Editing Software Archives

Learn Lightroom at The Photography Show 2018

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Photographers: Learn the latest techniques for working with your images in Lightroom!

Come to the Photography Show at the NEC Birmingham and join me in the Adobe Theatre 17-20 March

Details and schedules here

Introducing the All-New Lightroom CC

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Announced 18th October on the Adobe blog and at the MAX conference in Las Vegas: Adobe has made major updates to the Lightroom family of products. These changes are likely to have significant impact on many photographers’ workflows.

Firstly, the desktop application we’ve known as Lightroom up to this point is now called Lightroom Classic CC. Improvements have been made to performance and a few new features have been rolled out, such as Range Mask for local adjustments, but for the most part Classic remains the familiar tool we’ve used and loved all these years. Adobe has promised to continue their commitment to developing and supporting Classic.

But the really big news is about the all-new digital photography platform now called Adobe Lightroom CC (for Creative Cloud). Lightroom CC is a new set of apps that run on desktop and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. (CC is now totally separate from Classic, but the two can communicate.)

Register for my next Lightroom CC workshop

At the core of Lightroom CC is cloud storage. Your photos are uploaded (and backed up automatically) using Adobe’s servers.

The apps run locally on your devices but there’s also a web interface that you can access via a browser.

Because your photos are all stored in the Creative Cloud, you can access and edit them across a range of devices using consistent tools within the Lightroom CC family of apps.

For the most part, reviewing and editing your photos is the same whether you’re using a desktop computer, tablet or smartphone, with a few notable exceptions (which are expected to improve over time).

Most importantly, Adobe has committed to providing consistency between the tools available in all versions of Lightroom CC running on all platforms.

What this all means is that it is now possible to securely store your photos in one location, access them from anywhere on many devices, and edit and share those photos—all using a consistent suite of software.

Register for my next Lightroom CC workshop

Learn Lightroom at The Photography Show

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I am teaching Lightroom at the Adobe Theatre all four days of The Photography Show, 18–21 March, NEC Birmingham.

These sessions are free with your conference registration but will be ticketed. Tickets are free and may be collected in advance each day. Some tickets may still be available at the time of the session(s) but it’s best to get tickets ahead of time to ensure entry to a particular session. Note that these tickets for the Adobe Theatre are not the same as the ‘show tickets’ for the main conference. Tickets to the Adobe Theatre are only available at the stand, on the day.

The complete Adobe Theatre schedule is at
https://www.photographyshow.com/whats-on/stages-and-theatres/adobe-theatre

The Photography Show is the UK’s biggest and best event for all things photo related.
http://thephotographyshow.com/

Next Lightroom Workshop

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My next class is 27th January at the National Space Centre in Leicester.

I’ll be teaching essential skills for enhancing photos with Lightroom.

Learn the most important adjustments in the Basic panel, dodging and burning with local adjustment brushes and gradients, retouching using the Spot Removal tool, and much much more!

Get all the details here >

Struggling to get correct exposure

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Terri asks:

“I just purchased the D750; you know the one with great capabilities, but has a flare issue. Nikon repaired the flare and so now all is good as new. Question I have is this: The images taken with D750 (with or without the repair) seems to be on the darker side. In order to get good exposure, I am needing to regularly over expose to get the right balance. I have looked at all the settings that I can think of but to no avail. Any suggestions?”

My response:

Correct exposure is certainly a Photography Essential! If your photos are actually underexposed, it may be your metering settings and/or technique that’s causing it, not the camera itself.

Let’s look at the key factors that most affect exposure and your interpretation of it:

• Camera shooting mode – basically, full manual vs. anything else
• Camera metering mode – matrix, evaluative, spot, etc.
• Camera LCD settings, especially brightness
• Camera histogram
• Computer display settings
• Display calibration and profiling
• Software (e.g. Lightroom) previews and histogram
• Software settings, especially camera profiles and adjustment defaults

(more…)

My Top 10 Lightroom Tips

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My friend and influential photographer Tony Sweet recently told me he’s making the switch to Adobe Lightroom (from Aperture) and asked for my Top Pro Tips. Here they are, in relative order of importance.

1. You can index your entire archive of photos in a single Lightroom catalog. I have well over 80K images in my master catalog and don’t have any problems with performance. I’ve heard reliable reports of people using catalogs containing many hundreds of thousands of photos. So there’s no need to split up your archives into multiple catalogs unless your workflow warrants it. (The exception is when traveling, see below.) I prefer to have every photo accessible in one place, whether it’s the original raw, converted DNG, layered TIF or PSD, etc. If I need to find a picture, I only need to look in my master Lightroom catalog.

2. Use a temporary, working catalog on your laptop when traveling. When you get home, copy the image files to your main hard drives and import the data from the trip catalog into your master catalog. This preserves all the metadata such as adjustments and keywords, as well as virtual copies and collections.

3. Always know what catalog you’re working in and where it’s located. You can find this information under Catalog Settings. A Lightroom catalog can be physically located on any drive, in any folder, and can use any name. There are several situations in which Lightroom might switch to the default catalog or create a new one.

