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You are here: Home / Home / Home Neat Home: Blogging Behind The Scenes

March 23, 2011

Home Neat Home: Blogging Behind The Scenes

LRBeforeAfter2

A few words on my blogging process – and how I’ve automated as much as possible for quick and easy posting!

Click. Click. Click. Another breakfast captured digitally, in the highest resolution my camera allows.

IMG_4867Blog-2

I also could not blog and maintain happiness without my wonderful, wonderful HP Desktop. It has a widescreen monitor, Windows 7 and is super fast. I also have an HP Laptop – the dm4, which I also love with all my heart.

BLOG-9978

I import my photos into Adobe Lightroom through a slot on my computer.

I bought LR this winter for $180 from Buy.com. It was a wonderful purchase – saves me SO.much.time. Lightroom is made specifically for photo editing, so it makes the process very easy and automated. I think Ultimately Photoshop (the big daddy) is probably the BEST editing software, but I have never used it because I can’t afford it! [I edited with Adobe Elements for a long time and while I love the Pioneer Woman’s Actions, Lightroom saves me much more time than doing each photo by hand]

LRAuto

The Lightroom Presets are awesome. You can apply any kind of editing (warmer, brighten, sharpen) and SAVE the preset so the next time you need to do one – or MANY – things to a photo, you can do them in one click. These are the ones I have created and use daily, depending on the photo set I’m working with:

Presets

So then I start to apply the presets to the photos.

LRBeforeAfter

Real life is vibrant and alive. The camera can’t capture that 100%. I think of the editing process as adding back the vibrancy and beauty that the camera took away. I never change the composition of the photo, I just help it go from dull to vibrant.

LRBeforeAfter2

LRBeforeAfter4

LRBeforeAfter3

Another amazing feature of Lightroom is the SYNC button. You can apply a setting to one photo, push SYNC and it applies the setting to ALL of the photos you choose. So.much.time.saved.

LRSync

And of course you can always edit anything by hand, which I do do a lot, especially in unusual lighting or white balance conditions:

LRAdjustments

I’ve used Picasa to make some of the big collages I’ve posted in the past. But I’ve been using Lightroom recently to create smaller collages via templates.

On the PRINT tab, you can use templates to put photos together and then print as a JPG:

SmoothieBlog

This new JPG goes to my IMPORT folder and then automatically appears in my photo box below so I can keep on working!

LRPrint2

Here are templates that I have created and use frequently:

LRPrint

Once I am done editing (which now only takes me maybe 10-15 minutes instead of 30-45) I export the photos to a folder called BLOG UPLOAD. I probably only use about 50% of the photos I take, so BLOG UPLOAD only contains edited, resized photos that I plan to blog. The originals are all saved in a Lightroom folder that I rarely, if ever, reference. I delete the high-res photos every now and then.

LRExport

As the photos are exported, they also get resized to 600 px (my blog width) and compressed to 50% quality. I’ve tried hard to balance quality and size to reduce the load on my page and this seems to be working well for the time being.

LRresize

Again, everything is automated!!

At this point I open Windows Live Writer and Windows Live Gallery [both free Windows downloads!] Again, I could not blog without them!!

I quickly snap them to each side of my widescreen monitor and can see my post and all my photos at the same time:

Snap

WLG normally opens right to my BLOG UPLOAD folder:

WLGZoom2

BlogUpload

In Windows Live, you can simply copy and past photos into the page and write your text in between.

Two fun features are the fact that you can change all kinds of fonts right there and format just like a Microsoft Word doc.

Fonts

And Auto Linking! I set up so many things [like coconut butter or Angela or Barney Butter] on autolink so I never have to look them up.

Autolink

Once my post is done, I push publish and it magically sends everything to KERF!

Publish

KERF

 

 

 

 

 

 

I use WP Site Care for all my tech support – Ryan is a genius!

 

Check out this post for a list of servers and their ratings! 

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Comments

  1. J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:36 am

    You’ve convinced me to buy LIghtroom! I’ve heard amazing things about it. I typically edit in regular Photoshop, but this is a worthy investment. Can’t wait to try it!

    My Eye-Fi card still makes me paranoid, though. After I lost a whole set of Christmas photos 2 Christmases ago, I haven’t wanted to use it. But I might give it a try again. They contacted me right away and offered to restore my images, which was very nice. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Katie @ Nourishing Flourishing says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:37 am

    I love how you use your widescreen to write and view/anticipate/incorporate your photos at the same time. That is indeed the one challenge of a macbook for me — nice and compact, but some sacrifice involved with that 😉 Though I’m not complaining! Thanks for an informative post; it was fun to see your method!

