What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?
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#1. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
blw Nikonian since 18th Jun 2004Wed 01-Mar-17 05:32 PMAdobe Lightroom 6 (not CC), running on a 27" 5K iMac with 40GB memory. On deadline I have a 13" MacBook Air with 8GB memory. My "TV" is a projector with a 92" screen, largely because at the time that was significantly less money than a "real" TV and also because the screen can be made retractable, making it also considerably less bulky. I don't particularly find that a large display like that is a very useful way to work on the images, due to the terribly low resolution._____
Brian... -
#2. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
tex_speel Registered since 20th Jan 2017Wed 01-Mar-17 05:52 PMI have the luxury of not having to do processing in the field, but I use a Macbook Pro 13" to do keywording, etc.
At home I use Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC. For the screen, I use a 27" Eizo self-calibrating monitor. Agree with you regarding never doing in-camera processing."Nothing can be recognized without light and shade. It is only through the eye, the window of the soul, that we can truly understand the complex workings of nature." - Leonardo da Vinci
Website - www.naturephotosbytom.com
See my portfolio.-
#64. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 2
flag25 Nikonian since 31st Jan 2008Mon 01-May-17 03:38 PMDo you find the cost of the CC worth the money? I'm wondering if I should go for the CC or just get LR6 stand alone. I already have CS5.Visit my Nikonians gallery.
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#65. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 64
tegel Nikonian since 12th Jan 2005Mon 01-May-17 04:25 PMI resisted to the subscription, but finally gave in when I discovered that not all features (dehaze comes to mind) exist in the standalone version.
You can install it on up to 3 computers, so my wife and I both have access to the same account. That certainly makes it worth it to me.
Tom
Ann Arbor, MIVisit my Nikonians gallery.
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#66. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 65
flag25 Nikonian since 31st Jan 2008Mon 01-May-17 09:03 PMThanks. I think I'll bite the bullet.Visit my Nikonians gallery.
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#3. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
Nothing is done to RAW in the Camera..
Import to Bridge then imported to LR (CC) then over to Capture NX2 then over to PS (CC)
Monitors are Dell 25" and 27" Ultra Sharps with Spyder Calibration weekly.
Computer self built running i7 Quad 4ghz Intel 64gb DDR4 Ram 2gb DDR5 Video Card SSD hard drives.
Thats what works for me...
Cheers Kip
#4. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
My monitors are a 24" NEC in portrait and a 27" Dell in landscape. Both calibrated.
Visit my Nikonians gallery.
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#5. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 4
Shy Talk Registered since 12th Jun 2010Thu 02-Mar-17 12:05 AM | edited Thu 02-Mar-17 01:33 AM by Shy TalkI'm a jpeg only shooter, and only just getting started on post processing.
I use a program called FastStone.
It's free online, and I've got used to it and like it. Don't think it works with mac though.
Its good.Find my pix on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishops/
my Nikonians gallery is here. https://images.nikonians.org/galleries/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/330319
Visit my Nikonians gallery.[/p -
#50. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 4
paustin Nikonian since 01st Mar 2009Tue 21-Mar-17 09:20 PMFor years, I used PSx running on six core processor with a middle-range NVIDIA graphics card driving two calibrated monitors. I depended on the Nik suite and still use the HDR Pro module. I have, like you, shifted to the DXO RAW processor and am immensely pleased with the results. Once the DXO.tif files are generated (it's quite slow), birds are finished in Lightroom CC. Landscapes and flowers go directly to PS CC and Bridge for HDR generation and final editing. I also use the Topaz suite for back-end processing.Paul F Austin
Visit my web site: pf-austin.com
#6. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
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#7. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
• External editors: NIK (Google) Filters, MacPhun Filters, and Anthropics Portrait Pro and Landscape Pro.
• 15" MacBook Pro with a 1TB SSD, 16 gigs RAM, an external 4TB hard drive for file storage, and two portable 4TB USB hard drives for backup
Jon Kandel
A New York City Nikonian and Team Member
Please visit my website and critique the images!
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#19. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 7
MS Photog Registered since 29th Nov 2011Tue 14-Mar-17 09:53 AMJon: I would like to know what you think about Landscape Pro. I shoot only in RAW and post process in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC. I shoot family portraits 2 or 3 times/year and love Portrait Pro. (Family think I am a genius the way Portrait Pro improves them, lol) I have been considering Landscape Pro but would like to know what you think.
MarlinVisit my Nikonians gallery.
#8. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
Visit my Nikonians gallery.
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#9. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 8
george_51 Nikonian since 19th Dec 2016Tue 07-Mar-17 02:12 PMI'm a newbie to Nikonians but have been a D7100 user for 2 years and am currently going through the usual DX vs FX dilemma when facing an upgrade but will likely go D500 as I have some nice Nikon glass for the D7100.
I am also an Apple user and wept when they discontinued Aperture and did not want to go down the proprietary route of Photoshop so after some digging around and free trials I have settled on this approach:
1) I shoot RAW and keep the files in a series of location & date folders - I have avoided any Adobe or Apple managed libraries where you can't see what is going on. No face recognition or other features but I can live with simplicity.
