Wedding photos - processing approach?

kitschenalia

kitschenalia

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Edit My Images
Yes
Hi there, I did the wedding photos for my best friend - this is the second freebie I've done, and I think they came out well - some shots that I really really love. So now I have the mammoth task of editing them all. As I say, I've done this before and editing ranged from just tweaking exposure (all shot in RAW), contrast etc to additional processing such as adding hazy layer, or adding vintage style action and a chocolatey black and white action in PS. I also like using Lightroom and decrease saturation then increase vibrance. I do sometimes do a BIT of work on eyes too on more close up portrait shots, but only a bit and only some. Finally, on some shots I add a vignette to bring out the subject more. Only on some.

It took AGES last time and I'm sure it will this time too, I want to do the very best with my images that I can. I wondered if there was a methodical approach you can recommend - for example, do you go through and sort out exposure etc. first, or just process one image until you've completely finished it? Also, for wedding work, any other tips you can share for making shots really special?

I'm aware that the more you save a file, the more sharpness you lose (or have I imagined this?), and also, I have no software that will work on RAW files, I use LR 2.6and PS 7.

With my first freebie wedding I stupidly had my focussing set to all focus points so I had softness issues (although plenty of salvageable or already sharp shots) but this time I didn't struggle with sharpness. I did however have noise problems on the indoor shots with my new flashgun - I imagine that LR's noise reduction will be adequate.

Also I've never done batch editing, don't really understand how it works. So any tips, gratefully received.
 
Lightroom will work just fine on RAW files (or jpeg) it treats them all the same (essentially) My aproach with LR is to load all the images (after backing up) and just start at the first ones and work through.
I'll batch as many as I can (all the ones shot in the same light etc) for the basic process, I don't crop in LR, but then I try to crop as much as possible in camera so don't often have to crop much in PP anyway, I'll also fix the colours if needed at the same time. I'll do a few sepia or cyanotype if an image looks like it might work in it, but I'll make a virtual copy first and do it on that.
 
I'm happy to share my workflow, it may look like a lot of work but I have done it many times and it works well for me.

I think it is all about personal choice and what works best for you. Many people may disagree with what I do, which is fine, this is my way :) so go ahead and find your way too ;)

I hope that you find something of use here and take from it what you need.

I use Lightroom for nearly all the post processing work:

PRE-IMPORT

  • Download files on PC on the night of the shoot and create first backup copy too. Go to bed.
  • Wake up, make a massive jug of Colombian roast coffee and get to work.
  • Create a "master" and a "work" folder set
  • Open Lightroom and create a new catalogue (I do this for every "major" shoot) in the top level of the "work" folder
  • Import the images from the "work" folder and apply an import preset which tags the images with a unique keyword, sets copyright and imports them at 1:1
  • Have a cuppa, browse internet whilst it's doing that
POST-IMPORT (approx 10mins)

  • Create a Smart Collection set for the unique keyword set at import and also sub folders for the keywords I am going to spray can:
  • Keywording - Using the Library module: Use the keyword spray can to spray the the photos with the stages of the shoot; "getting ready", "bridal portrait", "ceremony", "formal groups" etc
  • The photos will automatically jump into the smart collection sets

REMOVE ALL DUPLICATES and "TEST SHOTS" (30 mins)

  • No messing about here, starting with the first photo and with both hands on the keyboard, with a finger on the "right arrow key" and a finger on the "x" key, I reject all duplicates and test shots (blurry, poor framing etc)
  • I then filter on the the rejected and check them quickly. I then filter on the others and check them quickly too. Looking for any missed ones, tagged mistakenly etc.
At this point, I have now done all the prep work so I can concentrate on the "keepers". From the "keepers" I will ultimately create a "client set", which are the ones I will give to the client :-)

POST PROCESSING (can take a few hours to a full day depending on number of images in the "keepers" set)

