Being Digital
Essential Post Production
BY MICHEL GILBERT & DANIELLE ALARY
Improved contrast, brightness and sharpening
Before After
Processed for contrast, brightness and sharpening
Before P 50
ost production has always been part of the photographic process and it remains essential in the digital age. In the old days – i.e. when film was commonplace in the
photo arena – post processing was left to your favourite film lab. Nowadays it’s a DIY task.
Of music and photography We recently attended a lecture by friends and fellow DIVER contributors David Doubilet and Jen Hayes. Besides the compelling stories and captivating subjects, one thing caught our attention during the question period that followed the presentation: a member of the audience asked if there was post- processing involved in the images that had been presented. David answered by explaining that virtually no image can be
printed or presented without some form of post processing. In his answer he quoted Ansel Adams’ metaphor about music and photography: “The negative is comparable to the composer’s score and the print to its performance.” Multiple viewing tools only make this metaphor more accurate in our digital age.
Magazine
After
Tonal problems Adams also wrote: “Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships.” Most underwater images lack contrast and tonal range. Post
processing becomes a ‘passage obligé’ in your workflow. One of the first goals in the photographic process is to make
sure the image exhibits all tonal ranges. Part of it is done at the shooting stage using a histogram. (For further explanation see
www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/histograms1.htm) Most cameras offer this option and you should use it to make images that include data throughout the tonal range. Once at the computer, work the brightness and contrast
levels to ensure optimal rendition. Various software programmes offer different options and the most effective one is called curves in Photoshop or Lightroom. (For a tutorial on curves, try:
www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/photoshop- curves.htm) Further improvement may involve localized work on parts of
an image, such as revealing details lost in shadows or avoiding overexposure in a specific area of the photograph.
Photos: Alary-Gilbert/SUB-IMAGES
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