Photographing w/o post-processing

Do you post-process your photos?


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When I started this thread, I wasn't referring to the processing of raw datas done in the camera, it was meant more for post-processing from exposure, contrast, hue and saturation to cloning, healing, masking, adjusting all sorts of funny funny things. So please stop talking about all photos has first been processed by the camera's inbuilt software and stuff. :)

isn't it the same? you cook, camera cook, also kena cook.. just that one is you accept what machine cook for you, i say that, in some cases.. just shows that people just accept blindly everything that others say without thinking much about what is going on.

contrast/hue/saturation can be adjusted in camera.

here, these are just usmed out of cam

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[edit] brightened the eye selectively with layers, for the last one, i forgot about that

contrast settings and curves more aggressively applied for in-cam settings.
 

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and the other side of the story as well..

this one needed more work, because even with gnd, not enough dynamic range to retain all the details needed without blowing out highlights or losing shadow detail. not too painful though, two exposures combined in photoshop:

3776941450_f2c24ab8bd_o.jpg


this one needed correction due to cast resultant from nd110, and colors not what i remember them as, quite some color manipulation.. also some layering work to recover shadow detail where it counted:

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black and white conversion is something i can spend a lot of time on, including burn/dodge work, tinkling with channel mixer to get the tones i want.

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I'd heard about people saying a good photographer could do magic with his camera and post-processing is not necessary at all!

Ya, and of course to be the "best" photographer, his images must also be taken in "M" mode on the camera. :confused:
 

it's called reality

but it's not really a photograph :bsmilie:

and you better be wearing nothing but your eyes, even if you are short-sighted, else you'd be processing the photo as well with cool lens thingies

Unless it's a photograph in the mind's eye ... which can be subjected to a whole lot of mental photoshopping! :bsmilie:

Geckoz, next time state the parameters of your question clearly lah, cos to different folks, one term can mean very different things. Just like 'vegetarian' or veganism. There are many levels and degree of vegans and philosophies. Since you mentioned 'post processing', we took it at your word and that pretty much covered ANY and everything that happens to a photo from the very moment the shutter is tripped.

But I don't understand this part:

When I started this thread, I wasn't referring to the processing of raw datas done in the camera, it was meant more for post-processing from exposure, contrast, hue and saturation to cloning, healing, masking, adjusting all sorts of funny funny things. So please stop talking about all photos has first been processed by the camera's inbuilt software and stuff.

Parameters like exposure, contrast, hue and saturation whether adjusted in-cam or out-of-cam is STILL post-processing. Some cameras also allow you to go further and adjust curves and even do healing or some form of pre-programmed cloning, sharpening and a lot more or as you put it, 'all sorts of funny things'.

As such, if you want a purely unprocessed data package from in-cam, you would have to settle for a few gazillion data bytes in it's native form, which may not even be readable by say a common PC and typical software that photographers use. Then you can tell those who told you that a good photographer doesn't need to do post-processing to start displaying their photos of already processed '0's and '1's. :bsmilie:

I dunno man ... people like that kinda reminds me of the holier-than-thous who spew fallacies like 'You're not a REAL photographer unless you use a certain brand camera.'! IIRC, there was actually such a group in Singapore in the past, but I guess many of their members are now in an urn with their fave brand sticker pasted on somewhere.

Anyways, what was the real purpose of this thread again? :bsmilie:


p.s. Unker Catch, even if take photos on feelem, there were already pre-designed effect / post-like processing parameters designed into the film, plus, the ammonia and so on fumes from the garbage bin will have a post-processing effect on the feelem mah! Liddat how to be a 'PURE' photographer? Unker buff us onli! :sweat:
 

understand ur tools well then u can be a master craftsman.

So most importantly is to know ur camera and what it can achieve. if u understand fully and explore its possibilities then u will be a better photographer (at least technically).

then forgive its mistakes and buy better camera!:bsmilie:
 

:bsmilie: Thanks everyone that has been responding to this thread especially DM and nightmare.

I'd cleared all my doubts which i shouldn't even have them in my first place. :dunno:

DM: The main purpose of this thread was actually to find out how far a camera can go to produce a great picture without having to use softwares like photoshop? but after u stated that some cameras can even do curve adjustment I think it just make this thread pointless already since it's dependent on how god-like the camera is.

Anyway I won't close this thread, so whoever who've got any other suggestions or advice could keep posting and hopefully new things could be shared among one another. :D
 

Maybe TS is referring to additional touching up on pictures via computer software?

For portraits, usually it's quite difficult not to touchup. coz you'll want some part of the picture to be sharp and well defined, while the other area to be soft and fuzzy, and some part of the picture is replaced with other parts (covering up blemishes etc..). No in-camera processing will allow that to be done.

Also, having an expensive lens might help to reduce some as it may produce better contrast/saturation. So.. users of cheapo lens might just have to invest in little more in PP work. Not to say that it is always like that, but generally it's usually the case. For e.g., if you take a picture at F2 with IS, one can avoid using the flash, and so the picture might be more pleasing. If use a cheapo lens at F5.6, the PG may need to use flash, and there'll be harsh lighting and/or shadows that needs to be removed by PP.

So equipment plays a part too. it's easier to do magic with better equipments.
 