***If you ever open Lightroom and things don’t look the way you expected, immediately confirm you’re working in the correct catalog! In Preferences, you can set the default catalog to open when Lightroom launches.

4. All photographers should maintain a structured system for organizing image files on the hard drive. The folder/file structure you use for your image files is important because it’s physically independent from the work you do in Lightroom—everything in Lightroom is done by database reference only. When you’ve imported all your photos from a drive (or volume) into the Lightroom catalog, the Folders panel will always show the identical structure as what you see in the Mac Finder or Windows Explorer — this is ideal. (And yes, you can have photos from multiple drives within a single Lightroom catalog.)

On my system, I have an external drive containing a single, top-level parent folder called Nat Coalson Image Library, under which are second-level folders for each year – 2013, 2012, 2011 … etc. Within each year’s folder are the individual folders for shoots or trips. See the image to the right.

5. The folder and file structure on the hard disk is only the starting point. Using Lightroom Collections, you can (and should) organize your photos any way you want, for any purpose you might devise. For example, you can make Collections for your favorite selects from a trip; portfolios in development; book projects, client presentations, prints to make … whatever. This capability allows you to use a consistent, standardized structure for all your master image files on disk, while within the Lightroom catalog you have unlimited flexibility for using other organizational schemes.

6. I believe in, and convert every file, to DNG. This is a topic for a whole other discussion, but you should know that even JPG files will look better, processed in Lightroom, when they’ve been converted to DNG. (I don’t save my original raw captures after DNG conversion, but this is a matter of personal preference.)

7. When I make derivative files for uploading to my web site, posting on social media, sending by email, etc. I don’t keep these files in my catalog. For that matter, after I’ve uploaded a small JPG to a web site, for example, I almost always delete it from disk immediately. It’s rare that I re-use distribution files and I don’t want my hard drive (and Lightroom catalog) cluttered with myriad JPGs. As a result, every file in my Lightroom catalog is either a DNG or a layered TIF, with the rare exception of flattened, high-res print files that I keep with the originals in the catalog if I expect to re-use them.

8. Make extensive use of Presets, in all the modules and tools that offer them. Presets are one of Lightroom’s greatest strengths. Most importantly, create a Develop preset that contains the settings you want to use as the starting point for your files (you can make one for each camera). You can apply this default Develop preset during Import. You can also override the Lightroom Default settings, which are applied to images, as they are imported, when a Preset is not specified.

9. When you want to make different versions of a photo, use Virtual Copies. You don’t need to save multiple files on the hard drive! VCs exist only within the Lightroom catalog; they simply reference the original file on disk. You can make any adjustments you want to a VC and it acts like a regular photo in the catalog. Probably the most common example uses of VCs are making multiple versions with different crops and making both color and black-and-white versions of a single image.

10. Lastly, with regard to image adjustments, you’ll probably discover very quickly that there are several ways to achieve the same look using different settings. For this reason, in general, it’s good to take care to not apply one adjustment that counteracts another. The final processing results will be cleaner when you use only the minimal adjustments necessary to achieve the look you want.

You may have noticed that most of these tips have to do with file management and organization–it’s because this is where most people get stuck. While these tips are most important for people just getting started with Lightroom, I hope this will also provide a good refresher for those photographers who’ve been using Lightroom for a while!

Update on my Adobe Lightroom books

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As you may know, I’ve written three instructional books on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (for versions 2, 3 and 4). They have been well received by the photo community and I’m very grateful for the support and positive feedback I’ve received about these books. For each edition, I’ve done my very best to provide clear, comprehensive instruction on how to use this most important photo software.

Adobe recently released Lightroom 5 — an important update. Since then, I’ve received an incredible number of inquiries from photographers asking when (or if) my new book on Lightroom 5 will come out.

When my publisher approached me earlier this year asking me to write the update to Streamlining Your Digital Photography Process, I had a lot of soul-searching to do. As an artist first and foremost, writing software manuals is honestly not my favorite thing to do. I wrote the three editions out of a desire to help other photographers and contribute to the promotion of Lightroom; I believe it’s the best software currently available for all kinds of photographers and I want people to know how to use it effectively.

For the time being, I’ve decided not to continue writing printed Lightroom books. Rob Sylvan, a well known Lightroom expert and all around great guy, has picked up the torch for me. He wrote the new edition of Lightroom 5: Streamlining Your Digital Photography Process, incorporating much of my previous text from earlier editions. (All the new material on Lightroom 5 was written by Rob.) Rob was also the author of Lightroom for Dummies and runs the support desk for National Association of Photoshop Professionals; he’s an experienced trainer and writer and although I haven’t yet read his Lightroom 5 book, I expect it will be fantastic.

Though I will continue to teach and write about Lightroom in various media and venues, I wanted my readers to know not to expect more printed Lightroom books from me, at least not in the near future.

Please feel free to comment here or contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to continuing to support my students and colleagues throughout the photography industry in new, more innovative ways. Stay tuned to this blog and register to receive my newsletter for exciting announcements as they develop.