2) For simple editing I use Nikon Capture with the Nikon 'sidecar' file saved back to the same folder that contains the .NEF file.
3) For more complex stuff using layers etc. I like Affinity Pro which is now available for Mac & Windows and is very Photoshop like, has good tutorial videos and is astonishingly cheap at £50 or US$65ish and has so far not involved paying for major updates. Once again I save the Affinity sidecar file back to the original folder.
This may not be the easiest library approach but gives the user full control and preserves all of the original RAW images in .NEF format.
Hope this helps-
#10. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 9
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Tue 07-Mar-17 03:29 PM | edited Tue 07-Mar-17 03:38 PM by jack65Very interesting what everyone uses here.
I'm into computers almost as much as photography.
I use to build custom ones and repair them too.
Stopped doing that for a living in 2009.
Here is last one I built in 2009.
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/ATI-4870.htm
Also repaired and painted notebooks back then too.
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/notebookpaint.htm
Now I pretty much stick with laptops, haven't had a desktop for five years since I quit the business.
I do run my laptops into bigger screens like you see here:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/+updateTVroom-1200.jpg
I still have my first Desktop and Laptop from 1985 and they still work.
lower left:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/newold-3a.jpg
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/newold-1a.jpg
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#11. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
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#12. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
I also recently bought a Lenovo T460S with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD to be able to do Photo and Video Editing when I am on the road. It will certainly be slower but will allow me to backup and do some work while on vacation. Now all I have to do is actually go on a vacation to use it .
Michael Kaplan
http://www.pbase.com/mkaplan
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#14. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 12
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Sat 11-Mar-17 07:18 PM | edited Sat 11-Mar-17 07:18 PM by jack65>Michael Kaplan
>I also recently bought a Lenovo T460S with 8GB RAM and 256GB
>SSD to be able to do Photo and Video Editing when I am on the
>road. It will certainly be slower but will allow me to backup
>and do some work while on vacation.
Add 8GB RAM to make it 16GB and that will make things faster.
Memory is one of the biggest single improvement you can do on your laptop.
#13. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
#15. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
I post-process mainly with Lightroom CC. I have other programs, but nothing has convinced me to switch. I also have Photoshop CC and a bunch of plug-ins, but I don't use them very often.
I have a 1st gen 27" iMac with Retina Display. Core i7, 32 GB of RAM. 3 TB drive; unfortunately, a Fusion Drive. (I'll never do anything but SSD again. It's the clear bottleneck of my system.)
- Julian
#16. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
For import, folder and file naming, keywording, description, title, copyright, etc - I use Photo Mechanic. I also use it to rate every image and identify Selects for editing.
Selects are imported to Lightroom CC. Depending on the image and purpose, I may use Nik Suite, Photoshop CC, or even Capture NX2 for additional editing.
Hardware was just updated. I'm Using a Dell Inspiron 13 5000 series laptop with 16 GB of RAM. Calibration is with the Datacolor Spyder 4 Pro. For final editing of Art prints, contest submissions, etc., I have an NEC PA241W which is a wide gamut monitor handling most of Adobe RGB.
Eric Bowles
Director - Nikonians Academy
Nikonians Team Moderator
My Gallery
Workshops and Private Instruction
Nikonians membership — my most important photographic investment, after the camera
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#17. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 16
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Tue 14-Mar-17 09:05 AM | edited Tue 14-Mar-17 09:05 AM by jack65Question? I notice several of you will use several programs such as:
Nik Suite, Photoshop CC, or even Capture NX2 for additional editing.
Why? I've always found one program such as my Adobe CS6 works just fine... never needed anything more. Just curious.-
#18. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 17
jvelasco Registered since 21st Dec 2016Tue 14-Mar-17 09:51 AMLightroom handles most of what I need. But if I want to make a composite or remove something (larger than a blemish) from a photo, I need to turn to Photoshop. And plug-ins help make specific tasks easier, often because they tend to have good presets, but equally often because they have stronger or more specialized tools. The plug-ins that I tend to use most are those that enhance detail (super-clarity, if you will) and black-and-white converters. But a lot of people like plug-ins that give a certain look -- usually those that recreate the look of different types of film.
- Julian -
#20. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 17
Adobe CS6 might be fine, but adding Nik Collection (now free) can improve some post-processing, Silver Effex Pro is great for black and white(that's all it does and do it pretty good), Analog Efex is nice for quick dramatic or old school camera effect even though you can do it in Ps or AP but just easier for people who don't like complicated.
I use Affinity Photo which is like photoshop, just great tools for better adjustment of your images than just Lr. -
#21. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 17
ericbowles Nikonian since 25th Nov 2005Tue 14-Mar-17 01:24 PMIt's good to have a primary editor - your starting point for 95% of your editing. My workflow is built around both speed and quality, and I use slightly different processes for each.
