chipwilder

I use Lightroom almost exclusely to post process my RAW files. Import the images to Lightroom to a folder descriptive of the event (Eagle101522 as an example). Next I cull any unwanted images. If All the images were taken under the same conditions, I select them all and apply adjustments as needed. Next I will review each image for final adjustments & cropping as needed. I then batch export all images to a sub folder using the folder name + jpg (Eagle101522jpg). Lightroom also has several “automatic” options such as lighting and exposure, that can speed up the process!

LCD

I use Lightroom for 95% of my editing. Converting out of RAW is generally my last step.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I like processing because I enjoy it. I can spend as much time as I want working on an image. In most cases, I just want to make it look better and move on to the next one. A great deal has been written about workflow.

https://digital-photography-school.com/speed-up-photo-editing-lightroom-workflow/
http://www.digitalphotomentor.com/setting-up-a-good-digital-photography-workflow-dos-and-donts/
http://petapixel.com/2015/11/03/my-lightroom-post-production-workflow-after-a-day-behind-the-lens/

Lightroom -
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-reduce-editing-time-by-automating-your-lightroom-workflow
http://digital-photography-school.com/13-steps-for-editing-street-photography-in-lightroom-from-start-to-finish/
http://lightroomkillertips.com/2013/download-a-free-article-from-lightroom-magazine-color-workflow-from-lightroom-to-photoshop/
http://phlearn.com/ultimate-guide-workflow-lightroom-photoshop
http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/how-to-simplify-your-lightroom-workflow

Bayou

Lightroom can save you a lot of time. It's very well suited to dealing with large batches of photos. Become adept with LR and you'll have less need for the time consuming Photoshop. A video course on LR might be just the ticket.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I do similar but different. All images are double downloaded to the computer (two different hard drives). All are opened in LR. I combine your steps 1, 2, and 3 together as I scroll through them. I really hate doing PP work, and if I can't finish an image in 5 minutes, I don't bother. I use both flagging and rating to separate images. All of the flagged ones are downloaded into a subfolder at a small size for possible use on Facebook, UHH, making small prints, etc. All of the rated images are downloaded as TIFFs into a separate subfolder for possible printing, uploading to website, etc. At the point of doing that, I open the individual images in PS to correct any issues (I have spots on my sensor, for example).

photoman43

Here is my workflow.

My Workflow—when sending pictures to others.

Images captured in camera ae all RAW files, usually 400-1000 or more.


I download the files (to my windows laptop 99% of the time) with a card reader using through Downloader Pro and create a file folder name and change the file name to something descriptive of the event, including date and time. I backup the downloaded images to a portable hard drive.

I cull the images using Nikon NX Studio or similar program. And back up the images to a portable hard drive.

On my desktop, I download the images from my portable hard drive and back up using SynchBack.

I then open my RAW processor, DXO PhotoLab, where I star rate the images and cull other images as required. I keyword them too. 4 and 5 stars are my best; 3 stars interesting; 2 stars, usually are deleted; and 1 star are special circumstance images.

I then selectively edit the 5 and 4 star images in DXO PL.

I then backup using Synch Back.

I make Jpegs either one by one from the processed RAW files or in batch using DXO PL. I can sort my RAW files by Star ratings or Processed (and other ways too.)

To make Jpegs in DXO you use Export to Disk and can save the Jpegs wherever you want or need them. Noise reduction is done at this stage. Cropping can be done in batch, or crop can be done during RAW processing or done one by one to each Jpeg.

If needed I can rename the Jpegs using DXO PL to add things like my name or a add a special topic name.

I then reformat my image cards in camera.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I was the official photographer for a particular pub years ago. I'd end up shooting about 200 photographs each night I worked. I had to have the photos posted before 4 AM the next day. My usual user percentage was 75 percent. I'd quickly decide which were not going to be used, usually about 25%. At that point, I'd apply adjustments universally to the photos to be posted. Then, I'd separate them into two directories, landscape, and portrait. Reduce all within Ps to post size. Then move all of the photos into a post folder and send them to Facebook. All in all, it took less than, or about 1 hour to process and post the photos.

