Can and can’t doos?

[Lee Tubb]

Hi all, new to the forum but uploaded 1st photo to Alamy in 2005.

 

i used to be into wildlife photography in a big way and just before I hung up my camera for a few years I uploaded some pictures after receiving Much appreciation for my photos.

 

ive just returned to the shutter once again after buying myself a Leica, my photography has changed as a result of my life changing.

 

so once again I am now looking to upload some more photos, but have some questions!

 

i read somewhere it is not permitted to adjust photos as far as sharpening ect! 
 

to what degree is editing allowed?  Can I crop for example? Can I change colour tone to say monotone?

 

and finally what graphics software do people use these days? I’ve noticed the6 all seem to be subscription charging now, I used to use Adobe as I only used cropping !  Don’t really want to have to pay a subscription for such basic controls!

 

thanks Lee.

[M.Chapman]

17 hours ago, Lee Tubb said:

i read somewhere it is not permitted to adjust photos as far as sharpening ect! 
 

to what degree is editing allowed?  Can I crop for example? Can I change colour tone to say monotone?

 

and finally what graphics software do people use these days? I’ve noticed the6 all seem to be subscription charging now, I used to use Adobe as I only used cropping !  Don’t really want to have to pay a subscription for such basic controls!

 

Excessive sharpening is not permitted. Most folks find that the small amount of sharpening applied by default when converting a RAW file in Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom is sufficient. If you're shooting jpg be very careful of applying too much in camera jpg sharpening. If you can see halos or artefacts around edges, it's too much. There's a useful guide to passing Alamy QC here https://www.alamy.com/contributors/alamy-how-to-pass-qc.pdf

 

Extensive editing is allowed but be careful not to create "obvious retouching" defects, excessive noise, banding or artefacts

Monotone is allowed.

Cropping is allowed providing the final image has more than ~6 million pixels. NB. It can be useful to leave plain areas for text/copy so don't crop too tight.

 

To maximise chances of sales in a very competitive market it's best to shoot RAW and use a decent RAW convertor/editor to get the best from your images. Many here use Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop or Capture One, or DxO. If you don't like the subscription model and want a budget option then Photoshop Elements is worth trying, but it's missing some great time-saving features features (like automatic Chromatic Aberration removal). 

 

PS. You have some nice images.

 

Mark

[MDM]

As Mark says there is no problem doing extensive editing on your images. These guidelines indicate what is and isn't acceptable. 

 

One thing is for sure - your existing images need some post-processing. For example, the lion images are way too dark and low in contrast as are several of your older pictures. While you may get good JPEGs from your Leica, you will only realise the full benefit of having a quality camera by shooting raw and processing your own images (again as Mark says). 

 

I think most people (including myself) use Lightroom and/or Photoshop but these are only available on subscription. DxO Photolab is a powerful program which do what you need and there is currently a special offer until December 31st. I upgraded my DxO software on a Black Friday offer out of curiosity as some people here highly recommend it and find it to be very good and certainyl very good value. There is also a program called Affinity Photo which is exceptional value and is getting a very good reputation. 

 

 

[M.Chapman]

40 minutes ago, MDM said:

I think most people (including myself) use Lightroom and/or Photoshop but these are only available on subscription. DxO Photolab is a powerful program which do what you need and there is currently a special offer until December 31st. I upgraded my DxO software on a Black Friday offer out of curiosity as some people here highly recommend it and find it to be very good and certainly very good value. There is also a program called Affinity Photo which is exceptional value and is getting a very good reputation.

 

+1 for LR/PS/DXO and Capture One. I've also got Affinity Photo which is certainly cheap, but you get what you pay for IMO. Upgrades are free, so I get to try the latest versions. It has got better with each release, but I find it's still not even close to LR/PS. I find it impossible to recover anything like the same level of fine detail in Affinity especially on fine textures (e.g. animal fur, green grass etc.) than I get by default in LR/PS. Affinity's highlight and Shadow adjustment tools are also rubbish compared to LR/PS. So, even though I dislike Adobe's subscription model, I don't think Affinity comes close enough to be worth the saving. It's certainly one to watch, but has a long way to go yet before it can compete on quality. PS Elements does a better job.

 

Mark

Edited December 20, 2019 by M.Chapman

[MDM]

3 minutes ago, M.Chapman said:

 

+1 for LR/PS/DXO and Capture One. I've also got Affinity Photo which is certainly cheap, but you get what you pay for IMO. Upgrades are free, so I get to try the latest versions. It has got better with each release, but I find it's still not even close to LR/PS. I find it impossible to recover anything like the same level of fine detail in Affinity especially on fine textures (e.g. animal fur, green grass etc.) than I get by default in LR/PS. Affinity's highlight and Shadow adjustment tools are also rubbish compared to LR/PS. So, even though I dislike Adobe's subscription model, I don't think Affinity comes close enough to be worth the saving. It's certainly one to watch, but has a long way to go yet before it can compete on quality. PS Elements does a better job.

