Digital Workflow

I always shoot in RAW, even though the workflow is longer, because of all the advantages it offers. The JPEG v RAW debate is well covered on the Internet and in numerous books.

The following is a brief overview of my workflow.

Downloading

When I first started using my digital SLR I used the interface cable and Canon ZoomBrowser software that came with the camera. However, a single image would take about 25 seconds to download - 300 images on a 2GB card, more than 2 hours!

I bought myself a high-speed card reader - the Delkin Universal Multi-Card to USB 2.0. There are many examples of these card readers available, but this was one of the cheapest available, and I can't fault it for speed and reliability. Each image now downloads in approximately 1 second; so 300 images are now downloaded in less than the time I need to make a cup of coffee.

The images are downloaded using Downloader Pro by Breeze Systems. This software allows me to automate many of the tasks and rename each file with something more meaningful than the filename given by the camera. The files are given a name made up of the cemera assignd name (in series), the date and the location. Downloader Pro can be set up to automatically assign the date and other values and simply request the location.

The files are saved to a new folder - again with a name made up of the date and location - automatically created by Downloader Pro. The software also gives me the option of saving the 'Exchangeable Image File Format' (EXIF) data to a text file, which I find useful for updating my image database on this Website - the Content Management System has a feature for importing EXIF information.

Reviewing

I review the images using BreezeBrowser Pro, again by Breeze Systems. This software allows me to view individual images, or groups of images in the form of a slideshow. At this stage any no-hopers are deleted. Deleting the file from within BreezeBrowser also deletes the associated '.THM' file (thumbnail image) and EXIF text file.

I now convert the keepers to 'Tagged Image File Format' (TIFF) files from within Breezebrowser. It is possible to make a number of adjustments to the file during conversion, including saturation, contrast and sharpness, but I prefer to make these adjustments, where necessary, in Photoshop. I will, however, use the Exposure Compensation option before converting if the exposure is not quite right. BreezeBrowser displays a histogram and a slider control for this purpose.

On conversion, BreezeBrowser creates a sub-folder in the image folder and names it 'Converted'.

Editing

Adobe Photoshop

Editing is done in Photoshop. I follow the advice given in 'Digital Basics' by Arthur Morris, which gives tips on how to adjust shadow-highlight, levels, curves, saturation, etc, and sharpening for web and print.

I rarely print images, so my workflow is designed to produce images for the Web. I use Photoshop 'actions' wherever possible (an action is a self-recorded series of commands, or macro). The Website Content Management System has an option to automatically create thumbnails, so I don't do this in Photoshop.

Generally, I try not to 'over-process' images. I don't want an image that is clearly heavily edited and has an artificial quality, or an image that is obviously over-sharpened. However, some digital photographers deliberately aim for a slightly unreal look in their images and the results can be spectacular.

Storage

I am not, and never will be, a professional photographer, but I would still be devastated to lose all my images; so I need to make sure they are adequately backed up.

All RAW images are saved in folders named with the date and location, e.g. '2005_12_25-Pennington_Flash'. Each of these files contains a sub folder named 'Converted', which contains the converted and edited images.

Because the folders are saved by date, the files in these folders will never be added to, so the folders and files can be backed up to a DVD disk without the need to create more space in the future. If files are saved in folders named after bird species, images will be added to the folders on a regular basis, which means that backing up will be tricky.

For example, it may be possible initially to store the images of a number of species on one disk, but eventually if may be necessary to save the images of an individual species on more than one disk. Starting with a new disk for each individual species is an option, but this seems excessive and costly.

I can quickly find an image because of my database of images. For example, I can query the database for a particular species and this will return all the relevant images and filenames. I can then easily find the image I need using the filename and path in the database.

I will consider external hard-drives when my internal hard-drives are full, but I will use these for the originals and not for backing up. I will continue to use DVD disks for backing up, as it is easy and cheap to produce multiple copies and to store these in an alternative location if I feel it necessary.