    Reply
  3. Julie @ Lettuce Choose Healthy says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:40 am

    this is so interesting ..!!! I really need to work on imporving my photos

    Reply
  4. megan @ whatmegansmaking says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:41 am

    Thank you so much for this, it’s so helpful! I use picasa for all my editing, but I really want to buy photoshop elements. Now you’ve got me thinking about lightroom instead! And I’ve just started using live writer. Seriously, I’m so behind on all this stuff.

    Reply
  5. Angela (Oh She Glows) says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:47 am

    Love this post!! I’ve been using Lightroom since last summer and it has made me SO excited about photography now. I was always so disappointed when looking at my dull RAW images, but when I started using Lightroom everything changed. It is such a user-friendly program and I could not live without it. Also, when you shoot in raw, the vibrance is taken away, so you really do need to add ‘life’ back into the raw images using photo editing software.

    I had no idea about that Print function, but it looks like I will be trying it out soon! I have always done photo collages in Photoshop, but I had no idea you could do it in Lightroom too. 🙂 Fun stuff.

    Please tell me you use the cropping function too? That is one of my fav parts 🙂 twisting and turning and cropping…you can zoom in and have an entirely different photo by just a couple clicks.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 23, 2011 at 10:03 am

      I do crop occasionally, but I don’t know how to do the twists and turns!! You’ll have to do a tutorial on that soon 🙂

      Reply
  6. Holly @ The Runny Egg says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:49 am

    Thank you for this info Kath — I’m still working out a ton of kinks, but I feel like once I’m in a routine it won’t take me forever to write/publish a post!

    I downloaded WLW last night and I can’t wait to try it out!

    Reply
  7. Alaina says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:51 am

    I love love LOVE using Live Writer!! Such a time saver. Lightroom looks like a great program too. When (or if) I get a nicer camera, I may have to splurge on that. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:59 am

    This is an incredible post Kath! Thank you so much for sharing these tips. I had no idea all that goes into the photo process… definitely a work of art! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Gretchen @ Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen! says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:04 am

    This is fantastic, Kath! I use Lightroom as well, but never have taken advantage of any of the pre-sets or automatic functions, like brightening upon import. I will definitely have to spend some time playing around with that now! This also makes me painfully aware of how awesome Windows Live Writer is, but until I retired my beautiful Macbook child, I fear I won’t be able to jump on that train.

    Thanks for the glimpse behind the curtain at KERF! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Lisa Rainer @ Healthful Sense says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:07 am

    Very informative. U are super organized! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Lea @ Healthy Coconut says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:08 am

    Thanks for sharing with us the process. You have really streamlined your blogging process, so cool to see what I can look forward to in the future if I ever invest in that editing tool or other photo tools.

    Thanks Kath.

    Reply
  12. Ash @ Good Taste Healthy Me says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:08 am

    This software looks pretty awesome! You must be pretty quick with it now. I don’t care for Picasa that much. It slows my computer down so much. I use it only when I really have to.

    Reply
  13. Eliza says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:10 am

    I love Lightroom, too, but I’d recommend being careful of too many adjustments with the photos. It’s easy to make them look too blown out. A good white balance corrector on your camera can help make those adjustments before you even take a snap!

    Reply
  14. Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:11 am

    I loved this post Kath! It’s so interesting to see the processes that other bloggers use. I’m bookmarking this for sure! I haven’t used LiveWriter before (or I guess Ecto in my case because I’ve got a Mac) but I’m considering making some changes to my blog over the coming months so I appreciate learning about what you use!

    Reply
  15. Amy says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:13 am

    This post has convinced me I could never be a blogger (any more than as a hobby) – I do not have the patience for photography + technology! I do love how much brighter your photos look in the “after” section, though. What a big difference!

    Reply
  16. Ashley (The Vegetable Life) says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:14 am

    Wow such an awesome insight into KERF! Love it!

    Reply
  17. Kerry says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:14 am

    Wow! Now I know why your pictures always look so FANTASTIC and vibrant – camera’s really do take that away normally! Thanks for all the tips ! I’ve just started a blog so I’m muddling through at the moment – as always you’re the paragon of organisation!

    Reply
  18. Anne @ Baking Me says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:16 am

    This is such great information! Thanks for sharing. I will definitely be using these tips to help streamline my photos 🙂

    Reply
  19. Erin says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:17 am

    Wow, this makes my head hurt! Haha. I’m just starting with my blog, so I’m nowhere near this kind of stuff, but it’s a great thing to see regardless. I’m impressed 🙂

    Reply
  20. Anastasia says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:18 am

    What an awesome post! I’ve never heard of a wi-fi memory card, but I’m definitely going to get one! That’s just so neat.

    Reply
  21. Canadian Colleen says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:25 am

    Thanks Kath
    I really enjoyed learning all this stuff, I have considered my own blog but concerned of time involved. You’ve shown me that software is available to help with time restraints.

