Post Processing Pictures

[Snick]

We all try and take the best picture we can, and spend lots of money on equipment to do it, but its hard to get everything perfect. Thats where post processing comes in.
These days I use Adobe Lightroom, which is great at making quick fixes to a picture and giving you the ability to to use a fix of one photo to batch fix a set of photos.
Lightroom is also an image catalogue tool, and I have over 20,000 images indexed with it.

Below is an example, I took this pic in candlelight mode on my S90 - very high ISO. it took me a minute or two to adjust the white balance (obviously too red), adjust the brightness and add some noise reduction. Those fixes then applied to 6 other shots that had the same problems.

[manarak]

can I see the other pix

[Rocket J. Squirrel]

That iPad is a "chick magnet" isn't it

[azza33]

Pacman is addicted to post processing as well

High iso pics suck IMO, however I guess they do allow shots that otherwise wouldn't be captured without a tripod!
Having said that, Bumping the iso one setting is a great way to extend the reach of a flash shot...

I assume your adobe lightroom is a Thai knockoff??

How does it compare to the canon software suite?

[manarak]

you can go up to ISO 1600 on your 550D without trouble.

[Torurot]

Try Faststone if you want a picture file manager to make some quick and dirty changes for a great price.
http://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm (Windows Only).

[azza33]

(manarak @ Sep. 01 2010,15:39)
you can go up to ISO 1600 on your 550D without trouble.

disagree mate....

I'd classify the image in high ISO as "soft" and lacking... just how i feel about them.

Sure you can reduce the size of the original pic and the grain minimizes, but you cant eliminate the softness.

Both pics below are taken at 50/55 mm.
1st is ISO 3200
2nd is ISO 400 with flash

Clearly the 1st lacks any sharpness relative to the 2nd.

[azza33]

As for Snicks pics... post processing has done a great job fixing the "redness" but the skin texture looks terrible... Guess i'm just a fussy bastard.... but imo... its awful.

[pacman]

I agree that the skin colour looks wrong in Snick's adjusted pic but a little more fiddling would improve the shot IMO.

As for Azza's two examples, in the second shot taken with a flash, there is no advantage to be gained by having the ISO set at 400. Not when the subject is up nice & close.

As for the lack of sharpness in the first pic, I think that the picture is perfectly acceptable when you consider that a cheap camera would not be able to capture much of anything. And other factors affect sharpness too. Is the shutter speed too slow? A common problem when light levels are very low.

As for being addicted to post processing, I merely like to tickle up the brightness to create a slightly surreal look. I leave the colour saturation alone except in a few extreme cases where it is needed.

I don't think high ISO levels are meant to provide perfectly natural pictures, they are more a device to capture shots that would be simply impossible otherwise. And don't discount grain as something completely undesirable, sometimes its effect can actually enhance a picture. Only sometimes of course.

[azza33]

(pacman @ Sep. 01 2010,19:04) As for Azza's two examples, in the second shot taken with a flash, there is no advantage to be gained by having the ISO set at 400. Not when the subject is up nice & close.

defaults to iso 400 - not a chosen setting (just mentioned as the exif details were removed from the file)

[manarak]

(azza33 @ Sep. 01 2010,18:04)

(manarak @ Sep. 01 2010,15:39)
you can go up to ISO 1600 on your 550D without trouble.

disagree mate....

I'd classify the image in high ISO as "soft" and lacking... just how i feel about them.

Sure you can reduce the size of the original pic and the grain minimizes, but you cant eliminate the softness.

Both pics below are taken at 50/55 mm.
1st  is ISO 3200
2nd is ISO 400 with flash

Clearly the 1st lacks any sharpness relative to the 2nd.

well, you shot the pic at ISO 3200, not 1600.
I agree that some noise appears at ISO 3200.

and the "softness" might just be due to vibration/hand movement, because the shutter speed was pretty slow at 1/32


try at ISO 1600 with f/1.8 and a shutter speed around 1/80 or 1/100?
(snick and pacman must be ROFLMAOing at us two noobs dicussing photography, LOL)


Look at this one I shot on WS, manually focusing my sigma lens.
I don't think it is soft?

f/1.4
ISO 1600
shutter 1/320

[manarak]

I think I will need to learn doing some postprocessing...

The Canon 550D's white balancing is just awful under some types of artificial light (too red).

[pacman]

(manarak @ Sep. 02 2010,01:17) (snick and pacman must be ROFLMAOing at us two noobs dicussing photography, LOL)

Speaking for myself, I would never ever wish a conversation about photography be elevated to a level of elitism that was unintelligible to the average guy.

I did my time with film cameras developing & printing black & white film. The opportunities available with digital photography are something I am still learning. The principles are the same but the jargon & techniques are new.

Talk all you like, it only helps me to get a better understanding. And I am happy to buy into a conversation if I can help or think I may learn something. Personally I would be delighted if a camera noob asked basic questions. He wouldn't be the only one who learnt something from the answer.

Look at this one I shot on WS, manually focusing my sigma lens.
I don't think it is soft?

f/1.4
ISO 1600
shutter 1/320

It isn't soft at all but Azza still needs to learn about taking photos in the dark. Good camera technique combined with a fast lens & a high ISO rating & similar shots are assured.

Nice work Manarak, I want to try out my camera now, it has an excellent reputation for low light photography. I have some 6400 ISO shots taken in the near dark. I hope they pass Azza's critical eye...        

[azza33]

Sorry, nice photo - would not rate the image as crisp at all!!! - either i need a new set of glass or you guys don't appreciate the crispness of image that these cams can produce.

The softness is the sort of image a cheap point and shoot gives... albeit it couldn't take the shot in the 1st place due to lighting.

[azza33]

Manarak -- I'll have a play with those settings on the f1.8 lens and see how I go.

I do admit my hands are not that steady at times and non is lenses are not a good option for me

Just a note on the softness - I saw some soft shots taken on an f1.4 and they mentioned that the images sharpen well under post processing.

Oh and PAC- yes I have much to learn, but I picked your photos as post processed!! I felt a lot of them are washed out- but as you are the arty type- I guess the sureal appeals
But it was interesting to watch your method- some I would agree did enhance the original , others I'd say not.

I love the crisp image that these d slrs can produce!
Thus I'll never be happy with what I term soft and it's another reason to get a good l series as my main lens.