1. Capture – digital camera (or film scan)
- For D-SLR, capture in RAW if possible
- If capturing JPG be sure quality, color space and white balance settings are optimal
- Ensure correct exposure and focus – bracket as necessary

2. Ingest – transfer files to computer
- Automate as much as possible
- Adobe Lightroom, Photo Downloader, Bridge etc.
- Rename files on ingestion
- Convert Camera RAW files to Adobe DNG (optional but highly recommended)
- Make a backup immediately
- Reformat card in the camera after confirming transfer and backup

3. Add Metadata
- During ingestion if possible; enhance during editing
- Copyright notice and keywords at minimum
- Camera RAW files will use sidecar files for metadata
- DNG, JPG, PSD and TIF metadata is embedded in the file

4. Review/Edit
- Lightroom, Bridge, Expression Media, iView Media Pro, Elements Organizer
- Sort and compare
- Flagging, Rating, Labeling etc.
- Enhance custom metadata as appropriate
- Make Collections

5. Process Selects
- RAW/DNG converter – do as much processing as possible before conversion
- For JPG originals: Save As PSD before working on the file (never resave over a JPG)
- save Master File (TIF or PSD) at native resolution

6. Work the Master File
- Work on file at native resolution – no resampling until print time
- Crop (if necessary)
- Capture sharpen
- Adjustment Layers: Levels, Curves, Hue & Saturation etc.
- Dodge and burn
- Creative sharpening
- Retouching

7. Prepare for Printing
- Soft-proof and make adjustments – save in Master file
- Resize for print
- Sharpen for Print

8. Print
- Print from Photoshop or Lightroom with color management disabled in printer driver
- Photoshop (or Lightroom) Manages Color; use the same rendering intent used during soft-proofing
- Use correct ICC profile for selected printer/paper combination
- View finished prints in controlled lighting conditions – SoLux bulbs
- Apply protective coating – PremierArt Print Shield
- For canvas prints apply Breathing Color Glamour II Giclee Veneer
- Store prints in poly bags
- Keep out of direct sunlight

9. Share
- Generate slideshows and web galleries using Lightroom or Bridge

10. Backup and Archive
- Keep multiple copies; store permanent archives offsite
- Backups are routinely updated (synchronized); archives are permanent

From a recent email…

“Question for you…

I downloaded a trial of Lightroom to get a feel for it – like most Adobe programs, it’s not extremely intuitive w/o the help of a professional. Would this be worth the investment if I were (1) taking 40-50+ photos per week and (2) took a class on using it.

And I think this is pretty much equivenlent to Aperture – would you recommend one above the other?”

- End quote

My reply: Read more…

Recently I was able to make a beautiful enlargement to 40×60 inches from an 8.3 MP capture from a Canon 30D using the following method. (Actually, I cropped the image in Lightroom, so I started with a file with an even smaller native resolution of 3128×2085.)

Read more…

Question: “Nat, not sure if you have time to answer this but I could use some help. I want to make a JPEG copy of all my RAW files on my hard drive, various folders and subfolders, this would involve changing the files to a smaller file size. Is there a way to do all this in one operation with photoshop CS2 or 3?? I have a lot of photos and have to do it one folder at a time right now. My sense is that PS won’t open multiple folders in one auto operation.”

Answer: You can do this using Photoshop CS2, but it’s not as easy as doing it in Lightroom. I’d recommend you use Lightroom. Read more…

Here are some good online resources about Lightroom:

lightroom-news.com
photoshopuser.com
luminous-landscape.com
inside-lightroom.com
seanmcfoto.com
lightroomextra.com
www.oreillynet.com/digitalmedia/blog/adobe_lightroom/
www.digitalmedia.oreilly.com/lightroom/

Adobe is continuing their series of free, online seminars about their most important photo-processing software products and techniques for getting the most out of them. More info

Using color management is a critical element of getting your digital photos from capture through print. If you want your prints to look their best you should establish and follow a color-managed workflow.

Color management refers to a system of computer hardware and software working together to translate color from one device to another in a controlled way.

A digital image file contains a defined range of colors, described mathematically. In Photoshop, this is referred to as the file’s Working Space. The most common working spaces are sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998) and ProPhoto (I prefer the latter). Read more…

I recently got a question from a client:

I am looking into having some high-quality scans made from my transparencies, and there are some choices involved, mainly 8 bit vs.16 bit. The vendor’s web site said an 8 bit scan would look just as good to the human eye as the 16 bit scan, at much less cost. Don’t know much about this kind of thing, do you think the 16 bit scan is necessary at almost twice the price?

My answer:

The choice of 8- vs. 16-bit has everything to do with maintaining quality when editing/manipulating the file.

It’s true that – in the end – 8-bit and 16-bit will not look any different, on screen or on a print, BUT (and it’s a big BUT)…. When adjustments are made to any file, such as color or contrast changes, and even sharpening, 16-bit allows much greater headroom before the image starts to degrade from the changes. This is due to the fact that a mathematical description of color in 16-bit contains much more data than an 8-bit description.

An example of problems would be visible bands in a smooth gradient, such as a blue sky. Adjustments to a smooth blue sky in 8-bit will start to break down the image and reveal banding much more than if working in 16-bit.

Read more…

Following is the current workflow I’m using for the bulk of my digital imaging work. This workflow has been refined from over a decade of image processing, and uses the latest available software.

Raw/DNG Image Workflow, starting from the camera memory card:

1. Ingestion: Copy files from CF card to computer, using Bridge scripts or Adobe Photo Downloader. During ingestion: a) Convert to DNG, b) Apply your custom metadata template, and c) Make a backup copy to a second hard drive.
2. Initial Sorting: Browse the folder of new images in Adobe Bridge or iView. Apply keywords to images – assign at least one keyword for every file – and perform initial ranking (up to 2 stars on this round). Delete obvious rejects (optional based on disk space).
3. Archive DNGs: Burn optical media archive of DNGs for offsite storage.
   Optional here – synchronize your backup of all working DNG files. If not now, synchronize at least every few days. Use a file backup utility with synchronization capability for this.
4. Make Final Selections: In Bridge or iView, continue ranking, select the final set of files to be converted to master PSD. Read more…

It can be overwhelming to begin sorting through a day’s shoot, which may contain thousands of image files.

To make it easier, start ranking your images early in the workflow, beginning with 1 star for images that pass your basic requirements. Then filter your previews to only show 1-star images, and move on to assigning 2 stars, and so on. You will find that as you work your way toward 4 and 5 stars, you have much fewer images to deal with. This will dramatically cut your time selecting photos to be taken through final processing.

In my workflow, images that make it to 4 stars will be processed for printing or web. 5 star images are those that have made it into my portfolios.