Lightroom handles 95-98% of my editing. For some projects - like events or pet photos - it may handle 100%. For others, it may have a gap that is better handled with another product. For example, the LR B&W conversion is different than the results I get with Capture NX2 or Nik Silver Efex. I normally use Nik, but in some cases it is a bit grainy. I do a lot more local editing for B&W and use one or two filters that change by the image. Sometimes it's a matter of LR just not doing the job - such as with complex cloning or adding canvas. I use a lot of local adjustments, and each tool has it's own way of handling local edits. Capture NX2 can apply any edit in the Nik Suite on a selective basis and make the edit completely reversible. Photoshop allows use of layers and masks for those edits.Eric Bowles
Director - Nikonians Academy
Nikonians Team Moderator
My Gallery
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Nikonians membership — my most important photographic investment, after the camera
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#35. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 16
Any feedback is appreciated, my budget is $1200-1400.
Visit my Nikonians gallery
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#36. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 35
ericbowles Nikonian since 25th Nov 2005Sat 18-Mar-17 10:02 AMThe main issues with a laptop are gamut and screen evenness. These are very important when I'm doing a final edit for art or prints for a client.
A typical laptop has 80-90% of sRGB. A good stand alone monitor has 95% of sRGB to 90% of AdobeRGB. A good print on a current Epson printer has 95-110% of AdobeRGB. An economy C-print or online print usually includes less than 90% of sRGB. And viewing an image on the web varies by individual computer, but you have to plan for phone and laptop viewing at 80-85% of sRGB.
Laptop screens are known for having variation across the screen. Most calibration tools address this issue, but you are still working with a handicap.
So my approach is simply to understand the difference and use a high resolution, calibrated external monitor when the output or likely output needs that level of editing.
If most of your output is for the web or online print orders, a laptop is closer to the gamut of those outputs. You do need to watch brightness.
I have not owned a desktop for over 20 years. I use an external monitor when needed. It's the monitor - not the laptop vs. desktop that is the potential issue. I just plug the NEC into my laptop HDMI port when it's needed.
As far as stability is concerned, you certainly get a longer life out of a desktop. It can also be upgraded for a faster processor, better cooling, etc. But you lose portability, flexibility, and there is an impact on servicing as you can't just pack it up and send it for service.
I view a laptop as having a 3 year life. I use a warranty for the first year only as that's when failure is most likely. In later years, if you need the warranty you are paying to repair an out of date machine. I buy a cheaper laptop - under $1000 - anticipating replacement - and upgrade RAM myself.
I've worked in corporate IT and my wife does as well (deploying more than 100,000 laptops). Corporations have dropped desktops many years ago for most uses. The current trend is to replace laptops with tablets and the cloud.Eric Bowles
Director - Nikonians Academy
Nikonians Team Moderator
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#39. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 36
jc502 Registered since 25th Dec 2009Sat 18-Mar-17 03:58 PM | edited Sat 18-Mar-17 03:59 PM by jc502Thank you, exactly the feedback I am looking for!Visit my Nikonians gallery
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#43. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 36
jc502 Registered since 25th Dec 2009Mon 20-Mar-17 02:08 PMOne more quick question- given the choice between a SSD hard drive or a Nvidia 940 card (over AMD R7) which would be your preference?Visit my Nikonians gallery
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#44. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 43
ericbowles Nikonian since 25th Nov 2005Mon 20-Mar-17 02:34 PMWhether an SSD works depends on your workflow. SSD drives can be a bit expensive compared to normal spinning drives.
I chose a 1 TB spinning drive over an SSD. The added cost for SSD completely changed my price point (I think it was a $350-500 upgrade). On the other hand, my wife does not have as many photos on her laptop, so I chose a 500 GB SSD drive for her. Her laptop was a little higher end configuration compared to mine which is more of a workhorse configuration that will be replaced in 3 years. SSD drives use less power, are fast, and are more durable than spinning drives.
I like the Nvidia graphics card upgrade, but it's not critical. I do think that's money well spent. Normally the upgrade makes the most difference with intensive graphis, but it also can matter with some photo editing.
The other option is factory RAM vs. installing a RAM upgrade yourself. Installing RAM - and even installing SSD drives - is not that hard. You are likely to be saving a lot by installing those updates yourself. Usually there are YouTube videos for your specific machine. I bought my RAM upgrade from Crucial online using their utility. I chose 16 GB of RAM as a pair of 8 GB cards rather than using a mixed pair and only adding one 8 GB card to the 8 GB card from the factory.Eric Bowles
Director - Nikonians Academy
Nikonians Team Moderator
My Gallery
Workshops and Private Instruction
Nikonians membership — my most important photographic investment, after the camera-
#45. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 44
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Mon 20-Mar-17 04:34 PM>Whether an SSD works depends on your workflow. SSD drives
>can be a bit expensive compared to normal spinning drives.
