Post Processing

The post processing of my images is done with a combination of Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop. My normal workflow for a non-compound image (no high dynamic range, panorama, or focus stacking) is

• First selection of images using Microsoft Office Picture Manager

• Second selection of images using Adobe Bridge

• Open image in Adobe Camera Raw

• Crop the image but no more than necessary

• Adjust the temperature if shot was not made in sunlight

• Adjust the limits of the lights and darks to optimize the range of colors

• Adjust the contrast and Vibrance (mid-tone saturation)*

• Adjust the sharpness*

• Open the image in Adobe Photoshop (automatically saves a side-car file that records the above steps for that image)

• Remove small distracting objects

• Reduce noise using the Nik Define 2 add-on to Photoshop*

• Save the image, normally as a .jpeg

* I wear glasses with photo grey filtration to protect my eyes from the bright sun. The lenses make me see the world with more contrast and color saturation than the camera. I adjust the contrast and Vibrance to more closely match my memory of the scene. I might go for a little more crispness than what I saw, but I strive hard not to give the image an over-saturated look. Similarly, every image seems to benefit with some sharpening, but I strive to have my images not look like they were over sharpened. I am very sensitive to noisy pictures, so I try to keep my ISO at 640 on the 7D mark II, but almost all images are noise reduced via a my own process.