original picture compared with edited picture

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

03/05/2008 11:27:00 AM · #1

I wonder if a submission of the original picture (i.e., taken straight from the camera and resized in a way the edited picture would be resized) with the edited picture should not be necessary for challenges. I think some of us would be very surprised about how some pictures will look before and after being post-processed just by simple but fair comparisons. I tend to be more and more 'cranky' about obvious over post-processed pictures (and I certainly do not rate them well, including some ribbon pictures!). I also wonder how much cropping are applied from the original picture to the final version. I think that would be wise to do...

Message edited by author 2008-03-05 11:27:55.

timfythetoo

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

03/05/2008 11:30:10 AM · #2

There are several threads out there where people have posted their before and after entries. I think the only ones I have up right now is this set -

As for making it mandatory I dont really think thats a great idea. But I do love people choosing to display them on their own.

geoffb

03/05/2008 11:30:44 AM · #3

When you take a picture, do you have a vision in your mind? How often does the resulting image look like what you saw in your mind?

Post-processing isn't always about "souping up" an image. Often, it's about portraying what the artist "saw".

I think the out-of-camera image is irrelevant.

AndyMac24

Canon EOS-40D

03/05/2008 11:37:02 AM · #4

Originally posted by geoffb:

I agree, most cameras pick up only half of the color and life of any scene. Look at the picture above, the leaves were dull and the whole picture a bit flat, the PP in excellent. I use PS to recreate what I saw. That is pretty much all of the PP you can do in basic. Advanced allows those who are better at PS to shine a bit more, but it is still really limited in what you can do and what you are allowed to do.

03/05/2008 11:38:32 AM · #5

Originally posted by geoffb:

I certainly disagree with you. Everytime I take a picture I tend to capture what I am 'framing', in other words, my primarily goal is to minimize cropping as good as possible. The previous example given by timfythetoo is certainly not a bad one IMO, the post-processing is fair and the photograph was originally well framed.

'Souping up' an image is a different story: some people do love spending time behind computer, and some others do not.

Message edited by author 2008-03-05 11:39:57.

danielv

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

03/05/2008 11:39:03 AM · #6

It's unlikely that under the strict DPC rule you can make a mediocre capture into a great picture just through post processing.

Post processing in my mind is only the continuity of the capture (and as mentioned often, post processing starts inside your camera with the onboard CPU).

Now because photography is both about capture and post processing, and because DPC is about learning both, I find it great to see the before after. Then you see how the capture is done, and then what/how the post processing is done. I would quite like to see more of them. I did put one in one of my 2 ribbons.

Making it mandatory would by the way not be hard, at least for the top 5, if only because it is already mandatory - but only limited to the SC (through the automatic validation process). One thing that could be done is to have an option for the proof file to be made public, if the photographer wanted it.

timfythetoo

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

03/05/2008 11:40:04 AM · #7

Originally posted by geoffb:

I think the out-of-camera image is irrelevant.

I will disagree here. I have found and learned so much from seeing the out of camera image compared to the final edit. I learned that many images I would consider to be trash were not if edited properly. I have learned what is possible in editing. I find it inspiring to see the before and afters - both with images that have been processed to an extreme to see what is possible in PS and those that had very little done to see what is possible straight from camera (or close to it).

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

03/05/2008 11:41:25 AM · #8

Originally posted by mouten:

Making it mandatory would by the way not be hard, at least for the top 5, if only because it is already mandatory - but only limited to the SC (through the automatic validation process). One thing that could be done is to have an option for the proof file to be made public, if the photographer wanted it.

I agree with you on that one! Hopefully, it can be done

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

03/05/2008 11:43:33 AM · #9

Originally posted by msieglerfr:

Originally posted by mouten:

Making it mandatory would by the way not be hard, at least for the top 5, if only because it is already mandatory - but only limited to the SC (through the automatic validation process). One thing that could be done is to have an option for the proof file to be made public, if the photographer wanted it.

I agree with you on that one! Hopefully, it can be done

I suspect that most would shy away from making their full size image available to the world.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

03/05/2008 11:47:42 AM · #10

Originally posted by cpanaioti:

Originally posted by msieglerfr:

Originally posted by mouten:

Making it mandatory would by the way not be hard, at least for the top 5, if only because it is already mandatory - but only limited to the SC (through the automatic validation process). One thing that could be done is to have an option for the proof file to be made public, if the photographer wanted it.

I agree with you on that one! Hopefully, it can be done

I suspect that most would shy away from making their full size image available to the world.

Why? what if they provide a reasonably resized (and only resized) version of their original photograph. I think that would be an excellent move. Then, we will be able to add some comments about how the unedited and edited versions differ. Maybe another question to be raised would be: how can we limit those differences?

Message edited by author 2008-03-05 11:48:08.

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

03/05/2008 11:53:32 AM · #11

Originally posted by msieglerfr:

Originally posted by cpanaioti:

Originally posted by msieglerfr:

Originally posted by mouten:

Making it mandatory would by the way not be hard, at least for the top 5, if only because it is already mandatory - but only limited to the SC (through the automatic validation process). One thing that could be done is to have an option for the proof file to be made public, if the photographer wanted it.

I agree with you on that one! Hopefully, it can be done

I suspect that most would shy away from making their full size image available to the world.

Why? what if they provide a reasonably resized (and only resized) version of their original photograph. I think that would be an excellent move. Then, we will be able to add some comments about how the unedited and edited versions differ. Maybe another question to be raised would be: how can we limit those differences?

The proof file supplied to the SC is the full sized straight from camera image. The suggestion was to share this.

A websized image should be no problem.

ETA: The key is to get the best you can from the camera so you need to do the least in post.

Message edited by author 2008-03-05 11:54:26.

glad2badad

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic

03/05/2008 11:55:50 AM · #12

Before and After Ribboners & High Scorers

Before/After Images