightroom\Preferences
2 Delete the Lightroom folder, if present, from the C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>\My Documents\My Pictures folder to force Lightroom to create a new library when opened.
3 Delete the contents of the Student Data folder, if necessary. (If this is the first time you are teaching the course, create a folder named Student Data at the root of the primary hard drive.)
4 Copy the data files to the Student Data folder. (See the download instructions in the preceding section.)
5 If you have access to monitor calibration or profiling hardware or software, calibrate and profile each student monitor (hardware calibration is preferable to software-only calibration). See “Hardware requirements” and “Software requirements,” above.
Topic B: Frequently asked questions
There are no frequently asked questions for this course at this time.
Topic C: Course notes
There are no notes for this course at this time.
Topic D: Additional information
There is no additional information for this course at this time.