Your Photo Processing Workflow?

another way to check for dust spots is the following :

a) create a duplicate layer of image and select it (background copy)
b) equalise this layer – this will show dust spots you may not know you had
c) select background layer but keep equalised version ‘on top’
d) use healing brush to remove spots – this will remove them from original layer
e) turn off / on equalised layer to check you have got all the spots
f) delete background copy NB – make sure you have this layer selected.

Very easy to do and will show up the faintest of spots.

i would agree with all the points made so far and would just add that any sharpening / usm should be done last AFTER any resizing as it is affected by the pixel count and you will always get the very best level of sharpness by first sizing the image then sharpening.

If you sharpen both before and after sizing, you will get muddling of the edge pixilation to some degree.

Personally, my order is always :

1) rotate if neccesary
2) crop if neccesary
3) adjust mono levels
4) adjust colour if neccesary

I then save a working copy which i can use as a master for future resize and sharpening as needed.

I tend to set the usm at about 130%, 0.5 and upto 1 pixel threshold as i find i get better results with in-camera sharpening turned off ( Canon 300D ) and using more agressive photoshop sharpening.

My current processs for creating images to post on forums is as follows.

1. Copy all files (usually RAW) to folder on HDD.
2. Create a “web” folder in the same folder as those from the CF card which I use to save my edits in.
3. Open required RAW file through Adobe Camera RAW plugin.
4. Make adjustments as/if required
5. Open the RAW file into Photoshop
6. Noise reduction
7. Canvas rotate if needed
8. Levels adjustment
9. Crop/resize down to 800×533 pixels at 72 dpi
10. Apply USM – e.g. 70%, 0.5 pixels, 0 threshold.
11. Add my name in a text layer
12. Save file as a jpeg in the web folder.

Fin. 😎

I think I will need to add some more RAM to my pc though as it seems very power hungry compared to the likes of RSP and DPP.

regards
John

With use I am becoming more enamoured with LR which at first made me curse. Having started scanning reflective mater back in about 1997 and following quickly with a 28000 dpi quality filmscanner I have got used to manipulating curves first and then histograms. This was all done on a SCSI based Minolta Scan Speed – used under Win 95 on an Acorn RPC with fastest PC card and rack mounted hot swappable SCSI HDs. The bottleneck hit here was the max 32MB of memory allowed to Windows due to the design of the ASIC (memory interface chip) on the PC card. This made full frame, high res scans of 35mm trannies very slow. Win 95 grabbed about 14Mb by the time it was up and runing the TWAIN enabled PSP5, thus with 28MB RAW image files there was much swapping of memory as the scan progressed. I took to doing much faster low res scans first to get the curves and/or histograms adjusted. This is one reason why many pics on my web site are from lower res scans.

I am considering replacing many with new scans through a PC with a later, Firewire connected, Scan Elite II. The PC is about 3 years old but copes well as I had 1GB ram fitted at build (double the standard of the OEM at the time) and it has a still reasonable 2.8Ghz P4.

I also now have a laptop with 2GB and a Duo Pentium which is noticeably quicker, LR does use much more RAM than Rawshooter.

Ah! Another Lightroom user. I have migrated, no choice realy, from Pixmantec’s Rawshooter which I got used to WRT crop and convert.

Now with Lightroom (I have not been using it long) crop I find it counter-intuitive. Selecting ratio is no prob’ but now instead of moving the crop frame around the image it is the image that moves under the frame with a new entry appearing in the History panel each time you stop moving. I tend to move the frame around a bit before finaly deciding the best compo’.

Also I am finding the terminolgy in dilogue boxes to do with storing and exporting images rather difficult to decipher. I must be just thick!

Been reading the included PDF user guide but I do wish Adobe would design these things in A paper sizes that make sense on printers and paper here. Is it only me that thinks this?

I must confess to being quite enthusiastic about LR which I got from Adobe as a free upgrade from buying Rawshooter premium.
I do agree with you about the cropping and thats why I still do that and a few other things in PSP , though I can forsee a time when I could exclusivley process with LR.
I think I will need to add some more RAM to my pc though as it seems very power hungry compared to the likes of RSP and DPP.

regards
John

thats a good question Adam and it made me think a bit as it can vary for me on different image types but i guess most woud go along the lines of.

raw file in adobe lightroom

Ah! Another Lightroom user. I have migrated, no choice realy, from Pixmantec’s Rawshooter which I got used to WRT crop and convert.

Now with Lightroom (I have not been using it long) crop I find it counter-intuitive. Selecting ratio is no prob’ but now instead of moving the crop frame around the image it is the image that moves under the frame with a new entry appearing in the History panel each time you stop moving. I tend to move the frame around a bit before finaly deciding the best compo’.

Also I am finding the terminolgy in dilogue boxes to do with storing and exporting images rather difficult to decipher. I must be just thick!

Been reading the included PDF user guide but I do wish Adobe would design these things in A paper sizes that make sense on printers and paper here. Is it only me that thinks this?

