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10-23-2012, 05:24 AM   #1
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How do you keep up with your processing?

It seems the problem with digital images can be an overload of work to do. I'm still trying to work on some of my pictures from spring and summer. Do you have problems keeping current with your post processing work? What helps you not get too far behind?

10-23-2012, 05:43 AM   #2
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If you are doing it for yourself, then the time line doesn't matter. But if the images are for someone else, i.e. Wedding & Publications then you have a deadline to work too.
I shoot for a School, both publication and sport and usually need to pass the finished images on within two days of shoot.

Most is bulk processing and let the editor play around and some stuff might take me almost all week to finish. I depends again on the number of shot for the day and the level of post-processing I need to do (Night concert with bad lighting).

Even my own stuff I like to get done quickly so I can upload here and else where.
This helps in too in your own learning, if I can get feedback on shots i have done in the last week, It's still have fresh in my mind how I took the shot and what i need to change, even possable re-visiting the location and trying againg... too hard to redo if I shot somthing last season, got to wait almost another year to try again.

Last edited by bdparker; 10-23-2012 at 05:49 AM.
10-23-2012, 05:45 AM - 1 Like   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ilovemypentax Quote
Do you have problems keeping current with your post processing work? What helps you not get too far behind?
The main reason I generally stay current is that I really enjoy post processing. Second reason is that I'm getting quicker at it, and tend not to spend lots of time on any one image. Third reason is that I am getting better about not trying to "save" mediocre shots through PP, and identifying which shots are worth working on.
10-23-2012, 06:40 AM   #4
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I used to have problems keeping up with post processing (PP) when I used Photoshop, but now that I predominantly use Lightroom I find PP much quicker and more enjoyable, as it does 90% of what I would typically be doing in photoshop with much less hassle and more automation, quicker and easier controls and menu access and lots of saved presets. Then if I need to do more I'll use photoshop for a specific picture. Automation and applying preset watermarks and so on are simple in Lightroom too.

That's been the biggest improvement I've made to keeping on top of PP, but it depends on what sort of pictures you're taking, whether you need a quick turnaround (if they were taken professionally for a client, for example) and what editing workflow you have!

Perhaps less helpfully, you could try not taking any miore pictures until you catch up ...

Well, maybe not something as draconian as that, but just try to find time to catch up with your PP and set aside time to do it. Also, if the reason you are falling behind on PP is that you don't enjoy it as much as taking pictures, then you could try to set up everything in camera to minimise the time you need to spend afterwards doing fixes. But, again, it depends on what you're shotting whether that would be a reasonable measure.

10-23-2012, 08:28 AM   #5
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Previously I used GIMP to edit my images but that was always a bit of a chore. A number of months ago I got Lightroom and PP is much more enjoyable now. I love the content management of Lightroom, as it makes my workflow so much easier and more efficient. Being able to quickly view all of your day's images at once and mark the keepers is an invaluable tool for me. I heartily recommend Lightroom and so far have no bad things to say about it. After I first installed it I even went back through my archives and found many upload-worthy images that I'd just completely forgotten about or overlooked.

Since I've had it, LR has fulfilled 100% of my PP needs. Of course, most of what I do is color and exposure adjustments, but if you're doing things like turning frowns into smiles or opening closed eyes, you'll need an editor like GIMP, PS, or PSE.
10-23-2012, 09:02 AM   #6
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Lightroom for its catalogue functions and for its quick white balance fixes, including the colour picker eyedropper for trickier images.

DxO Optics Pro for its automation of distortion, vignetting, etc. with my DA lenses. It's slow, but I can do something else while it processes the images. When it's through, I don't need to worry about lens distortions and sensor quirks as much. I also much prefer its keystone correction tools. Draw a couple of lines, or even a box, and let it do its thing.

As soon as I have access to my computer, I load the images onto my drive and start up the DxO for the images. While it works I can clean equipment, start batteries charging, put the laundry in, clean the trailer and all those other things that need doing after a shoot or a week or two on the road.

