Workflow

[Rude Girl]

I mentioned in the 'tips' thread that now Podie and I are taking many more photographs than previously, the weaknesses in my workflow process are starting to make themselves clear.

My file structure is fine, but we have far too many surplus images in files which we need to go back and clean up before we go much further.

If we're going to do that, then I might as well do a full review of what we do. At the moment I still convert RAWs using RawShooter, then move over to Photoshop. We have CS3, but I've not used it for Raw conversion chiefly because I'm always short of time (we are both out at work for about 13 hours a day) and there's always more to do than sit down and learn new software.

So my questions:

1. what tips do you have for efficient workflow?
2. do you keyword your images, and if so, what do you use for that?

Cheers, C.

[beano500]

Used RSE before. Now embraced Lightroom which is brilliant for disciplining me to keyword. File structure I leave as simple as date of capture.

[Podie]

I'm reluctant to buy Lightroom TBH, when it looks like CS3 will do the vast majority of what we need.

We can run a structured workpath, it's just a case of identifying the correct approach.

[Rude Girl]

Given that our needs are not particularly demanding, would Lightroom give us anything significant that Bridge won't?

[Podie]

[GregE240]

Have I stumbled into the foreign language forum?

[Podie]

GregE240 said:

Have I stumbled into the foreign language forum?

Need to pick your brains about Exchange BTW, you free?

[slartibartfast]

i keep mine simple.
my documents, my pictures, canon, march08, march08-filenumber.

then go through them one by one, delete, delete, delete, keep, delete..always checking them at 100% for focus


thats probably too simple and knowing me i completely missread what the thread was about.....i'll get ma coat LOL

Paul

Edited by slartibartfast on Wednesday 12th March 17:56

[beano500]

Rude Girl said:

Given that our needs are not particularly demanding, would Lightroom give us anything significant that Bridge won't?

I made a very brief answer earlier, because I was answering on my little mobile 'phone.

I can quite understand your reluctance to add Lightroom to a perfectly good workflow - I was just illustrating how I leave LR to do some of the donkey-work and I DO use keywords a lot. Plus with LR you can search by EXIF data - so I have a few shots in my Library that Simpo Two took - just search for D200 - I want to know how many times I use any one lens - and LR will tell me (hence I've worked out which lenses to sell). I'm just saying that it's very versatile once you get into it.

I don't know if it's right but honing my own workflow down to basics:

- Import to PC
- Make back ups
- Sort as RAW files into keepers/ones to work on
- (Bearing in mind everything is now backed up) delete from disk any crap
- Prepare (by which I mean early stages of processing exposure levels/curves/colour saturation or B&W, maybe noise and even CA and vignetting)in LR for either......
- Slideshow (keep in LR)
- Printing and sharing (export to new file/open in PS) either TIFF or JPEG
- PS work and output back to exported file folder
- Sweep up into back ups from time to time

I've now spotted that I never re-import into Lightroom so I can keep the final TIFF/JPEG in the Library - actually I wonder why I don't do that

Now, I'm not sure if this is what most people do, but sure PS (CS3) probably allows you a one stop shop - my preference is that I liked Raw Shooter and so have found LR easy for me.

I am about to get some more external drives and, where you're disciplined enough, Microste explorer is probably just as good for organising stuff as any fancy Adobe or other program.

[Rude Girl]

Thanks for that - very timely, I've just spent the best part of 2 hours going through the 350 photos he took at VMax on Sunday!

I'm happy with my storage file structure (yy.mm.dd_occasion), but because my habits were built when we first started taking photographs 4 years ago, when we hadn't even started to learn what constituted a 'keeper', all of those files contain the raw images (including all the rejects!), plus every single iteration of post-processing.

It's clear now that all we need is the RAWs for the keepers, and the TIFFs for the best (thanks to Steve for pointing out what should have been obvious!), so we're planning to spend a bit of time going back through everything and do some serious pruning. We might as well sort out some keywording etc while we're at it, which is what made me ask the question.

I've had a go with Bridge for keywording this evening and will see how I go. Things might get easier if I read the manual...