>
>I chose a 1 TB spinning drive over an SSD. The added cost for
>SSD completely changed my price point (I think it was a
>$350-500 upgrade). On the other hand, my wife does not have
>as many photos on her laptop, so I chose a 500 GB SSD drive
>for her. Her laptop was a little higher end configuration
>compared to mine which is more of a workhorse configuration
>that will be replaced in 3 years. SSD drives use less power,
>are fast, and are more durable than spinning drives.
>
>I like the Nvidia graphics card upgrade, but it's not
>critical. I do think that's money well spent. Normally the
>upgrade makes the most difference with intensive graphis, but
>it also can matter with some photo editing.
>
>The other option is factory RAM vs. installing a RAM upgrade
>yourself. Installing RAM - and even installing SSD drives -
>is not that hard. You are likely to be saving a lot by
>installing those updates yourself. Usually there are YouTube
>videos for your specific machine. I bought my RAM upgrade
>from Crucial online using their utility. I chose 16 GB of RAM
>as a pair of 8 GB cards rather than using a mixed pair and
>only adding one 8 GB card to the 8 GB card from the factory.
I have a Samsung Ultra notebook with 8GB ram, 500GB SSD for out in the field and fully loaded Lenovo with 1TB 7200rpm HD, 16GB ram memory at home w/several external backup HD's -
#46. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 44
jc502 Registered since 25th Dec 2009Mon 20-Mar-17 08:53 PMI think I am settling in on this Inspiron setup from Dell, for just under $900:
6th Generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ Processor
1TB 5.4k Hybrid HDD + 8G Cache
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
15.6-inch FHD Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Display
It comes with 8GB Single channel DDR3L 1600MHz which I will upgrade to 16gb later.
I'm trying to balance between high end and workhorse, hope to get 3-4 solid years from it.Visit my Nikonians gallery
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#47. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 46
ericbowles Nikonian since 25th Nov 2005Mon 20-Mar-17 09:15 PMSounds like a great setup. Very similar to what I just got.Eric Bowles
Director - Nikonians Academy
Nikonians Team Moderator
My Gallery
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Nikonians membership — my most important photographic investment, after the camera -
#48. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 46
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Mon 20-Mar-17 09:40 PM | edited Mon 20-Mar-17 09:44 PM by jack65>I think I am settling in on this Inspiron setup from Dell,
>for just under $900:
>
>6th Generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ Processor
>1TB 5.4k Hybrid HDD + 8G Cache
>NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
>15.6-inch FHD Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Display
>It comes with 8GB Single channel DDR3L 1600MHz which I will
>upgrade to 16gb later.
>
>I'm trying to balance between high end and workhorse, hope to
>get 3-4 solid years from it.
You will get 3-4 years easy with a top notch setup like that.
I know as I've owned many laptops over the years, in fact here is a pic of my first laptop & desktop from 1985 (lower right hand corner. Kinda like my first dollar. LOL
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/newold-3a.jpg
My current two laptops here:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/notebookpaint.htm-
#51. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 48
jc502 Registered since 25th Dec 2009Wed 22-Mar-17 10:24 AMThanks, I actually found the exact setup at B&H with additional 8 GB ram (16 total) for $50 cheaper than Dell website! $850 out the door, I couldn't hit "submit" quick enough.Visit my Nikonians gallery
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#22. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
Export photos from D500 to PC
Use Fastone to cull the "ugly" ones
Import to Lightroom CC
Cull once more, marking undesired ones as rejected
Then grade the remainders
Finally go into the Develop module to edit my "best of"
Back up LR catalog and then the next time I work in LR, I delete those I set as rejected
Once my pc completes its regularly scheduled back up, I feel free to format my camera card(s).
Seems like a lot of steps, but after learning the hard way, I don't rush too quickly to delete images!
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#23. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 22
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Wed 15-Mar-17 05:11 PM>Seems like a lot of steps, but after learning the hard way, I
>don't rush too quickly to delete images!
Ah... I've think we've all been there done that, learning the hard way. I know I did. In fact, knowing better, I did just that a couple weeks ago and lost some good pics being in a hurry.-
#24. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 23
ericbowles Nikonian since 25th Nov 2005Wed 15-Mar-17 05:47 PMMost of us have deleted photos we should not have.
I rate every image - even those being deleted. My system has a second review, a buffer, and builds toward only reviewing the best images for possible editing. I use Photo Mechanic for this.
I rate every image on a 1-5 scale:
1 = misfire, badly missed focus, etc
2 = soft, badly exposed, badly composed, failure in an essential element
3 = has value but has a flaw - weak composition, small miss in focus or exposure, etc.
4 = Keeper - wall worthy - includes ties so I don't split hairs
5 = Best of the year - may include ties
I select all my 1 and 2 rated images for review and then delete them if they are not a 3 or better.
Everything I keep gets another round of additional keywords, description, caption/title, etc. These are specific in general but often I don't get down to single images unless there is a planned need for that level of detail. I select a group of images and apply information to the entire group, then pick another group.