When DxO is finished with its thing, I click the [LR] button which fires up LR and starts the import routine, automatically putting backup images on a second external hard drive. I use two external drives for my photos. If this is a trip or a shoot, I will add the keywords identifying the trip/shoot to the import routine. LR, by default, adds the copyright data to each image. When the LR import routine is finished, I remove the out of focus and useless images, then keyword everything and add a star rating for the best of a multiple image take on a subject.

I use LR's smart collections a lot, saving quite a bit of time to separate the birds from the frogs and such. I have smart collections based on simple ideas - the keyword "bird" will add the image to my Birds smart collection, for example.

Working like this allows me to do several hundred images from a trip or shoot in an evening. Then I can fine tune the best of the images at my leisure, or to meet a deadline.
10-23-2012, 09:17 AM   #7
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Two points:

1. I use LightRoom which makes things much easier.
a. Specifically I can edit a single image in the series and then in one action apply the same settings to the rest of the series.
b. The functionality offered is just enough without any unnecessary distractions of bombastic features of full Photoshop. So I don't get distracted and don't "play" with the image more than I really have to.

2. I try to keep my trigger finger at bay.

10-23-2012, 03:06 PM   #8
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I use BR, CR, and PS CS5-CS6 for my workflow. Client work gets done first, always. But I make a point not to let my pics just sit. I go in almost immediately after I shoot, delete out the really bad ones, pick the best ones of each set and put them in a folder marked with the date and best. Those I work with immediately. Later I may go back and try to work with some nicer shots that are not my absolute best. See if I can't make them better, but I'm actually getting very picky and pretty ruthless in so far as to what I'll keep and what I toss. Narrowing down it makes the task of processing that much easier. I usually will try to do most of it the same night or the next day. I don't usually wait any longer than that or it might not get done. I do sometimes revisit certain older shots I really like just to try to make them better now that I have a better copy of PS than I did then, but most of the time when I am done, I'm done. I really try not to second guess my post processing too much or over analyze it. It's a waste of time.
10-24-2012, 12:02 AM   #9
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Take the time to get the shot right in-camera. Only use pp as a last resort to recover a mistake or if you're looking to add something that wasn't there in the original scene.
10-24-2012, 10:07 AM   #10
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Most "serious" photographers seem to use Lightroom as their main image editor, so it must be good. I prefer Capture One, from which I can almost always get a good starting image with little effort. If I add localized adjustments and layers, it takes a bit longer. Working on a large project, I usually select those images that deserve further attention. All the rest remain untouched. However, the best images are converted in Raw Photo Processor (RPP) for the simple reason that it produces superior results. The processed images then go to Photoshop for further adjustments. This workflow is more time consuming, but the final output is superior to anything that I can get with an integrated image editor, such as LR or C1. I am an amateur, so speed is not a high priority for me. I highly recommend RPP to those who want the absolute best raw conversions and are willing to devote more time to using a secondary editing program for further adjustments. The secondary editor could be PS, LR, C1 or others.

BTW, Capture One 7 is rumored to be on the launchpad. If its output can match RPP's, I will be very happy (and surprised).

Rob
10-24-2012, 10:23 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by baro-nite Quote
Third reason is that I am getting better about not trying to "save" mediocre shots through PP, and identifying which shots are worth working on.
This.
10-24-2012, 06:11 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Boris Quote
Two points:

1. I use LightRoom which makes things much easier.
a. Specifically I can edit a single image in the series and then in one action apply the same settings to the rest of the series.
b. The functionality offered is just enough without any unnecessary distractions of bombastic features of full Photoshop. So I don't get distracted and don't "play" with the image more than I really have to.

2. I try to keep my trigger finger at bay.
I use LR features like Boris described. In addition I use:
3. I look at each series of photos using the same scene using the Compare tool of LR (looks at up to 6 or more at a time) For the one or 2 i like
out of that series, i rate them and also tap the B key which puts them into "quick collection",
4. After going thru as many as 400-500 pictures, i then go to Quick Collection to again compare them and sort them down to 10-20.
5. When printing them for a display at the theater, i will then export the 10-20 at the size i need to a folder on my hard drive, then upload to Costco or similar company.
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