Smart sharpening, blurring, color management, etc.

What if a person has no clue what people are even talking about in many of these threads? Is there anybody but me who feels that way sometimes or a lot of times? Is it not possible to do this well but stick to the basics, whatever the basics are?

Not that people shouldn't have those discussions, obviously and of course. People should have discussions at whatever level they work. But are the majority of people here at the level of, for instance, the current smart sharpening thread? That's my question. If they are, then I need to really wake up.

Barbara - Don't feel shy about posting threads like "what's the difference between USM and Smart Sharpen?". Many people on here would be happy to answer that. (And I'm sure many would be happy to read the explanation/discussion but were also afraid to "speak" up.)

And I always recommend that people google and read up on as much as they can. One of my favorite resources is the Cambridge in Colour tutorials section. They are relatively short but give terrific basic information on a pretty comprehensive set of photography topics.

Ditto what David said. Color management can be a rather taunting subject. Another good guide for color management that is actually understandable for the lay person is Tim Grey's "Color Confidence" book.

You have made giant strides in your short time here at NPN, but the learning never stops (as I'm sure you're discovering).

Ditto what David said. (There must be an echo in here. )

Don't worry about being ignorant regarding the complexity of some of the discussions, Barbara; we've all been there. If you are reading one of them, and there is something you do not understand, be sure to ask. Most folks will be happy to help.

As Bill says, color management and image processing are very broad subjects that are daunting, at first (still?). I agree with Bill that you've made great strides since you joined NPN--carry on, or, as I like to say, "Research continues..."

--P

What if a person has no clue what people are even talking about in many of these threads?

Hi Barbara,

I almost always read these threads...never quite understand what is being discussed/debated...shake my head in disbelief...sometimes I smile to myself...and just continue to do what I have been doing all these years.

I often wonder if I am missing out on something really big. Surprisingly folks who have seen my prints never complain about sharpness. Perhaps they are just too kind.

I used to teach evening photography classes and I would get a variety of students from raw beginners to fairly advanced and the beginners often complained that what I covered was Greek to them while the basic stuff I spent time on bored the advanced students. Any time you have a mixed group this is a problem.

Try making notes about terms and subjects that you don't understand and researching them on the web. If you decide to go into greater depth you can subscribe to sites like Lynda.com where there are lots of online tutorials or you could find a mentor who was willing to answer your questions. I was an early adopter of digital and later mentored two friends who were making the switch from film to digital. A mentor relationship is best if it is someone local to you so that he/she can actually sit down with you and walk you through things but it can work via email too.

Finally recognize that what is being discussed may not be important to what you are doing. Remember the old adage "If it works don't fix it" but don't use that as an excuse not to grow either. Be curious enough to determine whether what is being discussed is of potential benefit to you before dismissing it.

We all felt the same way at one point. There have been some great resources mentioned here that can quickly increase your comfort level. Tim Grey's Color Confidence opened my eyes and made me much more comfortable.