When people write or talk about post-processing in photography, they are simply referring to the work they did (generally on a computer these days) after taking the initial frames in camera. It is an inevitable part of every photographers work regardless of exactly what they let on. It is also rare to find an explanation of this side of things outside a good magazine or workshop. For this reason, I thought it would be helpful to present some of what a photographer does off camera.
There is clearly an editing spectrum along which every digital photo can be placed. Here, I will display two from rather opposite ends.
The first is pictured below and sits on the less-edited side. Pictures taken on camera should always aim to have ideal exposure, focus, and composition prior to pushing the shutter. Although I'm not quite 100% satisfied with the composition here (I would like to have included the entire shadow of the man), it is a great example of where things have worked well in the field. From memory, it was taken in one frame, cropped, and minimally tweaked in post-processing.
Compare this with the one below which is closer to the other end of the spectrum. At the time of shooting, I was quite limited by a number of things: extremely limited shooting time, deteriorating camera quality, very low battery level, and quickly changing light conditions. Unfortunately, this resulted in frames requiring greater work in post-processing. I have made a number of editing attempts at this one with yesterday's result being the most satisfactory to date. The quality has been reasonably maintained whilst still getting the image and look that I was after.
Photoshop's in-house stitching function is now quite suitable for most stitching jobs. The image is comprised of a five-frame stitch in order to encompass the desired scene.
The next steps aimed to bring out the details and colours in the shadows below the skyline. This is where pixel count, sensor size (and quality), tripod quality, and file format (JPEG or RAW) become important. I was able to pull out all the detail I wanted. Regardless of the above-mentioned factors, all post-processing such as this always reduces the overall image quality (even if you are working from a medium and large format cameras).
Although the image does not have maximal quality, it has still sufficient quality to use in a reasonably large print. Considering the impossibility of returning to precisely the exact scene for a reshoot, I am pretty happy with the result.
Key Tips:
1. If possible, get high quality images in camera prior to shutter release.
2. Shoot in RAW (or highest possible quality on your camera) to preserve pixel exposures.
3. Remember that every photograph requires some level of post-processing (even if only a slight crop).
4. Get practising and attempt your own edits!
For more detailed tutorials on some photoshop techniques, www.ephotozine.com looks like it has a number of good ones including curve tool, horizons, and dodge & burn. Another place to go for detailed photoshop tutorials is www.smashingmagazine.com some great info on masking, colour correction, and sharpening.
There is clearly an editing spectrum along which every digital photo can be placed. Here, I will display two from rather opposite ends.
The first is pictured below and sits on the less-edited side. Pictures taken on camera should always aim to have ideal exposure, focus, and composition prior to pushing the shutter. Although I'm not quite 100% satisfied with the composition here (I would like to have included the entire shadow of the man), it is a great example of where things have worked well in the field. From memory, it was taken in one frame, cropped, and minimally tweaked in post-processing.
Compare this with the one below which is closer to the other end of the spectrum. At the time of shooting, I was quite limited by a number of things: extremely limited shooting time, deteriorating camera quality, very low battery level, and quickly changing light conditions. Unfortunately, this resulted in frames requiring greater work in post-processing. I have made a number of editing attempts at this one with yesterday's result being the most satisfactory to date. The quality has been reasonably maintained whilst still getting the image and look that I was after.
Photoshop's in-house stitching function is now quite suitable for most stitching jobs. The image is comprised of a five-frame stitch in order to encompass the desired scene.
The next steps aimed to bring out the details and colours in the shadows below the skyline. This is where pixel count, sensor size (and quality), tripod quality, and file format (JPEG or RAW) become important. I was able to pull out all the detail I wanted. Regardless of the above-mentioned factors, all post-processing such as this always reduces the overall image quality (even if you are working from a medium and large format cameras).
Key Tips:
1. If possible, get high quality images in camera prior to shutter release.
2. Shoot in RAW (or highest possible quality on your camera) to preserve pixel exposures.
3. Remember that every photograph requires some level of post-processing (even if only a slight crop).
4. Get practising and attempt your own edits!
For more detailed tutorials on some photoshop techniques, www.ephotozine.com looks like it has a number of good ones including curve tool, horizons, and dodge & burn. Another place to go for detailed photoshop tutorials is www.smashingmagazine.com some great info on masking, colour correction, and sharpening.
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