First, one has to recognize one's strengths and weaknesses. For me, for example, I can't edit a paper I have written or an image at one setting. That is just the way my brain works. Understanding how my brain and vision work, I edit my images in several stages, sometimes with days in between. I need "fresh eyes" to do my best editing, including the image to the right. That was easy during the "film" days as you seldom saw your images the same day you made them. With that said, here is a brief outline of how I edit my images.
I use Lightroom 5 as my primary editing software. It also serves as my cataloging/relational database software to keyword, file and find images. I suspect Lightroom is used for about 85% of my image editing. Additionally, I use Photoshop CC when I need to do something that can't be done or done well in Lightroom, such as remove something like trash or even replace a bad sky as well as if I need to heavily use the healing brush. If it is easier to do in Photoshop rather than Lightroom, I export if over there and then bring it back. I probably do that 8% of the time. Beyond those two primary programs, I use the Google/Nik plug-ins when it is much more expedient to "help" an image rather than me doing it manually. I estimate I use the Nik plug-ins on 6 out of 100 images. Sometimes, I also will use Topaz and Alien Skin plug-ins for special edits. Very rarely, however. All are very good image editing programs and I can recommend all of them.
Here is my process:
1) Import images into Lightroom; I create the appropriate folder (my images are filed based on location) on my secondary internal hard drive (I don't put them on my C drive which houses my programs and operating system) with a copy going to an external hard drive, keyword them and ensure that my copyright and other identifying metadata are also attached when importing. I don't change the file names as I have each camera file names already changed in camera. Importing onto two hard drives ensures I have redundancy. Only after I confirm that the images are successfully on the two hard drive, then I reformat my memory cards on which they were recorded.
2) First look at Images; I take a preliminary look at my images in the Library module of Lightroom. It is here I get a sense of what images worked well and which ones really didn't work. I find it helpful to look at the small images in rows and columns to get a sense of overall composition differences and exposure. Also, this is where I will make global changes to images. By that I mean that I will correct one image in a series for color balance and exposure, then copy those settings to all the other images that need those particular settings. I don't make individual image corrections at this point.
3) Preliminary Picks; Next, I will go back and flag (P-key) the ones that I immediately like. I don't use stars or a numbering system yet. I either like them or not. The ones which I like will be flagged. If there are multiple images of the same thing, I will look at them 1:1 to ascertain the sharpest image of the group. I found as I age, I'm not quite as steady as I once was. So, my typical method is to set my camera on high speed advance and take about three to four images in very rapid sequence so as to insure one will be absolutely as sharp as it could be.
4) First Edit; After I select the images I like, I only bring those up in the Develop module using the "attribute" feature across the top of the Library screen. Only the ones I have flagged will now appear. That gets the clutter off the screen. I will go to the first image and do all or some of the following, depending upon the individual image: straighten the horizon and crop (only if needed), adjust exposure (gamma/middle tones) again, if needed, adjust the highlights if they go past the right side of the histogram and the shadows if they are cut off the left side of the histogram. Sometimes I will also set a white point and black point if the highlight/shadow sliders don't quite do what I want.
That being said, sometimes it is okay if you have blown highlights (specular highlights, for example) or blocked shadows (night shots) or images that may be high key (a real foggy day) or low key (something you want to keep pretty dark). In that case, you have to look at your image to get the effect you want. There is no law that says you have to adjust them one way or another. You adjust them so the image looks like you envisioned or looks good to you. Some "experts" will tell you that you always have to have tones from pure white to pure black in every image. Poppycock! You make it look good to you. It is your vision and your image. Advice: make images that please you. Don't worry about others.
I may add some clarity and boost the vibrance a tad. But I don't boost the clarity or vibrance in every image, only if I think it needs it. But I try not to over do it. Advice: If your editing is obvious, you are probably overdoing it.
Next, I set the lens corrections (profile) and check the box to eliminate any chromatic aberrations. Sometimes that won't entirely eliminate the CA so you have to take the eyedropper and do it manually at 1:1. At this point, I will adjust the "import" sharpening to counteract the effects of the digital process.
That is about it for the first edit. I will go on to the next image at this point. The above takes less than a minute.
