Thank you, Phil!
First off, I wouldn't expect you had a guide you go by and never vary (unless you were a dodgy youtube trying to sell your actions
) and since I've been doing this for a while as well, I know that every image requires "special handling". I suppose I am most interested in when you use PL vs LR or do you put almost all of your image into the grinder of all your tools? What is it about PL Elite that you prefer over or in conjunction with LR/PS? And I also suppose what I am also asking is how do you decide what to work with in an image? Does any of this make sense?
I hope you are enjoying your time in the Peak District! as they say over here - when ya get to it ya get to it.
Hi Hali,
We had a fine time in the Peak District, though after having consulting 3 National weather forecasts - which assured us it would be 'a dry and mainly sunny day with light winds' (followed by a 'mark I head out of the camper van' cross-check), we found ourselves a mere 2 hours later at the top of Mam Tor in cold, dense clag and fierce, driving rain. Good job we're used to this sort of thing and were well prepared.
Back on track - I enjoy all of my photographic software, but LrC is the hub and so my first step is to import our raw files into it for weeding and selection.
Whether I then use LrC, or DxO PL E, to process the raw file is down to a judgement call about which one will deliver the required result. There are no hard rules but, as a general principle, raw files with higher ISO’s, or significant perspective issues usually get sent to DxO PL E, while those with lower ISO’s and minimal perspective correction needs could stay entirely within LrC - it’s done on a case by case and needs basis. (It’s not completely unheard of for me to try several different approaches - and where there are advantages to be found in each, blend them to harness the best of both).
For me, DxO PL E’s strengths are its excellent NR, Lens Corrections and Colour Rendering options and built-in access to DxO ViewPoint tools. Presets allow for simple ‘in-and-out’ raw processing, or I can use its other tools such as control points/ lines to apply various adjustments. (There is a significant overlap/ duplication of tools between LrC and DxO PL E and the decision about which one I’ll adopt is often simply down to what I’d like to try out at any given moment - variety and change being as good as a rest).
LrC’s strengths are many and it remains my overall editor of choice (the experience much enhanced by its close Loupedeck CT integration), so whether I use DxO PL E or LrC for ‘raw processing’, files are taken forward in LrC.
For complex corrections or creative treatments, I move the files over to PS. The powerful PS tools are facilitated and supplemented by the superb Tony Kuyper Panels, plus other filters by DxO (Nik Collection, ViewPoint and FilmPack) and Topaz Labs (Photo AI). The sadly discontinued Topaz Labs Studio 2 is often used for creative/ finishing touches (but via LrC).
My overarching aim is to create images we - and hopefully others - find interesting and pleasing. ’Straight’ edits are tuned to produce images broadly in line with the spirit of what we saw and intended to capture. The creative choice I have is practically limitless, with the ingredients of any ‘brew’ chosen and mixed for the intended outcome - though I do have a few favourite treatments, tools and filters I use a lot more than others I'll often just play around.
As previously mentioned, I’ll be aiming to provide some before/ during/ after sample images/ workflows for the thread when/ if time permits and hopefully these will demonstrate how this all works (or fails!) in practice.
Phil
