Explanation of Digital Processing
This is a reference explaining my approach to digital processing. Most photographers will have their own preferred methods and equipment but my intent is to show the complex issue photographers face when questioned about post-production fees.
Digital processing is commonly known as post-production and is an integral part of creating high quality images. During the introduction of digital photography consumer camera manufacturers portrayed the new technology akin to a Polaroid camera and misguided many people. In reality the process of photography saves on film costs but the camera, software, media cards and computer hardware require an extremely expensive investment, especially on the professional level. The financial investment is only the beginning because learning how to use the constantly updated software and hardware often requires a steep learning curve.
Professional digital cameras become obsolete quickly and this is another reason for the digital processing fees. A Hasselblad medium format film camera with three lenses used to cost $15,000.00 and lasted 15 years. Today, a Hasselblad medium format digital camera is offered with different resolutions and costs $35,000.00 – $80,000.00. This camera system becomes outdated in 2-3 years.
On the professional level film was much more simplified because a lab would process the slides or negatives. The photographer only was required to edit the images and present them to the client. A major issue with relying on a lab was quality control. With digital technology everything has changed. Once the photography is complete the photographer must download all of the images and begin a time consuming process. This process has a far greater upside over film in regards to quality but the tradeoff is an investment of time, overhead and continuous training. Below is a closer look at what our digital process involves.
Download & Edit with Adobe Lightroom- Once the photo shoot is complete, we download the digital files to an editing hard drive. This is the step where the files are renamed and metadata is applied. Metadata is important information that is embedded into an image to help identify and look them up in an organized catalogue system.
Native RAW to DNG RAW Conversion- This is a little known process to most people and is an extra step to help ensure the original RAW files are safe in the future. Every professional camera has its own native RAW format. This is equivalent to a negative in film terms. Unfortunately, Native RAW formats change every time a new camera is released and after a while the older formats become obsolete. This could create major issues in the future if the photographer wishes to process older images on a new system. The solution is a file format invented by Adobe that converts native RAW files to a standard DNG RAW file. The idea is to make this the standard RAW format that will be universal and ensure future compatibility.
Backup RAW Files- This is a necessary step to ensure the photos are safe in the event of a corrupt hard drive. Hard drive failures are very common so copies are a great idea.4) RAW Processing with Adobe Lightroom- RAW files are the untouched camera data much like a photographic negative. RAW files contain a great amount of information and allow the photographer to extract detail, exposure and color beyond the abilities of any other file format. RAW Processing is a complex task and requires continuous education to keep on top of the new technologies involved.
RAW Conversion to TIFF Format- The RAW files must be converted to a common file format before in-depth touchups are possible in Adobe Photoshop. All of our images are converted to a 16 bit RGB color space to hold the most tonal and color information possible.
Adjustments & Touchups with Adobe Photoshop- This step is open to almost any type of fine tuning such as touchups, color, exposure and layering. The technique we use is a hybrid method from High Dynamic Range (HDR) that recovers highlight details and renders the images in a closer range to what the human eye sees. These are only examples of a massive range of capabilities we have with Adobe Photoshop.
Optimization- Everyone has their own usage for digital photos but not many people are aware that all files must be optimized for the final usage. Digital files require a certain resolution, sizing, sharpening and color space to ensure top quality results. Images used on websites are treated much differently than images used for print and must be prepared to display properly.
Backup Final Files- Same as step 3 but this time we are saving our adjusted files.
Create Photo Gallery in Adobe Lightroom- This is the enjoyable step because we finally get to show our client the final results for selections. We often take many extra angles and versions of the same vantage point so fine tuning the final selections to a reduced number is highly recommended. The gallery also allows the client to request any additional touchups.
Record to DVD , Print Guide Sheets and Deliver- We record all of the final selections to a DVD and ship them with 2nd day delivery. We also send guide sheets with all of the images printed 6 per page. This allows for fast viewing and color matching.
Optional FTP Delivery- This is used for fast delivery through our website. We have a server that allows us to post images for our clients to download. The downside to this method is the higher chance of file corruption during download and the limited amount of server storage in some cases.
