PP workflow help!

I'm thinking that my workflow is rather cumbersome. Maybe this is due to the programs that I'm using, or maybe I'm missing something. It just seems to take ages.

It goes something like this....

(1) Open RAW's in DPP
(2) Choose recipe, adjust, copy etc...
(3) Batch process to output file.

(4) Open in PS
(5) Tweak levels, saturation etc...
(6) Resize / Crop if needed
(7) Re-save

8. Sharpen for printing or after re-sizing for web.


Can any of this be speeded up? The longest job of the lot, is going through the files in photoshop and sharpening them. 20 or so images and it takes me over an hour

I think that is a pretty standard workflow. One thing that would speed you up is batching your shaprpening (if you have images that require the same amount of sharpening).

This used to be my workflow as well until I picked up Lightroom. Now I only export from Lightroom to CS2 for sharpening (which I run from a droplet) or if I am choosing to do some major work on an image.

I was in your boat as well and the answer for me was Adobe Lightroom.

In LR i do 95% of all the adjustments i need to do to my pictures. Its great for
batch processing and the file management is very good. Of course if you do want
to do more advanced work on your pictures you will find that you need to spend
some more time in PS. But for a fast and very efficient way of managing your daily workflow LR is great.

The only thing you would need PS for is for the sharpening process.
The good thing is that the sharpening can be automatized from LR by
creating an action in PS. Just save it as droplet and include it in the final
export steps for LR to use.

Funny you should mention lightroom, I ordered it last week and should be arriving soon.

When I've converted my RAW, I like to save the file (hi res) unsharp. This enables re-sizing of the file at any time and then I can apply sufficient sharpening. This is good for landscapes, but it's a pain for potraits. Normally I use selective sharpening for portraits (eyes etc..) which has to be done every time I resize or want to print.

Is there any way around this?

totalbeginner wrote in post #3149927
Funny you should mention lightroom, I ordered it last week and should be arriving soon.

When I've converted my RAW, I like to save the file (hi res) unsharp. This enables re-sizing of the file at any time and then I can apply sufficient sharpening. This is good for landscapes, but it's a pain for potraits. Normally I use selective sharpening for portraits (eyes etc..) which has to be done every time I resize or want to print.

Is there any way around this?

With Lightroom you wouldn't have to "Save" the unsahrpened file. Your RAW file, along with the Lightroom database will keep the file as is. Then when you need a copy of it for a specific purpose you can export (resizing here or in PS) and sharpen for output.

Currently the sharpening in Lightroom is very limited. Until they correct that you will still have to use your current method for selective sharpening of portraits. Update 1.1 is supposedly going to have better sharpening capabilities and eventually when third party software is available hopefully there will be no need to sharpen in another application.

Although I primarily shoot/PP JPG format photos, you can also use my favorite batch processing software (DCE Autoenhance) with RAW format. It is just great, inexpensive, and really adds "pop" to the images.

DCE Autoenhance
http://www.mediachance​.com/dce/index.html

some of its features:
Automatic Balance

Remove Blue Cast

Adjust Mid-tones

Enhance Colors

Enhance Details

Remove Hot Pixels

De-noise the image.

Portrait De-Focus Filter

Resize the image

Finds the JPG quality for each image according your needs

Add a text or Exif data such a date of shot taken, shutter speed, ISO etc. into the image with great control about the colors and parameters

Duplicates source folder structure for output images
Color Match Minolta DiMAGE files to sRGB

Not sure I understand?

Are you saying that when you make adjustments in lightroom, the RAW file remains unchanged but is kind of tagged with the details of the corrections that you have made?

Does this mean that you can change them at any time without saving another copy?

gardenstate wrote in post #3149974
Although I primarily shoot/PP JPG format photos, you can also use my favorite batch processing software (DCE Autoenhance) with RAW format. It is just great, inexpensive, and really adds "pop" to the images.

DCE Autoenhance
http://www.mediachance​.com/dce/index.html

some of its features:
Automatic Balance

Remove Blue Cast

Adjust Mid-tones

Enhance Colors

Enhance Details

Remove Hot Pixels

De-noise the image.

Portrait De-Focus Filter

Resize the image

Finds the JPG quality for each image according your needs

Add a text or Exif data such a date of shot taken, shutter speed, ISO etc. into the image with great control about the colors and parameters

Duplicates source folder structure for output images
Color Match Minolta DiMAGE files to sRGB

This is interesting, as I'm about to post a question about color correction in batch....... Can you post a link to your results using this software?

totalbeginner wrote in post #3149985
Not sure I understand?

Are you saying that when you make adjustments in lightroom, the RAW file remains unchanged but is kind of tagged with the details of the corrections that you have made?

Does this mean that you can change them at any time without saving another copy?

Correct. RAW files are never changed. Rather they have a file or a database that stores the changes you have made to the RAW. So you never have to "save" a file like you do with a jpeg. If you want multiple images with different changes you simply create a Virtual Copy of the original and make different changes. For example, let's say that I have an image that I want to adjust and have both a color and a B&W image. I import the RAW file, make adjustment that I want to apply to both images to the original. Then I create a Virtual Copy and make additional enhancements for the color one, and an additional Virtual Copy and make additional enhancements for the B&W one. Now, my HD still only has one Image file, but I have a database that contains the changes made to the three images. Pretty slick, huh?

Correct. RAW files are never changed. Rather they have a file or a database that stores the changes you have made to the RAW. So you never have to "save" a file like you do with a jpeg. If you want multiple images with different changes you simply create a Virtual Copy of the original and make different changes. For example, let's say that I have an image that I want to adjust and have both a color and a B&W image. I import the RAW file, make adjustment that I want to apply to both images to the original. Then I create a Virtual Copy and make additional enhancements for the color one, and an additional Virtual Copy and make additional enhancements for the B&W one. Now, my HD still only has one Image file, but I have a database that contains the changes made to the three images. Pretty slick, huh?

Wow! that's going to make a big difference for me! I currently have duplicate files for most images; the raw file and a converted high res JPEG. This will save so much faff, and wasted space!