which way to go

I am still fairly new to digital photography. As I've mentioned in the past, I was a film girl through and through for years. When I started out there was no other choice. Who knew that when digital became a choice I could make, it would only open up about a gazillion more choices.

As I first cracked open the door to the digital world, I hesitated; resisting the urge to tweak my images mostly I guess because I thought that by manipulating my photos, I would lose what was real, what was true. But, as I slowly walked through that door, and began to really take a good look around at what this new world had to offer, there was no turning back. Like many digital photographers, I cannot imagine my work--my art--without my artist’s pallet at my disposal. Sitting at my computer, processing my images can be as fun and rewarding as the initial capture (depending on my mood of course).

For the most part now, I have learned to move through Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (my main tool of choice) at a fairly rapid pace, a little shift here, a little shift there, breezing through picture after picture giving something extra to what I've carried in with my camera. I don't often agonize about which treatment looks better on a particular picture or what a photo needs to enhance it. I have found that the images themselves often dictate how they would like to be treated. It's just a matter of letting the image speak and following its lead. I don't know, that might sound a little out there but just as I let my intuition guide me as I shoot, so do I let the muse work it's magic in the digital darkroom.

Every once in a while however, I get tripped up. I find that a photo is equally as compelling in bright vibrant color as it is in black and white. Or that an antique wash can be just as delightful as a modern twinge of blue on the exact same photo. Do you ever find yourself stumped with which way to go in your processing? Is there a rule of thumb you use when working on your images? Share your insights and help us walk a while in your boots.

Comments

[Marcie]

So much of the digitial processing depends upon the desired effect. Personally - I like the first sepia-toned version of the image above. It gives it more of a timeless appeal.

This was captured in the middle of the day. The water was blue..the grass was green..the sky was even blue-er than that. I added a layer of sepia tone. I increased the contrast and darkened the waters. The result - I think - is a magical dreamlike effect:

http://bravo.unisonplatform.com/~marciesc/index.php?showimage=498

[laura - dolcepics]

I totally understand what you're saying. The 3 images above are all equally beautiful and yet each conjure up completely different feelings. Colour or lack thereof is so powerful isn't it?

I recently posted two versions of the same picture series and couldn't decide on the spot which one I preferred.

http://www.dolcepics.com/dailypic/slurping-series/

And I'm a Lightroom user too! Such a time saver and I just love version 2.0's adjustment brush and grad filter:
http://www.dolcepics.com/articles/the-graduated-filter-lightroom-20/

[Naomi]

I have the same issue - - am afraid to start playing with processing. I want to learn how to shoot ....and like you mentioned ... keep it real. I'm sure I'll change my views as soon as I learn how to simply shoot well ....

I love the first as well.

[margie]

http://3yrplan.typepad.com/soeursdujour/2008/08/shopping-photoshopping-that-is.html

just last week i talked about guilt and photoshop, what looks better, this or that?

[erin.darcy]

I think it's easy to get tripped up on what one looks better. But I never feel like I can compare the depth and silence of the black and white, with the bright and wonderful sounds of colour. They are two very different worlds-so, even in the same picture, they speak a different language.
I edit for colour first. and then when I transform to black and white, I let it speak it to me and might continue to add something else...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/edarcy/2696559039/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/edarcy/2697938253/
(those are film..that were scanned onto a disk. so quality. meh. but i love them all the same)

[Terri]

No real rules, I just play around with ones I think need something. Sometimes I make so many version of the same picture that I just can't make up my mind which one I like the most. In cases like that I end up printing them all up and having my family and friends pick the one they like the most.

Here's one of mine that I did some work on

I like it but....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mondaysmemories/2649966197/

I like this one so much better

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mondaysmemories/2698779319/

Then there is this one.
What I saw and fell in love with
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mondaysmemories/2650430273/

What I did to it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mondaysmemories/2689580633/

[dr lyn]

Great post. And I eagerly await everyone's answers. I find myself struggling with this so often -- so many post processing choices -- including the lovely black and white. And yet, I keep defaulting to keeping things in color. I was just playing with some photos last night (haven't posted them to flickr yet) and still can't decide between three different choices --

Like I said, great post -- so timely for me!! Thanks!!