This preliminary edit, in reality, adjusts horizon, color, contrast, saturation, luminance (brightness) and sharpness. Many images need no more than this. I call this "tuning" my images. This preliminary process allows me to get a very good idea what images need further work, which ones will work for stock submission and which ones I may like, but really don't go anywhere else. At this point, if I really like the image, I will assign it four stars.
5) Second Edit At this point, I need fresh eyes. I will not look at the files for several days, then go back and go through the same process. Is this redundant? Yes, but I often find that on the second pass through, I do a better job at tuning the image. Often times, I make changes to my settings from my first look. I find that I have sometimes overdone the edits first pass through.
6) Detail Editing Additionally, I will look closely at each image and see what needs to be fixed on a regional or smaller level. By that I mean, I may see some dust spots in a sky or use the graduated filter to darken the foreground or sky or use the adjustment brush to lighten, darken, increase contrast, burn, dodge, add some additional clarity, saturation, etc. to individual areas in the image. Often times, the sky may be pale and I will increase the saturation to make it a bit more blue. Things like that. It is at this point, if something needs fixed in Photoshop or I want to use the Google/Nik filters to better an image, it is now that I export it to that plug-in, do what I need to do, then re-import it as a TIFF file with Prophoto color space at 300 dpi. Why 300 dpi? That is what the stock agency requires. You can set yours for whatever you feel is appropriate for you.
7) Coding the Images It is at this point that I decide if an image will be submitted to my stock agency. If it is, I color code the file. I use purple, but not for any specific reason, I had just picked that several years ago and have stuck with it. As an aside, all my images that are submitted to the stock agency now have been flagged, are coded in purple and have 5 stars. It is easy to search on them and find them using the top menu (Attribute) in the Library module.
With the flag, stars and color, I can bring up different sets of images in the future. I used to not star my images, but recently I found out that the flag and color are not recorded in the metadata, but stars are. So, I added the stars so if I ever have to change image editing programs or recreate my catalog, the metadata will reflect my choices.
8) Fourth Edit Again, I put the images away for a while. Before I send them to the stock agency or otherwise import them for other uses (I send out a Sunday Afternoon Photo to a group of friends and acquaintances each week and have been doing it since 2002; if you would like to join that email list, please advise me), I look at the images one more time, making additional fine tuning adjustments if necessary. Many times, I see things after a couple of weeks or so that I missed previously. It is amazing that I could miss something, but I do. It is the same as editing your own writing. Your brain fills in what is supposed to be there even if it is not there.
9) Title and Caption Just before export to the stock agency, I title and caption my images and check the keywords to ensure I have not missed any that should be included for potential search.
9) Export for Stock, Web or Print On export, for stock photography, I change the color space to Adobe RGB, keep the same size file, not sharpen, and ensure the files are 300 dpi. For other work, such as this blog and my Sunday Afternoon Photo, I change the color space to sRGB, reduce the file size to about to 1000 pixels on the long side, sharpen normally and set the file to 96 dpi. They both are saved as JPEGs, the stock images at full size and the others at 80%.
That about sums it up. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment and ask.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis Mook
Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com. Please pay it a visit. Thank you.
All content on this blog is ©2014 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.
3) Preliminary Picks; Next, I will go back and flag (P-key) the ones that I immediately like. I don't use stars or a numbering system yet. I either like them or not. The ones which I like will be flagged. If there are multiple images of the same thing, I will look at them 1:1 to ascertain the sharpest image of the group. I found as I age, I'm not quite as steady as I once was. So, my typical method is to set my camera on high speed advance and take about three to four images in very rapid sequence so as to insure one will be absolutely as sharp as it could be.
4) First Edit; After I select the images I like, I only bring those up in the Develop module using the "attribute" feature across the top of the Library screen. Only the ones I have flagged will now appear. That gets the clutter off the screen. I will go to the first image and do all or some of the following, depending upon the individual image: straighten the horizon and crop (only if needed), adjust exposure (gamma/middle tones) again, if needed, adjust the highlights if they go past the right side of the histogram and the shadows if they are cut off the left side of the histogram. Sometimes I will also set a white point and black point if the highlight/shadow sliders don't quite do what I want.