An analogy:

Go and shoot 36 shots on your CF card. Pass it to someone and give him $5 + 35cents/shot. After that, you get back 36 beautiful 4R prints and your CF card back with the nice digital "negs". There! You did not do any pp. The nice man at this pro lab did it for you. PP is part and parcel of photography from day one. Just because you are not the one doing it does not mean someone is not doing it for you.

An old world example:

Print negatives have good exposure latitude, almost 3.5 to 4 stops worth. Underexpose a roll of film by 1-2 stops and the lab machine can be dialed to pull back the images for you. Do it by accident, we used to call salvage. Do it on purpose eg override ISO in camera because too dark so "push" the film, we call desperate. Do it on purpose and then ignore all the standard processing times, we call art....lol:) Lab could do all this for you soooooo.....no post process by me?

The wisdom remains unchanged - it all about the final image...not the journey...always.
 

depends on what your beliefs are. Some people believe that photography has to be kept separated fr Digital Imaging. Some people feels that photography needs to be pushed by digital imaging...

I think, end day, you decide.

SAMPLE ONE

#1 Without Post Processing

3388338155_d22444000f_o.jpg


#2 With Processing (Flames behind image)

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SAMPLE TWO


#3 Without Post Processing

3217191730_064767a1f7_o.jpg


#4 With Processing

3297417614_62ef471325_o.jpg
 

depends on what your beliefs are. Some people believe that photography has to be kept separated fr Digital Imaging. Some people feels that photography needs to be pushed by digital imaging...

I think, end day, you decide.

SAMPLE ONE

#1 Without Post Processing

3388338155_d22444000f_o.jpg


#2 With Processing (Flames behind image)

3392070857_653432d527_o.jpg


SAMPLE TWO


#3 Without Post Processing

3217191730_064767a1f7_o.jpg


#4 With Processing

3297417614_62ef471325_o.jpg

putting fire & ice balls = digital art manipulation... not post processing...

non post processed image below... no digital effects...

DSC01157.jpg


who ever steal my image suffer horrigible death. check exif for authencity.
 

non post processed image below... no digital effects...

DSC01157.jpg


who ever steal my image suffer horrigible death. check exif for authencity.

Now this is real pro. is that smoke on top or is it light painting??

EDIT: The EXIF reads 57s and f/11 exposure but there are 3 softbox from the reflection, how was the setting like? :bigeyes:
 

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Now this is real pro. is that smoke on top or is it light painting??

EDIT: The EXIF reads 57s and f/11 exposure but there are 3 softbox from the reflection, how was the setting like? :bigeyes:

if i tell u, i have to dereg u... which fortunately i can't... so i won't tell u...

happy guessing.
 

To get punch out from photo without any form of pp, you would need a full set of filters and must master using filters. One of the advantage for digital photography is that you no longer need to use toning filters and can do it in pp.
 

To get punch out from photo without any form of pp, you would need a full set of filters and must master using filters. One of the advantage for digital photography is that you no longer need to use toning filters and can do it in pp.

well, to put to test a photographer's skill, give him a roll of slides and tell him what u want. cos no way is he going to do PP...

good for ppl like me who dunno how to use photoshop. :bsmilie:
 

Is this going to be a monthly topic every single time the previous one had been buried? :what:

How many of you edit pictures after taking a photo?

LoL there's a really thin line between "do you prefer to PP your photos after you shoot them?" and "can you produce great photos w/o PP-ing them?".

Even I myself got confused. :bigeyes:

the latter question was what this thread meant for.
 

DM: The main purpose of this thread was actually to find out how far a camera can go to produce a great picture without having to use softwares like photoshop? but after u stated that some cameras can even do curve adjustment I think it just make this thread pointless already since it's dependent on how god-like the camera is.

i think, no need expensive camera..

i remember eikin stating that his d70 could use "custom curves", whatever that meant. i presume it is something that you load onto the camera.. ;)

and d70 wasn't in any way godlike, i guess.
 

i think, no need expensive camera..

i remember eikin stating that his d70 could use "custom curves", whatever that meant. i presume it is something that you load onto the camera.. ;)

and d70 wasn't in any way godlike, i guess.
yes, Nikon D70 can have custom curves, so are D80, D90, D100, D200, D300, blar blar blar...
 

just a VERY PERSONAL choice..... but just very curious what some of you might consider minimum actions in PP ?

So for me.....at most PP involves simple things like

1. adjust contrast/brightness levels
2. resize to fit screen
3. burn/dodge
4. convert to bw (optional)
5 sharpen

Heck, I dont even know how to use layers or curves kekekeke :)

i juz do 1 and 2.. i got no idea how to convert it to black and white and still have it pack a punch.. and i juz figured out how to "age" my pictures just yesterday night, after years of PP-ing. i think i am wayyyy worse den you are. haha.

but i think in this digital world, post processing is inevitable. i am not talking about in-camera processing, but one that you do on PC. some shots are done very nicely without PP, and there are many more shots i have seen around that made a very simple picture pack a real punch after PP.

at the end of the day, i believe its what message that you want to deliver to the audience with your pictures. i dun think i am suited to comment on this, cos i frankly flop really bad in this aspect. hence i dun post a lot of pictures... :thumbsd:
 

Referring only to out of DSLR post-processing:

Resizing for Flickr display - All images. After which...

Sharpening - About 3/4 of the time

Exposure / highlights / shadows correction - About 1/5 of the time

Temperature corrections - About 1/10 of the time