How to tether a camera to a computer with Lightroom

Tethering your camera while taking photos offers a whole range of benefits. Find out how to connect your camera to a computer using Adobe Lightroom.

Lexy Savvides Principal Video Producer

Lexy is an on-air presenter and award-winning producer who covers consumer tech, including the latest smartphones, wearables and emerging trends like assistive robotics. She's won two Gold Telly Awards for her video series Beta Test. Prior to her career at CNET, she was a magazine editor, radio announcer and DJ. Lexy is based in San Francisco.

Expertise Wearables, smartwatches, mobile phones, photography, health tech, assistive robotics Credentials

Webby Award honoree, 2x Gold Telly Award winner

See full bio

Lexy Savvides

Nov. 17, 2011 7:09 p.m. PT

Watch this: How to tether a camera to a computer with Lightroom

03:22

Tethering your camera while taking photos offers a whole range of benefits. Find out how to connect your camera to a computer using Adobe Lightroom.

Many studio photographers tether their camera to a computer in order to show their photos almost instantly on a screen to clients and art directors. It's very easy for anyone to do this at home with a copy of Lightroom 3, a compatible digital SLR and a USB interface cable. Only a few cameras can be tethered via Lightroom: the full list is available on Adobe's website.

When tethering using Lightroom, images can be simultaneously saved to your memory card and the computer if you are using a Canon camera, whereas most Nikon cameras will only save photos to the computer.

If your camera isn't supported on this list, never fear as it may still be possible to tether your camera using another piece of software, and then importing images into Lightroom or your editing program of choice.

Computing Guides

Laptops

Desktops & Monitors

Computer Accessories

Photography

Tablets & E-Readers

3D Printers

Computing Coupons