| Digital Workflow | |
The whole purpose of my workflow is to achieve high quality images with as little effort as possible. To an extent it is a compromise but the balance is always in favour of achieving quality. My workflow relies heavily on the automation features of Photoshop, especially Actions, and on the Browser mini-application within Photoshop. I make sure that the camera is set to record the date in the folder name. This makes indexing the images easier. I always shoot RAW files for three reasons. Firstly, I actually find it quicker to post process RAW than other types of files. Secondly, I do not have to commit myself when I shoot the image to the contrast, saturation, white balance, etc. I get a second chance after I have downloaded my image. Finally, but very importantly, RAW files contain more data than other file types and can stand more post processing without introducing artefacts such as posterization. I use a card reader to transfer files to my computer for two reasons. It is quicker and it does not drain the camera’s battery. Next, I will load the pictures in Photoshop’s Browser. The Browser is a key part of my workflow and a great deal of work is done in this mini-application. I will wait until it has generated all the previews before moving on. This may take time but it is a good investment for the future. I will then ‘Export Cache’ so that it does not have to be rebuilt every time I access this folder. I will then add copyright information to all the images (Ctrl+A selects all images) and apply my custom RAW settings to them using the ‘Apply Camera RAW Settings’ feature of the browser. Still in the browser, I will look at a large preview of each image. Any that are duds are immediately deleted. If they show potential they are ‘Flagged’. I will then review the unflagged images to make sure that I haven’t missed any. Any that I have missed are then ‘Flagged’. Next, I will go through the flagged images and unflag those that I don’t want. Now I am left with the images that I want to work with. I always have Adobe Camera Raw set to 16 bit and AdobeRGB as it has a wider gamut than sRGB. Also, a great deal of my work is destined for Alamy and they require AdobeRGB. Now my workflow will change depending on the final destination of the pictures. If I have a series of images taken under similar conditions I will load one of these into Adobe Camera RAW and adjust the settings as necessary. At this point I will Update the settings rather than loading the image into Photoshop (press ALT and the OK button turns into an UPDATE button). Next I will use the ‘Apply Camera RAW Settings’ feature to apply these new settings to all the other images in that series. They may not be spot on for all the images but they will be close. The idea here is to do as much post-processing as possible using ACR and the browser. The next step relies on a Photoshop Action that I have previously recorded. For instance, if the image are to be used for the web then I will run an action, using the Batch feature of the Browser, that will resize all the selected images, change the colour space and bit depth, convert them to JPEG’s and save them in a specified folder. If I want to work on an image further in Photoshop itself, perhaps to do some burning or dodging I will run an action to add adjustment layers (curves and hue/saturation) and save the file(s) in Photoshop’s native format in a specified folder. It will still be in 16 bit mode and use the AdobeRGB colour space. I hope that I have covered the main points of my workflow. If you want any further information then you can contact me by email. |
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