Continuing from the 'Editing The Raw Files' Part 3 post on Sunday June 17th :
11) Once you have completed your 1st edit of the images ( still in Raw Format ) and tagged the keepers, it's time to save the tagged files to your next Desktop Folder. Example: ABCorp_RawEdits. You are now ready to open the images in your Processing Software and see them as they really are, before any adjustments in color or exposure. Once you get familiar with your Raw Processing Software you won't have to keep referring to the Histogram display to judge proper exposure. It goes without saying that to judge color and exposure, you will have to have a high end color monitor that is color corrected with the proper software and screen sensor. I recommend using a LCD monitor for the best color accuracy, with the added benefit of Color Profiles that stay accurate far longer than CRT monitor technology.
Most Raw Conversion Software will allow you to click balance (color correct) your images by isolating an area of medium White or Grey. This will get you in the ballpark if you think the color of the imported images is a little off. Remember that accurate color is not always the best color! You can very easily take the Zing out of an image taken at sunset if you remove a warm color cast in favor of absolute 5000 degree Kelvin. Use your best judgement and apply the same color / exposure adjustment to all the images from the same setup.
More to come...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Editing The Raw Files...Part 4
Portrait Retouch Challenge...
One of the Posters ( Mr. Eamon Hickey ) over at dpreview has posted a simple portrait shot of his girlfriend ( Simple head and shoulders ) and asked readers to try out their retouching skills on the image. Looks like a lot of fun! I may have to give it a whirl. Anyone interested can download the tiff Portrait image and work their mojo, then upload to the dpreview site and let others comment! I'm not sure how long the challenge will last, so you better check it out soon. Join the site ( free ) if you want to participate. You can follow the dpreview link above to the download page.
UPDATE: Our first submission by Dr. Pimento
Monday, June 18, 2007
New KODAK Image Sensor...
KODAK has designed a new image sensor technology that will help digital cameras see light in a similar fashion to the human eye. They have included a clear ( Panchromatic ) pixel to the sensor array with added sensitivity to low light levels. Software Algorithms process the extra data, effectively giving the sensor 2X - 4X times more sensitivity to light. You can follow the link above to the Kodak Website to read more.
Can't Get Enough Of Those Beans!
Coffee quote of the day:
"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
America's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln
No such problem with the brew I'm drinkin. It's mighty tasty and good to the last drop! My part- time, unpaid editor sent me home with some ' Bean Martin' Whole Bean Java from 'Larry's Beans' in Downtown Raleigh. It's a smooth, bold blend of Javalicious Goodness! Just what I needed to get my posts rolling.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Editing The Raw Files...Part 3
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...
PinoBlogero.Com... A Great Site!
I am a Photographer, not a Writer . So I must rely on others for the occasional push in the right direction with the design and utility of my Blog. Being a visual person, my priorities when designing this site are more focused on Color, Bling and Visuals. I have to edit , re-edit my writing to present my ideas in a relevant manner and not forget to run Spellcheck on every post. Somehow after 42 years I have forgotten how to spell and punctuate the simplest words. Writing daily has made this abundantly clear. I hope I am doing better this week than last! So, in my quest to do things the right way, I seek out others who have mastered their medium and try and learn from their example. This week I stumbled upon Karlo Lucidines Blog ' PinoyBlogero.com' which is a wonderful How to for Blogging and Writing. He is also a Master Illustrator / Artist with a wonderful color rich style. His offer on his website to design customized feed Labels ( Illus. buttons for links ) is not one to pass up. He only requests a review of his site for his hard work. Its obvious from reading his blog that he is a real cool guy and probably a top student. I can't wait to see the button he designs for me!
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