  • The fun begins...
  • In the Develop module I basically follow the order of the panel. I perform the following on sets of similar photos. That is, I find the first photo in the set that needs correcting, make the adjust and then sync the others or copy and paste the corrections:
    • Except Lens correction, why it is at the bottom I don't know - I switch this on first for all the photos
    • Correct the white balance for a "set" of similar photos
    • Correct the exposure
    • Perform recovery if I need to
    • Always increase the blacks slightly
  • As I am scanning, I'll use the Spot Removal tool to remove artefacts and the GND filter for the sky
  • I play a little with the "Presence" set of sliders
  • Apply slight noise reduction to all the high ISO shots (I filter on the shots that have an ISO at or above 800) - The 5D II is great for low noise!
  • Apply a little vignette to nearly all the photos using post-crop setting so that the crop further below does not affect this vignette
As I am going through each photo and viewing them for a little longer, I may reject some (x) key. Which I do regularly. I do this heavy amount of PP on the "keepers" and not the subset of "clients" (see below) because they could all become part of the client set.

I also tag for the client set as I am working on the images:

CREATE THE CLIENT SET

  • The main difference between this set and the "keepers" set is that all the photos are unique and are what I consider to be "the best" of the keepers.
  • I tag with the 6 key, and set the colour to Red. These tagged images are much easier to see than a 5 star image
  • I do a quick run through from first to last image to make sure I am happy with the client set
  • Nearly all the shots from the "keeper" set can make it to the "client" set
  • It is on these that I spend the most time
The remaining steps are done on the client set...

CREATIVE or CORRECTIVE CROPS

  • I'll do the crops at this point. I maintain the aspect ratio and crop specifically:
    • Remove stuff on the edges I did not spot when I did the in-camera crop
    • Want a better composition
    • Create an image from an image (the massive file from the 5D II lets me do this with no size issues)
At this point, I could leave it all natural. Which I have done many times.

EXPORT FOR PROOFING

  • I export these files for my private web gallery. I use FotoPlayer and so set the options accordingly and upload the gallery directly through Lightroom
    • I've applied a watermark on the images and reduced size for this export
  • I send an email to the client inviting them and their friends to view their gallery along with a PDF on how the gallery works, ordering prints etc
  • I also ask them to place an order from FotoPlayer which lets them choose which photos they would like in their album. This is used as a guide for me in case there is a really important shot they want in their album. I try and create the album with that I think would be good.
The remaining steps are the effects such as increasing colour, split toning, black and white etc.

POST PROCESS EFFECTS (can take couple of hours to days)


  • I then make the black and white set. I do this by making virtual copies of all the photos. I then filter on the virual copies, put them in and black and white collection and then run a preset that I created.
  • Next I look at finding signature photos and do a number of effects on them such as split toning, different hue, open in Photoshop and run some effects actions
  • If the client has requested any additional PP then I do this now too
  • At this point, you can take as long as you like doing many different effects, show off your skills or just leave them as they are
 
ramyad said:
  • No messing about here, starting with the first photo and with both hands on the keyboard, with a finger on the "right arrow key" and a finger on the "x" key, I reject all duplicates and test shots (blurry, poor framing etc)
  • I then filter on the the rejected and check them quickly. I then filter on the others and check them quickly too. Looking for any missed ones, tagged mistakenly etc.
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If you put caps lock on or use shift then when you hit X (rejected), U (unflagged) or P (pick) then it automatically moves onto the next picture.
 
Excellent post Ramesh, thanks for sharing your workflow :thumbs:
 
Agree with Sammy.....many thanks for your detailed worflow, like others I am trying to work to a set procedure which siuts me.
Thanks again
Dave
 
Matt989 said:
Ramesh, Can I just thank you for posting that...

VERY VERY helpful...im struggling to create a efficient work flow and this gives somewhere to start!

Thank you
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aligibbs said:
Ramesh - that's an awesome post- thanks :)
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lee said:
Excellent post Ramesh, thanks for sharing your workflow :thumbs:
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kitschenalia said:
thank you so much Wayne, and Ramesh - excellent, thanks so much!
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nikonuser said:
Agree with Sammy.....many thanks for your detailed worflow, like others I am trying to work to a set procedure which siuts me.
Thanks again
Dave
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You're all welcome. :) Hope it helps you streamline your workflow.

six6six said:
Ramesh I think you should make that a new thread for a sticky.. I think it will be useful for others in the future.. :D
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Hmm.. sounds like a good idea, may get a few others commenting on their steps too and get a bit more wealth of information.
 