 

Mark

 

I would be very unlikely to ever move from the Adobe package as I use both Lightroom and Photoshop extensively and am more than happy with them and have gotten over subscription shock some time ago. I've not used Affinity but my wife bought it to do some basic photo editing and it appears to do a lot of stuff that Photoshop does but I have not used it myself. I think the DxO Photolab 3 is very good for raw conversion and non-pixel based editing. It is very good value at the moment so might be a good bet for the OP. Then again if he is not going to shoot raw and just wants pixel editing, Photoshop Elements might be a good choice. 

 

[Bionic]

One thing that might be worth pointing out re DxO Photolab is that it doesn't support raw file from cameras using the Fuji Xtrans sensor. I trialled it when I was using a Canon/Olympus combination and was very pleased with it but it was a no go as I was in the process of ditching Oly for Fuji.

Disclosure- this was using Photolab 2 so may have changed now we're on to 3

[Lee Tubb]

Hi everyone and thank you all for such detailed answers!

and the criticism ( much appreciated) I’m really self taught and if z photo looks nice to me I’m happy! I have no real experience with the finer details!

 

i used to use a Canon DSLR to Shit wildlife and processed in RAW which must have worked as I’ve sold some including 500,000 in a newspaper! 
my new Leica has options for JPG, JPG + DNG or DNG. I’ve been using the middle option so producing both and DNG. I assume is RAW as it’s around a 45mb file!

im unfamiliar with DNG!

 

ive just submitted another 15 photos and received notification they all passed QC!

 

ill take a look at what deals are available on the packages as I have some previous experience of Adobe!

 

I should probably look out for a course of some kind to learn how to use the software!

 

thanks again!

 

 

[M.Chapman]

1 hour ago, MDM said:

 

I would be very unlikely to ever move from the Adobe package as I use both Lightroom and Photoshop extensively and am more than happy with them and have gotten over subscription shock some time ago. I've not used Affinity but my wife bought it to do some basic photo editing and it appears to do a lot of stuff that Photoshop does but I have not used it myself. I think the DxO Photolab 3 is very good for raw conversion and non-pixel based editing. It is very good value at the moment so might be a good bet for the OP. Then again if he is not going to shoot raw and just wants pixel editing, Photoshop Elements might be a good choice. 

 

 

I like DxO Photolab 3 too, I downloaded a trial a while back. But are there some hidden costs? If I recall correctly perspective correction needs the purchase of DxO Viewpoint, and pixel editing is not particularly good. But I'm happy to hear others comment on this as it's currently a good price (30% off), although upgrades are chargeable I think. (Unlike Affinity Photo for which I've had free upgrades for 3 about years now, but unfortunately I find it just can't match the quality of results that PS/LR can create). Indeed, the more adjustments I make Adobe Camera Raw CR (in LR or PS) instead of in PS, the more I like it. It will take a lot to get me to move from away PS/LR CC now, even though I might want to get away from subscription pricing.

 

Mark

Edited December 20, 2019 by M.Chapman

[M.Chapman]

6 minutes ago, Lee Tubb said:

I’ve been using the middle option so producing both and DNG. I assume is RAW as it’s around a 45mb file!

 

 

Yes DNG is a RAW file format developed by Adobe. Unfortunately not all image editors support it though, so check before you buy. Photoshop CC and Elements and Lightroom all support DNG files.

 

8 minutes ago, Lee Tubb said:

ill take a look at what deals are available on the packages as I have some previous experience of Adobe!

 

There's an Adobe photographer's package that includes Lightroom and Photoshop which is usually the best deal. It costs me £9.98/month

 

Mark

[Colin Woods]

2 hours ago, MDM said:

I think the DxO Photolab 3 is very good for raw conversion and non-pixel based editing

What is non-pixel editing? I have never heard this term before.

[M.Chapman]

33 minutes ago, Colin Woods said:

What is non-pixel editing? I have never heard this term before.

 

The opposite to pixel based editing. Pixel editing = precise edits at the individual pixel level. e.g. retouching with a pen or brush of a particular colour, drawing lines, creating shapes, writing text overlays. That's my understanding anyway.

 

Mark

[MDM]

3 hours ago, Colin Woods said:

What is non-pixel editing? I have never heard this term before.