[lora]

I love this post. I love the photos that have been shared so far. Marice, that photo in the water brings tears to my eyes. and Terri, you're a genius. =)

I'm with you Tracey. The same place that tells me where the couch and end tables truly belong in a room (I always say they talk to me, too) =) is the place that tells me what a photo needs or doesn't need.

I don't edit A LOT, only for the sake of editing some stuff here and there for fun. But I don't find any harm in it.
I always say; honey, if you have a problem with photo editing, throw out your make up, curling iron, padded bras, and high heals, too! =)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28987938@N00/sets/72157606964469761/

[Melissa (Photomom86)]

Oh the joys and woos of editing pictures. In the past I've just done a little tweaking in PSE on my pictures. But recently have been playing with it more, adding textures, running some actions, converting to B&W... I'm finding that it is fun to play and get a different feel for the pictures.

Just last night I posted a collection trying to figure out which looked better.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24035778@N04/2798901500/

[Kathleen]

For me, there are no steadfast rules either. I do think that b+w has a way of revealing some deeper emotion or poignancy to a shot. By stripping away color, you focus on different elements. But we all know there are some shots where it's the color that makes it...I appreciate reading all of the ideas here - and weaving them into my own experience. Thanks!

b+w - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ko2008/2766893894/in/set-72157605262729995/
color - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ko2008/2798526164/
(By the way, I can't even get my head around photoshop...but have been using www.picnik.com and processed both of these with that.)

[Terri]

A couple more that I worked on and changed the over all feel to the photos



http://flickr.com/photos/mondaysmemories/2799165693/

http://flickr.com/photos/mondaysmemories/2800014500/

[shelli]

I usually don't do a lot of changes to photos because I just don't have time. And I am usually afraid that I'm going to screw up the photo too. But once in a while a photo will tell me that it wants to be in b&w or an antique finish. I especially love the antique finish. Here is an example where I think the changes to the photo really work:

the original:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spabis/2781310746/

the processed:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spabis/2786852825/

[jen lemen]

i'm always in this state of indecision, but it helps to get a second opinion. here are two similar photos with two different styles of processing. i liked the first better, but a friend with a good eye preferred the second.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenlemen/2787159039/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenlemen/2787153771/in/photostream/

[kristin]

so true it is a hard choice these days with so many options right at our fingertips. amazing what the click of this or tweak of that will do to a photo. i love the antique in your set. i think you just trust your eye and what your heart says about a photo.

[Meryl]

I find I go through phases. For awhile I was in love with black and white. Now I'm leaning more often towards bright, vibrant color.

[abbey]

I JUST had this debate while posting this !!!!
I LOVE yours in color!!!
any advice on this one... I went with antiqued in this...
http://www.photoblog.com/abbeyh13/

[camerashymomma]

i also go through phases. prompted by mood or emotion or weather it seems. great post. i love the boots lined up tracey! i find myself leaning more towards the sepia shot.

[Sugar]

I'm having fun with the stripping away of color stuff. I love that it has that old look of post painted portraits I always saw hung up at my grandma's house in Mexico. That effect tends to reveal something more pure in the subjects faces that black and white sort of misses... in some images, anyway...

I just switched over to digital a couple of years ago. Though learning came with a pretty steep curve for me, now, the post processing that used to intimidate me is becoming a lot more fun. Love to play around with all the tools. I've got some new stuff up on flickr. Hope you like!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarjones/

[Angella]

I use Lightroom as well, and approach my photos much as you do. I have created some of my own presets that I will start with, but some shots look great in almost any color/non-color.

LOVE the boot photo(s)!

[Stacy]

I use CS3 and have written actions for my basic processing. It definitely helps speed things up! When I first started using PS, I went crazy trying tons of different processings. Now I usually know what I want to do and know what looks good.

I love to be able to manipulate the photos to create different visions like these:

http://thelandofka.com/?p=1124

http://thelandofka.com/?p=1104 (last photo in this post is my favorite!)