I select all my 4 rated images and review them to identify images that will be edited. These are the selects. I assign a color code - Red - to images that will be edited. The Selects - Red - are imported to Lightroom.
Once edited, I apply a color code of Yellow indicating the editing is finished.
Everyone has their own system. On occasion a client needs a photo that was not a select, but they are easy to find and can be edited then. I'm looking at different degrees of editing depending on final use.
This system gives me a lot of protection against deletions, but it also is fast. I can process hundreds of images per hour except for editing which is limited to a small number of images. There is minimal looking back - I don't want to think too long or revisit without a good reason.Eric Bowles
Director - Nikonians Academy
Nikonians Team Moderator
My Gallery
Workshops and Private Instruction
Nikonians membership — my most important photographic investment, after the camera-
#25. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 24
jvelasco Registered since 21st Dec 2016Wed 15-Mar-17 06:51 PMI don't delete anything anymore, except the occasional photo that was a complete mistake - out of focus, blurry, etc. Even a photo that I think is worthless is not worth deleting, given the extremely low cost of digital storage that keeps decreasing over time.
Besides, sometimes, worthless photos have proven to have something I want later I.
- Julian-
#26. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 25
ericbowles Nikonian since 25th Nov 2005Thu 16-Mar-17 06:48 AMDeleting is a personal choice. But it depends on what you are photographing.
For bird photography in a good location, I am very aggressive in deleting. A common bird with the wrong head position, too small in the frame, or with a small shadow across the body would be enough to make it a Delete because I will have hundreds of images from a single day and I can go back again and again for exactly the same image. I've deleted 90% or more from a day.
For event photography, the missed images that are slightly out of focus have no value at all - ever.
For sports - unless there is something remarkable happening, I'm very aggressive with deletes.
These images might collectively represent 20% of my images for a year, and they will never have any value. That is 6-7,000 images PER YEAR. They can go.
On the other hand, I may have images with no value other than location, composition, or camera settings and could make the decision to keep those. Collectively these are under 1% for a year and have no impact on backup storage.Eric Bowles
Director - Nikonians Academy
Nikonians Team Moderator
My Gallery
Workshops and Private Instruction
Nikonians membership — my most important photographic investment, after the camera-
#27. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 26
jvelasco Registered since 21st Dec 2016Thu 16-Mar-17 07:41 AMDeleting is a personal choice. And I can see how it the choice could vary depending on what you are shooting. But for me, the cost of keeping a photo is so small, and the benefit of deleting it is also so small, that I keep just about everything.
I have well over a terabyte of photos. There is no way that I actually use even 1% of them. But so what? Lightroom makes it easy to see the ones I want and hide the ones I don't. And storage costs are negligible. I have often gone back for photos that I didn't really care about at the time.
It actually saves me time not to delete. I don't have to cull with precision. If I take 10 different photos of the same thing, I don't have to look for the very best one. I can just take one that looks good, and if I later find that there something wrong with it, I can choose a different one. Moreover, I may think I want a vertical crop, but later I'd prefer a horizontal crop. Or, I may want to fill the frame, but later I realize I need to do perspective correction. For various reasons such as these, I have decided that it is better (for me) to just keep everything.
I'm not trying to force anything on anyone. I'm just trying to explain an alternative approach.
- Julian -
#28. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 26
jvelasco Registered since 21st Dec 2016Thu 16-Mar-17 07:47 AMOne more example of why I keep almost every single photo: in a studio shoot, there will often be weird shots of people yawning, blinking, grimacing, sticking their tongues out, etc. At the time, those seem like clear fails. Totally worth deleting.
But it has happened, on a few occasions, that people have asked for "different" photos of someone. Perhaps for a collage; perhaps for a party or even a funeral. Having kept those "fails" has come in handy. Not often; but not never. They wouldn't be worth keeping if it were difficult or costly. But since it is so easy, why not?
- Julian-
#29. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 28
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Thu 16-Mar-17 09:03 AM | edited Thu 16-Mar-17 09:05 AM by jack65OK, I'm going to comment on the save or not to save issues.
Mine is mostly birds, wildlife landscapes so it is not as crucial to save everything then like say a wedding or rare event (which I would save a lot more of)
But everything else, I delete what isn't good first (blurry, wrong pose, lighting etc). I pick out my very best right away, put in "best" folder, then I put the ones I'm not sure of in "save" folder, then delete the rest.
I hate going back in and going though a bunch of pics later on, like say 100 different shots of the same bird...
If it is a vacation or a place I won't get back to anytime soon, I'm more apt to save a lot more pics. I will still always get rid of bad ones.
I recall my Dad who was a perfectionist, a pro who did nature, weddings, portraits etc told me never to save anything bad, especially show anyone... ever! Always show your best work. That advice kinda stuck with me... bless him as Dad isn't with us anymore.
So saving or deleting pics depends on different situations.-
#30. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 29
rickcornell Nikonian since 01st Mar 2017Thu 16-Mar-17 02:02 PMFolks are making some very good points about deleting or not. I have two examples recently encountered that affect my approach now.
