I saw this mentioned in another thread with a different subject, so I thought I'd give it's own.

How much post processing are you doing on the proofs? I've seen the 400-500 proofs like they are ready to go to print/album and I've seem them looking like they were straight out of the camera where ONLY the ones that need it are getting the full treatment. I have not seen enough to figure out what most of you are doing. I sure would love to hear that everyone is just working the 60-75 they need for the album.

Thanks

Oh yes, you need to process each image you are giving to the couple, even if it is 600. When I say process I mean a straightforward RAW processing in LR, DPP, ACR, whatever. It doesn't need to take that long. I'm guessing it takes me as long to edit from 1500 down to 600, as it does to process the 600. In LR, the vast majority of adjustments are: exposure, brightness, recovery, and sometimes fill light or blacks. After I'm done, I'll usually go through and play with a few, try different techniques, but that is not required.

So to sum up, everything you give them needs a basic RAW processing, but not full blown ready-for-an-album PS work.

Lance Lee wrote:
Oh yes, you need to process each image you are giving to the couple, even if it is 600. When I say process I mean a straightforward RAW processing in LR, DPP, ACR, whatever. It doesn't need to take that long. I'm guessing it takes me as long to edit from 1500 down to 600, as it does to process the 600. In LR, the vast majority of adjustments are: exposure, brightness, recovery, and sometimes fill light or blacks. After I'm done, I'll usually go through and play with a few, try different techniques, but that is not required.

So to sum up, everything you give them needs a basic RAW processing, but not full blown ready-for-an-album PS work.

Pretty much the same here. I go from about 700 down to 350 give or take. I've got this process down to under a days work. Any images that need straightened or cropped I do as well.

Thanks for the quick replies and a couple of follow ups on my first question.

When you're posting your web galleries for purchase, are you including all the proofs or just the best of the best. If including all, is the first touch processing enough for folks to make prints off of sites like collage.net etc.?

If you have an image that to you screams to be in BW do you offer it also in color in the proofs? If you're into an occasional heavier-handed post processing techniques, do you offer the straight up version or just what you think fits the image.

Last one: Is there a site (or thread) that describes the basics of work-flow or offers up a few different suggestions from start to finish. I'm getting it done the way I'm doing it but I'm sure there's better ways.

Thanks! I'll shut up now and listen (read).

OK I apologize that I'm bumping my own thread, but I'm just putting together a proof book and web gallery and was hoping for at least the answer to the choices of bw and post processing. If you have that one image that you want to turn bw or be a little heavier handed on the post processing, when you make up the proofs/gallery do you also offer that same image straight up with just the normal crop, tone, adjustments. Thanks and I realize it's a holiday for some of us, but want this thing outta here by tomorrow.

IMO, if you're not 100% on the B&W or PP, its not alot of extra work to include a "safe version".

Tom Spader wrote:
OK I apologize that I'm bumping my own thread, but I'm just putting together a proof book and web gallery and was hoping for at least the answer to the choices of bw and post processing. If you have that one image that you want to turn bw or be a little heavier handed on the post processing, when you make up the proofs/gallery do you also offer that same image straight up with just the normal crop, tone, adjustments. Thanks and I realize it's a holiday for some of us, but want this thing outta here by tomorrow.

I like to think of it as making an artistic decision - and stick with it. If I make something B/W, I don't also make a color version.

Tom Spader wrote:
I saw this mentioned in another thread with a different subject, so I thought I'd give it's own.

How much post processing are you doing on the proofs? I've seen the 400-500 proofs like they are ready to go to print/album and I've seem them looking like they were straight out of the camera where ONLY the ones that need it are getting the full treatment. I have not seen enough to figure out what most of you are doing. I sure would love to hear that everyone is just working the 60-75 they need for the album.

Thanks


Here is what we do and what our vision is. If you cant get it right up to 90% of the time in camera, then you need to get out of the business.

We shoot on average, 1500 images per wedding. We skim down the dupes and such to 500-800 depending on the wedding and just do a quick 30 second action that does each photo with a slight vignette, contrast bump and saturation bump and minor sharpening. Then give to the bride and groom. Maybe takes me 2 hours to narrow down the pics and another 30 minutes to run a batch and then post them to the bride online.

We only do a full process on final images they order or goes in to the album. The way I see it. When we do a full process on an image it take anywhere from 1 minute to 3 minutes per image. (15-20 for full poster size images) SO if we do 600 images and on average we are doing 2 minutes per image that is 1200 minutes of editing. Thats 20 hours of editing for what? So the bride can order 50 prints? Not worth your time.

So if you get it right in camera, show them the damn proofs and stop wasting your time. Live life and enjoy it.

We use to process every image and it took a week to do one wedding. then we were doing a second wedding and it was a never end cycle and then when we did a double booked weekend we were a week behind then a month behind.

Now, 2 days later you ahve proofs and are ready to place orders when you get home from your honeymoon. 3 weeks after that you have an album proof and 30 days after that you have a final album in your hands.