Workflow steps

I would like to see others workflow steps. Listed below are mine.

1. Import into Adobe Lightroom
2. edit exposure & Shadows
3. open as smart object in Photoshop
4. make duplicate copy
5.adjust WB
6. dodge & burn
7. selective sharpening
8. save to Adobe Lightroom

I do all those steps, except 3 and 4, from within Lr. All the photos I'm processing though are for my own personal collection, nothing for a client.

DGStinner wrote in post #17271988
I do all those steps, except 3 and 4, from within Lr. All the photos I'm processing though are for my own personal collection, nothing for a client.

I have a few clients here and there but I do a lot of photography just cause I enjoy it.

Do you use any plugins?

I am another who doesn't really see anything in your workflow that I wouldn't do completly in LR. For the sharpening I would just use a very high value for the masking slider. Also opening a RAW image in PS as a smart object is really wasteful of disk space. To create the smart object it has to embed a full copy of the RAW file into the file that PS saves. If I really need to go to PS I would do everything possible to the image while in its RAW form, and in LR, then pass it to PS as a 16 bit RGB image for any final work that I cannot do in the RAW editor. After all the RAW editor in LR is the same as you get in ACR(PS) so it seems to me odd that you would do some work in LR and other work in ACR.

Alan

BigAl007 wrote in post #17272323
I am another who doesn't really see anything in your workflow that I wouldn't do completly in LR. For the sharpening I would just use a very high value for the masking slider. Also opening a RAW image in PS as a smart object is really wasteful of disk space. To create the smart object it has to embed a full copy of the RAW file into the file that PS saves. If I really need to go to PS I would do everything possible to the image while in its RAW form, and in LR, then pass it to PS as a 16 bit RGB image for any final work that I cannot do in the RAW editor. After all the RAW editor in LR is the same as you get in ACR(PS) so it seems to me odd that you would do some work in LR and other work in ACR.

Alan

So, since Lightroom does everything for you, why would you ever transfer into Photoshop? If you did open up in Photoshop what would you do?

mdaddyrabbit wrote in post #17272392
So, since Lightroom does everything for you, why would you ever transfer into Photoshop? If you did open up in Photoshop what would you do?

Compositing and stitching together a panorama come to mind.

Mostly what I do in PS is complex cloning work. I'm still running 4.4 so don't have the new clone brush. There are some things that can only be done using layers. On that front I find it very useful to drop some colour into what can otherwise be some very plain colourless British skys. This is very useful for my aviation subjects. Less than 5% of my images end up in PS though.

Alan

Both LR and ACR have camera presets for Basic, Detail, Lens Correction and Camera Calibration for each ISO. ISO settings set for 1/1 increments and only applicable using those increments.

Mass edits

1. Download images to folder/s on my desktop.
2. Initial pre view using DPP - quick check - full screen. Delete non-usable files.
3. Import into LR. Files still on desktop
4. Drag folder/s into external drive which is broken down by year, etc. Final storage area.
5. Edit - Basic, Detail and Effects (vignetting) tabs
6. Crop if required
6. Decision to use selective sharpening
6. Decision apply presets
6. Export back to desktop. Two folders of each. One for print sized and the other for web viewing sized files.
7. Copy to USB and give to client
8. Delete Jpegs off desktop after a few weeks

Hobby shots

Depending on my mood

1a. Open RAW file in DPP, edit and transfer to PS for final editing.
1b. Open Raw file in ACR.
2. Edit - Basic, Detail and Effects (vignetting) tabs
3. Crop if required
4. Decision to use selective sharpening
5. Cloning if necessary
6. Apply custom resizing and sharpening action
7. Depending on image try a few B&W conversions just to see what I get.
8. "Save for Web" for web viewing.
9. "Save" for printing.

Punchy B&W images

1. Open RAW file in Photomatix
2. Apply desired effects
3. Save
4. Open saved TIFF in PS
5. Crop if required
6. Decision to use selective sharpening
6. Cloning if necessary
6. Apply custom resizing and sharpening action
7. Use PowerRetouche B&W studio software for conversion
8. "Save for Web" for web viewing.
9. "Save" for printing

mdaddyrabbit wrote in post #17271968
I would like to see others workflow steps. Listed below are mine.

Like Alan I do everything you list in Lightroom on the RAW file. Not only global adjustments (exposure, clarity etc) but also almost all local adjustment too. Any dodging & burning, small scale cloning, spot removal, graduated filters etc. I will only go into PS to do more extensive cloning or compositing.

Currently focusing almost exclusively on black and white processing, but previously did all colour work in LR too.

I suppose that I should add that in the last six months or so I have also got into doing an effect that looks more like an illustration than a photograph. I used to know one of the illustrators for for Flight International back in the late 70's and early 80's and the effect is very reminiscent of some of his work. here are a couple of examples, one colour the other monochrome. These rely on using PS and different layers/blending modes.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/pJo3​5a

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/puey​Dt

1. Cull in Bridge. Reject or not.
2. Import all shots which make the cull in Lightroom, apply custom made global preset on import.
3. Apply a noise reduction preset to any images over ISO1600
4. Individually tweak image settings as required in Lightroom, cropping almost every image in some way.
5. Export finished files from Lightroom

This applies to 99% of the images I edit. 1% make it into Photoshop for advanced cloning if required.

My wedding workflow.