Time spent per wedding image: RAW

<p>For those of you that have perfected your RAW skills, how much time do you spend on average per image in RAW processing?</p>

<p>sometimes minutes, sometimes hours, sometimes I come back to it after a while and decide to take the image in another direction. But usually 5-10 minutes including 'pondering'</p>

<p>ya, that's a really open ended question. The most basic of color correction? a minute or two if i'm already in the groove. Sometimes 10-15 if i'm really working it over. I don't do a lot of stamp/cloning or replacing objects so i never spend too too long on them.</p>

<p>I use Adobe Lightroom to download my images straight from the card, where Keywording and Develop presets can be applied. I run through all the images to cull the rejects and flag the the important or outstanding shots. That process usually takes me about an hour per 1500 shots. I then run through the collection and edit by scene and lighting, tuning up one image and syncing the rest that were shot under similar conditions. A quick review of the synced shots is important to make sure none are blown out or underexposed. In some cases I will save a preset just for that scene, especially when I don't have all of the shots taken consecutively in the same location. All in all I usually spend around 3 hours post processing my RAW images in the quantity of 1500-4000 shots. Once that is done I export DNG files for Archiving, and jpegs for printing.<br>

I agree with Howard M above, and will return to a photo and give it more attention and time.<br>

Good Luck!</p>

 

<p>Hi<br>

This is my first post and my current workflow<br>

1 Download all images to PC<br>

2 Select favorites using Photomechanic ( this is the fastest program and takes approx 30 mins to select 300 images from an initial 1500<br>

3 Import into Lightroom and carry out basic adjustments<br>

4 Carry out more detailed work in Photoshop<br>

5 Design album using Page Gallery or JAD<br>

Most of this work is carried out by my re-toucher and takes approx 5 hours</p>

<p>Below is a link to my last wedding of 2009 which was shot exclusivley on the new Nikon D3s with 3 primes<br>

28 1.4, 50 1.4 and 85 1.4 and is shown to you here to stage 3<br>

Hope you enjoy<br>

Mark Seymour<br>

http://www.markseymourphotography.co.uk/Slideshow/MichelleandBen/</p>

<p>I agree with Luca. Weather I am using Light Room or Raw it takes about 3 hours for me to run through an entire wedding. Presets are every helpful. I have a few for B&W, one for sepia, a Slightly warming, slightly cooling, etc. Presets of course do not work for all images. It depends on what you are starting with. After using your presets for awhile you get to know them. You know right away which images they will work well with and which to not use them at all on. The other key to quick editing of an entire wedding is what Luca said "edit by scene and lighting" This saves a ton of time. Of course while shooting you must get constant exposures to make this work. Say family portraits for example. I usually shoot about 300 to 400 shots of the families at a wedding. This is done in a controlled environment with strobes and flash. So I can get a constant exposure for post production. Then in Raw or Light Room I can make my changes to the entire 300 shots at once. Not each shot one at a time. Very important though as Luca said make sure to run through each image after to see if any have been changed in a negative way.</p>

<p>Per image would likely be around 30 seconds tops. On images that I want to play with in PS, it can mean 10 mins per.</p>

<p>It largely depends on how well the shoot went. How carefully I exposed and focused, how consistent I managed to keep the WB and some other factors. Those things that affect the capture have much to do with the speed at which I can PP work.</p>

<p>Weeks.<br>

I sometimes get an idea three weeks after I shot the image. I'm in no rush.<br>

Plus I've come to think that images should not be worked beyond basics until after the album selection process.</p>