Rongnongno Loc: FL

Another answer from 'my' experience...

Since I am retired, I have all the time in the world to do anything I want. Taking pictures is not priority unless it is something unusual.

When this happens I take a few captures as I can as I am not exactly a fan of mass shooting. Then it can take months, if not years from to get onto something that raises my interest again.

Post-processing (PP) itself is fast, usually less than 30 minutes on an image unless I have something specific in mind.

I just posted a gargoyle. This was taken in September 2021 in Brittany, France. PP time? 20 minutes. I prime my PP in ACR and add the finishing touches in PS CC. I do not use LR at all.

When I get into a 'creative mode' it can take weeks before I start to be ok with it.

Note: I print only large prints 36 inches minimal, gallery quality. Some stay at home for a while then given away, others are used in a coffee shop and a florist. A few are for sale.

I have one that comes with the 'model' for sale in a French gallery for about 10k, before the gallery fee. It is five feet by 2 1/2. It took me a few days to get the idea, a couple of weeks to print the first version, as a gift. When I saw the printed, I did not like it. I printed it even larger after changing a detail. The total process from the accidental idea to the final and only print took over eight months. There is a copy of it in my Lightroom, without the 'model'.

RonDavis Loc: Chicago, IL

Hi Rongnongno.....sales and placement of your work is impressive and deserves a congratulation But the original conversation was about workflow effort involved when Post Processing a "large amount" of exposures. Not the onsies that we like to refine to perfection.....and it was certainly not a to evoke or imply a speed contest. Since my retirement, my pp efforts have also slow down, which is more noticeable when I tackle a large batch of photos. I believe it's because I have more time to be more critical of my own work. ....and it appears I'm not alone. So let's just Keep Shooting (and aggressively culling)

RonDavis Loc: Chicago, IL

JD750....no disagreement here.....in fact I tried to address the Pro skills in the original post; "The question is for UHHer’s that do their own shooting, editing, processing and post-possessing (RAW or JPeg) with no assistance".

And, if you are able to rate/cull 500 a day.....wow, you are showing a high level of workflow proficiency and that's inspirational!

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Hi Ron, for clarity the batch process in PS is only to add a watermark on the already ACR edited raw files that have been downsized and saved as jpegs in a separate folder.

With respect to exposure and variables adjustments these are all done 'where' needed in ACR, a tweak of exposure, shadows and highlights. When I first started covering these race events with large volumes of shots back in 2014 I would spend considerable time undertaking what I would now class 'recovery' work, dealing with over/underexposure, noise and sharpening due to my inexperience. But over time you learn how to tackle different light and get it the best you can in camera. Now we are all fortunate to have cameras that not only show you an expected result in an EVF but also real time measurements such as histograms and clipping indicators. I find the greatest challenge these days is physical control of the camera to get that focus and framing where you want it. Possibly due to ageing?

Perhaps I have given an extreme example regarding PP workflow and time, but it is just one example, 500 images taken during a holiday would be a totally different story. A single runner or group with an OOF background generally needs no more attention than the main subject being acceptably exposed and acceptably sharp.

Opsafari Loc: Roodepoort South Africa

It may all depend on the subject! It was mentioned the shoot was from a holiday. I depends on the nature of the holiday and the duration of it. I am also retired and work mainly at night on my photography (when we have power in South Africa!) Returned from a three week holiday in Namibia (camping and did 5460 km) and visited many interesting places using 2 camera bodies all the time and I did not want to change lenses in dusty conditions.
Three weeks after returning the first photo album was compiled for fellow touring member as I used cellular and DSLR footage to compile the book. I was the only "pro" in the group of four and also used my cellular occasionally. Then my wife asked to enlarge certain images that she really liked (me too) therefore my album increased to 128 pages. Now she has a book she can show her and my friends about our experiences and only rely on social media! That book took 3 months! During 2019 I did a solo visit of 1 month in Namibia and those images are not all processed as yet. I shoot in Raw and Jpeg and while processing the raw files I do research on the subject, if it's a plant or flower in the Namib I like to get the name of it and add it to the file info, then the raw is saved by replacing the original Jpeg file, Yes, there are hundreds of images and those that I don't like are deleted but still hundreds left! That project is still not completed and in a few months time I will be visiting Kaokoland, northwest Namibia again and this time for 3 months. I do not do any processing of my images while traveling only transfer it from the camera via my laptop to two portable drives, So at the end of the day it is my hobby and it keeps me busy back home when I don't have to look after the grand children or gardening or fixing things around the house! If it was an assignment, yes then you concentrate to complete the job but its my hobby and my time and I love it to bits!

RonDavis Loc: Chicago, IL

Hi Opsafari....there is certainly a lots of energy, love and exposures in your workflow. The subject matter and your interest seem to keep you going. So, capture and refine those memorable images....and one day when you look back.....they will even mean more.....and you'll be thankful you took the time and effort to PP them. Keep Shooting

RonDavis Loc: Chicago, IL

Thanks for the clarification Grahame; I thought I was missing something.....something that I could be or should doing. I add my watermarks when I export the final image from LR to long term storage...and then available for post or print.
Thanks and LKS (Let's Keep Shooting)

goldenyears Loc: Lake Osewgo

I don't have many to edit, having eliminated most already in the camera, but I can spend a lot of time on just a few images. In fact, I think I am able to spend more time on each photo since there are fewer. Some I spend no time on because they're "perfect" as is... but darn few of those! On others, sometimes I will spend an entire afternoon just getting the final product exactly like I want it. How much time I spend is not fixed. It is "as needed" and sometimes it takes a lot of "try again's" to get what I will be proud of. For me, the final result is what matters.

