How often do you edit/photoshop?

Jtreez818

hey everyone new to the forum, fairly new to photography, had a general question...

how often do you guys photoshop your pictures? I've taken several pictures loved how they turned out, but am not sure if they could be better!

all opinions are appreciated

W.W. Webster

I post-process every image I post to my web site, send to others, or enter in competitions, but 99.99% of the time Lightroom does everything I need to do. I don't own Photoshop and I have no intention to own it - ever! :nono

Richard

Hi Jtreez, and welcome to Dgrin . I think most people will give the same answer--every shot is processed to a greater or lesser extent. Many (most, probably) of us shoot in raw format, so at a minimum we have to use some program to convert to JPG. Lightroom, Aperture, and ACR are the most popular converters, though there are others. My workflow also uses Photoshop. Nevertheless, a great photo starts in the camera and no amount of processing will turn a lousy shot into a great pic.

You might want to post a few pics on the Finishing School forum and ask people to show you how they could be improved.

OffTopic

Welcome to dgrin Jtreez818!

If you are shooting jpeg, your camera does what a RAW shooter needs an editing/conversion program for (sharpening, contrast, saturation). The difference is that using software allows the photographer a great degree control rather than just using the default settings of the camera. I think you meant 'photoshop' as a generic verb for editing photos and that's pretty broad.

All of my images are run through ACR and then Photoshop for a curves adjustment, sharpening and any needed spotting. I also use Photoshop and/or Bridge for all my IPTC info including captioning and keywording. There will be a certain percentage that I decide I want to put more work into, whether it's white balance adjustment, color cast adjustment, convert to B&W, dodging/burning, contrast adjustments, or sometimes take it even further and "play" with it, but all of that is completely dependent on the individual image. If it's not a good shot to start with I'm not going to spend time on it.

lol, so many PS haters! I hated Lightroom when it was first introduced and its main benefit was batch processing, which I have no need for, and never went back to it. Back then it was really only worth switching for wedding/portrait/event photographers, although I hear the newer versions benefit all types of photographers. Have been using Photoshop since PS3 (not PSCS3 lol) so it's what I'm comfortable with, my workflow is designed around it, for the most part I know how to accomplish what I want to do, so I'm sticking with it.
Besides, after all these years and version upgrades I have a LOT of money invested in it!

W.W. Webster

OffTopic wrote: »

lol, so many PS haters!

I don't hate PS, it's just that I don't need it for my photographic needs. If I was a graphic designer, it might be relevant but, as a photographer, it's just over-featured, over-priced bloatware!

OffTopic wrote: »

I hated Lightroom when it was first introduced and its main benefit was batch processing, which I have no need for, and never went back to it.

It could be time for you to check it out again - you might be surprised what it can do for you!

quark

I just like to occasionally plug GIMP. I have never wanted to be locked to PhotoShop, but Gimp is a nice (FREE) compromise which I can use for effects/photoshop on special projects but most of the time I just do raw conversion/cropping which is easier in other programs.

angevin1

Jtreez818 wrote: »

hey everyone new to the forum, fairly new to photography, had a general question...

how often do you guys photoshop your pictures? I've taken several pictures loved how they turned out, but am not sure if they could be better!

all opinions are appreciated

Welcome!

Edit: Every Photo gets some sort of edit, even if it is just adjusting White Balance or contrast of some such: LightRoom.

Photoshop: That to me is more of a special thing. If I have a photo or photos that need a specific thing done, such as Smoothing skin without making it look plastic, or being darned sure I have a color balance on skin Correct, or even replacing a Sky, I turn to Photoshop or GIMP.

There are tutorials here in dgrin in the stickies (in technique I think it is) that can guide you right through the steps.

Jtreez818

sooo what it seems like is a need to look into "lightroom" or a program similar.. I will definitely go and post some sample raw shots in the finishing school section and see what everyone has to say, thanks for the replies!

Art Scott

I have had Photoshop since Photoshop 5, but when I started using LR I started not using PS as much, then I was only going there for one plugin (genuine Fractals) and since LR2 I really did not even need to go into PS anymore, unless I am doing some real pixel editing...but that is not hardly ever done ...........