    Reply
  22. laurie says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:28 am

    I’ve read your blog since Day 1 and your creativity and passion never cease to amaze me! For someone who is still in the dinosaur ear when it comes to technology, I really appreciate all of the hard work and effort you put into your blog. KERF rules!!!!

    Reply
    • laurie says

      March 23, 2011 at 10:29 am

      I meant “era”!

      Reply
  23. Erin (Travel Eat Repeat) says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:38 am

    I wish there was a free program like Windows Live Writer for Macs — looks like such a time-saver as opposed to manually putting everything into WordPress!

    Reply
  24. Molly says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:39 am

    Great post, Kath! I want to be as neat and organized as you are when I grow up 🙂

    Reply
  25. Carlee says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:43 am

    A wifi memory card? How did I not know about this…I work in IT for heaven’s sake. I just started blogging back in September and the biggest hassel for me is plugging in to upload my photos. I will be heading to Best Buy ASAP to pick up one of these wifi memory cards for sure.

    I have been using Adobe Elements and so far it is working for me but I may have to investigate Lightroom now too.

    Great post Kath!

    Reply
  26. Heather I. says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:43 am

    This post is now at the top of my bookmarks and will stay that way! My husband loves lightroom, but I never knew of all its magnificence. Thank you for enlightening me! Awesome.

    Reply
  27. Stacey says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:48 am

    Greatly informative post! How do you know the width of your blog becasue I have trouble with that sometimes. The photos will be horizontal in windows live but when I upload them, they become vertical becasue it was too wide!!!!!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 23, 2011 at 10:54 am

      Because I designed the layout !? 🙂 Look in your theme for the content width and you can find the number

      Reply
      • Stacey says

        March 23, 2011 at 11:00 am

        Oh duh. Thanks I will be looking for that today.

        Reply
  28. Flourchild says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:52 am

    Oh my gosh..I have so much to learn…thank you so much for the information!!

    Reply
  29. Heather @ Get Healthy With Heather says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:55 am

    Wow I so need to work on my automation! Spending some time looking into these things this weekend for sure!

    Reply
  30. Alayna @ Thyme Bombe says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:06 am

    Tons of great information here! I’m on a Mac, so no LiveWriter for me. 🙁 I’ve been doing ok at using the standard WordPress editor quickly but I know LR would be so much better. Right now all of my photos get uploaded and edited in iPhoto, which is an ok program if you’re just managing personal photos, but I think you’ve just convinced me that for blogging I definitely need to pick up Lightroom at some point!

    Reply
  31. Natalia - a side of simple says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:07 am

    The wonderful magic behind KERF 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing the details! It’s really inspired me in terms of blogging and, of course, office setup 😉

    Reply
  32. Marci says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:11 am

    Super informative even though I don’t use LR. I love to see behind the scenes stuff.

    Reply
  33. Kristi @ Hiding in Honduras says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:11 am

    Thanks for talking about Lightroom…I’ve been curious. I love the Sync and Presets!

    Reply
  34. rebecca lustig says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:14 am

    love the HP/windows 7 shoutout! I love my hp laptop, just bought it a year ago and have had no problems since purchasing

    Have a great day,
    Rebecca
    http://fromheretothereinpurple.blogspot.com
    http://twitter.com/rlustig

    Reply
  35. Mary (What's Cookin' with Mary) says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:21 am

    Holy high tech system Kath! Your method seems so easy and fool proof. I def need some software that makes ‘light editing’ easy. Sometimes my best shot is dark or whites aren’t balanced and I can’t use them bc I have no editing abilities. Great post. Love how your pics automatically upload. This prob makes like SO much easier for you. WAY less time to make super cool/ pretty posts!

    Reply
  36. Katie says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:21 am

    Such a great post! I am so glad you did this post, I really am intrigued by the light room! I have never heard of that! Your pics always look amazing as ever! Thanks for a great post!!

    Reply
  37. Laughter-Loving Stacy says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:33 am

    That blog exporter is so cool! No wonder you can post 3 times a day and still live life, haha 🙂

    Reply
  38. Stacey (The Home-Cooked Vegan) says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:37 am

    I’m loving all of the presets! Sounds like it saves so much time 🙂

    I downloaded Windows Live Writer a few months ago and am SO GLAD that I did. I had been blogging the ancient way (through WordPress!). Each post would take forever, now it only takes about 15-20 minutes 🙂
    Yippee!!!

    Reply
  39. Heather says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:39 am

    Easy side by side windows is easily the greatest feature of windows 7 EVER:)

    Reply
  40. Lisa says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:43 am

    What a cool program! I recently started using a lightbox (which I love) but even with that some photos still need to be fixed. Thanks for the info!

