# Good at editing?



## gerardo2068 (Jan 16, 2012)

I'm new to photography. I know you need skills to take a photograph from the camera. My question is how much important is to have photoshop skill to camera skills to make a photo look good for a client?  After all you can get good sharp and well exposed   Then you can do so many thing on the computer.


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## davisphotos (Jan 16, 2012)

Just remember, a lousy photo will still be a lousy photo regardless of how much photoshop you apply, and don't ruin a good photo with heavy handed photoshop work.


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## The_Traveler (Jan 16, 2012)

gerardo2068 said:


> I'm new to photography. I know you need skills to take a photograph from the camera. My question is how much important is to have photoshop skill to camera skills to make a photo look good for a client?  After all you can get good sharp and well exposed   Then you can do so many thing on the computer.



IMO, unless you are incredibly patient and wait for the right light or good enough with lights to provide the perfect light .AND.  the subject/content presents perfectly then an image that is finished in some editing program will always be better than a SOOC image.

I do a fair amount of judging and I rarely see a picture made with slide film (no PPing) that comes close to the average good digital image.


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## gerardo2068 (Jan 16, 2012)

I know a lousy photo will always be a lousy photo. But lousy aside and more about the photos popping out in the screen. I see so many photos that even when they don't have obvious photoshop colors to it they look so clear with great contract. No fade or like when you move the brightness up. The colors are so accurate. I wonder how long takes to the average persons to improve like that.


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## MLeeK (Jan 16, 2012)

I do little to no photoshop work on probably 90% of my photographs. I process in raw to get the look I want out of it. With portraits I have an action I have made that I run them thru, but that's about it most of the time. 
That POP is done through the curves/levels. It's not rocket science and is easily achieved just in developing/raw processing.


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## gerardo2068 (Jan 16, 2012)

Wow thanks for the info, I think i'm starting to understand that POP, i will spend some more time reading about the curves/level setting


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## The_Traveler (Jan 17, 2012)

It also comes from using the equipment to its ultimate, sufficient shutter speed to get clean edges where wanted, shooting at the best apertures for the lenses and having enough knowledge to pick the times when the light is best and then know how to expose correctly.

Some comes from having good equipment but a good photographer can make do with much less good equipment.

And there is no single magic post-processing technique.


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## Edsport (Jan 17, 2012)

Peano said:


> gerardo2068 said:
> 
> 
> > My question is how much important is to have photoshop skill to camera skills to make a photo look good for a client?
> ...


Those are awesome before and afters on your site...


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## The_Traveler (Jan 17, 2012)

Something I should have said before.

The end point of any photo is what you see in your mind's eye; post-processing is not just correcting what you didn't do in camera but doing what you could not do in the camera. Post-processing is why Ansel Adams spent many more hours in the darkroom than he did taking pictures.


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## Robin Usagani (Jan 17, 2012)

I dont know..  I have had 3 people told me I turned crap photo into masterpiece after I heavy edit it on photoshop.  LMAO.



davisphotos said:


> Just remember, a lousy photo will still be a lousy photo regardless of how much photoshop you apply, and don't ruin a good photo with heavy handed photoshop work.


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## The_Traveler (Jan 17, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> I dont know..  I have had 3 people told me I turned crap photo into masterpiece after I heavy edit it on photoshop.  LMAO.



Three people were either relatives or people who owe you money. 

(ho,ho,ho)


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## Robin Usagani (Jan 17, 2012)

Here is what I edit for a member here long long time ago.


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## The_Traveler (Jan 17, 2012)

Sorry, that picture you got was not the original

I started with this






and ended with this.


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## molested_cow (Jan 17, 2012)

You can fasten two pieces of wood with a screw and it will hold well, but it will be much better if you apply glue between the pieces first.

The camera is a tool. Software is a tool as well. Use whatever that you can to convey your message they way you want.


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## MReid (Jan 17, 2012)

Take a photo in good light, get a proper exposure.
Do a levels adjustment to get your black and white points, contrast adjust.
That is what gives you vibrant, correct color.

Yes processing skills are important, on the other hand if you get your jpeg settings correct in the camera and know how to take a good photograph, you can get away with not doing much....this only works for very good photographers.

The most important thing is to take good photos in the first place, not the processing.


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## Bossy (Jan 17, 2012)

Photoshop is a tool, just like anything else involved in Photography. To completely disregard it because many misuse it is foolish


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## MLeeK (Jan 17, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> I dont know..  I have had 3 people told me I turned crap photo into masterpiece after I heavy edit it on photoshop.  LMAO.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You must have used your BIG LENS to get that professional work too, eh?


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## c.cloudwalker (Jan 17, 2012)

The_Traveler said:


> I do a fair amount of judging and I rarely see a picture made with slide film (no PPing) that comes close to the average good digital image.



WOW

Really?

Are you judging snapshots?


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## gerardo2068 (Jan 17, 2012)

Thank everybody. I understand better now. I know it's VERY important master the shooting skill. Just wondering how they get those photos popping with color.


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## jaicatalano (Jan 17, 2012)

A photo is your vision. Photoshop is your dream vision.


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## gerardo2068 (Jan 17, 2012)

jaicatalano said:


> A photo is your vision. Photoshop is your dream vision.



Like+


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## Jeff_Franklin01 (Jan 17, 2012)

Photoshop is like your palette of colors (in terms of a painter) and the picture is your canvas. I do TONS of stuff in Photoshop (and sometimes GIMP). I shoot in RAW so I use Photoshop to process my RAW photos, changing white balance, adjusting color, ect. But it also depends on what you want the picture to look like. Jaicatalano is right, you put your dream vision into the photo with Photoshop.


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## gerardo2068 (Jan 17, 2012)

Jeff_Franklin01 said:


> Photoshop is like your palette of colors (in terms of a painter) and the picture is your canvas. I do TONS of stuff in Photoshop (and sometimes GIMP). I shoot in RAW so I use Photoshop to process my RAW photos, changing white balance, adjusting color, ect. But it also depends on what you want the picture to look like. Jaicatalano is right, you put your dream vision into the photo with Photoshop.



Thanks, you all clarify my question for me.


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## Edsport (Jan 18, 2012)

A carpenter can build a wooden box with (camera) some boards, a hammer and some nails, toss in a couple extra tools (photoshop) like a saw, a planer and some paint he'll have a home...


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## Arturos (Jan 20, 2012)

Hello Gerardo,

When it comes to photography and editing of your photos, you are likely to come across two general opinions.

For some photographers, the act of taking a photo is the most important and setting everything up right prior to taking it is crucial to achieve satisfactory results. These photographers aim to capture what they see with their own eyes, trying to keep is as real as possible.

There is another group of photographers, for whom the act of capturing a photo is just the beginning. They believe that the final result is not what they see, but rather what they imagine while taking a snap, therefore they use programs such as Photoshop to make their photos look exactly as they have imagined them.

While the first group will use graphic software for minor adjustments of the image and colour calibration, the latter group can alter images to the extent that they hardly resemble the original photos. As much as you can easily survive without any editing knowledge, you can miss out on the possibilities the graphic programs have on offer.

My suggestion is give it a go, it&#8217;s not difficult and with time you will learn how to make your images look great. Start with basic colour management techniques, which always come in handy. There are thousands of great Photoshop tutorials on the net, spend 30 minutes a day and you will be a pro in no time  However, never forget to take good photos in the first place, as editing can&#8217;t fix everything!

Good luck!


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