My workprocess isn’t as quite as detailed as some other’s here,as i’ve never really had time to sit down and see what adobe photoshop can really do,i use the elements 4.0 which i’m not sure if it has everything i need,but it was the only one in PC world at the time,my flow is as follows,

Crop using photo ratio
Adjusts levels to my own eye really,no numbers to it?
Adjust colour saturation if need be
Sharpen using the unsharp mask,using a radius of 0.3 has really improved things,
Then save in a different location,as you never know i might someday become really good at editing and need the original;)

…great thread by the way,loads of fantastic photographers so always a joy to share tips:)

Rotate if required
Crop
Levels and or brightness/contrast/saturation
Clone out any dustspots
Resize
Smart Sharpen (CS2)
Unsharp Mask as required
Enjoy….:D

Having edited a countless number of photos over the past few days from my last LHR visits, I keep slightly changing my workflow, just a simple case of doing things in a different order or missing some things out entirely. I can’t work out which work flow is best.

Ive been playing around with levels and the histogram but Im not sure that what I do with it is entirely beneficial to the finished photo.

All very interesting though and the replies to the thread have helped loads, thanks guys.

I use Paintshop Pro – but I can see that the similarities between it and Photoshop are easy to follow. I’m certainly learning quite a bit here. Thanks Guys.

If I can, I’ll post some before and after pictures later.

Rob

Instead of adjusting colour level and contrast, have a look at what you can do with the Levels in photoshop: http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/photoshop-levels-1-2-3.html

Setting the white- and blackpoint correct can solve a lot of exposure problems, and the graypoint can be used to control the overall brightness. (click ‘next’ at the bottom of the page linked to above for more on levels and curves.)

I’ve often looked at the histogram, but have no idea what it should look like.

Is there a specific way it should look after it has been altered?

.

Hi Rob
The histogram can be your best friend ! heres a useful lexplanation.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

I’ve often looked at the histogram, but have no idea what it should look like.

This is a nice article on histograms: http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/digital/histogram_101/index.html

although from a Nikon-based site, it’s universally applicable.

I’ve often looked at the histogram, but have no idea what it should look like.

Is there a specific way it should look after it has been altered?

For the record:

Copy original to a working directory (leaves original as backup)

Rotate if necessary

Crop so that I’m working with an image that is within boundaries (after rotating just a few degrees, image may have odd corners that need to be shaved off).

And/Or

Crop to produce the photo I want.

Resize as necessary

Remove noise if necessary using Neat Image

Adjust colour level and contrast as necessary

Sharpen using USM in small stops as necessary (being careful not to alter contrast – which is an unfortunate by product if used too heavily) (I find a very small radius – about 1.5 – is about right).

Save.

Finished.

If I need any smaller copies, I will resize and re-sharpen, from the already edited version, and save as a separate copy, rather than going back to the original.

I don’t normally print my photos, but when I do I use the highest resolution possible – and will go back to the original to make a printable edit.

Play with the parameters on the RAW file until the histogram looks as I want it to, then play around some more until the photo looks as I want it to.

Sorry, Adam! As with JohnEboy, I’m not entirely sober either due to a few beers on a jam session listening to wonderful musicians playing wonderful music, and attempting to play a bit myself as well! I’ll post a somewhat more detailed workflow when I sober up a little, although as myself and LBARULES are out for a few beers tomorrow afternoon, it may have to wait a day or two! 😀

Paul

P.S. I will try make this the only drunken forum post I make tonight… Honest! 🙂

thats a good question Adam and it made me think a bit as it can vary for me on different image types but i guess most woud go along the lines of.

raw file in adobe lightroom
check and adjust white balance if needed
check and adjust exposure if needed
recover blown highlights if needed
adjust blacks in shadows if needed
adjust saturation
adjust vibrance
covert to jpg

Jpg in paint shop pro x
verify exposure after conversion
crop/straighten if required
covert to mono /duotone etc if desired
dodge , burn , clone , heal etc etc etc as and when required
noise reduction / edge preserving smooth if needed
Sharpen (usm)
save file
resize as needed ( most often to web friendly 800 on long side
sharpen resized file (usm)
save resize

I think thats an average routine , might have left things out as ive had a couple of beers and i’m tipsy LOl:D

Check for level and rotate as necessary.
Clean up spots or birds flying past with patch tool usually

oops, yeah forgot those two! lol

I would have a folder for the originals, and go through them, picking out the best ones that I want to edit and then copy them into an editing folder.

Save two copies, one in a file called “originals” which remains untouched.
Using the second copy that is placed in a different file:
Check for level and rotate as necessary.
Crop to suit 21 x 29.7 or vice versa, landscape or portrait A4 if it will be printed, otherwise crop to suit the subject.
Check and adjust levels on the histogram, also adjusting brightness if necessary.
If necessary adjust contrast and then brightness (again).
Clean up spots or birds flying past with patch tool usually
Apply gentle unsharp mask, more than once if necessary, using very small steps.
Print on my wonderful hp deskjet 940c and put in a folder or frame if I really like it!
For web uploading I create a new copy prefixed “w” and then alter image size to 72 dpi 1000 pixels width (for friends) or 72 dpi 750 pixels wide (for Forums). This is then saved at highest resolution (12) for friends or resolution 8 or 9 if possible for Forums, or whatever is the highest to get a file size that the Forum will accept. From now on it will be 50 kb for the Flypast Forum!