    Reply
  41. lynn @ the actor's diet says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:49 am

    this makes me want a PC!!!

    Reply
  42. Emily @ One Sweet Vegan says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:55 am

    Thanks for telling us how you make blogging less time consuming. I wondered how you managed 3 times a day! 🙂

    Reply
  43. Nancy~The Wife of a Dairyman says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:56 am

    Great tips Kath! I’m bookmarking this post for future reference. We can only get sattelite internet service out on our farm…which is only a step up from dial-up and wish we can have high speed internet….my photos take FOREVER to download. Have a great day:)

    Reply
  44. Laura @Foodsnobstl says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:57 am

    What a great post. Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
  45. Gina says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm

    Photoshop is more of a “hands-on” editing software, although their are a few automated things you can do to edit your photo. If you are ever interested in trying it, you could always download a 30 day trial from Adobe.

    Reply
  46. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    Agree with you about Lightroom, it makes blogging so much more easier and fun 🙂

    Reply
  47. Amber from Girl with the Red Hair says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    Love this tutorial. I might have to get Lightroom now. I use photoshop to edit blog photos right now – but you’re right, it can take up to 30 – 45 minutes to edit all my photos and create my post. So time consuming sometimes!!

    Reply
  48. Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    I now officially want Lightroom. That is so cool how it has all the presets!

    Reply
  49. Lee @ RealLeeRunning says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:05 pm

    Amazing post. Thank you so much! You have no idea how helpful this is!!

    Reply
  50. Dimple Snatcher says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY appreciate this post, Kath. Thank you!!

    Reply
  51. Kathy @ newlywedindc says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:11 pm

    This is a fascinating post; thank you for doing it! Your photos are always so amazing and I just thought you had a great camera and lighting. 🙂 I’m impressed by how much you have automated.

    Could you do a follow-up post on how you blog when you’re on the road? That always seems really difficult to me.

    Also, I never heard of dressing a salad with honey and olive oil until I started reading your blog. I tried it today (atop spinach, orange segments, broccoli, and wild salmon) and it was excellent! Must get lavender salt next. Thanks for the idea!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 23, 2011 at 12:46 pm

      It’s exactly the same when I’m on the road except the Eye-fi isn’t set up. But I use the other 3 programs on my laptop. I’m slower (and so is my computer) but it’s still pretty seamless

      Reply
  52. Donna says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    Love Love Love this post
    Thank you for all the tips
    My BF uses LightRoom and i’ve always just used iPhoto on my macbook but thats going to change soon!
    My blog wants to be just like yours when it grows up 🙂

    Reply
  53. Parita @ myinnershakti says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    I like how you wrote this post up – very easy to follow and understand. Thank you! I really need to download Windows Live Writer. It’s on my to do list. 🙂

    Reply
  54. Janice Smith says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    As a blogger, this post was AMAZING. Helps give me some incite on how to be more efficient with my time.

    Only thought was… how much of this can be done on a Mac? Any thoughts/suggestions from Mac bloggers out there on suggested (preferably cheap/free) programs?

    Gracias!!!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 23, 2011 at 12:46 pm

      Sorry I’m not a Mac fan at all!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        January 10, 2017 at 4:39 pm

        I’m a professional designer, so I am a Mac fan — they are actually much, much, much more powerful than Windows machines when it comes to graphics and editing photos, but there’s a big difference between what the amateur/blogger requires and what the graphics/photography professionals require (that’s why you’ll find most of us professionals using Macs exclusively.) I don’t think there are many “cheap, easy” photo programs for Macs, because Macs are geared more towards higher-level users, but if you’re reading this now, Adobe offers Photoshop on a subscription-based basis and cloud-based software can be accessed anywhere. If you’re serious about digital photography and photo editing, Photoshop far, far, far exceeds lightroom — it is the go-to tool for the professional photo editor, and it is well worth the investment.

        Reply
        • KathEats says

          January 10, 2017 at 4:42 pm

          I am all Mac now in 2017!

          Reply
      • Emily says

        January 10, 2017 at 4:44 pm

        But, lightroom is the same deal these days — Adobe also offers lightroom as a subscription based service via the cloud. Lightroom offers all the basics that hobbyists need without the high-powered professional level tools that come with photoshop. If you’re not creating material for professional publication or high-level photo manipulation, Photoshop is probably overkill.

        Reply
    • Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says

      March 24, 2011 at 12:01 am

      If you figure it out, I’d love to know! Macs rock, but can make figuring certain things out overwhelming to me.

      Reply
    • Jack O'Brien says

      March 25, 2011 at 11:19 am

      I have a Mac and I use Aperture for my photo editing (does everything that lightroom does and it’s about the same price as well). It’s super easy to use and pretty intuitive.

