DIGITAL WORKFLOW – PART ONE

In our workshop in November, 2004, 20 out of 23 photographers shot slide film and three of us shot with digital SLR’s. We were all very excited to see David Alan Harvey’s pictures from Kenya that he shot with the Nikon D70. Since our workshop, many of us have switched to digital SLR’s or are thinking about switching. In just March of 2005, I heard that other National Geographic workshops had switched over from slide film to 100% digital SLR’s. (Not having to leave a shooting location to make a film drop is a HUGE advantage.)

I have been shooting a lot, taking workshops, attending seminars, talking with more experienced photographers and hanging out at the local camera store to improve pictures made with my digital SLR. I have even changed cameras from the Nikon D70 to the Canon 20D for less noise at ISO 800 and 1600 and a few other cool features like easy custom white balance. As many people from our workshop are switching or thinking about switching to digital SLRs, I’ll share some of what I have learned. This is part one in a several part learning experience.

About Those RAW Files

Why is a digital SLR so much more confusing than shooting film? With the “digital negative” of the RAW file, you now have the option to be photographer, editor, film developer and print maker…all from the convenience of your computer. You are now your own “Ansel Adams” or “Man Ray” if you choose to be so. They experimented with new equipment, development processes, and printing techniques to achieve signature looks to their prints.

With the RAW file from a digital SLR and a computer, we can do all this…without chemicals. We now have the ability to a) develop “digital negatives” into JPEG, TIF or Photoshop files, b) define “filters” with white balance, c) define color characteristics of our "film" with color profiles and color processing in Photoshop, d) make “prints” with high-quality yet low-cost Inkjet or Lightjet printers. We all have the ability to define a workflow that results in good pictures or even pictures with our own “signature” look to them.

See also post "RAW DIVERSION"

Digital Capture & Choosing Your “Film”

In your digital SLR, you have some choices to make that define the visual results in terms of color. You have the familiar ISO setting for light sensitivity. You now have two new options: white balance & color profile. The white balance allows you to define the color cast of “white” in a picture’s lighting situation. The color profile allows you to define how your “film’s” overall color will look. If you choose to create your own "film" coloring (for example, you want to recreate the look of Harvey's 50 ISO Velvia), you can create your own color profile or define Actions in Photoshop to apply a consistent set of enhancements to acheive that look for all your pictures. ...but I am trying to avoid spending more time on the computer.

Because I am new to all this, I have been focused on making my pictures’ color as accurate as possible to what I see in the field rather than giving my pictures a signature look as Ansel would do for black & white or Man Ray would do for solarizing or Harvey does with 50 ISO Velvia slide film in his Leica. I am just not “there” yet. So, here’s what I have been doing to get pictures that look like what I see.

1. Camera color profile set to Adobe RGB(*)

Most current digital SLRs offer two color profile settings: sRGB and Adobe RGB. These only affect JPEG files as the color profile for a RAW file is defined when you “develop” it into a JPEG, TIF or Photoshop file.

The default setting of sRGB has fewer colors than Adobe RGB, so I prefer to use the larger color space to avoid clipping my color data. Once a file is put into a JPEG in sRGB mode, you lose color information that you would have had if that JPEG were in Adobe RGB. So, if you want to print a picture yourself, Adobe RGB is a better choice.

The one exception to this is “Cost-Co” prints. The photo mini-labs (using Fuji LightJet printers) that are used by retailers like Cost-Co & Walgreens have been optimized for printing digital JPEGs in sRGB. Check with your local retailer to see which mini-lab they actually use.

When you "target" your output JPEG files for printing at "Cost-Co", review by a client on their PC or display on the web, you will want to convert them to sRGB. (This takes just a few minutes in iView Media Pro.) Why? sRGB is the color space that looks best on computer monitors that have no color management. And, some mini-labs will fail to print files in Adobe RGB. On a computer without color management, an Adobe RGB file will look too "light" and "flat". sRGB is the best color space for your pictures to be displayed on the web or a client’s PC computer. However, if your client uses a Mac without color management, give them files converted to the ColorMatch color space, or have them turn down the brightness on their monitor for viewing sRGB files.

(*)If you are shooting JPEGs in sRGB (such as your family vacation “Happy Snaps”) and getting prints that you like from your local “Cost-Co” or your home printer, then there is no need to change your color space to Adobe RGB. Only if you are not quite happy with these results should you go to the trouble of changing your camera’s color space.

2. Shoot in JPEG + RAW

Why both? Big CF cards are relatively cheap! JPEG files are faster and easier to work with, but I still want to leave myself some options later on…just in case I goof something or want to optimize for custom printing.

With the RAW file available, I still have the following options to explore: a) adjust exposure, b) adjust white balance, c) choose color profile, d) set image bit depth to 16-bit if I need it for printing with greater tonal separation, e) for large prints, apply noise reduction before any sharpening as my Canon 20D always does some in-camera sharpening to JPEGs.

