Posted by matt tellum on September 19, 2007 at 2:10 PM
I have checked the postings and read a couple of articles also but i thought id just ask for some help here before i decide what prog to go for. I am still using rawshooter to give my images the once over before i decide what to keep or what to delete. I then open the keepers up in lightroom and do a bit of processing before moving on to ps for the final ajustments. I always shoot in raw and i must admit to not being very technical minded, but i am not getting my images to (pop) to coin a phrase , even though the detail and sometimes exposure is spot on. Im therfore thinking about trying another programme. Im not a pro but am using pro canon equipment and i think my images should be processing better than they are. I am looking to try and minimize my time at the pc and also use only one programme along with ps.I have been told bibble is very good but maybee a little complicated to use and ive read about ACR and breezbrowser . I know nothing about them so i would be gratefull for any help and tips regarding what you regard as a good prog and not too hard to use. Thanks for any help and tips and apologise for spellings.
Posted by Guy Tal on September 19, 2007 at 3:11 PM
Matt,
I don't think more software will make your images look any better. You have some extremely powerful applications with a lot of overlap between them. There are no "push button" solutions to make the images look exactly like you want - only you know what that is, and the software gives you tools to work the images into that look.
My suggestion is to get a good Photoshop book, and become very familiar with the nuances of color management, image processing, using color and contrast correction tools, masking, sharpening etc.
Guy
Posted by matt tellum on September 19, 2007 at 3:52 PM
Thanks guy and you are propably right in what you say. Its just that i dont seem to be getting the best out of my images and maybee im looking for a quick cure. I have a photoshop book for beginers (scot kelby) maybee thats the way to go.
Posted by Andre Joanisse on September 19, 2007 at 6:42 PM
Matt,
as Guy said, you already have all you need. Not sure which version of PS you are using, but the latest, PS CS3 and ACR can do all you need if you want to reduce the number of apps you use. Bibble is similar to Lightroom so you would be doubling up there. I use Bibble and really like it but not sure that it would add anything extra to your set of tools.
A good book I have found is Photoshop CS3 for Nature Photographers by Tim Grey and Ellen Anon. It goes from beginners to advanced topics.
HTH,
Andre
Posted by Gene Lugo on September 20, 2007 at 9:43 AM
Explore Lab Color mode - you will get the most bang for the buck with simple curve manipulations in the A and B channels for color, and the lightness channel for contrast, gamma and sharpening. Two must-have books would be Photoshop Lab Color and Professional Photoshop: The Classic Guide to Color Correction, both by Dan Margulis. You will find maximum pop with minimum effort in those two books. Also get as comfortable as you can reading histograms - they are very revealing about what your image needs.
Posted by Walter Rowe on September 20, 2007 at 11:18 AM
Matte .. I am a big fan of the Real World book series by Bruce Fraser, et al. There are four key books in the series:
The Image Sharpening book has not been updated for CS3. Unfortunately, Bruce Fraser passed away before he could update this valuable book. These take you all the way through the post production workflow from raw development, to image fine tuning, to image resizing and sharpening for final output.
Posted by matt tellum on September 20, 2007 at 2:48 PM
Wow,so many tips and friendly advice. I think i will propably upgrade my photoshop 7 to a newer version and i will definatly have a closer look at the books that have been recomended and place an order. I think i have been going about this the wrong way. Ill start again from basics and work up.
Many thanks again for all the help youve given me.
Regards. Matt
Discussion
6 repliesI don't think more software will make your images look any better. You have some extremely powerful applications with a lot of overlap between them. There are no "push button" solutions to make the images look exactly like you want - only you know what that is, and the software gives you tools to work the images into that look.
My suggestion is to get a good Photoshop book, and become very familiar with the nuances of color management, image processing, using color and contrast correction tools, masking, sharpening etc.
Guy
as Guy said, you already have all you need. Not sure which version of PS you are using, but the latest, PS CS3 and ACR can do all you need if you want to reduce the number of apps you use. Bibble is similar to Lightroom so you would be doubling up there. I use Bibble and really like it but not sure that it would add anything extra to your set of tools.
A good book I have found is Photoshop CS3 for Nature Photographers by Tim Grey and Ellen Anon. It goes from beginners to advanced topics.
HTH,
Andre
* Real World Color Management, Second Edition
* Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS3
* Real World Photoshop CS3
* Real World Image Sharpening with Photoshop CS2
The Image Sharpening book has not been updated for CS3. Unfortunately, Bruce Fraser passed away before he could update this valuable book. These take you all the way through the post production workflow from raw development, to image fine tuning, to image resizing and sharpening for final output.
Many thanks again for all the help youve given me.
Regards. Matt