As the saying goes, “onward and upward”!

Using iPhone GPS to Tag Photo Locations

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Lately I’ve become interested in recording the precise locations where I make my photos. I have an iPhone 4S and figured that might make a good GPS receiver, so I set about trying to find the best software, methods and workflow to make the process as accurate and easy as possible.

The best result: iPhone 4S with the GPS Tracks app and Adobe Lightroom.

Following are details of my findings. (more…)

Lightroom 4 Book

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My new book on Lightroom 4 is available on Amazon http://amzn.to/lightroom-4-book

Importing Photos into Lightroom

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Importing photos is one of the most crucial steps for working with your photos in Lightroom. And for too many photographers it’s also one of the most confusing and frustrating aspects of using Lightroom. Whether you are new to Lightroom or are a more advanced user, mastering your Import workflows is essential.

I’ve put together a two-part miniseries that describes the most important points of the Import process and how Lightroom helps you manage your files through the catalog. Click the links below to read the articles, published on Photofocus:

Part 1 – About Lightroom Catalogs

Part 2 – Importing and Organizing Your Photos

There’s lots more about Importing photos (and all other Lightroom topics) in my Lightroom 3 book.

My Adobe DNG chat with Eric Chan

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For the past several years I’ve used Adobe’s DNG file format to store the raw image data captured by my digital cameras. I convert my Canon CR2 raw files to DNG early in my workflow and don’t keep the original raw captures. I’ve had great success with a DNG workflow and since DNG files contains the original raw image data, I’ve seen no need to retain the native files.

In every class and workshop I teach, the subject of DNG inevitably comes up. There’s a lot of confusion and uncertainty about DNG. So when researching subject matter for my next book, I thought I’d polish up my knowledge of this essential image file format.

In doing so, I reached out to one of today’s leading imaging software developers, Eric Chan, Senior Computer Scientist at Adobe. Following is a [very minimally edited] transcript of our email conversation. (more…)

Adobe photo software on sale

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The Adobe online store is currently offering great deals on purchases of Lightroom, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements (and more!) through November 29. Visit the Adobe web site for details and to purchase.

Next Lightroom Class Aug 20

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My next introductory Lightroom class is in Denver August 20. Details and registration are at www.LightroomClasses.com

Optimizing Lightroom Performance

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Adobe has just published an updated document on ways to maximize the performance of Lightroom, you can read it here.

Save $100 on Lightroom 3

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B&H Photo/Video is offering an instant rebate of $100 on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3!! Hurry, this offer ends soon. Details at http://bit.ly/eMDnlN

iPad control for Lightroom

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There’s a new Lightroom plugin that allows you to edit your photos in Lightroom using an iPad. Very cool! Check it out at http://www.lrpad.com/

Lightroom at BDA

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I’m teaching a three hour introductory class on Lightroom at Boulder Digital Arts next Thursday, March 3. If you’re new to Lightroom or not sure if it’s for you, come check it out. Details and registration are at http://boulderdigitalarts.com/training/details.asp?offering=181

Lightroom Export to Photoshelter

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A question from a client:

“I am needing to understand file size and how a raw file goes from 15mb to a 13mb tif to a 6.2mb jpeg.  And how do you get that raw file to a 24mb jpeg preferably as an 8X12 image. My son-in-law and I are working on a website on Photo Shelter and I am trying to get some images ready to upload.  I am not figuring this out.  I use a program called PhotoZoom Pro for upsizing and I am still not getting the outcome that I need.”

My reply:

“I use, love and recommend Photoshelter highly. Get the Lightroom plugin for Photoshelter and you can export photos directly from Lightroom into your Photoshelter account. You don’t need PhotoZoom for resizing.

The file size issue is not directly related to image resolution. A raw file does not contain pixels per se; its size is based on the amount of data it contains (though it does have a native resolution).

When you convert a raw file to a tif, the resulting file size will be larger, even if the resolution remains unchanged. When you convert a raw file to a jpg, the file size goes down because a jpg file uses compression to eliminate redundant data and make a smaller file size.

To say you need a 24mb JPG is off base. Regardless of the actual file size on disk, what matters are the dimensions (8×12) and the resolution (eg 300 ppi). With JPG, this might still only yield a file of 8-10 MB and that’s fine.

With Lightroom, all you need to do when exporting is enter the dimensions and resolution you want and Lightroom does the rest.

Again, you don’t need any other software for resizing photos.

I’ve been building an entirely new web site of my own, on Photoshelter, and over the past 6 months have used the export plugin to upload nearly 800 photos to my account. It really works.”

Note: stay tuned for the announcement of my new web site launch!

Next Lightroom Class: Denver

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Next Lightroom class April 16-17; details and early registration discount available now at http://www.lightroomclasses.com

Soft Proofing in Lightroom Now Available

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Last week Monte Trumbull, renowned nature photographer and technical editor for my Lightroom books, emailed me a link to a new Lightroom plug-in for soft proofing.

This is big news: I and many other photographers have wanted soft proofing in Lightroom for a long time. To my knowledge, this is the first soft proofing solution available for Lightroom. I’ve tested the plug-in extensively and my review follows.