      I’m not sure if Mac has a program like windows live writer…ill have to snoop around my computer today to see if there is one. I feel like it’d be in the iPage suite that came with our computers but that’s just me talking about of my butt.

      The eye-fi feature should work exactly the same though once you set it up on your computer. Random n00b question, does it upload to your computer once you’re in ANY sort of wifi-accessible zone or do you have to be on YOUR home network for it to work? Because if it uploads to your home computer/netbook no matter what wifi network you’re on i’m going to buy this shiz RIGHT now.

      Reply
      • Kelly says

        March 25, 2011 at 11:49 am

        I’m sure most of this can be done on a mac or at the very least, you can definitely get adobe lightroom for a mac, in fact most of the time the Adobe suite is run on macs since they tend to be widely used by the creative community. (I work in an advertising agency and all of our creatives and designers are exclusively on macs.) I wouldn’t be surprised if there are other blogging programs for mac as well, you may have to look around.

        The one thing I will say is that while I think photoshop is good for making signficant changes to the photo (i.e. removing the background completely, combining two photos together), for more basic changes like color correction, lighting, shadows, etc. I think lightroom is better and more intuitive. Unless someone has spent a lot of time playing around in photoshop or taken a class I think it’s unlikely they’ll use enough of the features to make the cost worth it. If anything, elements is a great choice.

        Reply
  55. Lindsay says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:23 pm

    Thank you for the Buy.com tip! I am looking to buy Lightroom and couldn’t find any deals, but its marked down on that website. Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      March 25, 2011 at 11:52 am

      Adobe software is one of those things that is hard to find on sale. That said, you can find some really good educational deals if you are a teacher or a student. At the time I bought mine I was and it reduced the price significantly. There is a verification process so you do have to have proof in order to qualify, but if you can it is a MUCH better deal.

      Reply
  56. Lauren @Hungry Dancer says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    Thank you for this post!! As a new blogger it’s priceless to see behind the scenes of some of the most successful blogs!! Very helpful and informative :)!!

    Reply
  57. Mara @ What's For Dinner? says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:26 pm

    I TOLD YOU that you’d love LightRoom 🙂 It’s been, by far, my favorite blog tool besides my new stove and my camera 🙂

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 23, 2011 at 12:47 pm

      You told me so!!!!

      Reply
  58. Katy @ A Healthy Shot says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:27 pm

    Awesome post! The wireless camera card would be a lifesaver! Have you ever blogged on a Mac? I’ve never use Live Writer, but none of the Mac software seems to compare to the rave reviews that Live Writer receives.

    Reply
  59. Stephanie @ LiveCookLove says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    I really need to get that memory card!! That alone would save me so much time!!!

    Reply
  60. chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    I need to star this post and read it over.. and over.. and over again.

    Reply
  61. Amber says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    I swear I saw you & Matt biking on an NBC 29 story this morning about Charlottesville’s plans to install “sharrows” (share the lane arrows) in an effort to make C’ville even more bike friendly. They have the text of the story up online, but no video to confirm my suspicions!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 23, 2011 at 12:47 pm

      Omg!!! I bet it was us 🙂 Wish I could see it!

      Reply
  62. Baking 'n' Books says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    How interesting. I’ve never even knew half of this existed 😉

    Uploading photos takes forever for me 🙁

    What is Windows Live Writer though? Does it connect to your Hotmail? When I looked at it before that’s what it seemed like and I couldn’t figure it out…

    Reply
  63. Kate @ NaturaStride says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:43 pm

    Thank you so much for this post! It was very informative – especially to a new blogger (like me!)
    I was planning on shopping around for some photo editing software this weekend too, ironically.
    PS – Made my first ever overnight oats last night – so good. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  64. Emily Malone says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:45 pm

    Superstaaaaaaaaar! 🙂

    Reply
  65. Jessica @ The Process of Healing says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:45 pm

    Thank you for sharing! I LOVE windows live writer, couldn’t blog without it!

    Reply
  66. Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    I loooooove Lightroom. Just wish I could use Live Writer on my mac.

    Reply
  67. Christie {Nourishing Eats} says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    Oh my goodness, I have always wondered how you made those collages!!! I use picasa all the time (i created my blog headers in it!) but never thought to do those cool collages that you do.

    Reply
  68. Keelie says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:50 pm

    Awesome! And your blog is gorgeous!

    Reply
  69. dee says

    March 23, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    Kath – I just wanted to say that you RAWK! Because seriously. You do. Thank you for this awesome series of posts. I find myself going back to them time after time. 🙂

    Reply
  70. Amy (Honey, Love and Other Things) says

    March 23, 2011 at 1:01 pm

    Great post! Especially for newbie bloggers like me. You’d think with the amount of things in my house that are wireless that I’d have an Eye-fi card, but now it’s totally on my list. Thanks Kath!