3. Set a custom white balance in my camera to get the most accurate color results

I recently started using an EXPO disc when shooting inside or in the shade to set a custom white balance to get more accurate color without spending time on the computer!

White balance sets an overall color temperature (or you might think of this as counteracting a color cast) for your shots. For example, relative to daylight…white under halogen light appears blue, under florescent light appears green, and under tungsten light appears yellow. In the days of film, we had to correct for the “white balance” or color cast of white by using filters or adding additional lighting. With a digital SLR, we can set this up in the camera.

When shooting in JPEG mode, the white balance is fixed as you create the JPEG file in the camera. Changing this in Photoshop is not as good as getting it right in the camera or setting it at “development” time with the RAW file. But processing RAW files takes extra time on the computer…I’d rather be in the field.

The in-camera setting for daylight white balance is pretty good. But, indoors…the lighting is always changing...and many times mixed. My Canon 20D allows me to set a custom white balance easily. The EXPO disc allows me to shoot a grey card for the currently unique lighting conditions. It creates a neutral grey with a color cast. The camera uses this for the custom white balance setting. Think of this as rubbing a mixture of photographic gels on a lens filter to create a custom filter to counteract a specific lighting situation.

If you did not use an EXPO disk, you still have the option of correcting the white balance when developing the RAW file. So, what is your middle grey? Sometimes you will have one in your shot naturally...like asphalt pavement. Or, you can place a grey card in the scene. This assumes you will be processing all your files in Photoshop. I am trying to avoid this unless I want or really need to do this…to spend more time in the field!

By shooting both a JPEG & RAW file, I might just get it right in the JPEG the first time, but I have the option to “develop” the RAW file…just in case.

Above...this child's artwork is displayed on the wall in a hallway of a school with no natural light. I took this picture twice using available light, no flash. The picture on the left is taken with the default white balance provided by the camera...the picture on the right is taken with a custom white balance after measuring it with an EXPO disc. The picture on the right looks more like what I remember seeing in the hallway.

4. Set ISO for the picture situation

This is one of the coolest thing with digital! You get to choose an ISO on the fly! …but, do not forget to do this! (I have ruined many great moments by shooting them with the wrong ISO.)

My current practice for ISO settings: Indoors, ISO 800; Outside direct sun, ISO 200 or less; Outside in shade or with a long lens in daylight, ISO 400. At night, ISO 1600. With my Canon 20D, I can shoot at 800 and 1600 ISO with very little noise. I shoot mostly with available light. At night, I use the flash on the camera to light up faces. (My Canon 20D has a great feature for setting the flash exposure for a picture.)

5. Apply noise reduction software before any sharpening (*)

I use default in-camera sharpening for JPEG files, and no sharpening when “developing” RAW files. My Canon 20D always does some in-camera sharpening even when set to “0”. This in-camera sharpening is used to counteract the fuzziness introduced by the camera to reduce moiré effects and the anti-aliasing done by the sensor. Since I cannot turn-off the sharpening for JPEG files, I just leave it alone.

But, if I want to use noise reduction software such as Noise Ninja, Neat Image or nik Define to make very crisp looking web pictures or prints, then I need to apply noise reduction before any sharpening….as I will be sharpening the “noise” which is a bad thing.

(*) Sharpen twice: first time to counteract the blur of the camera and return the crisp look of your lens for the picture on your screen, second time when targeting for a specific output (printer/ink/paper combo, web, etc.) after working on the file in Photoshop.

6. Auto-bracketing for still shots, or avoid clipping highlights

Most of my current photos are not stills, so I am not using auto-bracketing. The people I am capturing just move too quickly. So, the best I can do is check my exposure for the current lighting situation so I am not clipping the highlights. And, as a back-up option, I have the RAW file which can be “developed” for a different exposure setting.

Digital SLRs are not very good at pulling details out of the shadows. So, pictures are a little on the "hot" side, without clipping any data. Before printing, I always set the black point in Photoshop to bring the pictures back in line.

7. Perform in-camera formatting on a blank CF card before shooting

ONLY DO THIS ON A CARD WITH NO IMAGES YOU WISH TO KEEP. This will ERASE the card!

I do this for two reasons: 1) I shoot with a Nikon and a Canon. They use different formats, so I need to format the card before use or it might not work. 2) A CF card that has been formatted in the camera before use is less likely to fail. It’s a two second operation that might save my images.

8. Use checklists to avoid “kicking myself” for stupid mistakes

Because I have been making mistakes with ISO and other settings, I have adopted the checklist habit that my husband, a private pilot, uses when flying a plane. He has hundreds of details to go through before each stage of flying, so I figure this has got to work for my photography.

After going throuh my checklist count, I am ready to wait, interact and “capture the moment”. I no longer need to think about my camera, just making good pictures.