[Major Bloodnok]

beano500 said:

Rude Girl said:

Given that our needs are not particularly demanding, would Lightroom give us anything significant that Bridge won't?

I made a very brief answer earlier, because I was answering on my little mobile 'phone.

I can quite understand your reluctance to add Lightroom to a perfectly good workflow - I was just illustrating how I leave LR to do some of the donkey-work and I DO use keywords a lot. Plus with LR you can search by EXIF data - so I have a few shots in my Library that Simpo Two took - just search for D200 - I want to know how many times I use any one lens - and LR will tell me (hence I've worked out which lenses to sell). I'm just saying that it's very versatile once you get into it.

I don't know if it's right but honing my own workflow down to basics:

- Import to PC
- Make back ups
- Sort as RAW files into keepers/ones to work on
- (Bearing in mind everything is now backed up) delete from disk any crap
- Prepare (by which I mean early stages of processing exposure levels/curves/colour saturation or B&W, maybe noise and even CA and vignetting)in LR for either......
- Slideshow (keep in LR)
- Printing and sharing (export to new file/open in PS) either TIFF or JPEG
- PS work and output back to exported file folder
- Sweep up into back ups from time to time

I've now spotted that I never re-import into Lightroom so I can keep the final TIFF/JPEG in the Library - actually I wonder why I don't do that

Now, I'm not sure if this is what most people do, but sure PS (CS3) probably allows you a one stop shop - my preference is that I liked Raw Shooter and so have found LR easy for me.

I am about to get some more external drives and, where you're disciplined enough, Microste explorer is probably just as good for organising stuff as any fancy Adobe or other program.

Re exporting from LR for working on in PS (or PSPX2, in my case): do you not use "Edit in Photoshop..." from the Develop view? I use this most of the time - you get the option of stacking the processed TIFF with the original (stacking is a nice feature) in the same way that you can stack virtual copies, and you don't have to think about re-importing.

I agree with you about keywords, by the way - since I discovered how to use them, they've made life so much easier.

[beano500]

Major Bloodnok said:

... do you not use "Edit in Photoshop..." from the Develop view? I use this most of the time - you get the option of stacking the processed TIFF with the original (stacking is a nice feature) in the same way that you can stack virtual copies, and you don't have to think about re-importing.

No Never thought (or figured it out!) of working that way. Thats' a good tip - I must work out why I don't!

[Luca Brazzi]

- Download using Downloader Pro,
- view using ACDSee Pro 2 and delete any rubbish immediately
For my track stuff...
- arrange into folders of each car
- within each 'car' copy my template of folders...
...- Unused
...- Favourites
......->Originals
......->Edited
.........->Resized

- using ACDSee Pro 2, use Cntl 1-5 to flag the pictures for which is fantastic, down to 'not great'.
- Put all the fantastic ones into the Originals folder, which is in the Favourites folder. Put the rest into the Unused folder.
- in the Originals folder, select the best image where a shot is almost duplicated, ie same angle coming round the same corner etc. Keep the best ones in there, and move the rest to the Unused folder.
- copy the contents of the Originals folder into the Edited folder...and edit

- Using PS3,opening all pics in folder at once. Levels then Cropping, then Unsharp mask, then an action that adds the black frame and applies a Velvia effect. Do this for every picture. Then add the text, which I store in a template, so there is minimal moving and adjustment needed. Finally, flatten and save.

Less than 90 seconds editing per image, unless I want to play around with dodging and burning on sky and tarmac for effects.

Hope that helps
All the best,
Steve

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[Podie]

Luca Brazzi said:

- Download using Downloader Pro,
- view using ACDSee Pro 2 ...

'lo Luca

Will check those out.

[Podie]

OK, slice of humble pie for Podie...

We got Lightroom today after some consideration (Capture One was the other candidate) and its safe to say we're impressed.

looks massively capable (although not particularly intuitive at present) so another learning curve to master!

thanks for the replies to the thread

[Rude Girl]

Podie said:

OK, slice of humble pie for Podie...

We got Lightroom today after being overruled by Senior Management

Edited for accuracy...

[beano500]

...oh, and there's a Scott Kelby book when you need to know how to drive it!