First, a bit about soft proofing: Soft proofing allows you to preview what a photo will look like when printed on a specific printer/paper combination. A soft proof uses the printer profile to display an on-screen “proof”. You can then make any necessary adjustments to get the image to look its best before sending the file to the printer. Soft proofing can be used to preview prints you’re making yourself or when sending out files to a print service provider. Soft proofing can save enormous amounts of wasted time and materials and helps you avoid unpleasant surprises when printing your photos. Soft proofing is especially useful when printing images that have a wide color gamut (lots of colors) or a wide range of tones (deep blacks to bright white). Some papers and canvases are better at color reproduction than others and soft proofing helps you see this before you actually make the print. allowing you to choose the ideal material for printing each photo. Up ’til now, soft proofing has been done almost exclusively using Photoshop or RIP software. The ability to soft proof images in Lightroom is a huge step forward for photographers making prints of their images. (Search Google if you need to know more about soft-proofing in general…)

Now on to the plug-in. When I clicked the link Monte sent me, I was taken to http://www.lightroom-plugins.com/ProofIndex.php. To the right of the page are two prominent download links, one for a Windows installer and one for a Zip package with the plug in files for both Mac and Win. I also downloaded the manual. I used the Live Support link to contact the developer and I soon received a response from Jim Keir, a friendly chap who not only provided my license key but an installer for the newest version (which should be released by the time you read this).

Installation and Activation
I decided to test the plug-in with Windows 7 first and later tested on OS X. I launched the Windows installer and in just a couple of steps had the plug-in installed. Couldn’t have been easier. On Mac, I simply put the SoftProof.lrplugin in Lightroom’s Modules folder.

When I next launched Lightroom I received a notification that the catalog needed to be updated to support the new plug-in; OK. (NOTE: to be on the safe side, make sure to back up your catalog before updating for any plug-in!)

Next, in Lightroom under the File menu > Plug-In Manager, I chose the SoftProofing plug-in and entered my email address and key. The plug-in was already active; nothing more to do there. All told, the download, installation and registration process took less than five minutes.

Using the SoftProofing Plug-In
To use the plug-in you need to first select a photo in either the Library or the Filmstrip. (If you have multiple photos selected, the Active photo will be the one used for the soft proof.) You initiate the SoftProofing plug-in from the File menu > Plug-in Extras, so it’s available from anywhere in Lightroom. On Windows, you can use the keyboard shortcut Alt+F+S+S.

The SoftProof window is clean, simple and easy to navigate. The middle of the window shows two previews: the original on the left and the soft proofed version on the right. Controls I started at the top right of the plug-in window, where there are dropdown menus to choose your monitor and printer profiles from a list of profiles installed on your system. (The Filter Profiles checkbox limits the profiles listed to only those appropriate for output; I leave this checked. To see all profiles on your system, including input profiles such as those for scanners, cameras etc. uncheck the box.) Choose different printer profiles to preview how the photo will look with the corresponding printer/paper combination.

Below the profile selectors are options for Intent (Relative or Perceptual), Black Point Compensation (always leave this on), Simulate Paper White (which I always leave on) and Gamut Warning. Gamut Warning is disabled when Paper White is active; with Paper White turned off, you can enable Gamut Warning and you can set the color of the warning overlay by clicking the swatch to open the color picker. All these settings work the same as those in Lightroom’s Print module and are also identical to soft-proofing in Photoshop.

After choosing your profiles and proofing options, the central preview display is automatically updated. You can also switch to a view showing just the soft proof.

Presets
Along the top of the window is an area where you can save Presets for up to four paper profiles. The first, large button labeled O. Orig. simply resets the soft proof back to the original state, with no printer profile applied. To set the other four Presets, first choose the printer profile from the dropdown at the right side, then click the Set button to store that in the desired Preset position. After it’s set there, the button below changes to show the name of the profile and you can then quickly switch between soft proofs for your four saved profiles just by clicking the appropriate button.

Save and Stack
This button, located below the preview area, exports a copy file with the soft proof settings applied. The exported file is saved as a full resolution, highest quality JPG and appends the selected printer profile to the end of the file name. The new file is automatically stacked with the original.

Put to Practical Use
For most photographers, integrating the new capability provided by this plug-in will require a bit of tweaking to the print workflow. Here’s how I do it:

1. Develop the master (original) file so that it looks exactly the way I want on my calibrated monitor.

2. Make a Virtual Copy (VC) of the finished master file.

3. Soft proof the VC using the plug in.

4. From the plug-in, do a Save and Stack.

5. Back in Library use Compare view to see the VC and the soft proof file.

6. Adjust the Soft Proof using Quick Develop so that it’s as close a match as possible to the VC.

7. Sync the Soft Proof settings to the VC.

8. Print the VC using the same settings that were used in the plug-in.

Tips
Here are some ideas, comments and suggestions that will make your workflow easier:

• Use Virtual Copies for printing. You can adjust VCs to make the best possible print for different conditions while preserving your finished master file in its original state. Never modify a master file for a specific kind of output. More about this is discussed in my article at the Lightroom Lab.
• When adjusting a print file based on a soft proof, the goal is to get the soft proofed version to match as closely as possible to the non-proofed original. This will provide the best possible color match for the print.
• One of the most useful features of the SoftProofing plug-in is that it allows you to see the difference between Perceptual and Relative intents. Some photos will look notably better with one or the other intent. Even if you only use the SoftProofing plug-in to see the difference in rendering intents before printing, your prints will start coming out much better.
• You can use the above workflows when preparing files for a lab. Get their custom profiles for the type of prints you’re ordering, go through the soft proofing and adjustment process for prints using virtual copies, then Export your print files (or use the Print module’s Print to File function).

