jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That was my first thought. Doesn't PS let you batch process?

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I do not know I do most of my PP in Lightroom and only us PS about 2-3% of the time

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

You *can* but it's a lot more awkward and memory intensive, since you have to LOAD all the images into PS.

In LR, you're only looking at thumbs, and the edits are just side instructions.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Not use post processing? If you shoot raw then you have to post process by definition, otherwise you are just letting the camera post process by default...

amehta Loc: Boston

I assume this was directed at me, because I'm the only one who ranted about not doing pp. :-)

If I shoot raw and do no pp, then I'm not letting the camera do pp, I'm skipping it entirely (except for the little bit the camera still insists on). If I shoot jpeg and do no pp, then I'm letting the camera do the pp it is set for. So yes, I shoot jpegs, and 99% of the time, that gives me the picture I want. And if it doesn't, it's usually my fault (poor exposure). Based on how little time I want to spend with the pictures after I've shot them, I'll take the time savings.

Samuraiz Loc: Central Florida

As do I Unless I need layers then it's CS6.

WNYShooter Loc: WNY

I shoot RAW and use LR. I use a preset to import which automatically performs my normal PP to all of the pics. I also have various standard JPG export recipes fully automated using presets. The whole process takes no more time than it would to DL JPG's off of the camera and transfer them to other media.

The great thing about handling all of this through LR, besides the fact that LR is an extremely good photo database, is that doing it this way, the RAW files are preserved so I can always go in and tweak any individual PP, if needed, or even completely change it. If you rely on just the camera for the JPG conversion, you are pretty much stuck with whatever it spits out.

TheDman Loc: USA

You can batch in Bridge. Just fix one, and copy/paste develop settings onto the rest. In Photoshop, you can create actions that can perform several steps, then run that action on a folder of photos.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Perhaps it is the definition of post-processing that needs clarification. I shoot only raw. Raw is like a negative, in a very real sense, while jpgs and even tiffs are like prints. I have another stop or so of headroom shooting raw, as well as much more in the shadows. I do not have to worry at all about white balance.

If I have only a processed file, such as a jpg, and I wish to alter any values, I have only a fraction of the original data with which to do that. It is like taking a picture of a picture. Not so with raw. I have pulled very decent images out of raws underexposed by five stops. Why would I want to do so? To preserve the dynamic range in the original scene. I can expose for highlights and develop for shadows. I have possibilities of tonal reproduction working with raws that are only a dream with jpgs.

Given that my Nikon has 14.3 EV of dynamic range, I basically have a four EV range of "correct" exposure. If I am shooting in the studio that is not so important, but it is vital in the field.

Post processing is as important in the digital darkroom as dodging and burning was in the wet darkroom. It is not about adding something superfluous, but about maximizing the use of information already present.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Bridge can only batch based on fixed user values. It really only works well if all your images to be processed have similar values. DxO has algorithms that can maximize quality of very different files based on desired output values.

RolandComfort Loc: Saint Louis

I really, really like the new Adobe PS CC (Creative Cloud) at $9.99 per month including Lightroom. This is a special introductory price; regular is, I think about $20. You download the software just like any other with the difference that as new versions like (CS4, 5, 6, etc. come out you get it. I love the new auto verticle (straightening) in its PS Camera Raw too, because I use a 10mm lens on 99% of my real estate shots. Sign up at Lynda.com for a month ($25 mo.) to learn any software in depth which is what I'm going to do again to figure out Lightroom.