RAW' Work It Boys

Now it’s time to put the paint to canvas so let’s get started on how the whole RAW workflow thing goes. At least for me. Personally I use the Develop module in Lightroom to do my RAW processing when I am in the office on the iMac and I use the much more limited version of ACR that works with Elements on my PowerBook G4 that I carry with me while I am out of town. I follow a simple guide of workflow that I call P3 which is Prepare, Process, and Present.

Before we get going, workflow is something that… well… works for you. It may not e the specific process that works for someone else. It really is a personal thing and it should be something that is open to occasional adjustment. Either by new technology or technique, it’s ok to change-up your workflow. Just remember that it will slow your productivity until it becomes muscle memory.

PREPARE : This the stuff I do before the image gets to ACR or the Develop module in Lightroom.

• Import - Either through the downloader or Lightroom Import
  
• Writing my copywrite information to the file.
  
• Rename the files globally by subject.
  
• Basic Keyword if possible
  
• Convert the RAW file to DNG format. I will have a post later on my position on DNG.

PROCESS : This is where we apply the nuts and bolts of ACR. Each panel is run from top to bottom (supposedly this is how Adobe designed it). I pretty much follow this logic only in Lightroom 2.2 and ACR 5.2 (part of CS4 when I upgrade) I do localized editing after the globals are taken care of. So here is the rundown.

• White Balance - First is to run down the drop down options. Then tweak the temperature slider and just a slight change (only if necessary) on the tint slider to balance the temperature.
• Exposure - While looking at the histogram I will push/pull the exposure slider to balance the histogram up while seeing what it does to the image. The top right and left clipping switches can be turned on to help check for blow-outs.
• Recovery - If the highlights are clipped this slider can be pushed a long way before it gets ugly.
• Fill Light - I will push this just to see what it does to the image. If it looks better, it stays.
• Blacks - Rarely do I push the blacks slider. But I don’t just blow it off either.
• Brightness - If all the previous sliders have done their job and the image is not right (even though the histogram is good) I will use this slider just a tad.
• Contrast - Generally I don’t touch this. Curves is the way to go even though curves in elements is kind of pathetic, it is better than contrast.
• Clarity - Generally I push this up to 25 and leave it alone.
• Vibrance - I will always push up the vibrance as necessary to make some of the colors pop.
• Saturation - Generally I don’t touch this unless I am going to get artistic and then I use the Photoshop version of Hue/Saturation as an adjustment layer.
• Curves - If it available I will always use a points curve to adjust my contrast. It is amazing how a bland/hazy image can pop with a curves adjustment.
• HSL - Unless I need to reduce a colorcast I leave this alone. It is a fabulous way to work with the color channels when in black and white editing.
• Sharpening- First off I zoom to 100% then depending on the resolution of the image, I slide to 75 and check it out but I don’t push the amount above 85, Radius usually maxes out at 1.2, Detail and Masking if I use them I use them together. The default is 25 and 0 so if I push the detail up, I position masking halfway between the detail slider and the left side of the range. I know… real scientific isn’t it.
• Noise Reduction - I generally do not apply noise reduction unless necessary and when it is Luminance seems to be the slider of choice.

PRESENT : Depending on the destination will determine how much work goes on in this stage. If it is to the web or a video presentation a simple resize is done. For printing the image will need to be further sharpened. If in ACR the next destination will be Photoshop or Elements. On the other hand if in Lightroom (especially 2.2) most often it is just pushing the sharpness up a bit and send to print. If however heavy retouching, or pixel work is necessary it is definitely time for a trip to Photoshop.

There you have it, RAW in a week. Hopefully this may have been some help to those that are new to RAW or are considering going to RAW. For those that are experienced RAW workers and you have a suggestion, please comment and I can pass it on.

Have a great weekend, and stop by on Monday.

Cya… Doug