Areas for Improvement
For the most part, the plug-in worked as I expected it to, with only a few minor shortcomings:

• With the Save and Stack feature, I often had to switch between views and image sources several times for the stacked proof copy to be visible in the Grid and Filmstrip.
• In my testing the Save and Stack feature did not update Collections; the new JPG was only visible in the Folder view.
• After I clicked the 0. Orig. button, clicking the other presets or choosing different profiles did not update the proof preview; it just stayed on Original. This remained in both views. I had to cancel to get out of the plug-in and go back in again to see soft proofs.
• Adding Tooltips in the plug-in window would be a welcome improvement, especially for people new to the concept of soft proofing.
• The plug-in window interface could be better designed to make use of available space.

All in all, these are minor nits for a v1 release and there was nothing in my experience that would keep me from recommending this plug-in.

Final Thoughts
The Mac and Windows version function identically; both are super easy to use and work as advertised. The soft proofs I see with this plug-in are on par with any soft proofing I would do in Photoshop.

One significant difference between using this plug-in and working in Photoshop is that you can’t make adjustments when looking at the soft proof. In Photoshop, you can look at your soft proof and use layers to adjust saturation, curves etc. and see the effects in real time. With this Lightroom plug-in, you can see a soft proof and render a reference file showing the proof conditions, but you need to do the adjustments outside the soft proof environment, which could result in numerous trips back into the plug-in to check results. All in all I don’t see this as a huge downside; just a new way of doing things.

As the first of its kind, this plug-in is long overdue and is a “must-have” for photographers wanting to have the most possible control over their prints. Kudos to Jim for putting out a great product at a great price, and one that well serves a real need.

You can get a free trial version for Mac or Windows here

The plug-in is also listed on Adobe’s Plug-In Exchange

FY 2019 Grant Announcement (Initial):

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the National Archives supports projects that promote access to America’s historical records to encourage understanding of our democracy, history, and culture.

The following grant application information is for a grant to develop and administer basic and advancedInstitutes for Historical Editing.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 89.003

Funding Opportunity Number: EDITING-201902

Draft (optional): no later than January 31, 2019

Final Deadline: February 21, 2019

NHPRC support begins no earlier than January 1, 2020.

The deadline for this opportunity has passed. These guidelines may be used for reference, but should NOT be used to prepare an application.

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals for the training and education of historical documentary editors. Through this program, the Commission seeks to increase the number and diversity of historical documentary editors, disseminate knowledge about documentary editing, and build the capacity of attendees as leaders in their own editorial projects and in the related fields of documentary editing, digital history, and digital humanities.

The Institutes for Historical Editing must consist of both basic and advanced Institutes that seek to achieve these program goals. Basic Institutes provide an introductory overview and training in digital documentary editing to students who may be new to editorial practices, current edition-making workflows, and/or digital technologies. Advanced Institutesfocus on developing the next generation of leaders in documentary editing, enabling, inspiring, and building the capacity of more experienced documentary editors to conceptualize, develop, manage, and sustain new and innovative historical edition projects that advance the field in the 21^st century.

The basic and advanced Institutes may occur together over a defined period of days or could take place separately, with one or both offered multiple times to different audiences. Institutes may take place both in-person and virtually. The Commission is especially interested in proposals that make creative use of meeting times and both face-to-face and virtual instruction to maximize the impact of the proposed basic and advanced Institutes for Historical Editing. The grantee will be responsible for all project phases, from curriculum design and development through administering the program for the attendees it selects.

For a comprehensive list of Commission's limitations on funding, please see What We Do and Do Not Fund. Applications that consist entirely of ineligible activities will not be considered.

Award Information

A grant is for one to three years and up to $275,000. The Commission expects to make one grant in this category, for a total of up to $275,000. The grant will begin no earlier than January 1, 2020.

The Commission requires that grant recipients acknowledge NHPRC grant assistance in all publicity, publications and other products that result from its support.

Eligibility

• U.S. nonprofit organizations or institutions
• U.S. colleges, universities, and other academic institutions
• State or local government agencies
• Federally-acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups

This program does not support requests from individuals for their own training, education, or professional advancement. Such requests will be ineligible.

Cost Sharing

The Commission may support up to the entire direct costs of the project, not including program revenue. Cost sharing may include the program revenue, grantee's indirect costs, as well as any additional direct costs borne by the applicant. NHPRC grant recipients are not permitted to use grant funds for indirect costs (as indicated in 2 CFR 2600.101).

