I'm completely new here and trying to figure out if the majority of people do some type of post production. I see so many beautiful shots with amazing colors and depth...I have no idea how to do that (even though I have photoshop...I haven't learned how to use it). Do I need to get on the editing bandwagon?
@gailwf Not unless you want to. As everyone repeatedly says around here - for good reason - it's your project, do what you like with it. But a good one to start playing with - it's free and user friendly, is Picnik.com. With an ACE membership you can upload and edit with Picnik all onsite here.
I'm new here too, but from reading the discussions I have learned, you don' have to do anything. "it's your project"
It seems all the really amazing shots have at least some post production processing though.
It's early in the year, don't overwhelm yourself. You have plenty of time.
Try using the simple software if you are new. Its not necessary to use a post production software for this project as its all about your everyday as you see. But for making the photograph look bright and appealing post production is necessary.
@gailwf I completed my first year without any editing whatsoever :) I'm allowing myself to edit this year, but have so far only edited one, and that was just to straighten it lol!
As Paula said, it's your project, do with it whatever you want - but most of all, enjoy it!
Its not a must it depends on what kind of shots you want, editing experience is a handy thing to have under your belt but its not essential by any means.
I use a program that is online but just for the color..mostly Brightness and Contrast !
yeah i think its good to use them because of the warmth colors they make ..
and if you don't know how to use photoshop, its fine ..you can use an online photo editor that is pretty easy to use and it makes the photo better:)
If you already have Photoshop, that's great - just experiment with it, until you get something you like! (That's how I started!)
There are also some great online tutorials on how to use Photoshop - including some from our own 365 members here. (I know, for example, that @jinximages has posted some very helpful Photoshop tips on this very site!)
It helps if you know what it is you're trying to achieve, so you can search for that Photoshop technique specifically. There are so many thousands of things you can do with Photoshop, just searching "Photoshop tutorial" might throw up just too many different things to be much help.
If you know what it is you actually want to do with your photos in the editing process, you can search for things like (for example) "selective colour in Photoshop", or "how to make borders in Photoshop".
Personally, I very, very rarely upload a picture to 365 without having done at least some editing. (Some of my shots have very minimal editing, while others have a lot more, but pretty much everything gets some kind of editing treatment, before I will let it loose on the general public!) But of course, as @pwallis has said, it's entirely up to you.
So, no - you don't need to do any editing at all. Not if you don't want to. But if you do want to, Photoshop is a very powerful tool, with a lot of really great features, and there's plenty of help out there for people wanting to learn how to use it.
You do what you want, there is no right and wrong. Personally I edit very slightly in order to keep natural (with some exceptions though), but to make the pic better (a bit of contrast for instance).
Ditto what everyone says about it being your project - you can revel in that fine reality. A lot of great advice from @manek43509 among others. My first edits (at about the 2 week period of so) are now kind of cringe producing, but now I always take photos in RAW format which gives me a lot more material to work with to make realistic improvements and I love trying to make a lot of my pics look like something other than a straight ahead photo. Picnic has a lot of wonderful easy to access tools. Photoshop (I have Elements - less complex) is a fantastic tool for doing just about anything - free videos abound on YouTube and many are really good.
I tend to do alot of post production as i view it as part of my creative process...I think once you find your style and then start going about making it come to life you will do what you need to to convey your art...for some less is best, and for those like me it is hard to just leave well enough alone lol
Thank you all for your replies! I guess I have to grasp it is my project and there is no right or wrong...its up to me. @manek43509 great advice thank you! I'm going to to look up jinx to watch the videos...I just get overwhelmed trying to figure it out on my own. @minxymissk I think I will follow.your footsteps in not doing any editing...at least for 6 months. I'll work on improvoling my photography skills then worry about editing. (And during that time I can actually learn how to edit)
@gailwf That's why I did it, I wanted to improve my skills so I could get the shot I wanted, rather than rely on editing to get it. Although I've not learnt to edit yet either lol! Good luck :)
@minxymissk ok when your learn something about editing share it with me and once I learn how to take good photos then I'll start using your tips for editing!
I don't think it's a must, but I personally do post production on almost all my photos. I'm trying to learn to get the shot right in the beginning but that has yet to have happened. LOL
If Lightroom is part of your Photoshop Suite, you should try it. It's pretty intuitive where as Photoshop is not so much, as least not for me. You can do simple adjustments that make a big difference. I hope to learn Photoshop too.
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It seems all the really amazing shots have at least some post production processing though.
It's early in the year, don't overwhelm yourself. You have plenty of time.
As Paula said, it's your project, do with it whatever you want - but most of all, enjoy it!
yeah i think its good to use them because of the warmth colors they make ..
and if you don't know how to use photoshop, its fine ..you can use an online photo editor that is pretty easy to use and it makes the photo better:)
There are also some great online tutorials on how to use Photoshop - including some from our own 365 members here. (I know, for example, that @jinximages has posted some very helpful Photoshop tips on this very site!)
It helps if you know what it is you're trying to achieve, so you can search for that Photoshop technique specifically. There are so many thousands of things you can do with Photoshop, just searching "Photoshop tutorial" might throw up just too many different things to be much help.
If you know what it is you actually want to do with your photos in the editing process, you can search for things like (for example) "selective colour in Photoshop", or "how to make borders in Photoshop".
Personally, I very, very rarely upload a picture to 365 without having done at least some editing. (Some of my shots have very minimal editing, while others have a lot more, but pretty much everything gets some kind of editing treatment, before I will let it loose on the general public!) But of course, as @pwallis has said, it's entirely up to you.
So, no - you don't need to do any editing at all. Not if you don't want to. But if you do want to, Photoshop is a very powerful tool, with a lot of really great features, and there's plenty of help out there for people wanting to learn how to use it.
Good luck!
Whatever works for what you wish for your project, as it is your project.
@manek43509 great advice thank you! I'm going to to look up jinx to watch the videos...I just get overwhelmed trying to figure it out on my own.
@minxymissk I think I will follow.your footsteps in not doing any editing...at least for 6 months. I'll work on improvoling my photography skills then worry about editing. (And during that time I can actually learn how to edit)