Post Processing

From the Lighthouse Camera Club, Florida

Why Post Process?
By Steve daPonte
Hello LCC members,

Why Post Process?

Because your camera is not perfect at recreating a faithful scene. This is a fact due to the Dynamic Range of the camera.

Many years ago "well not that many" we used film to capture photos and film was not perfect either. That is why photographers like Ansel Adams would spend many hours dodging, burning to create the final photograph. The final print was the photographers vision true to who? Yes, that's right the photographer.

Now in the age of digital our cameras do a much better jog at analyzing the scene for proper exposure. The camera does whatever the programmer has put into the cameras little brain. This is why if you shoot with Nikon the photos straight outta camera "SOC" will look different than say Canon, Sony, Fuji and all these will look different than each other "SOC". Why because of proprietary programming code.

If you like the images you get without processing them that's great then you don't need to read any further.

So, your still reading?

Ok, here we go.

The first thing you should do if you want to take control over your images.

Shoot in RAW if your camera has this option, which is the digital equivlant to a film negative.

Then you must post process the image, to us film terms develop your image

The options vary, here is a list of software

Adobe Lightroom which you can buy and pay monthly subscription fee. (PC and Mac)
TIP: If you sign up with 500PX you can get a Lightroom & Photoshop subscription for a discounted rate.



On1 software which is you buy and there is no subscription fee. (PC and Mac)
Topaz just released Topaz Studio. Versions for PC and Mac
MacFun has Luminar. (Mac Only at this time - PC version available soon)
Corel After Shot Pro (PC Only)
For Standalone or Plugin HDR Processing

Photomatix Pro (PC and Mac)
Aurora HDR (Mac Only)
EasyHDR (PC and Mac)
In my next post I will talk about what is use to post process and will show some examples.

* If you are interested, I will copy and paste his next one.....

Re: Post Processing

Just downloaded Topaz for a "play". AEG washing machine door lock in HDR. The light was an LED torch.

Re: Post Processing

Im not much on processing myself for my wildlife photos, just enough to return them to a close as what i see when i take the photo, my club is obsessed with lightroom.

Digital manipulation can be interesting, Single colour, HDR seem to go through phases, but yes film photographers did indeed do much the same in the past.

It would have ben so interesting to see what Adams wold have achieved with this days technology. I so admire his work.

Re: Post Processing

I've never understood Photoshop so I don't think I'll try this.
The best, most comprehensive editing software from Microsoft, "Picture It" has never been updated since Windows 7 which is a shame.

Re: Post Processing

The American photographic website I belong to is manipulation mad and there are occasional long screeds about the processing of an image. Sometimes more like a computer club...

Re: Post Processing

Seems to me the first rule of photography "get it right in the camera first" has been overlooked by that person in the USA and the club.

better to use the right filters for a particular shot if needed than mess it about in PP.

I am not anti editing but so many now rely on it that they have lost the art of taking a photo

If I have to I use Adobe Elements which is easy to understand even for a beginner. I find it does everything I need that a full blown editing suit does

Re: Post Processing

I still have and use a 1960's Rollei TLR. Only twelve exposures so each one has to count. With this in mind, taking digi-photos demands each shop counts to my mind. So, go out and take ten snaps, then spend hours correcting the lackluster images....
Our camera club has slowly morphed into a computing and software club. Grrr

Re: Post Processing

I share your frustration, and im glad to see that a few of my clubs members are now putting up more natural images, hopefully a better overall balance that may attract some new blood who are not put off by over processing.

Re: Post Processing

I never over-process but feel I can't post photos here any more because I might do some light post-processing in order to make a scene as I saw it at the time. This makes me feel that my photos aren't 'honest' enough to post in the forum.

Re: Post Processing

Of course, Steve daPonte write snippets for his club members, not all common sense and some too software-technical for others....