First, I shot some gymnastics. I ended up deleting a lot of images using the criteria "if I can't see the face" it is gone. I deleted a large number of gymnasts in mid air with their back to me even though they were clearly in focus.
Second, an acquaintance asked me if I had any photos of an individual from a recreational sporting event I photographed. Seems the individual is approaching the last stages of brain cancer and they wanted to put together one of those Shutterfly calendars using some of my images. Fortunately I had not applied my normal criteria of keep or delete and was able to provide images of use to them but under normal conditions I would not have kept.
Just kind of put things into a different perspective. Now a days even if the photo is not publication worthy I am saving more and more because someone might just want another photo of a person special to them.
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#31. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 25
Floridian Nikonian since 10th Feb 2007Thu 16-Mar-17 03:26 PM>I don't delete anything anymore... given
>the extremely low cost of digital storage...
This surely depends on what you're shooting and how many photos you're actually saving. I delete most of mine after looking at them once.
I have a D300 with 111,000 shutter actuations on it and a D50 with 73,000, plus my D500 with I'm not sure how many at this point. That's more than 184,000 photos, most of which nobody (including me) would ever want to see.
Example: I can shoot hundreds of photos at a basketball game, but maybe save only 10-20 of them. If for some reason I want to go back and find one from a few seasons ago (and dozens of games) that means I only have to look through hundreds of photos I've saved, rather than thousands. Would I really want to search through thousands of photos, most of which I knew weren't keepers the first time I went through them? Landscapes and wildlife: same thing. I take many photos of the same subject, and I'll keep the best; toss the rest.
Seems like whether to keep or cull depends on the subject matter and how many photos total you're looking at saving. The ones I save are a small percentage of the ones I take. The low cost of storage doesn't tempt me to save more, because the more I save, the harder it is for me to find the one I want.
Randy-
#32. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 31
jvelasco Registered since 21st Dec 2016Thu 16-Mar-17 03:53 PMI respect your decision, of course. To each his own!
But with Lightroom, I can easily limit my view to those photos that I have 1 star (or 2, or 3). So I don't have to wade through everything. But if I ever want to look through everything, I can.
- Julian-
#33. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 32
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Thu 16-Mar-17 04:03 PM>I respect your decision, of course. To each his own!
>
>But with Lightroom, I can easily limit my view to those photos
>that I have 1 star (or 2, or 3). So I don't have to wade
>through everything. But if I ever want to look through
>everything, I can.
>
>- Julian
It's your time and your choice. For me and some of the others here, time is money.-
#37. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 33
benttop Nikonian since 15th Jul 2016Sat 18-Mar-17 10:14 AMI struggle with this decision. I've been keeping everything for a number of years, but I shoot about 10K images a year, and my library goes back to 1999. The full library is approaching 3 Terabytes, and I like to keep multiple backups, both online and offline. It takes a couple of days to make a full backup to a new USB3 drive, but you can get 4TB drives at Costco for $114. So I use them once and put them in my safe.
I had thought at one point, maybe the thing to do is just do a backup of the .psd files, since those are the images I've chosen to edit. And then I find gold in one that I'd missed.
The trouble is, I have to keep replacing these drives on my network, that are getting perilously close to full. I thought a 3TB backup drive was going to be big enough forever - not so much.
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- Steve Cavanaugh -
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Visit my Nikonians gallery.
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#38. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 37
jvelasco Registered since 21st Dec 2016Sat 18-Mar-17 10:35 AMYeah, I can see what you are saying. Backing up can be a pain. I, too, have about 2.5 TB of photos!
I've gone through a few different models of backup over the years. What I've finally decided upon is the following:
* external RAID drive as my primary storage for all files (if one drive fails, not a problem)
* automated cloud backup of all files through CrashPlan (don't have to think about it)
* most important photos are also published to a Dropbox folder (part of workflow)
* files that I share also exist on SmugMug (not a chore; this is how I share my photos)
Even if I were just to do the RAID drive and CrashPlan, I'd be pretty comfortable that I'm safe. But, of course, people have different risk profiles. Once I throw in Dropbox and SmugMug, though, I'm really quite comfortable. And I really don't have to spend any time thinking about it because it's either automated or part of my natural workflow.
- Julian
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#34. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
I use several programs to process my RAW images - Lightroom CC, Photoshop CC, ON1 and ON1 Photo RAW.
An Intous Waccom tablet for more detailed work.
For printing, I use an Epson Surecolor P800.
I usually import photos into LR for preview and culling and perform preliminary adjustments using LR before deciding which additional plugin to proceed with.
Visit my Nikonians gallery.
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#40. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 34
george_51 Nikonian since 19th Dec 2016Sat 18-Mar-17 04:20 PMEarly on this thread began as a question on post-shot processing and has evolved through that, to the hardware we use, and now our individual 'policies' on ranking and deleting images.
Goes to show how rich in content are the forums and our contributions.
