Raw processing

[Jonathan Ashton]

Here are a few of my observations regarding raw processing, I am merely reporting to you in brief some of my findings in regard to raw image processing, I do not claim to have found something that many of you have not already found or perhaps even dismissed as unnecessary..

I recently purchased CS6 and this has been a real eye opener for me. The raw converter associated with Bridge is Camera raw version 7. Now there is a new Process 2012 option and the Basic panel controls have been completely revised to process raw and non raw images.

My workflow in ACR is as follows this is chronological order, it seems like a long list but I must stress that not every image necessarily requires every stage.

1. Check or modify white point
2. Apply a camera profile
3. Apply lens profile adjustment
4. Set levels
5. Enhance highlight detail - Highlights slider
6. Enhance Shadow detail - Shadows slider
7. Fine tune shadow/highlight clipping points (black & white sliders)
8. Adjust midtone contrast - Clarity
9. Fine tune Tone curve contrast (rarely needed)
10. Fine tune colour saturation/vibrance plus HSL colour
11. Retouch spots - clone/heal brush
12. Localised adjustments using graduated filter or adjustment brush
13. Apply capture sharpening and noise reduction
14. Apply crop and or rotation
15. Open image in PS.

The levels slider is different to previous versions in ACR, it is perhaps easier to use it in terms of considering using it to optimise mid tones rather than the whites and blacks, it can be used in conjunction with the contrast slider.
The contrast slider is completely different to previous versions, it now automatically varies the mid point curve setting depending upon image content, e.g. in low key images - the mid point shifts slightly to the left and in high key it shift slightly to the right. If you do get over or under exposure when making the previous adjustments this may be adjusted using the Black and white sliders.
The Highlight and Shadow sliders are updated versions of the Recovery and Fill Light sliders in previous versions, they work so that there is no overlap as in previous versions, the Highlights will not affect the dark elements at all and similarly the Highlights will not affect dark areas at all. You may have noticed for example the Recovery slider in Process 2003-2010 (i.e. C5 and its predecessors) could have a tendency to flatten out and soften highlight tones if used a little too liberally.

Camera Raw 6 and 7 use the later process 2010 or 2012 respectively. These offer better demosaic processing, sharpening and also noise reduction characteristics than previously. Presharpening, and sharpening of any kind ultimately boils down to personal preference. I am of the opinion however that if there is an optimal amount of sharpening and noise reduction applied at the raw stage then the resultant tiff or jpeg will look correspondingly better. Sharpening and noise reduction tend to fight one another, the "cleaner" an image is made the more detail will be lost. There is not one perfect presharpening setting but there are certain guidelines that may be considered.
To see the effect of any of the sharpening sliders press Alt whilst clicking on the slider,( more recent versions do not require you to view at 100%, older versions will have his requirement.)
The Amount slider controls how much sharpening is applied to an image and the radius controls how the sharpening gets distributed. As a rule of thumb I use the Amount slider in the region of 30 to 80, this depends upon the image in terms of lighting angle and ISO, some image clearly need more sharpening others less.
One of Adobe's Camera Raw engineers once said "good sharpening consists of halos that everyone sees, but nobody notices", to meet this, the latest versions now work by making dark edges a little less dark and the brighter edges are a little brighter. The size of these little halos is determined by the Sharpen Radius. A radius in the 0.5 to 1.0 range makes for narrow halos, and this helps us to perceive fine detail. I tend to use a Sharpen Radius in the region of 0.5 to 1.0 for natural history photography. Landscape photography will probably be better suited to higher values say 1-3.
The next two slider are Detail and Mask - these may be regarded as suppression filters. Again personal choice comes into this but I would suggest not raising the detail too high especially in higher ISO settings, though in low ISO it can be used at higher settings for landscape for example. The best thing is to press the Alt key as you make adjustments to visualise the effect.
Same goes for Mask, this I think is a great slider, if you press Alt and adjust the slider to the right you will see more and more of the image becomes masked black and this is not sharpened, the white areas are.
As a starter guide I can recommend you try these settings (bearing in mind I use Canon 7D and 50D)
Amount 40 - 80
Radius 05.-1.0
Detail 20-80
Masking 20-60
I have set up defaults to Amount 40 Radius 0.5 Detail 40 Masking 30.
The Adjustment Brush in raw is also very powerful, it can be used to modify a whole raft of parameters but now I use it to remove noise from the background and occasionally I use it rather like a dodge and Burn Tool or Sponge Tool, no doubt I will soon discover further valuable uses.
When I go into Photoshop I use the sharpening technique that Morkel Erasmus introduced us to, i.e. one of Philip Perold's sharpening methods - it may be downloaded from Philip Perold's website. I have modified the settings in the Action so that I can produce 600, 800, 1024, 1050 and 1400 px images as different actions. The Action I must admit is something I have not studied but I did notice the two stage sharpening. I also edited the actions so that when the images are resized they are resized from initial size to twice the required size and then subsequently resized to the requires size, it makes sense to me not to try to cut pixels in half. Once the action is complete it is possible to increase or decrease the sharpening effect by adjusting the Opacity in the final Luminosity Layer, in many case the default setting is just fine.
For the sharpening of prints I use Pixel Genius Sharpening, this also concludes with a final adjustment layer that can be tailored to suit.