I think you're spending too much time deciding on which ones you want to process. Sure trash the junk right off. Then, process the rest for publication and send them. The publicity chairperson can decide which is best for their needs and use those. That simplifies your job, reduces your time, and doesn't replicate the editorial function provided by the recipient.
--Bob

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Photoshop will edit anything into anything but it is not really designed for events that may generate hundreds or thousands of photos. It doesn't have the ability to sync changes to groups of pictures. Let's say you tune up one shot and the next 23 shots were all made in the same light and of the same situation. In Lightroom you can sync the changes you made to the first file to that next 23. Then on to the next shot. For shooting stage shows and theater performances this group syncing ability saves me massive amounts of time. I would only use PS for that special file that I might want to print big.
The rest of the flow is OK.
...Cam

Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY

But Paul is using LrC and he can easily export image resized any way you need.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

True, and there is some value to having presets to do specific things. But his post made it sound like a recommendation to resize all photos using the preset. At least that's the way I read it. And while I resize photos when there is a need to do so, I don't do it as a matter of course to all my images. (And if I wanted to resize photos to protect them against being used directly from the internet, I would probably make them smaller than 2048 on the long side. But I don't have a financial interest in my photos so I really don't care about that. Most of my photos have no monetary value).

In support of my valuation estimate I offer this example: a few years ago I got interested in improving my photography so on dpreview I entered a few contests. After a few entries it was clear that that was not a good way to improve my skills since the judging was random and done by anyone who wanted to express an opinion, or more likely to boost their entry or a friend's entry. The only contest I placed in was titled 'my worst shot ever', and I couldn't even win that one.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Our OP said they resized their images based on file size. My advice is based on pixel resolution, including how-to guidance to accomplish that resizing, hitting two birds (lower resolution & smaller file sizes) with one preset (stone).

If you need some help on the idea for resizing digital images from online sharing, our OP's issue, this link was written for you too.

Recommended resizing parameters for digital images

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

OK, I missed the connection between the OP's file size and your pixel size, but you didn't spell out that reason in your post.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Whilst this could be considered a little bit off topic it raises a very valid area that those undertaking event work, where they are producing hundreds of images, have to consider what 'standards' they make viewable to others.

When I first started covering events some eight years ago I used to obsess over what to include, or not, with those made available to the viewing public/participants/organisers.

Are we producing images for ourselves or others? Would a participant be happier with an image with their face slightly OOF or no image at all? Interesting decisions to be made during the culling process.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Lots of recommendations to use Lightroom and I have spent time familiarising myself with it in the past day so that for an event coming up in a couple of weeks I'll try it rather than my normal ViewNx (cull) and 20 at a time to ACR (PP) only route.

It all seems pretty straight forward and I've run tests of 20 raw images through it and easily achieve my goal as would have been expected.

I have a couple of questions aimed at those who use Lightroom to edit large volume, say 500 event images;

a) Is there a logical reason not to use LR to cull/rate/delete (from catalog and disk) when you have the tools to enable doing that. I have always used ViewNx to do that and read of others doing it in other programs before using LR.

b) When you have 500 images to work on do you 'Export' every now and then or wait until you have done the lot. I'm aware the thumbnails have the boxes to indicate they have been cropped and edited.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

LR is not a good choice for culling a large amount of images. Why? To make an informed decision, you need the 1:1 pixel-level details. This comes from 1:1 previews. Without those previews, it takes a second to a few to render the 1:1 preview. This is very time inefficient. A tool that immediately renders the pixel-level details is better for culling. I don't know if ViewNX is good for Nikon. I use FastRawViewer for culling that supports all camera models / brands.

I import into LR only the culled results, after 1 or 2 (or more) culling passes in FRV. During the import, I allow LR to create only minimal previews, the fastest import option. I then apply several develop presets and run a batch job to build the 1:1 previews to implement those develop presets.

I continuously cull while editing, giving images a reject status and eventually filtering for all rejects and making a hard delete of those files from LR and from disk. I don't want 500 images of anything. I want only my absolute best results, no duplicates, no redundants, no inferiors. You're only as good as your weakest image ever shared with others.

Export is an as-needed process. I tend to wait until the editing is done, where some issues are observed in the exported image, so the export-edit-export may be iterative until I'm satisfied with every image.