    Reply
  71. Hilary says

    March 23, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    Wow…so cool…and great information….very helpful. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  72. Hope says

    March 23, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    This is a very informative post! Thank you for sharing all of this information. I never knew so much editing goes into the pictures. Your pictures are always so beautiful! 🙂

    Reply
  73. Maggie says

    March 23, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    So interesting! Thanks for sharing. I’ve always wondered how you manage it all!

    Reply
  74. Emma (Namaste Everyday) says

    March 23, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    I am new to blogging and so this information is very helpful! thanks for sharing! especially because I believe you have the best pictures out there 🙂

    Reply
  75. Jen says

    March 23, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    You are amazing!!!!
    Is Windows Live something I can use with a WordPress blog?
    I am in love with Lightroom, must purchase SOON!!!! Thanks for all of the tips 🙂

    Reply
  76. Emily @ Savory and Savage says

    March 23, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    Thanks so much for posting on the blogging process. It answered so many questions I had about how people go about it.

    Great post!

    Reply
  77. Ella says

    March 23, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    wow, the amount of work you put into the blog is truly amazing. Theoretically we know it exists, but to see you break down one part of it gives much more appreciation!

    Reply
  78. Jillian @ Reshape Your Life says

    March 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm

    I love this post! I rarely edit my photos because it takes so much work to edit one by one in photoshop. I’ll have to look into getting lightroom now!

    Reply
  79. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says

    March 23, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    Kath you are never going to believe this but I have a post I was working on last night that’s set to auto-publish in about 45 minutes…all about Lightroom!!!

    That I got it (per your recommendation) and I wouldn’t say I am loving it…yet 🙂 Right now I am still in the “holy cow this is more computer program than my little brain knows what to do with” mode 🙂

    But even after 4-5 days, I am already getting more comfortable with it.

    I LOVE how you went into DETAIL about how you import the pics, where you put them, i.e. Blog Upload, what folders go where, and your discussion on the print/jpeg collage stuff, and also the presets.

    The presets that you use frequently…the “boost, clarity, light, sharp” and others that you have in that screenshot…I have LOOKED and looked! in all kinds of online forums and there are SO MANY options out there (a dizzying array!) but I havent found one that’s that “concise”. Do you know where you pulled it from?

    This post is a gem, Kath. Thank you for taking the time to write it! 🙂

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 23, 2011 at 10:39 pm

      I created the presets!! Just do some stuff and then go up to the top menu…there’s a “create new preset” and you can do it with the settings you have applied

      Reply
  80. Ashley @ Feeding Ashley says

    March 23, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    That was total information overload, but I loved it. I didn’t know about the automatic linking! That is so cool. I’m still wondering whether I should shed out the $ for light room or keep working with picasa and elements.

    Reply
  81. Allie (Live Laugh Eat) says

    March 23, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    Isn’t it funny how everyone has they’re own little tricks and methods? I loved getting to experience your method in person back in Oct. I don’t think I’m “professional” enough to invest in a nice computer though. Maybe in a few years/decades/lifetimes.

    I choose the photos I want for the blog first and then only edit those. That helps me cut down a lot of time. I also try not to edit too much because I think it can start to look too fake. I try to get the best photo while snapping.

    Lightroom just arrived at my doorstep 5 min. ago. I do like the Canon Software a lot though.

    Reply
  82. Sana says

    March 23, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    Best post everrr 🙂

    Reply
  83. Caileigh says

    March 23, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    wow, I’ve always wondered why your porch is so bright and sunny all the time, never even considered that to be in the editing! whoops!

    Reply
  84. erica says

    March 23, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    i think i’m gonna go and get lightroom!
    wow. i’m amazed!

    Reply
  85. Allison @ Happy Tales says

    March 23, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    holy wow. i LOVE this post!!!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain to us how you do your thang… i myself use wordpress and couldn’t imagine NOT using it… hence why macs seem unappealing to me now 🙂

    Reply
  86. [email protected] says

    March 23, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    Seriously? You could use this post as a book proposal to write a how-to manual for bloggers.

    I’m SO impressed with how automated you’ve been able to make your blog, and if/when I decide to get more serious with mine, I am SO coming back to this post!

    (I’m really serious about the book though…goldmine!)

    Reply
  87. Silvia @ skinny jeans food says

    March 23, 2011 at 3:46 pm

    Great post! BTW, if you are a student or teacher there are $99 options for Lightroom off the Adobe website.

