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Archive 2014 · Hello and please help with post production

  
 
Coin
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Hello and please help with post production


Hello,

I shoot weddings for 4 years and joined this forum because I did some initial reading and see one can get help here.
I am based in Poland and my website is here: http://dariuszczepiel.com

Despite 4 years in business and not a bad portfolio in my personal opinion, I struggle with one thing and I hope you can help me, point me to the right direction etc. Post-Production.

My main goal is to give the customer photos faster, keep a certain quality and possibly do everything in Lightroom within few hours. Typically I edit 200-400 photos.

Can any of you give some piece of advise, point me, give me or sell me or just help in terms of what Lightroom initial preset, or a set of a few presets would allow me to have a starting point with nice skin tones?
I shoot Nikon, I tried vsco, replichrome but I always get that yellowish, or reddish cast over the skin and I simply hate it.

Would anyone be willing to help me, discuss this with me, point me to how to find this one postprocessing style that once accomplished I could focus on development, marketing and other stuff and not waste time on having the same second thoughts about postproduction year over year.

The ideal colors and skin tones I see here (previously found on this site): http://meninenuotrauka.lt/lt/wedding/
To me this is what a polish customer would expect - a clean, white, with nicely saturated colors and PERFECT skin tones.
Is this kind of image possible to reach in lightroom ?
How on earth ?

Hello again, and appreciate everyone's comments that would bring me closer to finding a post-production process that is lightroom oriented, efficient and brings good final results.

Thank you !



Jan 18, 2014 at 07:26 AM
JakAHearts
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Hello and please help with post production


Hello! The link you posted has, imho, one of the most consistent and pleasant skin tones of any photographer I have ever seen. How on earth, indeed.


Jan 18, 2014 at 09:09 AM
pette87
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Hello and please help with post production


intrested in this topic...


Jan 18, 2014 at 09:46 AM
Nikon_14
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Hello and please help with post production


Dariusz,

Twoje portfolio jest świetne - naprawdę wprawne użycie kompozycji, kątów itd. Jeśli miałbym wybrać ulubione zdjęcie - para trzymająca świeczkę w ciemności. Mam nadzieję, że będziesz tu publikował częściej.

W odpowiedzi na Twoje pytanie: także chciałbym się dowiedzieć więcej na ten temat i oczekuję z niecierpliwością odpowiedzi jakie otrzymasz.

Tak pozatym - mam trochę polskiej krwi (rodzice mojej babci wyemigrowali do USA na przełomie wieków), ale nie mówię po Polsku oprócz “kiełbasa” i “Warszawa”. To wszystko było przetłumaczone przez mojego polskiego współlokatora.



Jan 18, 2014 at 09:53 AM
heikoM
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Hello and please help with post production


Nikon_14 wrote:
Dariusz,

Twoje portfolio jest świetne - naprawdę wprawne użycie kompozycji, kątów itd. Jeśli miałbym wybrać ulubione zdjęcie - para trzymająca świeczkę w ciemności. Mam nadzieję, że będziesz tu publikował częściej.

W odpowiedzi na Twoje pytanie: także chciałbym się dowiedzieć więcej na ten temat i oczekuję z niecierpliwością odpowiedzi jakie otrzymasz.

Tak pozatym - mam trochę polskiej krwi (rodzice mojej babci wyemigrowali do USA na przełomie wieków), ale nie mówię po Polsku oprócz “kiełbasa” i “Warszawa”. To wszystko było przetłumaczone przez mojego polskiego współlokatora.



and in English, please?



Jan 18, 2014 at 10:23 AM
Coin
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Hello and please help with post production


in short Nikon_14compliments my photography and says would also like to learn how to achieve what is in the link I pasted.

Main question - is it achievable in LR ?



Jan 18, 2014 at 11:55 AM
form
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Hello and please help with post production


I've never seen perfect Nikon skin tones, but fairly close?...they always seem to skip past the reds and go from orange to magenta.

Playing with specific color sliders helps. You can augment or weaken certain colors based on what you're seeing vs what you're wanting. I have tried a few times in vain myself but it should be possible...

That guy you linked is probably the most consistent of any I've seen as far as skin tones, and he is a Nikon shooter afaik.



Jan 18, 2014 at 12:18 PM
SloPhoto
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Hello and please help with post production


OP, the main difference I see is that he is more willing to add contrast, and drop the brightness of the skin. You seem to err on the side of bright desaturated skin with pop.



Jan 18, 2014 at 01:45 PM
Ziffl3
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Hello and please help with post production


To start off - welcome.
Do you work on a calibrated monitor?

Have you tried specific color profiles for you camera?

I need look at the link....
but yes you can do most if all in lightroom



Jan 18, 2014 at 02:08 PM
Coin
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Hello and please help with post production


I work off a calibrated screen yes.

What profiles would you have in mind? Any particular examples? (I mean I know how to switch profiles in LR, but to what profile exactly should I you think ?)



Jan 18, 2014 at 02:14 PM
lukeb
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Hello and please help with post production


heikoM wrote:
and in English, please?


[Via Google translate]

Your portfolio is great - really skillful use of the composition, angles, etc. If I had to choose a favorite picture - a couple holding a candle in the dark. I hope that you will be here published frequently.

In response to your question: I would also like to learn more about this and looking forward answers I get.