I have never rated my digital files but I am ruthless in deleting poorly composed images and poorly 'shot' images although the nice guys at Nikon make that less frequent as time goes by.
So, reflections aside, I am a MacBook Pro user and am looking for something bigger than my 15" Retina screen but as I don't do video am drawn to a used 27" Apple Thunderbolt Display - how does this stack up to alternatives and can it be calibrated and if so with what software?-
#41. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 40
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Sat 18-Mar-17 04:50 PM | edited Sat 18-Mar-17 05:04 PM by jack65>I have never rated my digital files but I am ruthless in
>deleting poorly composed images and poorly 'shot' images
Thats me for sure!
>Early on this thread began as a question on post-shot processing and has >evolved through that, to the hardware we use, and now our individual
>'policies' on ranking and deleting images.
Actually if you read my first post, this was intended as I asked what program and computers/laptops you use. Turn out to be a great post. -
#42. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 40
JonK Nikonian since 02nd Jul 2004Sat 18-Mar-17 04:57 PMWhile perhaps not the best monitor out there, the 27" display will take calibration and be just fine.
Jon Kandel
A New York City Nikonian and Team Member
Please visit my website and critique the images!
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#49. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
I also picked up, on Thom Hogan's recommendation, something called Fast Raw Viewer. Not free, but worth the low price asked for it.
With my D500, I'm continuing to use the same set of three programs.
#52. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
I recently purchased ON1 Software's Photo RAW application which is like Lightroom only you can purchase it outright for $99 and it does not require importing images first so it works better for my own workflow process. I review and cull images as my first step and so having to first tag and import images into Lightroom (or Capture One) costs me time to no advantage.
Once Adobe started to force its customers to use their web server based applications that required an internet connection to do work it was time to find another vendor's product anyway.
Visit my Nikonians gallery
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#53. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 52
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Wed 22-Mar-17 07:24 PM>It has been an evolution for me. I started with using Nikon
>Capture NX-D to convert RAW to TIFF and then processing the
>image for printing using CS6. I added DxO OpticsPro to gain
>lens correction capabilities.
>
>I recently purchased ON1 Software's Photo RAW application
>which is like Lightroom only you can purchase it outright for
>$99 and it does not require importing images first so it works
>better for my own workflow process. I review and cull images
>as my first step and so having to first tag and import images
>into Lightroom (or Capture One) costs me time to no advantage.
>
>
>Once Adobe started to force its customers to use their web
>server based applications that required an internet connection
>to do work it was time to find another vendor's product
>anyway.
The Adobe CS6 Masters Collection works just fine for me. I refuse to go to the cloud or the newer online version.-
#54. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 53
I agree, my Photoshop CS6 is way more than one needs to do PP of photos. However, when I bought the Nikon D500 camera and shoot only raw Nef files, I had to buy another software to open my raw Nef files.
My solution was to buy DxO Optics Pro ver. 11 which opens the raw Nef files. Then I may or may not do some PP in DxO, either way, I then export the raw files as Dng files to Photoshop CS6 which are opened in Camera Raw CS6.
Note - Digital Dog who is the expert on conversion of raw files to Dng files, states the Dng files are exactly the same as the raw files, there is no loss in the conversion.
Leon
Visit my GalleryVisit
Enjoy photography with my Nikon D500 camera and have fun with Photoshop CS6-
#55. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 54
ericbowles Nikonian since 25th Nov 2005Fri 31-Mar-17 07:36 AMLeon
I think Digital Dog is referring to no loss when you convert the NEF to DNG using Adobe's product because it can embed the full NEF in the DNG. If you are not embedding the NEF in the DNG, such as when you create it in another program, you lose the NEF but have the converted file in a DNG format. The practical side of this today may be minimal, but the files are different. I don't see anything wrong with this approach as long as you retain your NEF.
There is a difference between no loss of data at all and no apparent loss. 12 bit vs. 14 bit is usually no apparent loss, but when editing and looking at transitions in detail, there is a difference.Eric Bowles
Director - Nikonians Academy
Nikonians Team Moderator
My Gallery
Workshops and Private Instruction
Nikonians membership — my most important photographic investment, after the camera-
#56. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 55
Thank you Eric
I always keep my original Nef files and copy them to another disk for safe keeping.
Leon
Visit my GalleryVisit
Enjoy photography with my Nikon D500 camera and have fun with Photoshop CS6
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#57. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 54
walkerr Registered since 05th May 2002Fri 31-Mar-17 06:40 PM | edited Fri 31-Mar-17 06:41 PM by walkerrIf you're exporting DNGs out of DxO, those are linear DNGs that are demosiaced rather than "normal" DNGs from a DNG conversion tool. They differ from the original raw file by quite a bit.Rick Walker
My photos:
GeoVista Photography
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#59. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 58
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Mon 17-Apr-17 07:14 PMA couple weeks ago I got a new LG - 65" - LED - Smart - 3D - 4K Ultra HD TV - with High Dynamic Range and boy does working on my photo's with CS6 look great on that!-
#60. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 59
blw Nikonian since 18th Jun 2004Mon 17-Apr-17 07:37 PMOf course, displaying a D500 image on a 4K display means that you're throwing away well over half of the data. 4K = ~8 megapixels._____
Brian...-
#62. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 60
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Mon 17-Apr-17 08:59 PM>Of course, displaying a D500 image on a 4K display means that
>you're throwing away well over half of the data. 4K = ~8
>megapixels.
