Basic Editing- Why Is It Necessary?

Basic Editing- Why Is It Necessary?

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Some photographers offer basic editing on some or all of the shots
that they give to their clients? In the age of advanced digital
cameras, shouldn't the pictures look great right out of the camera if
taken by a competent photographer?

Why basic editing is necessary

While it is true, that digital cameras today are better than they ever
were, they differ from their film counterparts in many important ways.
In the days of film the photographers choice of film had a huge effect
on the resulting picture and different films were chosen specifically
for different situations. Today, many of these film effects have
analogous digital counterparts but the implementation is often clumsy.
More importantly the development of the digital negative in the
computer inside the camera, can be done much more precisely and
effectively by a more powerful computer outside the camera. In fact it
is almost always better to use the most neutral settings "in camera".
This results in a shot that might lack sharpness, contrast and pop,
but it preserves the most digital information, allowing the
photographer to apply these corrections in a much more effective way
in post production. Applying these corrections on the computer also
allows the photographer to view the images at full resolution, again
allowing finer control over the finished product.

Color correction

The most important element to achieving natural color reproduction is
shooting with a custom white balance. The lighting
environment(sunlight, shade, florescent, halogen etc) that you are
shooting in will greatly affect the colors in the photos. A custom
white balance taken from a neutral source(usually a grey card)
calibrates the levels of red, green, and blue to achieve a perfectly
neutral grey. This will get color representation as close as possible
'in camera" but can often be further honed after the fact. Further
corrections that are often done are increasing overall saturation(the
amount required great depends on the situation) and adjusting skin
tones. Good looking skin tones are vitally important in portrait
photography. Some skin tones photograph better than others and can
often be greatly enhanced after the shoot.

Contrast and Sharpness

These two elements(along with color saturation) are what will really
make photographs 'pop'. While some degree of contract and sharpness
can be done 'in camera' the best and most striking effects can only be
done while editing the photos on a computer. Because of inherent
design compromises in digital sensors, photographs come out slightly
'soft' by default. This softness can is counteracted by applying
sharpening to the photo, either in camera or on the computer.
Furthermore, sometimes a targeted sharpness is required for the
desired effect. For example, it is possible to selectively sharpen
certain features such as the eyes without bringing out small blemishes
on the skin.

How is basic editing different than retouching?

Basic editing almost always applies to global corrections. These
changes do not target any specific area of the image but affect the
entire photo. Often these corrections can be applied to a whole series
of photos that were taken in the same lighting conditions. Retouching
involves removing and modifying certain elements within an individual
photo. An example of retouching would be something like, removing
stray hairs or blemish removal.

Conclusion

In closing basic editing can really add a lot to the final product. It
can be the difference between a well taken photo, and something that
is truly stunning.

About the Author:
Joe is an avid photographer and specializes in portraits. His DC headshots studio is located in the heart of Capitol Hill.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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