So besides - I have some Polish blood (my grandmother's parents immigrated to the United States at the turn of the century), but I do not speak Polish in addition to "sausage" and "Warsaw". It was all translated by my Polish roommate.



Jan 18, 2014 at 02:24 PM
BigIronCruiser
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Hello and please help with post production


One of the most popular tools for custom profiles is the Colorchecker Passport. You simply take a picture of the Colorchecker, and then use their included LR Plug-In to generate custom camera profiles. It's fairly common to create custom profiles for various combinations of camera's & lenses. Those who are really anal create a new profile every time the lighting conditions change. Camera profiles and custom white balance can be a huge time saver.


Jan 19, 2014 at 08:34 AM
pette87
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Hello and please help with post production


BigIronCruiser wrote:
Those who are really anal create a new profile every time the lighting conditions change.


I knew that color correction it's a bit a pain in the...but not so much



Jan 19, 2014 at 09:39 AM
hendrikm
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Hello and please help with post production


Well, withbthe link you posted, every image was taken in natural daylight and most of them with a cloudy sky... THIS helps a lot with skintone...

Otherwise: In Lightroom I use the "Camera" Portrait" profile and not the "Adobe Standard". It is less magenta and warmer



Jan 22, 2014 at 08:07 AM
Prettym1k3
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Hello and please help with post production


Coin,

I edit most of my weddings in 3-4 hours. I deliver anywhere from 500-850 images on average.

I start by culling through a wedding and removing the bad stuff. I use "P" to pick (white flag) the images I like. Culling can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how fast or lazy I feel like being.

Then I sort out just my picked images. I run a boiler plate action and make the minor adjustments to it that I know I like. Then I highlight all of my picked images and sync the edit.

Then I go one by one, and adjust each individual image, run my B&W edit on the ones I want to be B&W, and while doing this if I see a duplicate image or something I realize I don't like, I use un-pick that image (using the "U" key).

I 5-Star (using the 5 key) any images I like for my blog, and then red box (using the 6 key) any images I will tease on Facebook/Tumblr.

My wife, who is amazing, does a final review on the images, and does a 1 star (using the 1 key) any images she doesn't like, thinks need work, etc. She usually 1 stars anywhere from 5-25 images, and then I review them and decide to keep them or dump them.

Again, for most weddings, culling takes about 1-2 hours, and editing takes 3-4 hours. I've taken as little as 2 hours to edit a wedding, and as much as 6, but for the most part if I'm delivering 500-800 images, that's about right.

Most engagement session I cull in 10-15 minutes, and edit in about 30.

Of course, all of this depends on skin clean up, graduated filters used, how many images are perfect or need a little tweaking.

I do all of this in LR, and don't open photoshop at all except to run a diptych action for blogging.

On a side note, your work is brilliant, man. The colors, editing, posing, and framing. You've got talent - more than most.



Jan 22, 2014 at 02:05 PM
rmric0
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Hello and please help with post production


Have you tried e-mailing the guy and asking him? I realize that there might be a language barrier, but it never hurts to ask someone whose work you admire.


Jan 22, 2014 at 02:32 PM
nolaguy
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Hello and please help with post production


Coin wrote:
in short Nikon_14compliments my photography and says would also like to learn how to achieve what is in the link I pasted.



I knew that.




Jan 23, 2014 at 07:33 AM
Coin
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Hello and please help with post production


rmric0 wrote:
Have you tried e-mailing the guy and asking him? I realize that there might be a language barrier, but it never hurts to ask someone whose work you admire.


I did ask and sent in fact a question for a individual workshop, no answer though.
I also sent it to their UK office which should speak English



Jan 24, 2014 at 09:42 AM
Coin
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Hello and please help with post production


Prettym1k3 wrote:
Coin,

I edit most of my weddings in 3-4 hours. I deliver anywhere from 500-850 images on average.

I start by culling through a wedding and removing the bad stuff. I use "P" to pick (white flag) the images I like. Culling can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how fast or lazy I feel like being.

Then I sort out just my picked images. I run a boiler plate action and make the minor adjustments to it that I know I like. Then I highlight all of my picked images and sync the edit.

Then I go one by
...Show more


Thanks for this workflow description, it takes me approx 16 hours to process but that has to do with my laziness.
My main concerns are now not really with workflow, but with the end image I am producing, quite often I am not happy with the result; or let me say it differently: I am happy with the result but then not happy with the amount of time I spent on it, if I reduce time, then I am not happy with the result.
I tend to use 5-8 adjustment brushes per image despite syncing adjustments.

I am trying to find a starting point or preset that would produce a nice end look in terms of saturated colors and skin tones.

In fact I am now going to try.... Capture One...



Jan 24, 2014 at 09:55 AM
Scott Mosher
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Hello and please help with post production


Prettym1k3 wrote:
Coin,

I edit most of my weddings in 3-4 hours. I deliver anywhere from 500-850 images on average.

I start by culling through a wedding and removing the bad stuff. I use "P" to pick (white flag) the images I like. Culling can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how fast or lazy I feel like being.

Then I sort out just my picked images. I run a boiler plate action and make the minor adjustments to it that I know I like. Then I highlight all of my picked images and sync the edit.

Then I go one by
...Show more

I'm telling you, Photo Mechanic to cut your culling time down, and get Paddy setup to cut down your editing time



Jan 24, 2014 at 11:41 AM
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