Applicant organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application, maintain SAM registration throughout the application and award process, and include a valid DUNS number in their application. Details on SAM registration and requesting a DUNS number can be found at the System for Award Management website at http://sam.gov. Please refer to the User Guides section and the Grants Registrations PDF.

A complete application includes the Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424), Assurances -- Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B), a Project Narrative, Summary, Supplementary Materials, and Budget. Applications lacking these items will not be considered.

Ineligible applications will not be reviewed.

You must use Grants.gov to submit your proposal. All information necessary to apply is included in this announcement, the Application Instructions section, and the forms on Grants.gov. If you need the information submitted in an alternative format, please call the NHPRC at 202-357-5010.

In order to ensure eligibility, applicants should first review the rules and regulations governing NHPRC grants under the Administering an NHPRC Grant section.

In the event that Grants.gov is experiencing technical difficulties that prevent submission, applicants must first attempt to resolve the issue with the Grants.gov Contact Center (800-518-4726). If Grants.gov cannot solve the problem, applicants may request an alternative. To make use of the NHPRC backup system, applicants must contact Jeff de la Concepcion (202-357-5022) no later than 3:00 Eastern Time on the day of the deadline with their valid Grants.gov Contact Center trouble-ticket number.

Applicants may submit drafts no later than January 31, 2019, but drafts are not required. The drafts should be sent by email to the Director for Publishing, Darrell Meadows (darrell.meadows@nara.gov) and should include a draft narrative and budget.

Preparing Your Application

Using the Application Instructions, fill out the Standard Form 424, the SF 424B, and the NHPRC Budget Form. You will also prepare a Project Narrative, a Project Summary, and Supplementary Materials to attach to your Application Package.

The Project Narrative is a description of the proposal. It should be no more than 20 double-spaced pages in 12-pt type on 8.5 x 11 inch paper with standard margins. Please organize your narrative in sections:

1. Overview, Purpose, and Goals: Describe the overall purpose and long-term goals of your project to implement basic and advanced Institutes for Historical Editing. Be sure to identify explicitly the audiences for the respective Institutes and explain the need for this type of professional development, including, if applicable, in the federal workforce. Discuss how changes in publishing and access to research materials are affecting the field of documentary editing.  Indicate how other fields are adjusting to these changes in terms of professional training and how these developments will shape plans for the basic and advanced Institutes. Explain how the project builds on your organization's professional knowledge, training, and experiences. This discussion must lead to the following details in your narrative:

• Provide a summary description of how your project’s curriculum and approach aims to meet the program’s two primary goals for basic and advanced institutes, as stated in the Grant Program Description above.
• Describe what topics you plan to include in both the basic and advanced Institutes, how you arrived at this needs assessment, and how the proposed curricula will advance the field of documentary editing
• For both the basic and advanced Institutes, explain how many hours participants will meet over how many days, and discuss how you arrived at this time period  
• Detail what teaching and training methods you will use to make both the basic and advanced Institutes effective, applicable, and accessible to the participants
• For the basic Institute(s), detail how you will address the relationship between project conceptualization, historical collections, and project scope; for newcomers to documentary editing, how will you address project planning and technical training, as well as introductory discussions about the documentary editing profession, including its current challenges and its future?
• For the advanced Institute(s), detail how you will address leadership and the field of documentary editing; new project conceptualization; issues related to digital publication and planning for broad public access; the transition from project staff to project management; the role of advisory boards and other potential collaborators; fundraising and grant writing; selection of digital workflows; addressing technical infrastructure needs, including long-term preservation and sustainability; staff training and related educational outreach; and other matters essential to the successful launch of new projects.
• For both the basic and advanced Institutes, describe the faculty you plan to recruit, indicating their number and their qualifications, and name those individuals from whom you have received tentative commitments

1. Promotion and Selection of Participants: How will you advertise, respectively, the basic and advanced Institutes to potential participants? How will they apply and what are the respective criteria for selection? Who will make the final selection of attendees? What is your target number for participants at both the basic and advanced Institutes? Include a draft application form and an evaluation matrix for each in your supplementary materials.


2. Basic Institute Curriculum: What assignments will you expect participants to complete before, during, and after the basic Institute? What are their intended learning objectives and how will they be evaluated? What technologies will you use to support all of these activities?


3. Advanced Institute Curriculum: What assignments will you expect participants to complete before, during, and after the advanced Institute? What are their intended learning objectives and how will they be evaluated? What technologies will you use to support all of these activities?


4. Project Director and Preferred Qualifications: Both the basic and advanced Institutes should be developed and managed under the leadership of a qualified project director. Qualifications should include a record of professional collaboration across the fields of history, documentary editing, and the digital humanities; familiarity with emerging trends in editing, publishing and related digital technologies; and a well-articulated vision for the future of documentary editing in the digital age. The project director must also possess the skills necessary for organizing the Institutes, for effective community building and collaboration.


