Editing......Part 7

Continuing from the 'Editing......Part 6' post on August 5Th:

14) Before you hit the Go Button on your Batch Processing Command, make sure you have created a Destination Folder on your Desktop to receive the newly converted files. This could have been done earlier when you were preparing to edit the files, but if you haven't yet, now is the time.

I'm not exactly sure why, but there is something very satisfying about Batch Commands, both in my Raw Conversion Software and in Photoshop. I think you have to have the experience of doing things the hard way, to really appreciate the magic of pushing a button and watching the computer do it all for you. When given the choice..........Automate!

The time it takes to convert a Raw file to a usable Tiff varies with the particular Raw Conversion Software, your system's available RAM and most importantly the power of your computers Processor. The Bit Depth of your final file is also a factor in the processing time. As I have mentioned earlier, my Raw Conversion Software takes much longer to produce an 8 bit file than it does to convert the same Raw File to 16 Bit. I guess the processor is having to work overtime to decide what color data to toss out. Who knows? The point is to create the best files with the most Color Data. The Photographer who dies with the most Color Data... Wins!

As an example of processing times, a typical Canon CR2 file, 8.02 Megapixel (12 bit Raw) converted to a 16 Bit Tiff in Canon's DPP will take approximately 10 or 11 seconds of computer time. That's about 10 files every 2 minutes, depending on your computers speed. I'm sure the times will vary somewhat in different Processing Software and systems, but that's a good example of the average.

Use the extra time you have while your files are running to make yourself a good Cup of Joe and to gather your Analog Recording Device ( Pencil ) and paper. You will need these to help you organize and streamline the work on the newly processed Files. Some of them more than likely from the same set-up and requiring the same basic curves adjustment and manipulation. No matter how fast your computer or editing skills, writing a few things down on a piece of paper will speed up the final work on your images. Remembering my own admonition to not try and re-invent the wheel every time I sit down in front of the computer, I always make a note to group similar images in a editing session. This allows me to run a Curves Adjustment Layer on the first image in a series and to drag it seamlessly to the others from the same session. Every image requires a little TLC, some more than others, but similar images taken at the same time will require a Basic Curves Adjustment that will vary very little. Why not work on one and transfer your settings to all the others from the same set - up. It's as easy as dragging an Adjustment Layer from the first file to any of the others, they only have to be open a the same time and you have instantly performed the same action on each file. Beats the hell out of trying to replicate the same adjustments on ten or twenty individual files!

To be continued...


Special thanks to Bob Johnson at EarthBound Light for his excellent tutorial on Adjustment Layers! Please take the time to check out his wonderful site!


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Editing......Part 6

Continued from the 'Editing......Part 5' post on July 2nd:

12A) So you have your images tweaked, organized and ready to process with your chosen Raw Processing Software. It's time to send them on a trip down Conversion Lane to their final destination... Tiff Town! With so many choices available for processing each image, it's best to test your process settings on an average file with a good histogram and plenty of shadow and highlight. You won't be sorry that you took the extra time to choose a file to test process. Tweaking the software settings on one image to fine tune the final output will save you a lot of Photoshop time on the bulk of your files. It's also a great way to catch your mistakes ( over sharpening, Blown out highlights, too much color noise reduction, shadow noise etc... ) before the settings are applied globally to hundreds of files.

Because the Conversion Process is Non Destructive, you don't have to worry about permanently altering the Raw files when converting to Tiff. If your converted files look terrible, you can go back to the raw files, change your processing parameters and start all over again. Eventually you will discover a basic range of Color, Tone, Contrast and Noise Reduction that will get the job done on 95 percent of your images. Nevertheless, there will always be a few pictures that require special attention in the conversion process. Testing one average image from each shooting session / Job will keep you from waisting a lot of time.

Most Conversion Software will give you the option to process individual files ( Slow ) or the better option to Batch Process dozens or even hundreds of files with your preference for file naming, color bit depth ( 8, 16 and eventually 24 bit) and extension ( Tiff, Jpeg etc... ). When you are choosing to process for 8 bit color over the larger 16 bit file, it's important to remember that you are tossing out data that you may need later during the retouching and manipulation phase. And with some Raw Conversion Programs, the process time may be longer for 8 bit conversion than the larger 16 bit file. I can only assume that the software has to work harder to choose what data to throw out to create the lower bit depth.


To be continued

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