delder Loc: Maryland

I vote SOC vs. POST PROCESSING

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

Surely there are cases that call for one or the other? I am always suspect of 'only one way to do something'.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

The problem with that is there's a lot of misunderstanding around SOC. Everything from ideas that the image is machine processed to the exclusion of user/human input, to bizarre ideas that the machine processing somehow represents an objective or literal standard -- what the camera saw, to not understanding that the SOC image is heavily software processed at all. You hear comments all the time like; "I don't want to post process my images because that makes them less real -- fake." Or; "I prefer SOC because it's what the camera really captured", implying there's some kind of objectivity in what the camera captures.

Retina Loc: Near Charleston,SC

One great thing about digital is you can process the exposure as many ways as you need to where with film you get one chance at developing.

delder Loc: Maryland

I just ment SOC as a term for the original output of the Camera and Post Processing as a term for the intentional manipulation of the resulting JPG.
In limbo would be the decoding of RAW images.

User ID

I usually do preprocessing, processing, and post processing in that order. But I had not considered the jargon before you asked.

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petrochemist Loc: UK

It's using setting dialed in before it was shot, so processed but not post processed.

Retina Loc: Near Charleston,SC

It's always good to define words before a discussion to save time. I have never seen the term post-processing to mean anything other than using the RAW file to create a more usable format for viewing or printing, usually a JPG file but can be others, like PNG, TIFF, etc. (leaving aside whether the term for RAW should rather be raw, data, or file when referring to the initial result of the exposure.) This is opposed to using the camera's built-in processor to provide an instant JPG which has always been called SOOC based what I have read. One can always alter the camera's JPG, but this is not the conventional meaning of PP. We have seen how some can quibble over what the meaning of the word "is", but we are talking about photographic terms, not legalese. My point is to agree on definitions before using them. Even if the definitions are wrong to those outside the discussion, it shouldn't matter as long as everyone understands what is being described. Someone may insist on changing the definitions for the purpose of educating others, but it is pointless to go further until all present first agree on the meaning of the terms being used at the time.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Interesting but the clock says it.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Just a guess, but I suspect "post processing" came from the movie industry. Shoot the film and correct anything in "post." There are lots of unnecessary words routinely used. For example, people always say "raise it up," when "raise" would be sufficient.

delder Loc: Maryland

This is a great answer.

Bill_de Loc: US

It will never be fully resolved. There are too many variables to expect thousands of people to agree.

But this thread is a disappointment. It could go on for at least ten more pages in an attempt to get everyone to agree.

I love photography!

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jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

This is UHH. That will never happen.

pecohen Loc: Central Maine

In the early days of digital photography RAW files were rarely available. I have to wonder whether this terminology stems from that era when the only editing possible started with already processed JPEG files.

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

This is THE INTERNET. The fact that it will never happen is not limited to UHH.