I hope there are a few pointers in the previous paragraphs that may be of value to you, if you have any questions I will do my best to answer them.... and if I can''t I am sure I know where to go to get the answers!!

 

[Ben_Sadd]

Hi Jonathon,

As I was one of those who asked for you to share, I would like to compliment you on your openness and clarity in communication. Thank you so much for sharing your settings. I feel my current workflow is a mixed board of several techniques I have heard of and seen, thus further input is of great value. While some images look under processed and others over, optimal adjustment is definitely to taste and the exact pathway to achieving that is not singular.

I never sharpened or applied NR in ACR but perhaps I will give it a try and see if I like the results.

Thanks again.

Ben

 

[Diane Miller]

I would add my 2 cents that the new Process 2012 is a great improvement, on many fronts, as Jonathan mentioned.

 

[Giovanni Frescura]

Hello Jonathan
very interesting...also if I prefer work directly in cs6 intead of camera raw...but I will try because what you wrote is very interesting.
A question:
You wrote that use for Shasrpening Philip Period's method ..but you made an upgrade to use it also for 1024,1050,1400 px...how you made ?
This method work well only for web or also for all files sight by pc ?
Is possible go on and make a process also for 3000 px ?
Thanks
Gio

 

[Jonathan Ashton]

Gio
I modified the files probably in a clumsy way but this is what I did.
I downloaded the sharpening Set twice, they both load into Photoshop .
Going to the first Set of Action, when you click on the disclosure button in the Action palette you will see all the different lines that go into the Action and you will note the Actions for different sizes.
When it comes to "Fit Image" I made the first one twice the size I would use e.g. 1600px or 2048px, the second one I modified to 800px and 1024px accordingly so that I ended up with the sized image I wanted.
I did not have enough different sizes so I turned to the second Set I downloaded. I modified the two of the sizes sizes to 2800px and 2100px having done this I the clicked and dragged them into the first LOW NOISE WEB Sharpening Set in Photoshop, after this I discarded the second LOW NOISE ACTION Set so now I only have one Set of Actions that will deliver 600px 800px 1024px 1050px and 1400 px.
The technique is not suited to large files, I have been in contact with Philip Perold on this issue and he recommended using a High Pass filter. Pixel Genius have a set of filters you may want to check out but there is still nothing wrong in using Smart Sharpen.

 

[Giovanni Frescura]

Hello
Thanks
I tried with Shasrpening Philip Period's method but it not work
Could possible because I use Cs6 in italian ?..Do you known how I could make it working ?
Ciao

 

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hello
Thanks
I tried with Shasrpening Philip Period's method but it not work
Could possible because I use Cs6 in italian ?..Do you known how I could make it working ?
Ciao

Giovanni, I know that recently a friend of mine tried to download the Action and it did not work.
I suggest that you email me and I will send the Actions directly to you and then you can try them .......ok?

 

[gareth thomson]

Hi - thanks for posting this Job. My own PP workflow is evolving from chaos to a hodgepodge, so glad to see an orderly approach presented. About the sharpening action not working for some, I know that it always works for me unless I'm using smart objects, then it fails. Perhaps this is the issue for others? gt