[erin.darcy]

I'm going to raise another issue on this photo-editing topic.
A little thing called the learning process... Learning new tricks in photoshop and continuing to move on and get better and better. And then one day you happen to look back at THOSE pictures that you thought were edited so well and get this sick pain in your stomach because you let people PAY you...for those.
I have to say, the best thing you can do for editing is find a friend, find a teacher, find a mentor and learn a thing or two about whatever editing system you are using. For me, Flickr has given me a chance to meet and talk to some really talented and creative women who have opened my eyes to some things in Photoshop-and even gifted me their sets of actions!
I play around with Photoshop at least once a day,(there are plenty of those oldies that I edited badly to play with!) discovering new things to try-and I finally feel more confident in my editing abilities (even though I will go nowhere near manipulation).
What am I talking about? I JUST learned how to change the aperture on my camera. Oops..
you girls are the best!

[Kacey]

I'm on this vintage wash kick for anything that calls out to me as timeless.

Original then vintage for a California Lighthouse near Carmel:

http://flickr.com/photos/kknitter/2708156512/
http://flickr.com/photos/kknitter/2800311958/

The Mizzou columns on a cloudy day. All that remains of the original administration building at Mizzou, now the center of the Mizzou quad. Original then vintage wash.

http://flickr.com/photos/kknitter/2637196057/
http://flickr.com/photos/kknitter/2799465595/

[Lan]

i've become quite the fan of cross processing and adding a '60s glow to my pix. it makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

actually, i just like playing with pix.

http://whatiseeclicks.blogspot.com/2008/08/somanydifferentoptions.html

[Jodyangel]

oOOoo perfect! I just manipulated my photo here of an Iron fence at my nearby church. I like how it came out!

I still use PSP7. I guess I'm stuck in the middle ages. I need to try something newer..but am so comfy with my PSP.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/2799567993/

[Carbon]

I've been learning to play with photos in Photoshop. I find it incredibly hard to pick favorites because you do really love different pictures processings for different reasons.

http://outofmy-element.blogspot.com/2008/08/everyday-adventures.html

[jag]

I'm so very new at this whole post-processing thing... I don't have Photoshop but I know that Flickr offers some possibilities with picnik... Looking at all your before-and-afters certainly gets the creative juices flowing! I think it's time for me to start playing around with special effects... Thanks everyone!

Come to think of it, I did make a few adjustments on this photo using picnik - just don't ask me what I did!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jagspace/2799595127/in/set-72157606967353209/

[jag]

S'me again! I wanted to share my first intentional foray into post-processing with you all. As for which way to go, it's a no brainer for me in this case - I love the processed one MUCH better!

Before...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jagspace/2799596327/in/set-72157606967353209/

After...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jagspace/2800678216/in/set-72157606967353209/

Thanks for the inspiration - this could be dangerously fun!!

[Lu]

I always process my images in color, then select a few to see what they look like as B/W images. There are times the B/W image is so powerful, I have to use it over the color. I like my images to have more contrast than less and to evoke emotion.

There are times a B/W image is the only way to go. I primarily use Lightroom to process my files then I tweak them in Photoshop for basic touching up. I love the power of the digital darkroom.

[jfrancis]

hate to say_
it's hard to choose
black and white
or color__
it's as different
as day and night.

[Janet]

Check out the second set of pictures in this post. I couldn't decide which version I like best, so I posted both. These were my very first pictures of someone other than my own family and also my first attempt at processing. Although I think I have gotten better, its still sometimes hard for me decide b/w or color, or to inc or dec saturation.

http://janetmanuelphotography.squarespace.com/blog/2008/5/28/tom-kelly-ready-or-not.html

[claudia]

An artist/painter has many mediums available to choose from when creating; oils,watercolors,chalk,pencils, pen&ink. They have different brushes, papers, textures, techniques and frames. I play with all that on PSE because I'm not all that good at using the above. (And it's a lot less messy :) I have a tendency to play too much because I like options! Here's a recent sampling:
http://flickr.com/photos/90738557@N00/2801309474/
I would echo erin.darcy above in the privilege and blessing it is to learn from the many talented and creative women on flickr and here too of course!

