Creating a Quick Promo Card

Free Lightroom Tutorial

Discover how to create a promo card using the Print module in Lightroom, importing photos, positioning elements, adding text, and resizing and printing the card with our comprehensive tutorial.

This exercise is excerpted from Noble Desktop’s past Lightroom training materials and is compatible with Lightroom updates through 2020. To learn current skills in Lightroom, check out our Photo Retouching Certificate and graphic design classes in NYC and live online.

Topics Covered in This Lightroom Tutorial:

Importing a Photo into the Print Module, Positioning Elements & Adding Text, Resizing & Printing the Promo Card

Exercise Preview

lightroom previewB10

Exercise Overview

In this exercise, you’ll create a quick promo card using the Print module.

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Importing a Photo into the Print Module

  1. If you have not imported the photos that were imported in Exercise B6, import them now (from Desktop > Class Files > Lightroom Class in the Bonus folder).

  2. Make sure you’re in the Library module.

  3. In the Catalog panel on the left, click All Photographs.

  4. Select the photo of the New York City skyline named _BTR0456-Edit.

  5. At the top, click on the Print tab to go into the Print module.

  6. At the bottom of the Print module, from the Use menu, select Selected Photos.

  7. In the Template Browser panel on the left, expand Lightroom Templates and select: (1) 8 X 10 (for printing a single photo at 8" by 10").

Resizing the Card

  1. Let’s shrink the dimensions to a custom size. Below the Template Browser panel, click the Page Setup button and follow the appropriate steps below for your system:

    Mac

    1. From the Paper Size menu, choose Manage Custom Sizes.

    2. At the window’s bottom left, click the + icon to add a new custom size.

    3. Next to Width type 6 in.

    4. Next to Height type 4 in.

    5. Under Non-Printable Area, select User Defined from the menu.

    6. Set the Left, Top, Right, and Bottom boxes to 0.

    7. Double–click the last Untitled listed on the left and rename it 6x4.

    8. Click OK twice to close the dialog, then the window.

    Windows

    1. On the top right, click the Properties button.

      Unfortunately, the options you’ll see will differ depending on your individual printer driver. Nevertheless, you should try to approximate the following instructions to create a custom size.

    2. Click on an option that allows you to manage/create custom sizes.

    3. For Name, type 6x4.

    4. Make sure Units is set to Inches.

    5. Set Width to 6.

    6. Set Height to 4.

    7. Save the custom size.

    8. Close the printer dialog.

    9. Back in the Print Setup dialog, click Cancel. (We need to exit and then re‑enter to be able to select the new size.)

    10. Click the Page Setup button again.

    11. Under Paper, set Size to the new 6x4 option you just created.

    12. Click OK.

Positioning Elements & Adding Text

  1. In the Layout Style panel on the right, click Custom Package.

  2. A window opens with the photo and you can move the photo around. If you don’t see the photo in the main window, select it from the filmstrip at the bottom and drag it onto the page into the box, if there is one.

  3. On the right, expand the Cells panel if it isn’t already.

  4. Make sure the box for Lock to Photo Aspect Ratio is unchecked.

  5. Resize the photo by dragging the edges of the photo until it has an approximate ratio of a panorama and has the same margin from the edge of the paper on the left, top and right. (We recommend 1/4" margins. If necessary, refer to the Exercise Preview at the start of this exercise for a sample.)

    NOTE: If you move the image and it automatically snaps to a certain location, expand the Rulers, Grid & Guides panel on the right and from the Grid Snap menu choose Off. You can also change the Ruler Units to Inches in this panel if they aren’t already.

  6. Expand the Page panel.

  7. Check on Identity Plate.

  8. At the bottom right of the Identity Plate, click the arrow down arrow.

  9. In the dialog box, select Edit to bring up the Identity Plate Editor.

  10. In the text box, type YourName Photography (replacing the current text).

  11. Select the text and in the Font menu (first menu below the text), select Courier or if it isn’t available select Courier New.

  12. Click the small color picker box to the right and select a red color.

  13. Click OK to set the color (or dismiss the dialog if there’s no OK button).

  14. Click OK again.

  15. Drag the text to reposition it below the photo, and resize the photo if needed.

  16. Make the text bigger, by using the resize handles to change the text size.

  17. In the Page panel, the Scale slider may also be used to resize the text, either by moving the slider or typing in a number in the text box next to the slider. Set the Scale to 80% (feel free to reduce that if your name is long).

  18. Position the text so it is centered and approximately two grid squares below the photo (see the exercise preview at the start of this exercise for a sample).

Printing the Promo Card

  1. On the right, expand the Print Job panel if it is not already open.

    Here you can select whether to send the document to a printer, print to a JPEG file, or send it to a commercial printing source. For the purposes of this exercise, we are going to print to a JPEG file.

  2. Next to Print to choose JPEG File.

    NOTE: If you are working from home and have a printer connected, you would choose it from this menu.

  3. Uncheck Draft Mode Printing.

  4. Set Print Sharpening to Standard.

  5. Set Media Type to Glossy.

  6. Make sure that the JPEG Quality slider is set to 100.

  7. Under Color Management, choose Profile: Adobe RGB. This RGB color space has a wide gamut and is great for images you’d like to print.

  8. At the bottom right of the screen, click the Print to File button.

    NOTE: If you are sending to a printer connecting to your computer, this button would read Printer. The Print button to its left would not be grayed out.

  9. In the window that opens, navigate to your Desktop.

  10. Name the file yourname-promocard and click Save.

  11. The file will be saved to your desktop as a JPEG. Or if sent to a printer, the promo card would print out. That’s it!

photo of Dan Rodney

Dan Rodney

Dan Rodney has been a designer and web developer for over 20 years. He creates coursework for Noble Desktop and teaches classes. In his spare time Dan also writes scripts for InDesign (Make Book JacketProper Fraction Pro, and more). Dan teaches just about anything web, video, or print related: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Figma, Adobe XD, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and more.

More articles by Dan Rodney

How to Learn Lightroom

Master Lightroom with hands-on training. Adobe Lightroom is an application that professional and amateur photographers use to organize and edit photos.

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