Photo editing

Hi All,

I am new to photography, and I just purchased a T4i. Still learning the ropes! Basically, I am curious if the really nice looking pictures have to be edited after they are shot, or do they just come form the camera and used as is? Not sure if I should look into some photo editing software, so i was kind of curious.

Thanks!

Buy Lightroom and start using it from the beginning.

Shoot raw.

You can shoot great shots straight out of the camera (SOOC) shooting JPEG, but for the maximum in flexibility and ability to change various things (for example white balance) after shooting, use RAW. I shot JPEG for quite a while, but now I shoot nothing but RAW. Try both (you can edit your RAW files with the free Canon software that came with your camera) and see what you think.

If they look good right out of the camera, then there's no need to edit them. My hunch is that in a year, you'll look back on them and think, "Hmm, at the time I thought these were so much better...what happened?" As you gain experience, your skill at evaluating a photo will also improve, you'll be able to differentiate a "pretty good" photo from a "great" photo. And, your shooting style and editing style will grow to include these skills and insights.

For now, there's no sense in editing just for the sake of editing.

As stated above, if you can get it right in the camera, then use jpeg. However, shooting in raw will give you MUCH more flexibility and latitude to make changes and corrections later - just in case you're in a difficult shooting situation or if you just plain mess up.

As mentioned above, Lightroom is a fantastic tool - it's half photo editor and half database/organizer.

Well I even edit my wifes P&S .jpegs, so I'm heavily biased towards the editing/post-processing and encourage anyone to go that route as part of photography.

But then I hated color film simply for the difficulty in PP.

I almost always edit all my photos. Even the ones that are more just a quick snapshot of my friend being silly. Although for that, it is usually just a 5 second edit to adjust contrast or something quick.

pnm_100 wrote in post #14803751
Hi All,

I am new to photography, and I just purchased a T4i. Still learning the ropes! Basically, I am curious if the really nice looking pictures have to be edited after they are shot, or do they just come form the camera and used as is? Not sure if I should look into some photo editing software, so i was kind of curious.

Thanks!

Initially, you can get a lot of mileage by learning to get the maximum usage out of your in-camera settings. Learning about Picture Styles and how to tweak them to come out with the most pleasing results for different types of shots can be a major benefit. You can work with those things so that your shots don't just come out "average" (with the default Standard Picture Style and its default settings). When you set your camera to shoot Auto (the green box) then you will get those "average" settings.

Photos you see on the Web that "Pop" will typically be the result of either mastering those camera settings or will be the result of post-processing in the "digital darkroom", often using the Raw format. If you really want to move forward in this area, then, well, there is a learning curve that goes beyond you and your camera...

But there is also image "editing" that can involve many different things. A photo editor such as Photoshop Elements can be an excellent "starting tool" for exploring the broad range of stuff you can do with your digital photos. PS Elements with one or two good books and online tutorials and articles can give you a lot of "stuff" in a reasonable amount of time!

CosmoKid wrote in post #14804073
Buy Lightroom and start using it from the beginning.

Shoot raw.

this is the best advice you will ever get.

pnm_100 wrote in post #14803751
Hi All,

I am new to photography, and I just purchased a T4i. Still learning the ropes! Basically, I am curious if the really nice looking pictures have to be edited after they are shot, or do they just come form the camera and used as is? Not sure if I should look into some photo editing software, so i was kind of curious.

Thanks!

you can start out with jpeg but eventually you should shoot in RAW and use an image editing program because it gives you more options

pnm_100: I'm only a few months ahead of you as far as photo editing is concerned. After years of just shooting and posting the pictures, I needed to step up my photo editing game. For a long time, I found the whole process intimidating. I mean, it still is pretty overwhelming at times but, trust me, dive right into it and it'll make your pictures look MUCH better.

For some reason, I've only been editing the JPEG files. I need to start editing the RAW files, and just go for it. I also want to learn how to use Photoshop CS6.