5. Qualifications of Staff: How are each of the project staff qualified to develop and manage the Institutes?  Be specific about experiences in training, as well as historical editing. In your supplementary materials, include brief resumes for all named staff on the application and position announcements for any new positions to be paid for by grant funds.


6. Plan of Work: What is your schedule for developing and then implementing the Institutes? Provide a detailed plan of work and timeline that outlines the steps necessary to develop, advertise and run the basic and advanced Institutes. Include how the organization applying for the grant will oversee the project director.


7. Venues and Logistics: Where do you expect to hold the basic and advanced Institutes? Will participants meet in person, online, or both? If meeting in person, where will participants stay and eat during the course of the respective Institutes? What fees do you expect to charge the respective basic and advanced Institute participants? How many and what form of scholarships will you offer? Explain how the selected location(s) will increase the effectiveness of the experience for participants. If available, include descriptions of the facilities and their costs in your supplementary materials.


8. Evaluation and Impact: What evaluation methods will you use to assess the effectiveness of both the basic and advanced Institutes and related activities, including the participants' experience, faculty, facilities, and curriculum and teaching methodologies? For each successive year of the Institutes for Historical Editing program, the Commission expects the successful applicant to revise the structure of the basic and advanced Institutes as necessary, in response to participant feedback after each Institute. How will you track the longer-term impact of participants on the field of documentary editing?


9. Dissemination of Results: How will you share the results of the two types of Institutes with the broader documentary editing and historical communities? What is your plan for sharing some or all of the instruction modules, and for enabling those unable to attend either of the Institutes to take part in the discussions, before, during, and after each Institute?  Can some of the exercises be posted online or can workshops be offered virtually?


10. Performance Objectives: List eight to ten quantifiable performance objectives that will allow you and the Commission to evaluate the project following the submission of the final report.

The Project Summary should be no more than three double-spaced pages in 12-pt type with standard margins, and it must include these sections:

• Purposes and Goals of the Project
• Plan of Work for the Grant Period
• Products and Publications to be completed during the Grant Period
• Names, Phone and Fax Numbers, and E-Mail Addresses of the Project Director and Key Personnel  (Please ensure that the project director listed on this summary is the same person listed in Section 8 (f), of the SF 424. If your institution requires a different contact person on the SF 424, please explain in one sentence.)
• Performance Objectives

Submit Supplementary Materials to your Narrative, such as:

• Brief résumés or curriculum vitae of named staff members and Institute faculty (please use institutional addresses and phone numbers and limit to two pages per staff member)
• Position descriptions for staff to be hired with grant funds
• Detailed work plan charts that supplement the Narrative
• Draft schedule and curriculum for the Institutes, detailing the order of topics and amount of time devoted to each
• Draft application form and an evaluation matrix for applicant evaluation and selection
• Descriptions of the proposed facilities and their costs (if applicable)
• Descriptions of the proposed technologies and their costs (if applicable)
• Statements of commitment to the project by partners (if applicable)

If these materials are available on a web site, please provide the URL(s). Reviewers appreciate application with fewer supplemental pages.

You must submit a budget on the NHPRC Budget Form available on the Application Instructions page. Note that the form itself contains additional instructions. You may include with your application a narrative budget supplement for categories that require additional detail. Provide specific budget figures, rounding to the nearest dollar.

Applicants will be asked to compute the project costs to be charged to NHPRC Federal grant funds as well as those that will be supported by the applicant. The applicant’s cost sharing includes both direct and indirect expenses, in-kind contributions, non-Federal third-party contributions, and any income earned directly by the project. All of the items listed, whether supported by grant funds or your cost-sharing contributions, must be reasonable and necessary to accomplish project objectives, allowable in terms of the applicable federal cost principles, auditable, and incurred during the grant period. Applicants should review the appropriate Office of Management and Budget circulars on cost principles.

If the project expects program income, it should be allocated among specific budget categories on the cost-sharing column of the project budget. The total amount of expected program income should be reported on the NHPRC budget form under “Project Funding for Entire Grant Period.”  The same amount should appear on the Application for Federal Assistance, SF424, item 18f. Please use the narrative budget supplement to explain the calculation of the expected income and its allocation.

Charges to the project for items such as salaries, fringe benefits, travel, and contractual services must conform to the written policies and established practices of the applicant organization. In addition, successful applicants will be required to certify that they have adequate accounting and timekeeping procedures to meet Federal requirements.

Budget Categories

In preparing the budget, please follow the suggestions below in each of the categories:

Salaries:   List each staff position and compensation that will be charged to the project and show the percentage of time each staff member will devote to the project. Indicate which positions are to be filled for the proposed project and which personnel are already on the staff of the applicant institution. Grant funds may be used to pay the salaries of only those individuals actually working on the project. You may count the time provided to the project by advisory board members.

Fringe Benefits:  Include employee benefits using your organization's standard rates. No separate benefits should be included for positions that are computed at a daily rate or using honoraria.

Consultant Fees:  Include payments for consultant services and honoraria. Provide justification for large or unusual consultant fees. List consultant travel expenses in the "Travel" category.

