Post Processing - What do you do, and in what order? (in photoshop)

Marcel

Marcel

Kim Jong Bod
Admin
Messages
29,411
Name
Marcel
Edit My Images
Yes
....or PSP (for CT :) )

I know post processing gets discussed quite alot, but I'm curious as to what your method / order of things are, once the image is in photoshop.

Personally, one converted from RAW, either via Adobe Camera RAW, or RSE, the image arrives into Photoshop, skewiff and uncropped.
I then rotate and crop as required, before saving to a 16 bit uncompressed TIFF (Backup).

Then I

* (Sometimes) make a copy of the background layer.
* Then create a new adjustment layer- Levels
* Then (if required) create a new adjustment layer - Hue/Saturation
* (Sometimes) Change to Lab mode, select lightness channel, and USM of 20/30/0 (for contrast), then back into RGB.
* Then (if required) create a new adjustment layer - Curves
* Then work on tool/brush work, if required, and tidy the image up.
* (Sometimes) Noiseware

I then save the file.
Then I either sharpen it via USM or Smart Sharpen, resize and border and save for web, discarding the unsaved larger version (so the last state saved was just after the noiseware, i don't save the fullsize sharpened).

This is a very basic rundown of my photoshop process (as my knowledge is very basic :D)

Care to share what you do?
 
Maybe I will feel differently when I have more time on my hands but I aim to avoid the sort of things above.

I could blame partial colour blindness and lack of colour confidence but the truth is i just do not enjoy PS type work.

So my workflow is take the picture and copy to hard drive..... unless the situation meant I had to use RAW in which case it is - leave it until I can be bothered - and then process them through RSE.

Stuff for posting/sharing I do with an old version of ACDsee - quick and easy.

Heretic eh?

;)
 
I used to rotate images, but the D2x does it for me (gloat).

RAW > adjust > Levels > crop if required > Sharpen > save as TIFF > resize to transmission size > save as JPEG 9-ish.

Go to next.
 
I am useless with photoshop :confused-

Might it be a good idea to post links to any software / plug ins used ?

for example RSE is http://www.pixmantec.com/

Noiseware is http://www.imagenomic.com/

Its all the links to software that help newbies find stuff :)

I have just tried the free version of noiseware on some noisy images and its great, so I have learnt something from this thread already ! :)


Mark.
 
20D rotates my shots. In RSP I will adjust everything except sharpening and noise reduction, save as 16 bit tiff. If I think it needs noise reduction I'll run it through Neat Image and then sharpen in CS2, resize, frame, etc. I don't find that I have to do much in RSP.

If it's a jpg then it's levels, curves, saturation and sharpen in CS2 and that's about it.

regards
 
Adjust levels, Straighten and crop, all in Pixmantec RSP at the RAW stage.

In CS
Noise filter, (if needed). This should be done first as it adds saturation to your image.
Saturation correction, (if needed) using new adjustment layer.
Resize for web.
Sharpen using USM in Lab colour lightness channel (100, 0.2, 0 upto 5 times)
Sharpen using USM (20, 30, 0) to remove digital haze.

All sharpening should be done at the final stage.
 
Normally use Adobe RAW to convert, adjust levels and saturation as required. Save either as a TIFF or a PSD file if it still has layers in it, then resize, noiseware, sharpen and save for web.

If enlarging an image for print, I use Genuine Fractals for the resize.
 
Arkady said:
I used to rotate images, but the D2x does it for me (gloat).

RAW > adjust > Levels > crop if required > Sharpen > save as TIFF > resize to transmission size > save as JPEG 9-ish.

Go to next.
Click to expand...
Not far off what I do, except I start with a TIFF produced from RSE (I rarely do much more than a straight conversion). I also play with saturation & contrast at the same time as the levels. I also use JPEG 10 for web use.
 
I think by JPEG 10 he means :

File > Save As > JPEG

and the slider that pops up is rated 1 (maximum compression) > 10 (maximum quality).
 
I don't actually like to spend a lot of time processing, particularly where there are a lot of pics involved, so probably 50% of the time I'll shoot jpegs and the 1D is particularly good at producing really useable jpegs straight out of the camera, so I tend to just adjust noise if necessary, levels and sharpen.

Where I shoot RAW I tend to upload all the images to the PC and save them as RAW files in a folder specific to that date/shoot, which takes the pressure off. I then later weed through and delete any crap. I can't honestly say I have any routine processing method for RAW pics it all depends how they look to start with. I output processed RAW files as TIFFS and complete any other editing in PSP.
 
Usually it's a case of adjust levels, sometimes shadows/highlights, resize, sharpen, border. Just don't seem to have the time nowadays to do more
 
Thanks for the replies.

CT so what's your process once the image hits PSP?

Do you have an ordered routine...like first thing...always adjust levels etc etc
 
That's pretty expansive question dude. On a basic level......

In RAW...

adjust exposure, levels, WB as necessary, add some luminance NR and Color NR (bloody noisey sensor) no sharpening and output as TIFF.

In CS2.....

Straighten, crop, Noise ninja, final levels, local contrast adjustments, cloning, sharpening, etc. Depends vastly on what I had envisaged for the image from the start, some shots need very little, others require hours of detailed work (yeah, right)

I generaly don't ave an ordered routine, especially as I'm always learning new PS tricks.
 
Thats the thing Gandhi. I too don't always have a way of doing things, as my PS skills are limited, I find it hard to see a shot and realise what I can do with it.

If I did, then I could say "Right, that needs to doing, and in order to do that, I would need to do this this then this"

My question really is more about the structure of things.
We all do the basics in a certain order, like levels, noiseware/ninja, sharpening etc.

It's basically about where in the process people do things...do the do curves before saturation adjustments...levels before or after cloning?
 
Ah, in that case!

Cloning always first, then noise ninja as the slight blur it creates can help mask some dodgy cloning! then levels/curves other contrast adjustments, maybe a b&w conversion, then save as tiff. if it's going webwise then resize and sharpen!
 
Adobe haven't produced a RAW 350D pluggin for CS8 and too mean to buy CS9. Did treat myself to DxO which seems to give a slow but very good conversion and sorts out various glitches from the Sigma 18-200 and 70-300 lenses. Any else using it.
 
Marcel said:
Thanks for the replies.

CT so what's your process once the image hits PSP?

Do you have an ordered routine...like first thing...always adjust levels etc etc
Click to expand...

Sorry Bod- only just seen this.

Yes, I'd normally look at it and assess the appearance first. Then depending how it looks, I may do a levels adjust, or it might only need a gamma, brightness or contrast adjust. If I do much more than that then it's probably a pic with problem areas which need sorting with selective masks or layers. Once I'm happy with the pic, it's then usually noise reduction (if needed) then sharpen last of all .
 
Thats the sort of answer I'm looking for CT thanks.

Levels/brightness etc first, then noise reduction, then sharpening.
 
Fangman said:
Adobe haven't produced a RAW 350D pluggin for CS8 and too mean to buy CS9. Did treat myself to DxO which seems to give a slow but very good conversion and sorts out various glitches from the Sigma 18-200 and 70-300 lenses. Any else using it.
Click to expand...

I just tried the demo a few days ago, seemed good, but was a real real drain on my system so its now deleted, i think il stick to RSP and cs for touchups.
 
Unfortunately no RSB for the Mac
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top