Post processing or just plain processing?

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Dave_W

The Dude
We've all heard the term "post processing" when discussing digital images but is this term really accurate? I, like many others here, record my images as RAW files and RAW files are just that, raw and completely unprocessed. I then load the RAW files onto my computer and process them for the first and often last time. So I'm not seeing where the "post" of "post processing" is coming from? My photos are not post processed but instead are processed from a computer language into an image file. So why don't we use the term "processed" instead of "post processed"? Anyone?
 
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jrleo33

Senior Member
Post processing comes from a term used years ago with film. Post has a Latin meaning of "after" and the term was a shortcut for "after exposure requiring processing."
 
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Deezey

Senior Member
I believe it is post processed because you are processing the image file after the fact. Your camera has already processed the image, as in captured it and translated what it saw into an image. So you would be working on the file after it was created. So post processed.

Although I have a sneaking suspicion that it was just some drunk guy that came up with the term while trying to impress a rather hot female photographer.
 
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WhiteLight

Senior Member
Yes of course it's processed.
The actual data that is captured is not an image, but actual raw data..like binary 0s & 1s
this raw data is converted by all the mini electronic machines inside the body to a human recognizable format - an image
so yes, we are always post processing for this analogy :)
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
I could go either way. It's a term I learned early on and don't question. The way I look at it, with film you had two distinct and separate steps, the first was the proper exposure and development of the film, the second was the transfer of the captured image onto paper. With digital, the processing of the film is what we're equating to "post processing", and could simply be called "processing" as well, which would greatly simplify much debate that goes on. But we can also do many great and wonderous things in the digital processing of our "film" that could never be done in the simple developing step with real film, and there's where I see "post" coming in - because frankly, we don't have to develop since that step is done in the camera.
 
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Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
I agree with jrleo33 on this. The camera processed the light into a file and we process it AFTER to get the RAW file into what we see on paper or screen.

And the second point is that Dave has to much time on his hands until he moves to the frozen north.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
I think my confusion is with the way it's used as both a verb and a noun. Many people use it in its noun as in "I think if you post process this with Nik you can bring out more detail" while others use "post processing" as a verb when referring to an image that has been processed previously.
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Dave_W said:
I think my confusion is with the way it's used as both a verb and a noun. Many people use it in its noun as in "I think if you post process this with Nik you can bring out more detail" while others use "post processing" as a verb when referring to an image that has been processed previously.
Click to expand...

While I see your point, I do think it's rather clear what the words mean in both examples. There are plenty of words that are used as both nouns and verbs, but I suppose there are also a lot of poor communicators, so sure it could be confusing at times. At some point folks would just talk about "Photoshopping" their image, but I suppose that could be confused with someone looking to buy a picture ("photo shopping"). ;) Not to mention the negative connotations "Photoshopping" seems to have lately, with all the altered celebrity image blogs.

I propose, "I Nik'd this pic", instead. :)
 
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