That being said, sometimes it is okay if you have blown highlights (specular highlights, for example) or blocked shadows (night shots) or images that may be high key (a real foggy day) or low key (something you want to keep pretty dark). In that case, you have to look at your image to get the effect you want. There is no law that says you have to adjust them one way or another. You adjust them so the image looks like you envisioned or looks good to you. Some "experts" will tell you that you always have to have tones from pure white to pure black in every image. Poppycock! You make it look good to you. It is your vision and your image. Advice: make images that please you. Don't worry about others.
I may add some clarity and boost the vibrance a tad. But I don't boost the clarity or vibrance in every image, only if I think it needs it. But I try not to over do it. Advice: If your editing is obvious, you are probably overdoing it.
Next, I set the lens corrections (profile) and check the box to eliminate any chromatic aberrations. Sometimes that won't entirely eliminate the CA so you have to take the eyedropper and do it manually at 1:1. At this point, I will adjust the "import" sharpening to counteract the effects of the digital process.
That is about it for the first edit. I will go on to the next image at this point. The above takes less than a minute.
This preliminary edit, in reality, adjusts horizon, color, contrast, saturation, luminance (brightness) and sharpness. Many images need no more than this. I call this "tuning" my images. This preliminary process allows me to get a very good idea what images need further work, which ones will work for stock submission and which ones I may like, but really don't go anywhere else. At this point, if I really like the image, I will assign it four stars.
5) Second Edit At this point, I need fresh eyes. I will not look at the files for several days, then go back and go through the same process. Is this redundant? Yes, but I often find that on the second pass through, I do a better job at tuning the image. Often times, I make changes to my settings from my first look. I find that I have sometimes overdone the edits first pass through.
6) Detail Editing Additionally, I will look closely at each image and see what needs to be fixed on a regional or smaller level. By that I mean, I may see some dust spots in a sky or use the graduated filter to darken the foreground or sky or use the adjustment brush to lighten, darken, increase contrast, burn, dodge, add some additional clarity, saturation, etc. to individual areas in the image. Often times, the sky may be pale and I will increase the saturation to make it a bit more blue. Things like that. It is at this point, if something needs fixed in Photoshop or I want to use the Google/Nik filters to better an image, it is now that I export it to that plug-in, do what I need to do, then re-import it as a TIFF file with Prophoto color space at 300 dpi. Why 300 dpi? That is what the stock agency requires. You can set yours for whatever you feel is appropriate for you.
7) Coding the Images It is at this point that I decide if an image will be submitted to my stock agency. If it is, I color code the file. I use purple, but not for any specific reason, I had just picked that several years ago and have stuck with it. As an aside, all my images that are submitted to the stock agency now have been flagged, are coded in purple and have 5 stars. It is easy to search on them and find them using the top menu (Attribute) in the Library module.
With the flag, stars and color, I can bring up different sets of images in the future. I used to not star my images, but recently I found out that the flag and color are not recorded in the metadata, but stars are. So, I added the stars so if I ever have to change image editing programs or recreate my catalog, the metadata will reflect my choices.
8) Fourth Edit Again, I put the images away for a while. Before I send them to the stock agency or otherwise import them for other uses (I send out a Sunday Afternoon Photo to a group of friends and acquaintances each week and have been doing it since 2002; if you would like to join that email list, please advise me), I look at the images one more time, making additional fine tuning adjustments if necessary. Many times, I see things after a couple of weeks or so that I missed previously. It is amazing that I could miss something, but I do. It is the same as editing your own writing. Your brain fills in what is supposed to be there even if it is not there.
9) Title and Caption Just before export to the stock agency, I title and caption my images and check the keywords to ensure I have not missed any that should be included for potential search.
9) Export for Stock, Web or Print On export, for stock photography, I change the color space to Adobe RGB, keep the same size file, not sharpen, and ensure the files are 300 dpi. For other work, such as this blog and my Sunday Afternoon Photo, I change the color space to sRGB, reduce the file size to about to 1000 pixels on the long side, sharpen normally and set the file to 96 dpi. They both are saved as JPEGs, the stock images at full size and the others at 80%.
That about sums it up. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment and ask.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis Mook
Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com. Please pay it a visit. Thank you.
All content on this blog is ©2014 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.
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