[mary]

I'm still learning, but like you, I find that the image itself often dictates the treatment. These faded coneflowers just cried out for sepia tones:

http://inasoftlight.blogspot.com/2008/08/vintage-daisy-again.html

[Jodyangel]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/2801739266/

...you have Inspired me to try my hand...

[brittany]

love the color shot because it highlights the brightness of his eyes...

http://flickr.com/photos/28332747@N07/2772906226/

but the b&w and the sepia both have a certain softness to them that i can't resist...

http://flickr.com/photos/28332747@N07/2801761692/in/photostream/

http://flickr.com/photos/28332747@N07/2800915697/in/photostream/

[Ashley Schultz]

For me, I shoot in raw so I open the image in the raw editing. I make a few small adjustments there (such as set the contrast to zero, crop, bump up the clarity a little if needed, and sometimes add a little black to the edges. Then in photoshop CS3, I add new layers - screen and soft light, and play with the opacity until it looks good. Then I usually bump up the saturation a little. After that, I play around with some of Pioneer Woman's actions (free!), especially Boost, B&W Beauty, PW's Black and White or Vintage. I sometimes use some of the actions from Itty Bitty 52 Action Set. Then I sharpen the photo and I'm done. I do sometimes sharpen the eyes as well, and also reduce the noise if need be. I am always open to learning new ways to process my photos. I agree, it's almost as fun as taking the pictures.

[Toni]

i love lightroom too! i love to enhance some of my photos to some degree, but am also concerned about over-doing it--like you said--making it something that it's not. if i'm having a hard time deciding, it's usually because i love the antique, faded look AND the bright and vibrant!! such opposites.

[NatureMama]

I am so glad that I am not the only one who was leary of processing my photos at first! I just made the move to digital 5 months ago, and processed my first photo just last week. It is still the only jump I've made (for artistic value), but now I am wondering how many images I deleted that I could have improved on!

Original:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturemama/2802414198/in/set-72157606824518641/

Processed:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturemama/2777260808/in/set-72157606824518641/

[nickythomas]

Good morning Shuttersisters

I have photoshop at my disposal but never seem to use it. I do most of my editing in the basic picnik via flickr!

I sit and agonise over some photos; sometimes i know a picture needs something but i just cant find it, thats where having photomagnificent friends comes in handy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickythomasphotography/2797941478/

Sometimes i take a photo knowing exactly what i will do to it. I 'saw' this photo like this as the people drifted into place on the lawn. It took 5 minutes to press the right buttons in picnik .... and there it was.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickythomasphotography/2797403039/

As the A team used to say... i love it when a plan comes together!

Have a lovely day

Nicky x

[W. Lotus]

At first, I thought post-processing was cheating, including cropping. Then I read an old photography book about all of the things you can do in the darkroom with film, and the guilt went away. :-)

I shoot in color--my camera doesn't have a black & white mode--but if the color distracts from the final image, I turn it to black & white. I had a photography instructor this summer who said color often distracts from the image, so we only need it, if the color is essential to the message. When I find myself mulling over an otherwise great image wondering what is missing, I can find that missing punch by getting rid of the color.

[Alisha]

I personally like the full color image in the middle. In this case I think the color adds to the story and "sweetens" it a bit, if you know what I mean. Like the difference between seeing a photo of a banana split in b&w and then color... the color version is often 'better' to our eyes because it fills in the story with colors and punch and fun.

So, that's my thoughts!! I really like that you posted the different versions here. Very fun!

-Ali-

[Diane Schuller]

Tracy, I tend to go strictly with my eye than anything else in making my final decisions. I have a question for YOU, however, if you have a moment. I've switched from a PC to Mac (love it!) and have found the Photoshop Elements doesn't work on my Mac. So, I've been reading the material online about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple's Aperture for organizing and manipulating photos. My main question, since you use Lightroom, can a person also add text such as adding a watermark using Lightroom? Until I get software that is compatible with Mac I have kept my old PC and keep transferring photos to the PC so I can add a watermark -- it's a pain to say the least. None of the software ads indicate whether watermarks are possible with Lightroom. Thank you.

Diane