Thanks for sharing Ramesh, starting to get into wedding togging but I need to get my workflow more efficient (and get to grips with LightRoom !).
This will provide a great start to creating my workflow.
 
You say you do not have software for processing RAW files in your first post, I always thought Lightroom and PS 7 had ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) built in. Also you must have the Canon software that came with your camera that can process RAW files.
Just a thought.

Excellent post by Ramyad by the way.
 
Hi Safecracker, yes, sorry I have the Digital Photo Professional software that came with my Canon, and use it as a starting point. It's pretty good I think but I can't use it to clone, or tidy up, or add vignetting, or anything like this. I think LR does work on the files as RAW, but I can't seem to export them in their RAW format - I have to change them to Jpeg to get them "out". Not sure why this is..... I'm still learning with PS7, I didn't know about this ACR - may have a look for it - thank you. (although to do anything much I have to change my image from an 16- to an 8-bit image, so surely that is transforming it from RAW to JPeg anyway?
 
kitschenalia said:
Hi Safecracker, yes, sorry I have the Digital Photo Professional software that came with my Canon, and use it as a starting point. It's pretty good I think but I can't use it to clone, or tidy up, or add vignetting, or anything like this. I think LR does work on the files as RAW, but I can't seem to export them in their RAW format - I have to change them to Jpeg to get them "out". Not sure why this is..... I'm still learning with PS7, I didn't know about this ACR - may have a look for it - thank you. (although to do anything much I have to change my image from an 16- to an 8-bit image, so surely that is transforming it from RAW to JPeg anyway?
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You don't need to export your photos in Lightroom in RAW format, you can right click on a thumbnail of your file and select the "Show in explorer" option at the top of the right-click menu. It will then show you the actual RAW file and you can open that in Photoshop if you so wish.

Don't forget that any edits you perform on a RAW file in any raw editor has to "fixed" to your image. RAW does not fix changes you do, it is a true "negative" that stays as a "negative". You have to convert it into another file format so that your changes in Lightoom are then fixed to that instance of the image, that you see in Lightroom.

You can choose the format that the file is rendered to, if you want to edit in Photoshop, by going to the Edit menu, Preferences and then the External Editing tab. I have mine set to PSD which is the native Photoshop format.
 
So do you basically mean that even if I "save changes" to a RAW file, say in DPP, that those changes won't really be saved to the RAW file and it will remain as SOOC? Unless I convert it to JPeg or something?

I am trying to follow your workflow as best as possible - I've created a catalogue in LR, and a smart set, but I don't know how to then add subfolders to my smart set? I would like to do the spraycan thing you suggested because I have over 500 images. Any suggestions?

thanks for all your help :-)
 
kitschenalia said:
So do you basically mean that even if I "save changes" to a RAW file, say in DPP, that those changes won't really be saved to the RAW file and it will remain as SOOC? Unless I convert it to JPeg or something?
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That's correct. When you edit a RAW file you aren't changing the RAW file. In Lightroom, the changes you make get saved to either a sidecar file called an XMP file or are embedded in the calalogue. Other software will do something similar. It is only when you export into another format, that is not RAW, do the changes then take affect and stay on the actual image information.

The advantage doing it this way is that you are working on the true image as it was captured by your camera sensor, therefore you are making all the decisions and you can always undo steps and go all the way back to the original RAW image.

kitschenalia said:
I am trying to follow your workflow as best as possible - I've created a catalogue in LR, and a smart set, but I don't know how to then add subfolders to my smart set? I would like to do the spraycan thing you suggested because I have over 500 images. Any suggestions?

thanks for all your help :-)
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Hmm, I'm not sure if Lightroom 2.6 has Smart Collections where you can then create sub-folder. This is what I do in LR3:

1. Right click and create "Smart Collections"
2. Cick on the Smart Collections folder from step 1
3. Right click again and create "Smart Collection..."
4. Create a rule that has match all where KEYWORDS CONTAINS "Your unique name you gave your set on import"
5. Add another rule that has match all where KEYWORDS CONTAINS "Your keyword for a set, eg bridal, ceremony etc"

Step 4 ensures only the photos from the session you imported is picked up and step 5 picks the subset from the set which you are going to spray can.