    Reply
  88. Melissa says

    March 23, 2011 at 3:49 pm

    Wow. Just wow. I knew I didn’t know a lot about blogging, but I had no idea how much I didn’t know! This is eye-opening! And so helpful! Thanks, Kath! I need to try some of this stuff STAT!

    Reply
  89. emily says

    March 23, 2011 at 3:52 pm

    Random Windows Live Writer question – when you use it do two sets of your photos get saved on your blog. When I’ve used WLW if I check my media folder (using WordPress) I see two copies of each photo. I reeeeeeeally want to use WLW but I’m concerned about wasting blog space.

    Kath or anyone???????

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 23, 2011 at 10:43 pm

      Hmmm. I know I had a problem on KERF that was similar. I honestly don’t know if it was ever resolved. That’s beyond my tech expertise!

      Reply
  90. Fallon says

    March 23, 2011 at 4:25 pm

    WOW Lightroom is so user friendly!! Great post. Must start Birthday/Christmas list now =P

    Reply
  91. Sharon says

    March 23, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    WOW! Thanks for the insight into how you manage to blog so often. I definitely have some tricks to learn!

    Reply
  92. Ashley says

    March 23, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    Stellar post Kath!!! 🙂

    Reply
  93. Jess (Sweet Potato) says

    March 23, 2011 at 6:17 pm

    Thanks for this post! Its so interesting to see how you do what you do!

    Reply
  94. Lindsey says

    March 23, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    Thanks for posting this!! Super helpful! I think you’ve got me wanting a PC when I purchase my next desktop

    Reply
  95. staceyhealthylife says

    March 23, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    Great tips, thank you!!!!

    Reply
  96. Tracy @ Commit To Fit says

    March 23, 2011 at 7:25 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing, great post! I am hearing a lot about Windows Live Writer, I will have to check it out. I am up for anything that makes my life easier 🙂

    Reply
  97. Amykinz says

    March 23, 2011 at 7:37 pm

    Amazing! I wonder if there are similar programs for a MacBook?

    Reply
  98. Lisa says

    March 23, 2011 at 8:30 pm

    With the Ed discount (students or school employees), LR3 is $79 and Photoshop CS5 is $169!

    That Eye Fi card looks amazing!!

    Reply
  99. Candy (Healthy in Candy Land) says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:10 pm

    I can’t thank you enough for this post! Being new to blogging, I have so much to learn! Posting was taking me way. too. long. the old fashioned way. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    Reply
  100. Katie says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:10 pm

    I love this post! I currently have a Mac which so far has been a pain in the butt for blogging. I am debating getting a PC, for Windows Live Writer and numerous other reasons and this post helped to further convince me 🙂

    Reply
  101. Julia says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:10 pm

    Super interesting post! I love seeing behind the scenes 🙂

    Reply
  102. Maryea @ Happy Healthy Mama says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:15 pm

    Wow I’ve never heard of the wireless card–definitely going to look into it. Thanks for all this awesome info. 🙂

    Reply
  103. Debbie B (DebaRooRoo) says

    March 23, 2011 at 9:20 pm

    Ok, this is so incredibly helpful. I’ve been using the free trial version of lightroom and it seems like such a great way to organize and edit pics!

    Reply
  104. katy says

    March 23, 2011 at 10:42 pm

    I have a question for you about Windows Live Writer – I have been using it for all my blog posting recently, but my biggest complaint is that when i drag pictures in the picture border is automatically set at drop shadow, and i have to manually go in and change each picture (and resize, but it looks like you explained how to get that taken care of above). Do you know if there is a way to change a preference or something so my picture border is what I want (typically NONE!) or a way to select all pictures in a post and change them all at once??

    Thank you – this post was AWESOME!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 23, 2011 at 10:42 pm

      You can definitely change it. It’s somewhere in default settings. Sorry I don’t have time to look it up right now!

      Reply
      • Kelly says

        March 25, 2011 at 10:26 am

        In my version of WLW on the right hand side there is a drop bar for borders. Change the border to “none” and then at the bottom right click “Save settings as default” your photos should not have a shadow box anymore

        Reply
        • KathEats says

          March 25, 2011 at 11:06 am

          Thanks for the clarification Kelly!

          Reply
  105. Amelia (Eating Made Easy) says

    March 23, 2011 at 11:53 pm

    I am so incredibly grateful that you took the time to post this! I have been wondering how to streamline my blogging process, which I know is terribly inefficient. This info is extremely helpful, thank you! I’m buying Lightroom tomorrow!

    Do you know if there’s a Windows Live Writer for Mac?

    Reply
  106. Erin says

    March 24, 2011 at 7:04 am

    This is one of the coolest posts I have ever read! Thanks so much for giving these great details on how you do what you do.

