Raw Processing

[donitab]

Since I am new to Raw photography - I was wondering what is your workflow on processing the pictures.

Right now - I open up in bridge & process individually the pictures I will keep - this is pretty slow right now when I attend an event where I shoot 100+ pics.

Just really wondering how much time you spend on this.

[hguenthe]

When you say you open them up in Bridge, does that mean that you are using the built in plug-in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)?

Do you do the same types of corrections to your photos that you could do a number of them as batch or do they all need individual adjustments? If you do a lot of the same things, you can open multiple images in Bridge & in ACR along the left side will be a listing of all the files with thumbnails. Check it so that it has selected all of those and then you can make adjustments to all of them at once and click between photos to see how it is affecting each one. Presets are also good for batch processing or quick adjustments photo to photo.

Personally, I love playing with the photos as much as scrapping so am not one to ask for workflow. I only process photos as I want to use them. Until then, they sit OOC on my harddrive.

[katrinak]

I use Lightroom so my flow is a bit different.

1. Open LR
2. Import photos from card to LR (creates a file by date in my 2009 file)
3. Delete (I don't delete many, mostly just the EXTREMELY blurry or too dark)
4. Flag the best and/or the ones I think I might scrap
5. Pick my POTD
6. Process my POTD, typically
-adjust white balance
-bump the exposure up a little
- adjust blacks
- convert using a preset or two
7. Import POTD into PS
8. Save as jpg
9. Upload to flickr

If I'm doing an event I copy and paste the settings of photos taken in the same light to speed things up. I don't process everything as I upload though. (I take far more photos to be able to do that!)

[dugarner]

I don't know about the workflow for Lightroom. My Sony camera came with a "version" of Lightroom called Lightbox, it's the same idea. But I don't tend to use any presets. I have the option of processing one at a time or doing a batch processing.

If the lighting, balance, noise, etc., is okay in Lightbox, I just batch process them to jpeg files. I take the occasional shot that is too dark and I fix it as much as I can in RAW and then continue working in PSE.

Most of my shots are good enough that I can process them immediately to JPEG, then mess around a little bit in Elements. Shots that get individual treatment in Lightbox are those where the exposure is way off, or my histogram is way off (since I can't fix that in Elements.)

I think it's a matter of finding your rhythm, your flow. If most of your shots are good enough in JPEG, just process them right away. If you prefer to take the time to work on the RAW files, that's what's good for you. I split my time evenly between processing individual shots and just letting them go to JPEG. It seems like a waste---"why not just shoot in jpeg?"---but this prairie dog picture is a perfect example of how RAW saves my rear end.

1. RAW


2. Processed JPEG after tweaking in Lightbox (curves, noise reduction, and exposure compensation)


I took the time to fix this shot individually in Lightbox. Of the 16 shots I kept yesterday, 3 required individual processing time. Needless to say, in the past, if I had shot JPEG, I would have kept far more, 100 perhaps, of which 15 probably were only keep-worthy. So it has helped me really become picky about what I keep, because I don't want to mess with it!

[THAT-GIRL]

I can only add to all comments... that instead of saving as "JPEG"... I save in "TIFF" file ( make sure check LZW- or lossless compression), 'cause EVERY TIME you open picture in Photoshop it DETERIORATES or looses quality... remember... EVERY TIME... even to just look at it again or fix something, so I save in "JPEG" only when I am ready to print or resize for the web... etc...

[THAT-GIRL]

O and forgot to say that "TIFF" format mostly ALL programs and computers reads.

[geekgirl415]

No RAW advice, i'm just popping in to say wonderful fix on that adorable prairie dog!!

[sarahorton]

Thanks for sharing your workflow, Katrina! That really helps a bunch!

Sarah, your Prairie Dog conversion is amazing! I love RAW!

It's true that tiff files are safer because of the lossless compression.
The jpeg files are only degraded if you change something and save over it. It's a side effect of the compression process. If you just open and close a jpeg, it isn't further degraded. I just save the original jpeg and then if I make changes I save it as filename_edited.jpg

[THAT-GIRL]

Hey thanks Sara !
I've just learned more about saving and Jpeg files...

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by sarahorton

Thanks for sharing your workflow, Katrina! That really helps a bunch!