Next grab the spray can, set the Paint: to keywords. Enter the keyword on the right hand side box and spray away.

If your version of lightroom does not have "Smart Collections" where you can create sub-folders then create each one as seperate folders. You have a catalogue unique to the session so you won't need to group them.
 
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thanks so much, that worked for LR 2.6!

A much better way of organising them, plus I imagine it will be psychologically better, given I have 570 odd shots, and they're not mostly garbage (hurray!), and so I can edit them sub folder by sub folder :)

Just off to do the ruthless deleting bit next. I've already got rid of all the total trash (totally OOF, etc.) but I have multiple group shots etc. to choose from. Although I'll have to take my time over this to make sure I get the best of each group shot really won't I, I can't do it that quickly (not sure how I could get it all done in the 30 mins you suggest).

thanks again :)
 
Having them as folders instead of sub-folders isn't a problem as you are using a catalogue for your set. If you need to do this in a catalogue that has many different sets then give your Smart Collection folders a unique prefix that identifies the session.

With regards to removing the duplicates, first instincts do count for a lot. If I have say 4 similar shots I quickly scan them and know quite quickly which one of the four is the best. If I look at one for a little time, then the next for a little time, it doesn't work for me. I quickly scan all four, get the instinct, go back to the first do it one more time and make the decision. It probably takes about 10 seconds or less. The more you do it, the quicker you'll get at spotting the good one.

Try it and see if it works for you. If not then that's fine, will just take a little longer.
 
I'd be happy to share some of my prized Lightroom presets with you which I've worked on over the past 12 months. They aren't everyones cup of tea and there's quite a few which are very similar (with only mild saturation/blacks adjustments between them) but they've become my prized possession and they've cut the time I spend processing in half, easily.

PM me your e-mail address and I'll e-mail over a few that I don't mind parting with :gag:
 
Ramyad, another question, so sorry....... my Lightroom Catalogue, which had all the images in it, now is empty??? I can set it up again, but will it empty itself out every time I shut down LR? Any idea what I did wrong? I have the images all there still in the folder I imported them to, but the "Lightroom Catalogue" is saying 0 images, and showing none (yet when I go into properties it is saying that there are 500 odd files). My Smart Collection is still intact - did they all actually get shifted there? (I had thought they got copied into there).

ETA also, when I performed the scan through the pics to see which to get rid of, I used your method of scrolling through with right arrow key, then rejecting with "x". But when I go back or forwards the image is still there. How do I get it so that it's gone from the sub folders and the overall folder?
 
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kitschenalia said:
Ramyad, another question, so sorry....... my Lightroom Catalogue, which had all the images in it, now is empty??? I can set it up again, but will it empty itself out every time I shut down LR? Any idea what I did wrong? I have the images all there still in the folder I imported them to, but the "Lightroom Catalogue" is saying 0 images, and showing none (yet when I go into properties it is saying that there are 500 odd files). My Smart Collection is still intact - did they all actually get shifted there? (I had thought they got copied into there).

ETA also, when I performed the scan through the pics to see which to get rid of, I used your method of scrolling through with right arrow key, then rejecting with "x". But when I go back or forwards the image is still there. How do I get it so that it's gone from the sub folders and the overall folder?
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Lightroom does not delete photos on exit so they are still there. If you can see them in your collections then they are still in the catalogue.

When you add a photo to a collection, standard or smart, it does not move them to the collection, it just tags them to say that they belong in that collection.

In the Library Module on the left hand side there is a flyout panel, which at the bottom has your collections. This is where you have been creating your smart collections. Just above that is a panel that shows the locations from your hard drive that the photos have been imported from. If you click on the folder name it should show you all the files that were imported.
 
Ramesh, that is absolutely magnificent!! If it hasn't already been 'stuck' then it should become a sticky! Thanks very much for taking the time to post that. I have my first wedding coming up and I think this will be invaluable!
 
You don't have to filter either, I thought you could press ctrl/cmd + something to delete all the rejected photos?
 
CTRL+DEL or Cmd+Del (win - mac) in Library module
 
F1 is your friend in LR - the help files are really good - and worth reading!
 
Excellent post with a lot of info cheers Ramesh for sharing it with us all at TP :)
 
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