I've dabbled in photography for years and I'm getting tons of requests for senior portraits, engagement pics, kid pics etc...I'm excited about it and want to start a side business. I need a good workflow that is pretty quick and simple, is there such a thing? from uploading to saving and printing
(especially how to save and print) -I have a client that wants prints, I have the files saved as psd's - how do I save them specifically before uploading to a printer, dont' want to lose resolution or color -
also, I work in CS2, primarily in photo shop but I hear I can save time in bridge - never used it.
Sorry so many questions, I'm sort of in a panic since accepting my first paying client not knowing what the heck i'm doing
so there you go:
1. need simple fast workflow
2. specifics on saving for print
3. adobe bridge, is it important I incorporate it?
-any suggestions or links to helpful info would be very much appreciated! I use the same workflow for all my work, personal or commercial.
I shoot RAW + JPEG Basic.
I copy all the image files from my memory card(s) to the computer using a card reader to a new file folder, named so I know what the contents are.
Next using Bridge, I append all the files with a new XMP file which includes my copyright notice, my contact information, the clients contact information (or subject鈥檚 if not an assignment) and key words.
After the image files have all been appended and I burn two backup DVD's of all the images, I start my first edit (sort)
I make new file folders under the one holding all the files which reflect the subject or object of the shoot.
Within those folders I make new ones, one JPEG, one RAW and sort the images into their respective folders.
Using the JPEG files, All the junk (out of focus, miss framed, blurred due to camera movement and over/under exposed images) is moved to a folder called JUNK.
Next I do the rest of the editing until all the image files are in one of the new folders.
I then go through each folder and choose the 鈥渒nock-your-socks-off鈥?images and place them in another (final edit) folder under each.
In the end, I now have from 20 to 40 images that will be sent to the client for them to choose the agreed upon images for their usage. The ones I send to them are 鈥減roof鈥?quality images (640x480, 72 DPI) which I place a small 鈥淚鈥?in front of the original file name when using File > Saving As ...
Once the client has picked the images they want, I then use the RAW files to make either high quality JPEG鈥檚 or TIFF鈥檚 for their use. These are burned to a CD and mailed to them with an invoice which includes the day rate and usage fees for each image.
Any requests for photos are printed at a local photo lab using high quality JPEG's. Using the photo lab does two things. It saves me a lot of time and money and produces images that will last much longer than those printed on an inkjet .. My workflow is similar to photoace's, except I shoot only in RAW, since Photoshop and Bridge understand RAW. That means I can save memory on my camera memory card. Besides, if I ever need JPEG, I can run an automated batch job in Photoshop to make JPEG images from each RAW image.
I also use a card reader to copy the images to the computer, in a folder under 'My Pictures with a name such as '2008-02-14'. Images with different dates go into different files.
In Bridge, I browse the folders and make more meaningful names, such as '2008-02-14 Mike and Beth's Wedding'.
Then I make a backup copy to a different hard drive.
I make a first pass through the days' shoot in Bridge, rating technically bad or worst-of-similar images as 1-star (Ctrl-1 on Windows). These eventually be deleted, but I do it this way in case I want to change my mind later.
Although I eventually wind up with only "Keep" or "Trash" ratings, I use the other ratings to help me sort through the images. For example, for a wedding, 2-stars may be "Continuity" shots showing different events or settings that help tell the overall story, 3-stars may be photos of anyone in the wedding party, and 4-stars for everything else that the client may want to see. (Although I could use Bridge labels for this, I find it easier to apply ratings than labels.)
Then I review all photos in each category, looking for duplicates. I "junk" any duplicates (i.e., Ctrl-1). I also try to find good photos of each person in the wedding party, and if I blew it and missed a good photo of Aunt Emma, I will look through other categories to find a not-so-good photo of Aunt Emma.
I make sure each photo has at least one star, because zero stars means I have not categorized it.
When I am done categorizing, one star means "junk", and more than one star means "will go to client".
Interlude: I came from a printing press background. There, "proof" means a best-qualty print that was shown to the client for approval before thousands of prints were run off. Frankly, I think the tendency of some photographers to call low resolution images "proofs" is misleading. It is technically impossible for a client to look at a low-resolution image on the computer and know whether an enlargement will be sharp enough or have good colors that properly complement each other. The only way for a client to tell whether an enlargement will be what they want is to show them a print. You can show them a 4" x 6" print that they can examine with a 15x loupe or magnifying glass so that they can understand whether an enlargement will be sharp enough.
For each photo that my client will see, I go through the following 10-step procedure.
1. I open the RAW image in 16-bit mode, and assign an RGB profile that matches the printer I will use. (In my case, this is the Eureka CostCo printer with glossy paper.) This actually happens automatically as I open the RAW file, by means of Photoshop preferences.
2. I rotate the image if needed. This usually means making people stand up straight, though I can have artistic reasons for wanting a tilt.
3. I crop the image, giving me a 4" x 6" image with various resolutions. (This can be a bit of a challenge, depending on how much cropping is needed, and whether I need to change the orientation.)
4. I increase the contrast with Photosho's Auto Contrast.
5. I bring out shadow and highlight details, with Image Adjust Shadows/Highlights.
6. I reshape as needed, such as lifting chins or slenderizing.
7. I correct red eye.
8. I adjust the resolution, typically to be 4" x 6" at 300 dpi or 600 dpi. (The CostCo printer prints at 300 dpi.)
9. I touch up the photo, removing pimples, annoying lights in the background, etc.. I confess to spending more time on photos showing the bride or groom than to ones with unknown guests.
10. I convert from 16-bit to 8-bit mode and apply copyright and event information (using a Photoshop macro that I update for each event).
With practice and appropriate macros, I typically spend one to five minutes per image.
This process gives me 50 to 100 images per hour that I shot. I print them up at CostCo, apply labels to the back with my visible copyright, web site URL, and photo number (such as 2008-02-14_DSC3998). Then I give them to my client who will choose which photos they want enlarged. I also make two sets of backups of the edited images, onto DVD.
I keep the original RAW files because sometimes the process of converting a closely-cropped 4" x 6" photo to an 8" x 10" enlargement means I need to go back and bring in a little more of the original image.
I resist sending the client the JPEG files because it is so easy for them to print them on some random printer, wind up with mismatched colors, and gain a poorer impression of me as a photographer than if I gave them a photo with good colors. I compensate by giving reprints at a much lower rate than most photographers charge.
If the client wants particularly good enlargements, I will print them on my Epson Stylus Pro 4800 inkjet printer, which has higher resolution and better colors that last a hundred years, than from a typical photo lab. |
