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09/28/2006 06:19:43 AM · #1 |
I was wondering if some could give their views on saving 'final copies' after Post-processing. I always keep my original, duplicate the image, do the post-processing (often just a tiny tweak), and then save as jpg. I realize this degrades the quality somewhat. I also realize that I could keep a lot of the quality by saving as a psd, but they are SO huge and I can't see saving all of my 'keeper' photos like that. I do it when I think I might definitely want to tweak more, of course.
Any other advice on saving final copies? I'm concerned that I'm spending loads of time on something that I might have to redo in the end because of degradation. I have a feeling I just haven't been exposed to a better way.
Thanks for any info you all might have.
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09/28/2006 06:47:38 AM · #2 |
| Disk space is relatively cheap these days. Your time and effort that goes into capturing a shot and post-processing may not be. Balance the two up and decide whether it's "worth" keeping a 20MB image. |
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09/28/2006 08:11:17 AM · #3 |
I'm a packrat in real life. I rarely throw things away - even the boxes that my stuff comes in - my wife hates it!. :-)
The point is, it translates into my photography life as well. I keep my original raw file. I keep my originally converted jpeg. I keep the PSD (photoshop format) of my file with all of the edits in it. I keep a flattened jpeg copy of the image. And I keep a cropped version of that image for the specific size that I want.
The only transient images are the ones that I resize for web. I size them down long enough to upload them to the internet, then I delete them. (but then sometimes wish I hadn't because I have several different websites that I post to)
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09/28/2006 02:13:36 PM · #4 |
My workflow changes all the time. In the last 2 years I've gone from a strict JPEG 8 bit workflow in PS7 to Nikon View for NEF conversion. Then it was ACR and 16 bit in CS2, followed by Capture 4.4 and CS2 after the D200. And now it's been Capture NX and CS2 in the last 2 months. I keep my originals so that I can always go back to them.
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09/28/2006 02:22:00 PM · #5 |
You can read  bear_music's tutorial on keeping post-processing degredation to a minimum...some other good info, as well.
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09/28/2006 02:26:41 PM · #6 |
I rarely keep the PSD file. I keep the RAW files and the final edit JPEGs (at 12). I can't justify keeping the PSDs because there is rarely a time when I need them.
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09/28/2006 02:40:41 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
I rarely keep the PSD file. I keep the RAW files and the final edit JPEGs (at 12). I can't justify keeping the PSDs because there is rarely a time when I need them. |
I never throw out the PSD files because I never know when I'll need one ... mostly, I figure if I don't throw out any files I'll never throw out the wrong one. |
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09/28/2006 04:41:02 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by marycciu:
I was wondering if some could give their views on saving 'final copies' after Post-processing. I always keep my original, duplicate the image, do the post-processing (often just a tiny tweak), and then save as jpg. I realize this degrades the quality somewhat. |
Short answer: You should retain a separate post processed master file of your 'good' pictures.
However, you may not be familiar enough with post processing to know why. You will want to know more.
Basic post processing workflow is like this:
1-Duplicate original and save master file as .tff or .psd under new name
2-Perform all post processing on master file using layers whenever possible and save
3-Build output files, such as DPC entries or print files, from your post processed master file and saving them under different names.
Degradation isn't your only issue. That is one reason you should NEVER save your post processed master as .jpg. Another problem with your method is the loss of the post processing steps used to attain your results. With .jpg you lose the ability to retain that information so it can be applied in the future to other images and/or be able to later go back and make controlled refinements. When you save your 'final' image as a .jpg all the post processing steps used to attain it will be lost as well as it being compressed again. Save the image as .tiff or .psd instead. Those formats retain the information and they are lossless, unlike .jpg.
You may not even be aware of the technique of using layers in your post processing. If not, this advice probably makes no sense. But that is something you will want to learn to move your photography to a higher level of expertise.
There is a whole wide world of image processing out there just waiting for you to explore. :)
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09/28/2006 04:57:33 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
I rarely keep the PSD file. I keep the RAW files and the final edit JPEGs (at 12). I can't justify keeping the PSDs because there is rarely a time when I need them. |
What if you want to resize for a print? The quality of a resized jpg is not going to be as good as a resized psd file. |
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09/28/2006 05:12:07 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
I rarely keep the PSD file. I keep the RAW files and the final edit JPEGs (at 12). I can't justify keeping the PSDs because there is rarely a time when I need them. |
At what pixel density do you store your 'final' master files? Do you use your master file to create separate output files for web and print graphics? What happens when you inevitibly want to make changes to your 'final' later on, what do you do?
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09/29/2006 11:48:27 AM · #11 |
| Thanks all for the interesting discussion ... taking all into consideration. Look forward to more thoughts... |
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