Editing Advice

[Rich-212]

I've had some really good advice on here recently and just hoping for some more!

I've been into photography as a hobby for almost two years now, and so far I've been concentrating on the process of taking photos themselves, and now I think its time to get used to post-processing. I know that PP won't make a bad photo into a good one, but I would like to get better at adjusting white balance, etc.

I've had a go at some adjustments in iphoto, but now I'm ready to move onto photoshop. I've got a copy of CS5, but I've no idea how to use it!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to good books/websites where I could learn the basics?

If you'd like to see why I need to learn PP - my flickr account should be at the end of this link - http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtpalmi/

Thanks in advance!

 

[will waters]

Try adobe

Adobe themselves have got some quite good video's oh how to use photoshop

 

[ghoti]

I'm not chiming in to help, per se, but I do want to comment that you have an excellent eye and a sharp lens. That's the bulk of your needs right there -- I agree, some PP knowledge will take you further...

You have the unteachable part under your belt!

 

[Designer Dale]

I've had some really good advice on here recently and just hoping for some more!

I've been into photography as a hobby for almost two years now, and so far I've been concentrating on the process of taking photos themselves, and now I think its time to get used to post-processing. I know that PP won't make a bad photo into a good one, but I would like to get better at adjusting white balance, etc.

I've had a go at some adjustments in iphoto, but now I'm ready to move onto photoshop. I've got a copy of CS5, but I've no idea how to use it!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to good books/websites where I could learn the basics?

If you'd like to see why I need to learn PP - my flickr account should be at the end of this link - http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtpalmi/

Thanks in advance!

Hi and welcome. I took three quarters of PhotoShop at a community college and I'm kind of OK with it... But I feel your pain.

I was going to suggest Lynda.com as a good on-line resource, but it's all by subscription now. Try PhotoShop for Digital Photography by Scott Kelby.

Link on Amazon

Dale

Edit: Your Flickr looks good. Nice use of composition.

 

[kevinfulton.ca]

You're stuff looks awesome! I have a lot of experience with PS, but my question to you would be: Why do you feel you need Photoshop? My advice would be that if you're wanting to really manipulate the photo (colour effects, add textures, remove objects etc.) then have a look on youtube for the specific effects you want to do and your knowledge will snowball from there (that's how I learned). However, if all you want to do is touch-ups (contrast, colour adjustments, gamma, basic brushes etc.) then PS is probably overkill. I would have a strong look at Lightroom and Aperture. Judging by your high quality photos I get the feeling these would be more what you are looking for. Feel free to message me if you have more specific questions. Good luck!

 

[Rich-212]

Thanks

Thanks so much for the responses so far.

I genuinely wasn't expecting such positive feedback on my flickr feed! I'm certainly feeling much more confident already!

I'll certainly check out the links and books which have been suggested so far, but I recognise that I may have bitten off than I can chew with CS5 - and probably more than is needed.

Would people suggest that aperture is a better option for my situation? I think I just would appreciate a little more editing power than I can get with iphoto so aperture would seem the logical choice?

As always, any further comments/criticism on my pics is more than welcome. I'm keen to learn how I can get better!

Thanks everyone

 

[pakyooh]

Might want to try out Lightroom 3. More than basic but definitely less than CS5. And they also have a view great tutorials on the Adobe site for it. I got my LR3 for $99 with a student discount. Its my go to program for editing since I've started photography.

Thanks so much for the responses so far.

I genuinely wasn't expecting such positive feedback on my flickr feed! I'm certainly feeling much more confident already!

I'll certainly check out the links and books which have been suggested so far, but I recognise that I may have bitten off than I can chew with CS5 - and probably more than is needed.

Would people suggest that aperture is a better option for my situation? I think I just would appreciate a little more editing power than I can get with iphoto so aperture would seem the logical choice?

As always, any further comments/criticism on my pics is more than welcome. I'm keen to learn how I can get better!

Thanks everyone

 

[York-Diuck]

lynda online is amazing for editing techniques, tips and workflow suggestions.

I use it regularly and get much more value out of it then the yearly fee. If you want to take you editing to another level, then it is a no brainer. It has specific lessons on different programs (i.e. photoshop, lightroom, camera raw) and tells you how to streamline your workflow as well as how to make the most of your captured photos.

Do it!

 

[kevinfulton.ca]

Personally, I use Aperture. For $80.00 ya can't beat it. I honestly don't have any experience with Lightroom, but from what I hear the main difference is it's integration with the rest of the Adobe Creative Suite which would be a plus if you're a designer as well. It probably comes down to personal taste, but if you're graduating from iPhoto then you'll probably be more comfortable with Aperture's layout.

 

[Ruahrc]

LR and AP are superior to CS5 in the sense that they have much better workflow-centric layout and tools. You import your images into those programs and can manage them like iPhoto, but they also have advanced editing features. For most photography, they have all the editing power you need. That is not to say that CS5 is overkill or unnecessary- there are certain functions that are only available in CS5 and if you need them, you use CS5. It's just a different (more specialized) tool.

It's like using a pentalobe driver. If you need to unscrew a pentalobe screw then you need a pentalobe driver. But they aren't that common so most of the time you can get away with just having a phillips and flathead around.

Both AP and LR have demos available, it would be worth your while to try both out, to see which you prefer.

 

[TheDrift-]

I'm getting there with PS wish I had taken some lessons it would have made it a lot easier..

kelby and lynda are great places to start

 

[lostgear]

CS5 is very good for the odd photo that needs some serious post processing, but for general workflow and library upkeep Lightroom is king. Afaik Lightroom uses the same engine as cs5 anyway.

My suggestion, try Lightroom.

 

[Rich-212]

next question!

Thanks everyone, I think I'll try the trials of both lightroom and Aperture. My inclination at this point (and I don't want to start another mass discussion on this point!) is that Lightroom may be more capable, but Aperture may be more suited to my limited needs.

Given that...my question is, is it worth shooting in RAW? I have a canon 450D and usually just shoot in Large JPEG mode, but recently have changed to RAW shooting. The colours seems more vivid, but I'm not sure if I'm just making that up! So, my question is: is it worth shooting in RAW if im only going to do limited PP?

Thanks once again, you've all been very helpful so far!

 

[Designer Dale]

RAW really shows it's power in saving pics that would be lost in jpeg. It saves all of the data of the original exposure and you can edit it like you would a film negative in the darkroom. Change the exposure and so on. The dark shot is straight from the camera - my XSi - and the second is with the fill light adjusted in Aperture.


Dale