Travel:  Include transportation, lodging, and per diem expenses. The NHPRC does not fund staff travel to professional meetings unless the travel is essential to accomplish the goals of the project.

Supplies and Materials: Include routine office supplies and supplies ordinarily used in professional practices. Justify the cost of specialized materials and supplies in a supplemental budget narrative.

Services:  Include the cost of duplication and printing, long-distance telephone, equipment leasing, postage, contracts with third parties, and other services that you are not including under other budget categories or as indirect-cost expenses. The costs of project activities to be undertaken by each third-party contractor should be included in this category as a single line item charge. Include a complete itemization of the costs in a supplemental budget narrative.

Other costs:  Include costs for necessary equipment above $5,000, stipends for participants in projects, and other items not included in previous grant categories. The NHPRC does not provide grant funds for the acquisition of routine equipment such as office furnishings, shelving, and file cabinets, but we may provide grant support for the purchase of technical equipment, such as software, computers and peripherals, essential for a project.

Indirect costs: As indicated in 2 CFR 2600.101, NHPRC grant recipients are not permitted to use grant funds for indirect costs; however, a grant recipient may use indirect costs for cost sharing.

• Draft (optional): January 31, 2019
• Final Deadline: Applications must be submitted electronically by midnight Eastern Time on February 21, 2019.

NHPRC support begins no earlier than January 1, 2020.

Deadline Policy: Given that technical or administrative difficulties with Grants.gov may periodically delay the timely submission or receipt of applications, the Commission staff will make provisions for the receipt of such applications past the established deadline. In such cases, applicants must first attempt to resolve the issue with the Grants.gov Contact Center (800-518-4726) and obtain a valid Grants.gov Contact Center trouble-ticket number. Applicants with technical or administrative issues related to Grants.gov must contact Jeff de la Concepcion (jeff.delaconcepcion@nara.gov, 202-357-5022) as soon as possible, but no later than by 3:00 PM Eastern Time on the day of the published deadline with their valid Grants.gov Contact Center trouble-ticket number. Applications that fail to meet deadlines for reasons other than those noted will not be considered for funding.

Criteria for Institutes for Historical Editing

1. Ability of the project to develop the skills of a diverse selection of participants who are both newcomers to and experienced editors in the field of historical editing, and to do so in a manner that advances the field of documentary editing. (35 percent)
2. Ability of the project to improve best practices in the basic and advanced training of historical editing professionals, and the transferability of these methods for wider use in the documentary editing community and the related fields of digital history and digital humanities, including those who work in the federal government. (30 percent)
3. Ability to complete the project's proposed objectives, judged by the qualifications of the staff and the reasonableness of the work plan and budget (including cost share). (20 percent)
4. Effectiveness of the dissemination plans for the project's results. (15 percent)

Application Review Process

After submitting a proposal, do not discuss the pending application to the NHPRC with any Commission member. Commission members must ensure fair and equitable treatment of all applications and do not discuss proposals with individual applicants.

Your proposal will be reviewed by:

• Peer Reviewers
  We will ask 5 to 10 external peer reviewers to evaluate the proposal.
• Commission Staff
  Approximately 3 months after the submission deadline, we will send to the Project Director anonymous copies of reviewers' comments along with specific questions from the Commission staff. Applicants have an opportunity to answer these questions and comments.
• The Commission
  After reviewing proposals, reviewers’ comments, the applicants' responses, and evaluations by the Commission staff, the Commission members deliberate and make funding recommendations to the Archivist of the United States, who has final statutory authority and selects award recipients. Throughout this process, all members of the Commission and its staff follow conflict-of-interest rules to assure fair and equal treatment of every application.

Notification

Grants are contingent upon available appropriated funds. In some cases, the Commission will adjust grant amounts depending upon the number of recommended proposals and total budget. The Commission may recommend that the Archivist approve the proposal and extend an offer of a grant with applicable terms and conditions, or it may recommend rejection of the proposal.

Grant applicants will be notified within two weeks after the Archivist’s decision.

Successful applicants will receive an informal offer of award and be required to verify their acceptance of general terms and conditions, and complete a statement on their Financial Capability and Accounting Systems.

For awards that meet or exceed the Federal government’s simplified acquisition threshold (currently $150,000), NHPRC staff will first review and consider any information about the applicant that appears in the designated integrity and performance system. This information is accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313). After this review, NHPRC staff will follow the procedures in 2 CFR 200, subpart F, Appendix I, part e.3.

Once these are received, reviewed and acceptable, the NHPRC will issue an official award notice.

Administrative Requirements

In order to ensure that you can manage a grant, applicants should review the Federal grant administration rules and regulations governing grants from the NHPRC listed in the Administering an NHPRC Grant section.

Agency Contact

Applicants are encouraged to contact Darrell Meadows, Director for Publishing, at 202-357-5321, or darrell.meadows@nara.gov. He may:

• Advise the applicant about the review process;
• Answer questions about what activities are eligible for support;
• Supply samples of successful applications;
• Read and comment on a preliminary draft. Applicants should submit a preliminary draft.

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