Workflow

Insert CF Card >

Lightroom loads up and automatically imports >

Tag and select photos I wish to keep for further editing >

Edit them in lightroom >

Export full size and automatically open in Photoshop CS3 >

Add border/sig - change dimensions for web >

Export.

Evangelion said:

I'm in the process of going up in my photography-hobby. Last year I replaced my point 'n shoot with a DSLR. And I'll be shortly upgrading my computer as well (well, not just for photography, but still). And so far I have been just importing my pics to iPhoto and done some basic adjustments there. But, that wont cut it for much longer. For starters, I'm thinking of getting Photoshop for some more advanced stuff. And since I'll be shooting in RAW, I feel that it's time to move on from iPhoto, and Aperture would be a natural choice, or Adobe Lightroom.

And this brings me up to my question: Workflow. What is your workflow like? Do you use Aperture (or AL) for initial selection and processing, and then continue in Photoshop, or is Aperture enough? Or do you just use Photoshop, and not bother with Aperture or AL? After you are finished with the image in Photoshop, what do you do then? Bring them back to Aperture? Or iPhoto for more "consumer-friendly" presentations?

So lets hear it: What is your workflow like? I could use some hints and pointers as to how to proceed .

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(1) Before you buy Photoshop answer the question -- What features, that a photographer might use, does Photoshop have the Adobe Photoshop Element not have?

(2) Workflow.
a) Use Image capture to pull images from camera to a folder named like "2007_05_07_descriptivename" This folder lives an external disk that is not the same as the one that holds the main iPhoto library
b) Burn above folder to CD (now I have a backup)
c) Import images from above folder to IPhoto.
d) Add commants, keywords and stars rattings to images. "trash" the bad ones. Make small adjustments in iPhoto,
e) Make another pass moving more to the trash
f) Use "Elements" to make any changes I want.

g) Images remain in the camera's memory card until the next shoot.
I file the CD in a fire safe. and the next sheduled backup will copy the new images in bolth the dated folder and the iPhoto library.


The hardest part of the workflow is getting the backup right. You need, as a minimum for the image to be in three copies on three different media and to be in two different geographical locations. The #1 cause of data loss is not a fail disk drive. It's operator screw-up. So I've placed "burn disk" up at the top of the list so as to

I will switch from iPhoto to Aperture after I upgrade my computer. The current Macs won't run Aperture

My workflow:

(1) Upload CF card to designated folder on desktop

(2) Copy images to separate internal HD for storage and safekeeping

(3) Open Photo Mechanic, review all images in there and delete the poor ones, select the ones for post-processing and stick them in another folder on desktop

(4) Open Aperture and import all images from that designated folder; review again and rank, then post-process

(5) As final step in post-processing, export the image to yet another folder on the desktop, this one indicating that the images are destined to be uploaded to Smugmug and/or Zenfolio galleries

(6) If an image needs a little more TLC than was possible in Aperture, will open CS2 (haven't gotten around to buying CS3 upgrade yet) and polish up the image

(7) Upload completed images to Smugmug/Zenfolio

(8) Stash files of completed images to separate external and internal HDs

(9) Run Aperture Vault

(10) Insert CF card back into camera and reformat so that I am ready for the next shooting session

I do pretty much everything in Aperture, except on those rare instances when I need to do something unusual for the web (such as blending two pictures) - then I use Photoshop. Actually, while I do have Photoshop it's rare that there's anything I need there that's not in Photoshop Elements, which I also own (the full package is from work, while I bought Elements myself).

Evangelion said:

And to my knowledge, Elements doesn't support curves either. Point is that while I might find Elements useful, I would at some point run in to it's limitations.

Click to expand...

The latest Elements on Windows does support curves, IIRC (the Mac version is lagging one version behind).

But you should keep an open mind re: workflow if you're thinking about an app like Lightroom or Aperture - you very well may not be doing the sort of manipulation you're referring to (e.g. using curves) in Photoshop any more.

1. Insert SD
2. Let Lightroom auto-import
3. Delete any severely badly exposed/composed photos (usually not many)
4. Pick a few images I like
5. Make adjustments in LR
6. Export to Elements for a bit of dodging and burning
7. Print PSD ~or~ export to flickr from LR

Also, you can use an app called qtpfsgui for HDR if you're an Elements user and the tone curve in Lightroom isn't extremely different from curves in CS2.