Real filters or Post Processing Filters?

[Blasted]

What are your opinions on post processing graduated filers as opposed to using the real thing? Reading quite a few threads relating to buying real filters there seems to be a number of cost/availability/colour cast issues.

Lightroom has a function for simple graduated filters which allows for intensity and colour and seems to do a reasonable job, mind you I’m still new to filters and landscapes.

Good or Bad?

 

[dtartagonidis]

The only ones worth consider are full and split ND filters, anything else can be achieved in postproduction. Actually, the variable ND filter is next on my buy list, as it's very useful in both photography an video.

 

[Halflap]

The only ones worth consider are full and split ND filters, anything else can be achieved in postproduction..

A polarising filter can also be useful for reducing the reflections in glass or water and for increasing the intensity of blue skies.

 

[incapete]

Yes you can alter exposure and do a grad in Lightroom but that's only if you've got the data there to play with... If you've completely blown the sky then no amount of exposure compensation will bring it back as Lightroom will just be seeing white so you use a grad to balance it before it hits your sensor.

Similarly there are shots that you just can't take without an ND filter- if you want a wide open aperture and and/or a slower shutter speed but it's a very bright day then you'll be hitting against your camera's lowest iso settings... In many 100 iso is the lowest, sometimes even 200 iso but I've had times I've wished I could get to 50 or 25 and this is taken care of by an ND.

Lastly there are filters like Polarizers which fundamentally (and selectively) change what light reaches your camera sensor - many people use them for landscapes but if you've got reflections or scattered light (for example from water) these can also help a lot, and produce a result you can't replicate later.

 

[odd jim]

A polariser can't be replicated in PP, especially as they eliminate reflections, and the difference in shooting a sea scape with a polariser is amazing as it sees colours through the water and onto the seabed.

 

[Blasted]

I already have a polariser. I didn't think about a blown out sky being unrecoverable though. At some point I would like a proper set of ND's for long exposure, I suppose I will have to add in some grads as well.

 

[Rikki]

I'd like to see a method of creating a digital polarizing filter for Photoshop!

I prefer real ones with post for fixing stuff etc

 

[dtartagonidis]

Upps, forgot about the polarising filters, my mistake. This one can't be faked easily in post, especially it's power to remove reflections from glossy surfaces.

 

[AJQS]

A polarising filter can also be useful for reducing the reflections in glass or water and for increasing the intensity of blue skies.

Yep, you can't do that in post production no matter how good you are