I have been taking pictures for years, but only got fairly serious about photography last October and purchased my first DSLR. I have worked up to shooting in manual mode almost all the time and shooting in RAW. I have not done any post processing as I originally thought that I should concentrate on getting the picture first. However, I'd love to hear from those of you more experienced than I if you think this is the best process or should I work to learn both simultaneously.
I have Aperture on my computer but I have never learned it. I'm not against purchasing Photoshop if others think that is a better option. I do not know how to use any of them at this point.
Suggestions welcome. And thanks for your feedback!
Get your editing feet under you using aperture or picnik, GIMP or another free program. PS is extremely expensive for what it is. If you want to buy something, try PS Elements which has most of what PS has for a tenth the price. PaintShopPro is another program that a fair number of users on here utilize and they have some great results!
You will need a program to convert the raw files so you can open them in your editing program of choice.
Try to get it right in camera first, it will lessen the length of the editing process. You can learn both at the same time if you concentrate on each one when you are using it.
Getting it right in the camera is the mark of a good photographer, and that's all it takes to be a good photographer. You don't need special equipment or programs or shoot powerful, emotional photos. All you need is to get it right in the camera.
Do you think Picasso would slap together a painting as fast as he could with the mentality of fixing any mistakes later?
With that being said, even Ansel Adams, one of the most recognizable landscape photographers, would spend time post-processing his photography in a dark room. Editing programs are a tool, but if you don't know how to properly capture the photo in the first place that tool is useless.
Shooting in RAW is a good start, but RAW cannot fix every mistake in a photo. RAW can fix problems with white balance and exposure only. You can't fix your aperture, depth of field, you can't increase the shutter speed to properly freeze action, and you can't adjust your focus. All of these must be done accurately or no amount of post-processing will ever save your photos.
I agree with @shadesofgrey, unfortunately, but then again we agree most of the time but because I am pre-emptively awesome I always claim to have had the idea first. Check out PS Elements as a program to purchase, but the free online editor Pixlr is a powerful free editor. Editing a photo is a tool just like your tripod or remote camera release, so learn to use it same as all the others.
Yup. First learn to shoot with your eye, train your decisions, frame what you see. Then learn do it with a camera, and learn what you can achieve with it. Get the most of it. Then, learn what else you can to enhance your photos. Be it remote flash, better equipment, and editing too.
Getting it right in camera is great, but there is nothing wrong with a little post processing, even 30 seconds to adjust the contrast or saturation, crop or add a subtle vignette. I shoot Manual, RAW, I bracket exposures and really try to get it right in camera 100% of the time, but I always do a little post processing on almost every single image.
PS Elements would be a good choice. Paint Shop Pro is also very good, I used it for 10 years. I use the full photoshop, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone that just wants to do basic post processing on photos, due to the expense and learning curve.
light. learn it. understand it. how to dance with it using aperture and shutter speed. once you have a solid understanding of that, then simply go on what 'feels' right. after that, play around, the various post processing methods will come easier that way. just my thoughts on it. above all else, keep having fun and playing around.
You can absolutely never go wrong by investing time in learning you camera inside and out - but, since you already have Aperture, there's no reason to not start fiddling with pictures in that, and start gradually learning about post-processing. Start out with simple things like contrast, etc. and go from there. :)
I like what others have said. @jasonbarnette and @eyebrows especially. And not just because I have a man-crush on them.
The shooting is half of the thing. The editing is the other. But step B needs step A to be solid. So, I would say, concentrate on your in-camera stuff, and the editing will follow naturally when you're ready for it.
Agree with @eyebrows regarding lightroom. Its very easy and intuitive to use so you can just import the images. How much you want to edit will be up to you but its easy and allows you to view your images very nicely and then export for upload.
I think at the start, you could use the auto correct for white balance and maybe adjust the exposure and keep your focus on getting things right in the camera first. Then as you get a handle on that, tinker around with a little more post processing
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You will need a program to convert the raw files so you can open them in your editing program of choice.
Try to get it right in camera first, it will lessen the length of the editing process. You can learn both at the same time if you concentrate on each one when you are using it.
Do you think Picasso would slap together a painting as fast as he could with the mentality of fixing any mistakes later?
With that being said, even Ansel Adams, one of the most recognizable landscape photographers, would spend time post-processing his photography in a dark room. Editing programs are a tool, but if you don't know how to properly capture the photo in the first place that tool is useless.
Shooting in RAW is a good start, but RAW cannot fix every mistake in a photo. RAW can fix problems with white balance and exposure only. You can't fix your aperture, depth of field, you can't increase the shutter speed to properly freeze action, and you can't adjust your focus. All of these must be done accurately or no amount of post-processing will ever save your photos.
I agree with @shadesofgrey, unfortunately, but then again we agree most of the time but because I am pre-emptively awesome I always claim to have had the idea first. Check out PS Elements as a program to purchase, but the free online editor Pixlr is a powerful free editor. Editing a photo is a tool just like your tripod or remote camera release, so learn to use it same as all the others.
PS Elements would be a good choice. Paint Shop Pro is also very good, I used it for 10 years. I use the full photoshop, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone that just wants to do basic post processing on photos, due to the expense and learning curve.
The shooting is half of the thing. The editing is the other. But step B needs step A to be solid. So, I would say, concentrate on your in-camera stuff, and the editing will follow naturally when you're ready for it.
Good luck! It is a fun road to travel!
I think at the start, you could use the auto correct for white balance and maybe adjust the exposure and keep your focus on getting things right in the camera first. Then as you get a handle on that, tinker around with a little more post processing
@jinximages lol man-crush