What is your Post Processing Workflow?

[Emoto]

I see topics about specific products, but no thread about your overall workflow in post processing. Care to share? (Mods, feel free to nuke this thread if it is a dupe.)

The R5 is my first digital camera capable of producing really high quality images. So, I finally can have images potentially worth spending some time on, and am excited about learning from various sources, including social media groups and forums. I am using Windows machines with decently fast processors and extra RAM added, as well as some external drives with a fair amount of space. I am comfortable with the basics of file management from my professional life, so I will probably not misplace or accidentally overwrite my work.

I have old versions of Lightroom and Photoshop that I have managed to keep as I've upgraded machines over the years, and have grabbed Adobe DNG Converter to process cRAW files into DNG files that my old LR can handle. I have some experience with PS from past jobs where I have had to do logo work and button creation and that sort of thing, but am far from highly skilled. I have really only scratched the surface of LR, which I picked up when I was dating someone a few years ago who was using it, so I thought I would also do that, but haven't done much more than find the sliders for adjusting various image characteristics and played with them a few times.

I have only had the camera for a few days and won't be making any prints any time soon, but may eventually. Output will only be seen on screen for the time being.

Right now, my workflow looks like this:

Camera > PC > Adobe DNG Converter > LR > Output as jpeg

I am very interested in how other folks have their workflow set up, and what tasks they routinely perform within each stage.

 

[RedCobra]

Camera card (by reader)>LR>culling>DxO Pure Raw>LR (DNG)>PS (if necessary)>output (depends on where it's going)
I could delete the first LR, but I find it's just as easy to download the card to LR as it is to the computer, and doing it to LR puts it in the database with keywords. Also cropping/sharpening/ WB etc. as needed in LR (as a DNG) after Pure Raw. I do end up with a CR3 as well as a DNG of the keepers.

 

[GeraldHerd]

import cr3 files to LR

cull losers from keepers

for files still showing potential, open in Develop

in Develop module : Crop, brightness/contrast, gigapixel if required

Next sharpness and noise, usually by editing in Photoshop from the Develop module, often using topaz

Back to LR (with the image as a tif file)

Export as a jpg of desired longest edge dimension and resolution. My naming convention is a keyword and the raw file‘s number, so if the raw file was FP001234.cr3 and a picture of a red wing blackbird, the jpg will be RWBB-1234.jpg

 

[Frank Stellitano]

import cr3 files to LR

cull losers from keepers

for files still showing potential, open in Develop

in Develop module : Crop, brightness/contrast, gigapixel if required

Next sharpness and noise, usually by editing in Photoshop from the Develop module, often using topaz

Back to LR (with the image as a tif file)

Export as a jpg of desired longest edge dimension and resolution. My naming convention is a keyword and the raw file‘s number, so if the raw file was FP001234.cr3 and a picture of a red wing blackbird, the jpg will be RWBB-1234.jpg

What does "gigapixel if required" mean?

 

[Hali]

Import CR3 files to computer. Preview in Fast Raw Viewer and cull from there. (Although I have a fast computer I find LR is a turtle when it comes to previewing files. Fast Raw Viewer is quick and lets you view either the raw or the embedded jpg if you want). Import the rest into LR and change the file name to suit my naming convention. Do my initial edits in LR and continue culling as necessary. Take the ones I really like and do the final edits in Photoshop with a mixture of luminosity masks and plugins. Then resize and change the image color profile for web if that's where it will be going.

 

[Hali]

What does "gigapixel if required" mean?

That means Gigapixel AI a software from Topaz labs. It allows you to resize up images that may have been cropped to a very small size with very good results

 

[GeraldHerd]

What does "gigapixel if required" mean?

Use topaz Gigapixel AI to expand or upsize the cropped image.

 

[Frank Stellitano]

Thank you!

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

Import into Lightroom to cull and crop then open in Photoshop.
Invoke Topaz Denoise AI in a new layer.
Levels adjustment layer if necessary.
Invoke Camera Raw Filter in a new layer.
Dodge & Burn as needed.
Save, and in a flattened image copy resize, sharpen and watermark for posting.

 

[Frank Stellitano]

Camera set color space to Adobe RGB
Shoot raw of course
Load files into LR
Perform common tasks to all files like Tone Curve, Detail, Lens Corrections
Then edit each shot worth keeping using the Basic tab, I sort as I go
Files worth sharing online are Exported as jpeg and sRGB to a separate Folder
Print worthy files are printed from LR