newbie question

[manders]

i have been using a dslr for 3 years i never really been into editing but i was told most professional photographers edit almost all their pictures .....i never thought my pictures were close to professional but i liked them.... i hear alot of people talking about light room and i checked it out and just loved it so i had to buy it but am still learning to use it so i may not edit the best with that yet .... but im not very good a photoshop at all...i really need to get some books ...but when you edit pictures what generally do you edit on them ? should i be editing all my pictures i take or do any of you just use your origional with out any edits?

[tenchy]

I tend to do something to most shots, even if they are looking pretty good from camera. We're always looking for that 'perfect' picture.

Most times, a great deal of gain can get achieved with very simple adjustments, like levels and curves.

Here's a link to a few tutorials
http://www.photography-forum.org/showthread.php?31508-A-few-beginners-tutorials
the first one in particular is what I'm talking about.

[JabberwockJess]

Even on my best SOOC stuff I will still run the Unsharp Mask and boost the Levels/Curves a little.

[Jason]

I usually end up doing something to my pics - cloning out dust etc, levels, sharpening, maybe a crop. Tbh, I find the PP harder than actually taking the darn photo in the first place. :doh:

To me, it's always worth zooming in and trying crops etc as you might find a better composition that you missed when you took the photo.

[Napalm]

As the rest have said, there is always some form of editing required, especially if you shoot in RAW format. I use Lightroom and have found it is great for adjusting the pictures so I get them to what I saw on the day.

[manders]

i have not tryed to shoot in raw yet im not sure i know how to edit them once i do....on light room i have adjusted the vibrance and the clarity on my pictures i do seem to like them better with brighter color and a little softer looking but i wazsnt sure if i should be doing alot to them or just a little here and there...i will have to post a couple pictures before and after and see if you dcan give some opinions if i am editing them to make them look better or if i should be doing more

[Napalm]

Lightroom will import your RAW format pictures the same as your JPEG format ones. The main advantage is that you will have more control over the pictrure in RAW. You will be able to adjust the White Balance, Exposure and also lift and reveal details that would be missing in a JPEG.

[manders]

thank you for all the info

[chuchy]

Even when I first think a photo looks good straight out of the camera, I'm always amazed at the difference a quick edit can make. Like when someone posts a photo on here I think 'oh, yeah that looks good' and it's not until someone else (usually Tenchy, LOL) makes some levels adjustment to it that I realise there was lots to improve on, especially when you compare the two side-by-side.

[mariner]

I am a tweeker a bit of cloning, a bit of fill, drop or up the exposer, removing a spot here and there, a stray hair. just do what you feel is right your the artist.

[PaulG]

I use Elements 6 and always tweak something. The minimum I do is, as I shoot in RAW, to make an 'unsharp mask' adjustment to sharpen the image. I mostly adjust lighting, Brightness & Contrast, Highlights & Shadows and Levels.

Paul

[LeeRatters]

what nathan is saying really imo :) i very rarely use photoshop now [still got cs2!!] unless i want to play with layers etc
i shot everything in raw & edit in lightroom - pretty much does everything i want.

[manders]

i like lightroom i just need to learn to use it better so i actuallu know what i am doing ...im going to start to try to learn ps and lightroom so my pictures can actually look better