Digital Photography workflow

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Digital Photography workflow

• Mother Lode Chapter Photography Section

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Digital photography workflow

• Organization of Images
• Transfer Images to Computer
• Review and Initial Cleanup
• Backup Methodology
• Basic Image Processing (Non-RAW)
• Basic Image Processing (RAW)
• Printing
• Backup Again!!!

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Digital photography workflow
Organization of Images

• Create a folder
• Naming Convention (e.g. 2009-01-24 Echo Summit)
• Folder location
• Standard location My Documents My Pictures
• Pick one location and use it consistently
• Create sub-folders for processed images
• 2009-01-24 Echo Summit Web (for web site
  images)
• 2009-01-24 Echo Summit 800 (for resized
  images)

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Digital photography workflow
Transfer Images to Computer

• Directly from memory card
• Copy and paste all images from the memory card
  into the folder
• Dont worry about renaming files folder name is
  enough
• Download speed controlled by several factors
• Memory Card speed (Inexpensive cards have slower
  Read/Write speeds
• Computer interface (USB 1.0, USB 2.0, FireWire)
• Connect Camera via USB cable
• Requires camera manufacturer software
  installation
• Transfer wizards can be confusing
• Take control of the process you chose the
  location

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Digital photography workflow
Review and Initial Cleanup

• Now is the time for reviewing your images and
  deleting unnecessary duplicates and other rejects
• The computer is best for this task because you
  can more accurately assess image composition ,
  DOF, and sharpness
• If you feel the need to delete images during
  photo shoot in order to conserve space, consider
  getting a bigger memory card
• Go through your images in slideshow fashion and
  note the keepers
• Note the file names or mark in some other way for
  future reference
• These are the ones you will want to spend time
  processing

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Digital photography workflow
Backup Methodology

• Keep all documents and user files in a single
  folder
• Backup to an external hard drive
• CDs or DVDs are too slow and unreliable
• Use synchronization software such as Microsofts
  free SyncToy
• Create a Folder Pair
• Main hard drive folder My Documents
• External hard drive folder My Documents
  Backup
• Use the Echo option (copies all changes from
  main HD to External HD but not from the External)
• Erase Image Files on Memory Card
• Always format the card in your camera to delete
  in images

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Digital photography workflow
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Digital photography workflow
Basic Processing Tasks (Non-RAW)

• Opening and Saving the Image File
• Save As immediately using a different name
• Use Adjustment Layers whenever possible
• Adjustment layers leave image data intact
• Basic Processing Steps
• Crop (After Straigtening and Lens Correction)
• Fix/Enhance tonality (Levels Curves) and color
• Resize for desired output (Web, screen, print)
• Sharpen
• Levels Adjustments
• Better than Brightness/Contrast because shadows
  and highlights are included. Sets the dynamic
  range for the image (generally adding some
  contrast) while also clearing some color casts
  that may exist in the highlights and shadows.

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Digital photography workflow
Basic Processing Tasks (Non-RAW) Continued

• Levels Adjustments
• Create a Levels Adjustment Layer
• First try Levels Auto Adjust and evaluate
• Manually adjust sliders to eliminate white space
  in histogram
• Then adjust middle slider for appropriate
  brightness level

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Digital photography workflow
Basic Processing Tasks (Non-RAW) Continued

• Image Resizing

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Digital photography workflow
Basic Processing Tasks (Non-RAW) Continued

• Image Resizing
• Web Email Pixel Size as needed Res72-96 ppi
  QualityMedium
• Example 680x480 saved at qual level 6 (Scale of
  1 - 12)
• Screen Pixel SizeScreen Resolution Res Qual
  as desired
• Example 1280x1024, Qual Level high
• Print Document Size as desired, resolution 200
  300 for smaller prints, 160-200 for larger
  sizes (16x20 or greater)
• Resampling Changes the file size of the image
  and the number of pixels in the image. Upsampling
  adds computer generated data to fill in
  additional pixels and will result in softer image
  appearance

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Digital photography workflow (RAW)

• Basic RAW Processing Tasks
• Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) versions and features vary
  depending on the version of Photoshop or
  Photoshop Elements used
• The workflow interface for Adobe Lightroom is
  very similar to ACR
• RAW files (.NEF, .CRW, etc.) contain all data
  captured by the camera
• On a computer only white balance settings are
  carried into ACR
• Editing RAW files is non-destructive and allows
  you to utilize all 12 bits (or more) of the data
  captured
• JPG files can also be edited using newer versions
  of ACR and I highly recommend using ACR as a
  normal part of your workflow for both file types
• Saving RAW Edits
• Done Saves edit information in a sidecar file
  and returns you to the editor or Adobe Bridge
• Open Saves as above and then opens the image
  in Photoshop for additional editing

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Digital photography workflow (RAW)
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Digital photography workflow (RAW)

• WHITE BALANCE
• If temperature needs to be changed, adjust the
  slider left or right as needed to warm or cool
  the image
• You may try using a White Balance preset by
  selecting it from the drop-down list
• Tint changes are not normally needed

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Digital photography workflow (RAW)

• EXPOSURE AND RECOVERY
• Adjust the exposure slider as needed for the
  correct exposure
• After adjusting exposure, if the histogram
  indicates clipped highlights, adjust the recovery
  slider just enough to recover the details
• TIP Reducing exposure causes far fewer problems
  than increasing it pushing it too high can
  introduce noise and banding in the shadows

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Digital photography workflow (RAW)

• FILL LIGHT AND BLACKS
• The Fill slider lightens shadows without
  affecting overall contrast think of it as the
  equivalent to using fill flash
• Use the Black slider sparingly to tweak shadows
  as desired
• Use the histogram as a guide to prevent too much
  shadow clipping however, this is not necessarily
  bad and can add punch to the image

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Digital photography workflow (RAW)

• BRIGHTNESS AND CONTRAST
• Brightness adjusts the midpoint levels
• TIP Use Exposure for major adjustments and
  Brightness for subtler tweaking
• The Contrast slider alters the difference in
  brightness between the lightest and darkest parts
  of the shot

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Digital photography workflow (RAW)

• CLARITY, VIBRANCE, AND SATURATION
• The Clarity slider boosts contrast in the
  midtone areas only
• Increasing Saturation pushes colors closer to
  their pure state
• Vibrance is more subtle than Saturation in that
  less-saturated colors get more of a boost than
  already-intense colors
• The Vibrance slider also feature built-in skin
  tone protection