RonDavis Loc: Chicago, IL

That's great.....I often have the same inclination (to work and rework a favorite out of many). But, we have go through the basic of PP to get to the ones we want...and that was the focus of this discussion. I think you point out the commonality that we all share. BTW....retirement is GREAT!
LKS (Let's Keep Shooting)

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Export to long term storage? What?

Your digital image assets are A, the original image files, and B, the LRCAT that is the LR Classic catalog. Possibly a (C) if you externalize the edit information into XMP 'sidecar' files that sit in the same folder as the original image files (redundant data to the LRCAT file).

These are your CRITICAL digital assets in a Lightroom environment.

Any files that are created from the LR Export, those are 1-off throwaways, created for specific purposes and ready for discard once that purpose is achieved. You can on-demand export your images 1 to infinity times in 1 to infinity ways. But, if you don't have the original image and the LRCAT data, you've got next to nothing.

For a long time, I exported full-resolution edits of the images (JPEG), thinking 'well, I at least have the finished version if I lose the original and / or the LRCAT.' Although true, that's just a waste of time and space, and possibly takes my eye off the ball of properly managing my CRITICAL digital assests. When I began to re-edit older work, I also realized the 'edited' version was junk, and only the original was relevant as I created new and better versions from the RAW 'originals', not some messed-up JPEG.

RonDavis Loc: Chicago, IL

Hi Paul....this post is turning into a real learning exercise and I need to some clarification. I thought when I exported and saved a processed (Adobe LR) JPEG image to a file folder it was permanent. And this image could be processed by any other software program capable of reading "that" jpeg. In other words, I thought the file was complete and contained all the XMP and other information that made it image file....like a film negative. Please help me understand what I don't understand.....because I might not and would not want to use LR forever? Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

I am sure Paul will answer in detail. In the meantime, please let me try to give you a quick summary.

LR is a non-destructive editor. It does not alter the original image. When you edit a file, raw ,jpeg, et. al., LR displays the effect of the edit on-screen and LR saves the editing step in the catalog or XML file. When you re-open an edited file those saved editing steps are re-applied to the original image and displayed on-screen. If you open that original file using your computer file manger, you will not see the effect of the edits. IF you export the edited LR file from Lightroom, as a JPEG, the effects of the edits are “baked in” to the jpeg file. If you open the JPEG file you will see the effect of the edits you have done. NOTE: If your original is a JPEG, you should always re-name the exported file, because you don’t want to overwrite the original. Now You can re-edit the exported jpeg file. But if you edit and save a jpeg file you will add some noise to the file. You will have better results re-editing the original using LR.

Hope that helps.

RonDavis Loc: Chicago, IL

Thanks JD750....What I have been doing (and thought I was doing correctly ) is to perform all edits (sometimes with plug-ins) in mainly in LR, save and export from LR as Jpegs to a folder on my larger desktop external hard drive. I've been thinking that these are finalize "Jpeg" files and were/are accessible though other Post Processing software programs like Capture One, Luminar, Exposure 7, and the DXo program group for further modification outside of LR....and re-import would be needed IF ever they would need to be re-edited in LR. Clarification is desperately needed. Thanks so much.......

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Well first of all I’d say pick a program. I do use programs but only as plug-ins in Lightroom. It doesn’t get exported as a JPEG until I’m done editing. The catalog is always the source and editing is always done to the raw file, a DNG or a TIFF, never an 8 bit JPEG. Having a cohesive and consistent workflow is one reason I can edit fairly quickly. And when I do export a JPEG I may save it for a while if I intend on using it in multiple places but no need to waste space keeping it. I can export it again anytime I need it.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Let's start with the RAW. This is the sensor data as well as being read-only image data. You can return to this file forever as if the image file had just been offloaded from the camera today, even years after you've discard the original camera body. This is the true digital asset to carefully maintain and back-up, etc. RAW files are likely to always be available for editing by ongoing software titles. Once a camera's RAW format is supported by any software title, it will likely be supported always by ongoing versions of that title.

The exported JPEG from that edited RAW, yes, is a 'permanent' file, and the file is available for ongoing editing by an even larger population of software titles, being a 'universal' image format.

The XMP sidecards are the edit instructions to convert the RAW into the JPEG. They are not the edit instructions of the JPEG. If you lose the RAW, the XMP has no purpose as those instructions are dependent on the input source file, the RAW.

The JPEG has your edit decisions baked-in like any JPEG, including the bit-depth lowered to 8-bit and probably having the colorspace reduced from the largest ProPhotoRGB that is used internally by LR. It's a 'better' JPEG than would have come directly from the camera, but the JPEG is an end-result / output format when compared to the original RAW. All the rich original data has been compressed into the smaller (output) JPEG format. The JPEG is definitely not an analog to a 'film negative'.