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01/05/2009 12:43:30 PM · #1 |
I've done a search through the forums but not found what i'm looking for, so i'm sorry if there are lots of threads about this out there.
What i'm looking for is some sort of guide on what processes i need to do to photographs. I know this sounds stupidly vague, but when i look at pictures on the site people say that the have used curves and then this and that process. Sohow do i know what treatment a paticular photo needs? As i don't see peoples unprocessed shots i don't see what they have actually "done" to the shot in photoshop et al?
Is there a site or book or dvd or something that anyone can recommend?
Any help really really really appreciated.
If you want me to try and expand on any points that are unclear i'll try my best.
Thanks. |
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01/05/2009 01:00:58 PM · #2 |
There is no formula for processing a photo. What looks good in one shot may not look good in another.
Here is a great before and after side challenge people have done. Look through them, find a similar photo to yours that you want to edit (ie. landscape, floral, portrait) and emulate their processing steps. Try to understand what each step is doing. Once you understand what changes come from "curves" and other tools, you can then experiment and find your own style. Have fun. |
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01/05/2009 01:04:14 PM · #3 |
| Some tutorials that are on this site. A place to start. |
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01/05/2009 01:21:25 PM · #4 |
| I totally recommend this book |
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01/05/2009 04:09:09 PM · #5 |
Anything and everything that you could possibly want to know about digital photo editing is available for free on the internet. Of course if you'd rather pay for it, there's also tons of books and courses available. It's a huge subject. You could easily spend the rest of your life and never learn it all.
The order of the processing steps used to edit a photo is called a workflow. The steps to use and the order in which you use them will depend on numerous factors, such as the software's capabilities, your own knowledge and abilities, the needs of the photo in question, and your artistic vision (or lack thereof) to name just a few. Because all photos are different, there is no single workflow that is right for all photos. Knowing which steps a particular photo needs comes from experience and your own artistic vision.
There are some steps that are normally performed before others. For example, if you're going to use noise reduction, then it's usually best to do that prior to performing any sharpening.
You will probably have some batches of photos that will need the same workflow. For instance, you might have a batch of photos that all need the same adjustments because they were made with the same camera or light settings. Then again, it often happens that every shot from a single session needs different editing steps. It all depends on those pesky pixels that your camera captured.
Several photographers have published general workflows on the web or in books. If you look around you should find a bunch of them. Try them, modify them, get experienced, write a book.
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01/05/2009 04:29:59 PM · #6 |
I consider the basics to be:
-Levels
-Curves
-Saturation
-contrast
-Sharpening using unsharp mask
Here's another article which covers these basics: Must-know image enhancements
Best way, I think, is to experiment some, and then try it out by jumping in the ring and putting something into a challenge. (Make sure to wear your thickest skin!) As previously said, there is no one workflow that works for everything, but there are the common adjustments that you will regularly use.
Message edited by author 2009-01-05 21:33:47. |
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01/05/2009 04:49:17 PM · #7 |
for normal digital photos, i usually only need to adjust the contrast and gamma a little.
for DPC entries, it's another animal altogether because voters like over saturated, over sharpened and overly high contrasty images |
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01/10/2009 10:13:29 AM · #8 |
| Thanks for the info. Some good pointers there. |
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01/10/2009 10:43:18 AM · #9 |
| something on the curves: here |
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