a question about image modification...

U

ukphd

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Name
Nancy
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello

I'm new to shooting RAW images and haven't tried any modification of my shots on the computer yet but I was just wondering about something.

Many photo competitions specify no modifications/manipulation of images allowed but what counts as a modification/manipulation? I read that making alterations to the RAW image is just like having taken the same photo but with different settings on your camera (you can tell I'm new to this!) so does say, for example, altering the exposure count?

I'm not actually entering any competitions yet but I'm just curious
:)
 
Good question, I have no idea how they would implement this as many camera's will allow some manipulation within the camera itself, even resizing is manipulation?

Watching this with interest. :D
 
If they would not let you process raw files they would exclude virtually all serious amateur photographers and professionals.
The Raw process is Just that... processing the raw data to produce an image. It is very like processing a film and making a print. It neither adds nor subtracts parts of the image.
 
The basic point is Raw is not an image, it is just the data from the sensor, a lot of 0s and 1s if you like. You have to process the RAW data in order to get a viewable image. This is what the on-board computer in the camera does to give you a jpeg. You just tell the camera what settings to use and it does this for every press of the shutter.

No image modification generally means no copy and pasting / cloning or other type of invention that was not present in the original scene. The rules of each competition will tell you what is / not acceptable.
 
I agree - you should be fine with anything you can do in your RAW converter. Adding contrast, saturation, exposure, sharpening, softening to an image (or part of the image) is I expect acceptable.
 
'Modification' is not the same as 'processing'...as long as you do not remove or add elements to the image, then it's classed as 'enhancement' not modification.

What we used to call 'normal darkroom practice' is acceptable for Press use and is the default level for most competitions...
Lighten/darken the overall image or selected areas = exposure and dodging & burning.
Colour-correction & colour enhancement = initial film selection and use of filters both on-camera and in the darkroom for printing.

Even subtle use of HDR to give greater exposure latitude is technically acceptable as multiple exposures were possible with film cameras, both at the taking stage and during processing...
The key thing to remember is to document those processes - as long as you're not trying to pass off an enhanced or even 'manipulated' image as a 'straight' unprocessed image, you should be OK...

For most applications use a suffix to the file-name to denote the level of enhancement:
R = RAW or 'unprocessed' JPEG (i.e. with only in-camera processing applied).
E = Enhanced (as above) - default for Press and Media use.
M = manipulated (with elements added, removed etc etc for artistic purposes). Add the caveat 'MANIPULATED IMAGE' to the file info caption to cover your ass...
 
Thanks everyone.

Presumably at the end of the day it's down to honesty - I bet there are people that clone bits/add bits etc and pretend they didn't.

Thankfully I'm not at the stage of doing very much at all as I've only just started investigating RAW images and what can be done with them :)
 
Usually I'd say things like brightness, contrast, levels, saturation etc etc all fine, but adding or removing objects is going a bit too far. Obviously a bit of touching up on a portrait probably will be fine, but changing a shot in your back garden to one on top of a waterfall with a Caribbean sunset in the background would be a little silly.

A bit of common sense and you'll be fine :D

Chris
 
if your shot is good you can make it better...but not reinvent it...
 
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