Still a LOT better than viewing on a 1080p HDTV
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#61. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
I am in the process of evaluating witching to ON1 Software's Photo RAW 2017 for general image file processing. It is like Lightroom but it is standalone so no cloud issues and Photo RAW does not require pre-tagging and importing all ones image files before doing anything.
I used ACR in the past for quick and dirty conversions from RAW to TIFF but it has never provided the best results when I needed the best possible working file.
Visit my Nikonians gallery
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#63. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 61
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Wed 26-Apr-17 07:04 AMThe reason I started this thread was back in the film days, darkroom work end results was what separated the good pictures from the bad AND saved some bad pictures, such as overexposed or pics that needed cleaning up etc. Darkroom work separated the pros from the wannabes too. That is no different than today with all the programs & options we have to choose from. Many pictures taken are not exactly what you saw with your eyes, hence the need for "darkroom" work. Also work such as cleaning up old slide photos, which I've been doing, darkroom work is needed such as:
Slide before:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/1957OLDS-800.jpg
Slide after:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/57OLDS57-800.jpg
Ah... it is a great time to be a photographer.
#67. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
>D500 pics?
>I use the Adobe CS6 Masters Collection.
>For post processing screens I use my Samsung 13" laptop
>in the field, at home the calibrated Samsung 32" &
>Sony HDTV 70" being fed with:
>Lenovo Ideapad i7 CPU, 16GB Memory -Samsung 850 500GB SSD -
>1TB HDD via Ultrabay - Single/SLI Nvidia 750M - 9 cell battery
>- Windows 10 Pro x64
>
>I never, ever do post-processing in-camera.
Update: In March, I gave my Sony TV to my Brother-In-Law and now have a
LG 65UH8500 65" Super IPS UHD 4K Smart LED TV 240Hz TruMotion Color Prime TV.
This TV is amazing to work with my CS6 program. You can see the tiniest details. There is no going back to a smaller screen!
To show the differences in sizes, click the link:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/+updateTVroom-1200.jpg
How many of you use a big screen TV with your post-processing?
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#68. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 67
Mithel Registered since 12th Mar 2017Tue 13-Jun-17 04:24 PMI use a 32" 4k monitor and couldn't imagine using anything less.
#69. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 0
I have, but don't really use, the Nik tools, and Topaz DeNoise which I use mostly for non-stacked astrophotography - Milky Way shots, etc. I also have Perfectly Clear v3, which I will often use to "git 'er done" quickly when I don't have the time or inclination to put in the time right now in LR.
For travel, I use LR6 on a trusty old Thinkpad W510 with a Core i7, 16GB RAM and an SSD. If I'm away from home I'll do the initial import, cataloging, and maybe some preliminary editing on the TP, then export the catalog to the NAS once I get home and import it to LR on the desktop.
Both the Samsung and the Thinkpad are 1920 x 1080, and are calibrated with Spyder5 Pro - the Samsung covers 97% of sRGB, while the TP covers 99%!
Jon
My Nikon journey so far: D40 - D5100 - D90 - D7100 - D600 - D500
Visit my Nikonians gallery.
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#70. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 69
jack65 Registered since 18th Jan 2017Wed 28-Jun-17 07:22 PM | edited Wed 28-Jun-17 07:24 PM by jack65Very important to have lots of Hard Drive room with this D500 with the XQD media!
I have 500GB SSD and 1TB HDD in my two laptops and 500GB SSD & 1TB HDD I can attach to my laptops.
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/HDD-SSD-SD.jpg
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/+updateTVroom-1200.jpg-
#71. "RE: What do you use to post-process your D500 pics?" | In response to Reply # 70
jetkins Nikonian since 25th Nov 2011Thu 29-Jun-17 12:34 PMYeah, I have a 1TB and a 2TB portable drives that will be going with me on our upcoming European vacation, and I'll be pushing stuff to the cloud whenever I have Wi-Fi access.Jon
My Nikon journey so far: D40 - D5100 - D90 - D7100 - D600 - D500
Visit my Nikonians gallery.
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G
I use the Adobe CS6 Masters Collection.
For post processing screens I use my Samsung 13" laptop in the field, at home the calibrated Samsung 32" & Sony HDTV 70" being fed with:
Lenovo Ideapad i7 CPU, 16GB Memory -Samsung 850 500GB SSD - 1TB HDD via Ultrabay - Single/SLI Nvidia 750M - 9 cell battery - Windows 10 Pro x64
I never, ever do post-processing in-camera.
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/+updateTVroom-1200.jpg
If this is posted in wrong area, please do move it.