Continuing from the 'Editing The Raw Files' Part 2 post on Sunday June 3rd :
10) Having backed up and organized your newly downloaded Raw Files, you are now ready for the fun part (sort of) of the editing process. Before you can start, you must have an editing software suitable for displaying 'Raw Format' images that is color accurate and renders the images quickly enough to get the job done in a short time. Adobe's 'Bridge Software' or 'Raw Converter' is a poor substitute for a real editing program. The images will certainly be color correct ( if the auto settings aren't engaged! ) but rendering each image quickly and at 'Full Screen' isn't what the program was designed for. While you are struggling to disengage auto this , that and the other, I am halfway through the editing process. In short. All that is needed in an good editing software is a fast rendering, somewhat color accurate display of the files, tagging options and filmstrip scroll through. Camera Bit's 'Photo Mechanic' is hands down the fastest editing software available. It is used by many news organizations Worldwide in their daily effort to sort through content coming in from photographers around the Globe. Another great software for the Canon Shooter is the deceptively simple 'Zoom Browser Ex', which comes free with Canon Cameras. Most free software sucks, but not this one. If you try and use it to color and exposure correct your Raw files, it may not seem that fantastic. But for raw (Pun intended) speed there's nothing that can touch it. Your pics will fly across the screen as fast as you can hit the left or right arrow button. No waiting for the software to re-adjust color or exposure, just full screen ( or smaller if you like) images ready to be tagged. All it takes is a keystroke to mark the keepers and move on to the next image. My personal preference is to mark only the keepers and not get too bogged down with some ridiculous rating system! They are either ready for prime time or not.
Continued...
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Editing The Raw Files...Part 3
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Plan Ahead...Part 4
Continuing from the 'Plan Ahead...Part 3' post on Thursday, May 24Th:
7) After your very successful assignment is finished and in the bag so to speak, it's time to get those stunning images backed up and on your Hard-Drive. If you use a Portable Digital Storage Device to back up CF/SD cards on location, the images should now be on at least one, if not both media. I like to copy the complete folder, labeled DCIM in Canon Cameras, with all images directly from the original source ( The Card ) to my main Hard-Drive. I use my computer's built in card reader ( which is slow as hell! ) to copy the images from my CF cards to the Desktop (Pc).
This gives me time to make more coffee. If you are not a Coffee Drinker, a High Speed USB 2.0 Card Reader will do the job much faster. My Workflow is pretty straightforward, so I know I'm not going to be at the computer too long. Whatever transfer device you end up using, do not copy the images directly from your camera! Remove the media (CF/SD) and transfer the images with a card reader. The camera is for taking photographs, not for transferring images to other storage. Keep that camera ready to go with a fresh formatted card before you leave the job site. You never know when a good opportunity for a great pic is going to pop up. Be prepared.
Once the first card has been copied to your Desktop, its time to rename the DCIM folder to something with the abbreviated job name followed by an underscore and the number 1. EXAMPLE: ABCorp_1. Now its important to remember that you are not moving the files from card to computer, you are copying the files from the card to the computer, leaving the original raw files still on the card! Repeat the above steps for every card with images, adding a new number to each new DCIM folder transferred to the Desktop ( ABCorp_2, ABCorp_3, ABCorp_4 etc...) until all cards have been copied. Don't forget to rename DCIM immediately after the copy to your Desktop. If you forget, the computer will not let you download the new DCIM folder to the desktop, or worse, it will ask you to over-write.
To be continued...
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
You Have To Have A Plan!.....
If you've been shooting Still Film professionally for any length of time, you have certainly already come up with a workflow that suits your personal style and needs. Everyone has they're system for culling through slides, negatives and prints that works for them . But photographers new to digital can spend several years and waste lots of money trying to figure out the best way to manage the voluminous amounts of data created by our modern high res digital cameras. I personally have benefited from working at a studio where major investments of time and money have been put into the switch from film to digital. It has not been easy and the learning curve is painful (to both your wallet and behind). It requires many long hours in front of your computer and a healthy vocabulary of good cuss words...and Coffee, lots and lots of coffee! I still wouldn't trade my digital for all the fujichrome Velvia and Ektachrome 100 in the world! If your still fighting the switch from film to digital........ go ahead and retire, I will gladly take the jobs you could have had.
1) I know exactly what is going to happen to each image before I press the shutter button, how it will be edited, processed and delivered to the client. Without that foreknowledge you are already at a disadvantage.
2) Don't try to edit your images on the job site. Keep everything you shoot (Don't be foolish and delete in camera) and back up that CF/SD card as soon as is possible without slowing down the job at hand. I don't ever format a card until the job is backed up on two hard drives . I sometimes don't format the card until the client has the final high res files. CF cards are Cheap, your reputation is priceless! Buy enough cards to shoot your job and have a few extras available just in case alien spaceships land on the highway on the way home! Be prepared..
3) You should never go out the door with cards still full of images from your last job! Stop being so lazy and clean (Format ) those cards before you go to your location or start your studio session. Nothing is more frightening than having to format a card when you are unsure that backups have been made of the Raw Files. Once again buy enough cards, don't be a weenie.
4) If you're not a Wedding or Sports Photographer, shoot in Raw Format. Jpeg's are for sissies. Sure, those jpeg's come pre- sharpened and overly saturated straight out of the camera and they look great, but miss your exposure and you're screwed. Raw files contain all the data captured (More than you can see) and can save your bacon with an underexposed or slightly overexposed image. Every highlight or shadow that your camera is capable of producing exists in the lossless compression of the modern Raw format. For all intent's and purposes it is a perfect negative. Ansel Adams would be shooting in Raw format if he were still with us.
To be continued...
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