I Have To Ask (Page 5): Garish & Awful Interpretations? Hey Gene, don't knock Picasso, he was artistic... :sm02: :sm02:...

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

Gene51 wrote:

Post processing is a time honored skill and art fo... (show quote)

Garish & Awful Interpretations? Hey Gene, don't knock Picasso, he was artistic...

KankRat Loc: SW Chicago Suburbs

If you are shooting jpegs in camera an engineer from your camera company is post processing the image foryou.

Camperboy8

Like so many on this Forum, I am new and learning. I use Lightroom but have much to learn. When I go out in the morning to capture a shot, I always hope that the photograph will be so good that "post processing" will be unnecessary. I have a long ways to go!

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

ncammack wrote:

Hello all,

Being new on the forum I really don't want to stir up a hornet's nest but I have to ask; Post Processing, yes or no? If yes, what program(s) do you use. If no, I'm curious as to why not. To be honest, I do some post processing using GIMP, Dark Table, and Luminance HDR. Not always, but when I feel that a little punch up will turn a good shot into a great one.

Yes, definitely, especially on any print I care to share or display.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

In my humble opinion post processing is an integral part of digital photography. The optical darkroom was also an integral part of conventional film photography although we had the limitations that have been solved using digital. If shooting JPEG post processing starts in camera.
I use Affinity Photo and when necessary Photoshop. At times I use Topaz software.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

I do post process. I try and enhance the photo to what I like and clients want for their PR etc.
i am aware that over processed photo's don't work for me. If it is a photo illustration an arty rendition works.

Have been sit-in in with a good photographer who does fashion, portraits and some wedding stuff. Very good lighting.
And their is no way her work would sell without PP. She is good at photoshop etc. If you look at youtube and google
photo arts most of the published and was seem like good photo's are like fantasy not a real scene.

This is where we are now.

srt101fan

TJBNovember wrote:

Definitely yes it's a skill you want to develop. I... (show quote)

To build on your last paragraph, and reply to repleo’s comment that “JPEG’s are PP’d by some algorithm engineer in Japan who has no idea what your intent is”:

Yes, I think starting digital learners should not forget that most cameras allow you to influence the way the JPEGs are processed, i.e., you can override the "Japanese engineer’s" default settings. In my camera (Nikon D5300), and I’m sure in most others, you have “Picture Control” options (Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape and Custom.) Within each Picture Control option, you can adjust Sharpening, Contrast, Brightness, Saturation and Hue; for some Custom options you can also set Filter Effects and Toning.

So you have a lot of control in the way the JPEGs are processed in-camera. The problem is that changing the settings is awkward and time-consuming and is not practical in a lot of shooting scenarios. But the capability is there.

out4life2016 Loc: Bellingham, Washington

I personally do very little post processing, except the basic photo program in windows 10. For me photography is an art and skill of taking the photo as close to what im looking for without all the extra computer work. I feel that when you go to extremes with these fancy photoshop programs your taking the image and turning it into something computer generated. This however is just my opinion and does not refer to what everyone should do. I probably could have saved thousands of good photos by using photoshop but then would I have really learned from my mistakes and worked harder to become a better photographer?????

DocDav Loc: IN

Almost everything is post processing. Developing film is technically post processing. In the "old days" when I had access to a dark room, we learned to dodge and burn. There were other techniques but they all fall under post taking the pic processing. Simpler these days with PS and lightroom - have to admit I learned on PS and only know a fraction of it's power and I am lost in LR. Without some kind of post processing, you may as well as had a snap shot...and sometimes that is all you really want.

PhotosBySteve

Yes, 98% lightroom and 2% photoshop.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

AndyH wrote:

True that... br br Back in, IIRC, the early 70s, ... (show quote)

I'm with you, Andy. I wanted to like Ilford Cibachrome prints. Just couldn't do it, much as I tried.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

out4life2016 wrote:

...I probably could have saved thousands of good photos by using photoshop but then would I have really learned from my mistakes and worked harder to become a better photographer?????

Your observation speaks to two important points IMO:

1. Everyone has their own ideas of what photography should be as a hobby and no one should feel pressured to do something (shooting raw, shooting manual mode, editing) they aren't interested in. I enjoy editing but not nearly as much as many folks, and I absolutely understand the desire to capture reality, as well as understanding why sitting at a computer is oftentimes (or always) not nearly as much fun as being out in nature experiencing the moment and capturing that with the camera.

2. Often it seems that the more strident proponents of SOOC will point to the times people tell of how they "fixed" a mistake in pp, or they changed a shot from mundane to interesting. What the SOOC folks aren't willing to discuss is "photography as art." And like all art, beauty is in the eye of...

...not to mention all the forerunners of trends or movements who were vilified while alive, but celebrated after death. Digital photography editing, like extensive darkroom work before it, is just a different path - choose what brings joy!

pila

ncammack wrote:

Hello all,

Being new on the forum I really don't want to stir up a hornet's nest but I have to ask; Post Processing, yes or no? If yes, what program(s) do you use. If no, I'm curious as to why not. To be honest, I do some post processing using GIMP, Dark Table, and Luminance HDR. Not always, but when I feel that a little punch up will turn a good shot into a great one.

National Geo does not like.

bmike101 Loc: Gainesville, Florida

Almost everyone on this site uses Adobe products but there area few that use open source products. I used to play with Gimp but now use darktable. Use the search function to find others that use gimp/darktable/luminance.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

ncammack wrote:

Hello all,

Being new on the forum I really don't want to stir up a hornet's nest but I have to ask; Post Processing, yes or no? If yes, what program(s) do you use. If no, I'm curious as to why not. To be honest, I do some post processing using GIMP, Dark Table, and Luminance HDR. Not always, but when I feel that a little punch up will turn a good shot into a great one.

Sometimes I use pre-processing (creating JPEGs correctly in camera, by using appropriate menu settings, white balance, and exposure). Other subject matter requires a raw workflow, which, for me, is Lightroom Classic CC 2018, supplemented by Photoshop CC 2018. I add Nik plug-ins and a few Mac utilities.