    Reply
  107. Emily says

    March 24, 2011 at 7:44 am

    Thanks for the great post, Kath! I’m new to the blogging world and still figuring out how to streamline the process so that I can post more often!

    Reply
  108. Laura says

    March 24, 2011 at 8:29 am

    Thanks for this explanation! Your photos always seem so vibrant, so I wondered how you got the job done!

    Reply
  109. kaila @ healthy helper! says

    March 24, 2011 at 9:45 pm

    Can you use window live writer even if you have a wordpress.com blog as opposed to a wordpress.org blog like yours?

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 25, 2011 at 6:39 am

      Yup

      Reply
  110. Amy says

    March 25, 2011 at 3:26 am

    Kath,
    What web host do you use? How did you choose?

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      March 25, 2011 at 6:39 am

      Dreamhost, and I randomly chose after Blue Host screwed me over with unfair downtiems

      Reply
  111. Kelly says

    March 25, 2011 at 10:24 am

    Wow thanks for this post Kath! I just commented this on Katy Widrick’s blog (that’s how I found your post) and told her that I always think your photos are SO colorful and beautiful. They just POP! You have inspired me to start doing some photo editing before hitting publish on my posts. And as always I love your blog. 🙂

    Reply
  112. Jack O'Brien says

    March 25, 2011 at 11:14 am

    Lightroom looks EXACTLY like Aperture for Mac. They’re about the same price (Aperture goes for 199 on the apple website, but I’m sure you can shop…errpiratecough around to find it for cheaper). It’s so nice being able to save a preset to one of your photos and then be able to “stamp” it onto all of your other ones since they’re generally taken in the same lighting conditions.

    Do you know of any programs like Windows Live Writer that are for a Mac?

    Reply
  113. Erin @ WholesomeRD says

    March 25, 2011 at 6:50 pm

    Anyone have tips if you have a mac? Windows Live Writer obviously doen’t work on a mac and I’m not sure if there is a Lightroom version? TIA

    Great post Kath!!

    Reply
  114. Skinny Elle says

    March 30, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    Stopped blogging because of all the photo prep time, now you have given me newfound inspiration and tools to go buy to get re-energized to start blogging again! Thank you! Heading off the BestBuy today! Love you and your posts Kathy! 🙂

    Reply
  115. Miriam @ Sometimes I Veg says

    September 30, 2011 at 4:16 pm

    When I first started following you I was in AWE of how many posts you are able to throw together. Now I see your cards. Nice magic trick. I wish I had bought lightroom when it was on sale on Amazon for $150. I will definitely be incorporating some of the tricks you mention. Thanks for taking some of the drudgery out of blogging.

    Reply
  116. sarah @ sarah learns says

    December 29, 2011 at 6:55 pm

    hey kath, just wanted to say thanks! i just got lightroom 3 for christmas and this post has been so helpful with setting things up!

    Reply
  117. Robyn @ Blueberries and Oats says

    March 1, 2012 at 1:03 am

    Hey Kath, just wanted you to know that I really appreciate this post! I just got Lightroom after using Picasa for forever and had no idea how to use it! I still am very amateur but at least now I know what it can do! So thanks for the great post =)

    Reply
  118. J @ ... semplicemente ... j says

    March 27, 2012 at 9:44 pm

    Great post … I have not made the investment but am thinking of Lightroom and Photoshop Elements … right now I am just trying to get back to taking pics!

    Reply
  119. Meg says

    January 28, 2013 at 2:08 am

    Oh wow this is awesome! I have used photoshop for years and now almost exclusively use lightroom as it has most of the everyday work sorted so quickly. Anyway I never knew about the print to jpg thing. That’s fantastic thanks!

    Reply
  120. Lisa says

    August 21, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    OMG this post is SO helpful thank you SO much for sharing all you do for your amazing pics! I just got lightroom and was a bit overwhelmed with the features but your summary makes things way easier right away! Thank you!

    Reply
  121. Jane @janerunswild says

    November 11, 2015 at 3:42 pm

    Thanks so much for these blog tips! I just launched a blog, and although its more focused on running/marathon training (and not food, so pictures are already more blurry naturally! :)), I appreciate any advice you have. I am a huge fan of your blog and have been reading for years, so thanks for these great posts!

    Reply
  122. Erica says

    July 12, 2016 at 2:58 pm

    These are really good blogging tips! I just begun blogging, so far this one is great!

    Reply

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    hi! Im Kath.

    I'm a Registered Dietitian, healthy eater, and mom of two from Charlottesville, Virginia. Here you’ll find a healthy mix of real-life meals made from whole ingredients balanced with the pleasures of life, including buttercream frosting and good wine. Plus a sprinkle of nutrition, home life, beauty, parenting, and travel.
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