Post proccessing pictures

First of all I am an average photographer and do not claim to be any more than that. I like to take pictures and like to study other peoples pictures so I may learn from them and hopefully improve as I go along so as the passing years go by so I may get better. I enjoy looking at the pictures our members post on the different forums but I would like to suggest that I think a lot of the pictures are just way too over processed with Photoshop or some other program. I could be totally wrong here but in the case of pictures, I really believe that in most cases that the more you post process a picture the worse it gets. I think some of all pictures would benefit by having just some small adjustments done to them as compared to a overhaul in post processing. Please consider just some small quick adjustments and then leave it alone. To me the camera and your ability is what should produce 95% of the image with just a small fraction left for adjustments. I get in this discussion with a buddy of mine all the time. He will take a picture and spend hours in post processing working on it. This is just my thoughts, but if I have to spend much time at all in Photoshop, I must not have put the proper effort into taking the picture in the first place. This is meant only to be a helpful suggestion so please take it that way if you think it might apply. I hope this doesn't get me on anyone's naughty list.

If you have looked at any of my pictures you probably have a ton of suggestions of things I should be doing, so I guess that is what the reply button is for. I might add that I have noticed on some of my own pictures that I have overdone some post work myself and need to back off on the amount of adjustments that I make also. Jeff

You are a brave man indeed! lol Photoshop was developed back in the late eighties - all because Thomas Knoll could not see grayscale on his monochrome monitor. Photoshop was first sold with a slide-scanner in 1988. In 1990, Adobe released 1.0 with Macs. Now look where we are, lol. I don't know why you would get on anyones bad list. if you do, it will probably be because they have invested so much in Adobe software and have spent countless hours in front of a computer screen. Other than those weirdos, i don't think anyone wil be bothered by the way you feel or do things. What matters is how you feel about the photo, not others. The most i ever do is crop and maybe sharpen a little to bring out lettering. That is it. I have posted maybe a dozen pics on here and for me, they are all good. I came 3rd in a photo contest, which made me feel good. But i could not for the life of me afford to spend hours in front of a computer, editing/manipulating photos. Not only because i have no interest in doing so, but i have two very important people in my life that i would rather spend time with, not the computer - by the way, i am writing this at work, but don't tell anyone. In the end, you should not worry about what other people think. You should do what you feel is right for yourself. If you want to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on Adobe, go ahead. It will make Adobe very happy. If you want to just do a few tweaks, great. Different strokes for different folks. Keep on shooting and enjoy your camera and the memories that you can produce with it

Just an addition: i do have Photoshop. But.... i did not pay for it. It was given to me by an Adobe rep during my days of selling hardware/software. I never use it.

I have Lightroom and I also have and use Photoshop CS5. I use CS5 all the time to make minor adjustments. You can fine tune a picture and add to the quality of the image up to a point and when that point is reached and passed you start doing more damage to the image than improvement. I have seen this many times on my own pictures because I am trying to get the most out of every shot but then when I look at what I have done I start pressing the STEP BACKWARD button because I have gone past the point of improvement and I am on the way to totally messing up my picture. I just think that most of us would have much better images if we would limit the adjustments we make. Jeff

One mans beef pizza is another mans ricin sandwich.

For every photographer that might over process in anothers eyes, there's those that will appreciate it. Who's to say ?
You like your photos one way, and someone else will like theres another way. A photographer may look at your photos and say ' why havent you finished processing your photos ' ? And you say you have finished, its how you like them. End of story

Its like debating why one man likes the colour blue and another likes the colour green. It goes nowhere because there is no right or wrong way when talking about personal taste.
I know a strange photographer on another forums that deliberately takes shots that are not in focus - neither the main subject, nor the surrounding scene. Weird ? Not really, because he sees art in his pictures. Just because someone else doesnt, it doesnt make it wrong.

As said, do your own thing, dont worry about what others are doing, and you'll be at peace

Pierro colour is really spelled color... LOL

Well Jeff, who's to say there's a right and wrong way ? I mean, its my personal taste

Well anyone who owns a 105 Ais has immaculate taste in my books sir...

Its a spanking lens isnt it ?

