I Made A Decision on My RAW vs. JPEG and Post-Processing Dilemmas...
Jun 8, 2023 13:19:35 #
Jun 8, 2023 13:23:17 #
Miamark
Loc: Florida
I think that you are off to a great start. I just started shooting DNG (Raw) and JPEG with a Leica M10R. You can do more with RAW files. I decided to take a one on one lesson with a local photographer in the next few weeks. Also, I found that Adobe phone support was very helpful. Best wishes and have a great trip.
Jun 8, 2023 13:25:24 #
Miamark
Loc: Florida
Sunsetpar wrote:
Thank you Alan! I experienced that today when I adjusted the exposure of the backlit Egret...it was amazing, and made me understand exactly why many of you encouraged me to shoot RAW! Tom McC
I think that you are off to a great start. I just started shooting DNG (Raw) and JPEG with a Leica M10R. You can do more with RAW files. I decided to take a one on one lesson with a local photographer in the next few weeks. Also, I found that Adobe phone support was very helpful. Best wishes and have a great trip. 3
Jun 8, 2023 13:30:50 #
Jun 8, 2023 13:42:08 #
Here's my version. I liked the backlit brightness and keeping the reflection. Just a personal taste. Dramatic moment.
Jun 8, 2023 13:46:44 #
Looks like you jumped right in to learning LR. I have used LR for years and usually start my post processing there. You have proved that you are never too old to learn something new.
Your trip to Brazil is going to be so great. I loved what I saw when I was there. So many things to shoot. Depending where you are going there are lots of wonderful colors and shapes. The beaches in Rio to the waterfalls of Iguacu are fantastic photo opportunities. I hope you have a wonderful trip! Looking forward to seeing some photos upon your return.
Your trip to Brazil is going to be so great. I loved what I saw when I was there. So many things to shoot. Depending where you are going there are lots of wonderful colors and shapes. The beaches in Rio to the waterfalls of Iguacu are fantastic photo opportunities. I hope you have a wonderful trip! Looking forward to seeing some photos upon your return.
Jun 8, 2023 14:18:23 #
This is an excellent book too.
How Do I Do That In Lightroom?: The Quickest Ways to Do the Things You Want to Do, Right Now! (3rd Edition) https://a.co/d/iuwYXCF
How Do I Do That In Lightroom?: The Quickest Ways to Do the Things You Want to Do, Right Now! (3rd Edition) https://a.co/d/iuwYXCF
Jun 8, 2023 15:20:52 #
Jun 8, 2023 16:30:54 #
Jun 8, 2023 16:44:17 #
Badgertale
Loc: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Wow! Great photos, too!
Change is difficult, if not impossible, for some. I'm glad you stuck with it.
Change is difficult, if not impossible, for some. I'm glad you stuck with it.
Jun 8, 2023 18:50:15 #
Jun 8, 2023 23:59:00 #
Jun 9, 2023 08:46:47 #
RichieC
Loc: Adirondacks
Raw vs Jpeg is a work flow comparison. Your egret may be a bit heavy on lightening and flattening your shadows. your bird will look whiter and more dramatic against a darker details... too often, damn Lightroom pulls you into making rash corrections, I went nuts over some of the new sliders when they first appeared like dehaze and clarity and detail! Then I went back a relooked.. ugg!....
HOWEVER! My point isn't what you did, or if it was great or bad, it is all about what you can do in the future. As RAW processing is non-destructive, you can go back and revisit the image forever! Re expose it so to speak! SO as you mature and get better, change your tastes in retouching, a favorite old photo can be reworked and reflect your current abilities and are not lost.
With JPEG, which is merely a destructive compression algorithm, every time you make an adjustment and save it, it overwrites your original image, and it runs the image through the compression algorithm and applies a level of pixel averaging which works by being destructive, there is no argument, even on its most subtle setting - pixels are changed, subtle color info is lost again to an image that already was compressed in camera. So an image that was saved many times has degraded, subtle info ( which is detail) between each pixel has been changed. You can save duplicates I guess, but the information in each pixel captured was dropped in camera to 8 bits, as opposed to 12 or 14 bits ) - That grey in one pixel is ever so slightly different than the grey pixel next to it, and Lightroom can coax out detail from this- where in jpeg, both grey were made to same to save memory size. . (Photoshop says 16bit, has to do with how computers save & process files- but the images are typically 12 or 14 bits in RAW actually 15 +1 but that is getting way technical) ...
Jpeg does a pretty fantastic job, but you can't do what you can do with a RAW image file- but you can make. jpeg out of a raw file.
Welcome to large hard drives that will fill up with large digital negative NEF or CR2, DNG format images, LOL good thing they are pretty cheap now huh?
HOWEVER! My point isn't what you did, or if it was great or bad, it is all about what you can do in the future. As RAW processing is non-destructive, you can go back and revisit the image forever! Re expose it so to speak! SO as you mature and get better, change your tastes in retouching, a favorite old photo can be reworked and reflect your current abilities and are not lost.
With JPEG, which is merely a destructive compression algorithm, every time you make an adjustment and save it, it overwrites your original image, and it runs the image through the compression algorithm and applies a level of pixel averaging which works by being destructive, there is no argument, even on its most subtle setting - pixels are changed, subtle color info is lost again to an image that already was compressed in camera. So an image that was saved many times has degraded, subtle info ( which is detail) between each pixel has been changed. You can save duplicates I guess, but the information in each pixel captured was dropped in camera to 8 bits, as opposed to 12 or 14 bits ) - That grey in one pixel is ever so slightly different than the grey pixel next to it, and Lightroom can coax out detail from this- where in jpeg, both grey were made to same to save memory size. . (Photoshop says 16bit, has to do with how computers save & process files- but the images are typically 12 or 14 bits in RAW actually 15 +1 but that is getting way technical) ...
Jpeg does a pretty fantastic job, but you can't do what you can do with a RAW image file- but you can make. jpeg out of a raw file.
Welcome to large hard drives that will fill up with large digital negative NEF or CR2, DNG format images, LOL good thing they are pretty cheap now huh?
Jun 9, 2023 12:30:31 #
I shoot a LOT of egrets here in SC, and I've found my best results happen when i expose for the white bird to stay white, without blowing out the highlights. (expose for the bird).
Since you don't have a mirrorless where you can see in advance what your exposure will be, you may want to spot meter the bird and play with how much over-exposure you need to get it white, but with all the details in the feathers. Starting with the bird at 18% gray, or purewhite, makes it virtually impossible to get the dertail right.
You are doing great, and will enjoy the journey. sounds like you are well on the way to ditching the jpegs altogether!
Since you don't have a mirrorless where you can see in advance what your exposure will be, you may want to spot meter the bird and play with how much over-exposure you need to get it white, but with all the details in the feathers. Starting with the bird at 18% gray, or purewhite, makes it virtually impossible to get the dertail right.
You are doing great, and will enjoy the journey. sounds like you are well on the way to ditching the jpegs altogether!
Jun 11, 2023 12:18:07 #
brentrh wrote:
Ansel Adams told me years ago “when I take this photograph I am half way there. Now I must post process it to bring out the highlights and subdue others”
Congratulations on the start of a great adventure.
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