Sarah, your Prairie Dog conversion is amazing! I love RAW!

It's true that tiff files are safer because of the lossless compression.
The jpeg files are only degraded if you change something and save over it. It's a side effect of the compression process. If you just open and close a jpeg, it isn't further degraded. I just save the original jpeg and then if I make changes I save it as filename_edited.jpg

Thank you for clarifying that about lossy formats. Since I shoot in RAW, it doesn't matter what I do to the jpeg, since I can always process a new one. (For folks who might not know.)

The file will recompressed whenever you save it, and you will start to see a noticeable difference in an 8X10 after just five "saves." (Compressions.) I tried it, it's really noticeable.

I'm just so excited about being able to have such control over post processing.

To answer the original question, I think that once you get the flow of processing RAW, you'll realize you've gotten more efficient at keeping only the very best shots in the first place (to avoid all that processing), and you'll start to learn where/when you can just go ahead and shoot JPEG, if you want to (for expediency later on). I used to shoot RAW + JPEG until I realized I could preview RAW; I have space issues on my camera card, not on my computer. So I have to streamline at the front end.

[katrinak]

I should add here too that on a weekly basis I search in LR for all of my psd files and delete them. They are just the file needed to move from LR to PS, no other purpose once I've saved as jpg. Saves a ton of space.

[Jen D]

Yikes girls this has convinced me to shoot only in raw. I usually do but get lazy. Never again!

[iUma]

Katrina, I have been saving straight from LR as a small Jpeg to send to Flickr. I have a folder on my desk top and a made a preset in LR for exporting which sends the small jpeg to that folder, then I upload from there. should i save as PSD first?

[katrinak]

Nope Patricia! It sounds like you have a great process going! I like to sharpen in PS so I use the extra step!

[iUma]

One more question about jpegs...if you open and duplicate and close do you still lose quality? Does duplication count as a destructive or altering process?

[lima]

From grahicssoft.about.com: "Copying and renaming a JPEG will not introduce any loss, but some image editors do recompress JPEGs when the Save As command is used. To avoid more loss you should duplicate and rename JPEGs in a file manager rather than using "Save As JPEG" in an editing program." Full article:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/for...mythsfacts.htm
HTH

[Angel_Baby]

When I process my raw photos, I have the option to save as tiff 8 bit/ch or 16 bit/ch. I am guessing the 16 is better. What do you all do? And does adobe open tiff files?

[bluelemur01]

I have two ways I do the workflow; they are both time-consuming, but I need to get my mitts on each & every photo, especially if I'm processing a shoot for a client! Here's my favorite way:

First I look at every photo, a once-over, to see how I like them w/out any tinkering. This part is pretty quick. Then I go back & tag the photos that are "keepers." I like to do this in a very low-tech way by scribbling the pictures #s of my keepers, that will get further edits, onto a piece of scrap paper. I know that it's possible to tag or label the photos with various labels and do this process digitally, but I like doing it my way.

Then I open them about 10-12 at a time in the RAW viewer. While in the RAW viewer, I make tweaks as needed to white balance, exposure, blacks, fill light. I don't usually do much with clarity, as I prefer to do my sharpening in Photoshop itself.

I then click them and open them into Photoshop. There I adjust levels, do any cropping, and do my sharpening. I usually prefer Smart Sharpen, although there are certains times/pics that I also/or use Unsharp Mask.

I then save the photo with a new name and move on to the next one!

This is time consuming, but I am such a nitpick that I usually can't rely on batch processing. Even if I take images in similar light, I can't be sure that *every* photo will need the exact same levels or curves adjustment; therefore, I prefer to do each photo individually.

This takes time but it's worth it in the end to get the best images I can! And I work fast now. I'm so familiar with how my pics respond to levels/sharpening that I usually can guestimate what is needed & do the changes very quickly!

I'm interested to read others' process!
J

[bluelemur01]

I should add that I routinely will spend hours editing photos as needed for an event. For a portrait event I may spend anywhere from 2-5 hours editing; a wedding will be more. Even for shots of family parties/etc I will spend several hours editing. To me, this is just a normal part of my workflow and is necessary to get my best shots looking even better!