I totally agree that everyone has different taste in what they like and should process their pictures however they seem fit to do. The only thing I am saying is when you look at a finished picture and it doesn't look real or anything like you were looking at when the picture was taken that you just might have over done it a bit. It was meant as a helpful suggestion and nothing more. It seems to me that if you are happy with your pictures then what I said earlier shouldn't bother you at all. I have had people on this site make suggestions to me and I took it as them giving me helpful information and tried the suggestion that they made. I can assure everyone that my only intention was to get members to look and see if they might benefit from using a lighter touch when processing their photos. I do not claim to be any better at photography than anyone else and if you see something that you think I would benefit from knowing to help improve my pictures please feel free to let me know and it will be taken as helpful information. Jeff

Yes, but asking others to think about using a lighter touch is still saying..... ' you dont like their processing ' ... so that brings you back to square 1 and personal taste. Its just a dead end debate. Dont get twisted up in it. Just take your photos, PP how you like, and move on

On then other hand, If beginners are asking about processing, and they dont like their own work, then you can guide them in some kind of direction, but that means guiding them in a direction YOU personally like. Which isnt wrong, its just the way you process. Others will always chime in and give their take on things, so any beginners will get more than one view, which is good. But its still a personal view and within reason, not gospel.

I say again, dont worry about the way others see their work (unless they're specifically asking for help,) just worry about yours

I over process a lot and undershoot at the same time (that is double deadly and lethal) in many instances (not all of the time though) plus I see a bunch of crazy stuff from others too (and a bunch of good stuff at that) but PP is an art in and of itself so it is sort of hard to pin down general specifics.

I'll never part with my old @ss 105 Pierro!

Pierro said:

Yes, but asking others to think about using a lighter touch is still saying..... ' you dont like their processing ' ... so that brings you back to square 1 and personal taste. Its just a dead end debate. Dont get twisted up in it. Just take your photos, PP how you like, and move on

On then other hand, If beginners are asking about processing, and they dont like their own work, then you can guide them in some kind of direction, but that means guiding them in a direction YOU personally like. Which isnt wrong, its just the way you process. Others will always chime in and give their take on things, so any beginners will get more than one view, which is good. But its still a personal view and within reason, not gospel.

I say again, dont worry about the way others see their work (unless they're specifically asking for help,) just worry about yours

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Pierro, you seem to be much more worried about this than I am. If you have a minute, take the time to read response #4 of mine in this thread slowly and you will read that I said that I have done this myself and think that ALL OF US would benefit from a little less processing. I have done it myself and still do it on some of my pictures today. All I am trying to do is share something that I have learned the hard way over time to help other people. I am still trying to make my processing better as I go along. You may or may not have noticed in my signature that I have a link to a Nikon D7000 tips thread that I have. I do not get anything for writing it but I do like sharing things I have learned with others and so far out of 33,608 views of the thread I have had zero negative comments and have had many viewers E-Mail or contact me, thanking me for sharing the information. That is all that I am doing here is trying to share some information that I have learned during my time in photography. You seem to be taking this personally as an insult to you and others on the forum. I have no idea what your pictures look like because when I look for a gallery of uploaded pictures of yours I don't see any to even look at, much less comment on.

I really think it is a shame that you are getting so upset about me sharing information that others may benefit from. All I did was make a general statement about processing and did not point the information toward any individuals like you seem to suggest I did. I have found that I have benefited from using less processing and will also benefit from not over doing it in the future. I include myself in this general observation so I really do not see what the problem is. Have a nice day. Jeff

Yeah but the OP...#1...is kind of trolling. I knew from the first post this thread was going to do this. I'd lock it up now before everyone gets po'd.

I think you're right. Since OP has completely missed the point I was making, there's little to add.

I take many types of pictures. Some pictures I will sharpen and adjust the lighting and exposure. Maybe a little is needed or a lot. If I am trying to make a picture look like a painting or HDR I will enhance to taste. My taste not everyone elses. I just did my daughters wedding and her backdrop for her cake cutting and dances were of the fire hall hoses and equipment. The picture of my daughter was fine with very little tweeking. But, I sat at the computer burning the background and cropping.To me it depends on the picture i am working with. there is no argument about this subject. You do what you do to make the picture acceptable in your eyes. If it sells. Fine. If not put it aside and admire it yourself. But also have fun and learn.

"kumbaya my lord...." peace man! Who cares!!! People who want to PP the heck out of their pictures until their computer blows up, let them. If you choose not to do any or much PP, good for you. There are more important things to be concerned about. I understand what the OP was getting across. As eye-level said, let's lock this up..... Marcel?, Stangman? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

I don't have powers to close this thread.

If people just stop responding it would die on it's own. Just my opinion.

I would just like to say that earlier this morning I have already sent a PM to jdeg asking to have this thread closed and hopefully it will be. I am not going to rehash this again but my only intent was to share a problem that I have experienced that others may be experiencing also. I apologize if it was interpreted as anything other than something meant to help. Have a nice day. Jeff Impey