 

To clarify, I just made up the term here but I am referring to raw editing in programs such as Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), Lightroom and others such as DxO Photolab 3 which simply provide instructions as text on how to convert a file rather than actually modify the underlying pixels which can't done by any normal editing process on the raw file. The text information can be held within the raw conversion program or written out as a sidecar xmp file. The resulting image file is typically exported as a JPEG, TIFF or PSD but you can always go back to the original raw file which will be unaltered. Non-destructive is probably a better term but there are other forms of non-destructive editing such as adjustment layers in Photoshop which are held within the image file itself. In addition to what Mark has said, pixel-based editing in Photoshop or other programs is any process which alters the pixels in the file, so it could be direct application of a curves, levels or colour adjustment which is not reversible. 

[Betty LaRue]

Be sure to properly identify your subjects. For instance, the image you have captioned “parrot face” is actually a Blue and Gold McCaw. Your captions are too brief.  I would suggest in your caption at the very minimum, to say Blue and Gold McCaw, closeup of the head. Followed by the scientific name.  Then repeat both names in your tags. This will help buyers to find your images easier.

A searcher might use these search words:

Blue and Gold McCaw

Blue & Gold McCaw

scientific name  (I have a lot of my images only searched by the scientific name)

parrot

bird

pet bird or captive parrot

pet parrot or captive parrot

wild parrot (if that’s the case)

wild Blue and Gold McCaw (if that’s the case) you get the idea

And add plurals...believe it or not, some people wanting to see pages of single parrots use the word “parrots” when they only want to see a single parrot.

So, Blue and Gold McCaws....etc

I love your photos. Don’t crop so tight. Leave room for text. Leave it to the buyer to crop tighter if that’s what they want. Leave more room all the way around. Many of your subjects heads are at the top border. C’mere...let me slap your hand. 😁

Betty

Edited December 21, 2019 by Betty LaRue

[Harry Harrison]

19 hours ago, Bionic said:

One thing that might be worth pointing out re DxO Photolab is that it doesn't support raw file from cameras using the Fuji Xtrans sensor.

Thanks for pointing that out, I'd never realised that but it seems to true for most Fuji cameras, those with Xtrans I suppose. Cross that off the list then.

 

https://www.dxo.com/dxo-photolab/supported-cameras/

Edited December 21, 2019 by Harry Harrison

[Harry Harrison]

For the OP, Dx0 Photolab don't support all Leica cameras but if you've got an M series from M9 onwards you should be OK, don't know why the M8 isn't on the list.

 

https://www.dxo.com/dxo-photolab/supported-cameras/

 

Back in the good old days of the Lightroom perpetual licence it was included when you bought a Leica M series.

[Lee Tubb]

13 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Be sure to properly identify your subjects. For instance, the image you have captioned “parrot face” is actually a Blue and Gold McCaw. Your captions are too brief.  I would suggest in your caption at the very minimum, to say Blue and Gold McCaw, closeup of the head. Followed by the scientific name.  Then repeat both names in your tags. This will help buyers to find your images easier.

A searcher might use these search words:

Blue and Gold McCaw

Blue & Gold McCaw

scientific name  (I have a lot of my images only searched by the scientific name)

parrot

bird

pet bird or captive parrot

pet parrot or captive parrot

wild parrot (if that’s the case)

wild Blue and Gold McCaw (if that’s the case) you get the idea

And add plurals...believe it or not, some people wanting to see pages of single parrots use the word “parrots” when they only want to see a single parrot.

So, Blue and Gold McCaws....etc

I love your photos. Don’t crop so tight. Leave room for text. Leave it to the buyer to crop tighter if that’s what they want. Leave more room all the way around. Many of your subjects heads are at the top border. C’mere...let me slap your hand. 😁

Betty

Thanks Betty, that really is helpful! As you can tell and have pointed out I do struggle with the tagging ! 
 

thankyou to everyone else, I’ll take a look at the different software.

 

as for the comments on cropping, I had not considered this before! But makes a lot of sense to leave more room so the image can be used as required by a customer!

 

so I’ve learnt a great deal from just one post!

 

PS what’s the latest versions of photoshop and LR, ( I’ll have a look for some deals unless anyone can advise where to look?)

appreciated!

 

Lee. 

Edited December 21, 2019 by Lee Tubb

[Johnnie5]

I think most people here are using the subscription version of Lightroom which includes Photoshop.  You can find that here, https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAovfvBRCRARIsADEmbRL3mp8M5NaqVsVGjONCjsfNZrl9sQJRRGIMxxznA52u9vkXh0_0lMkaAjduEALw_wcB&sdid=KKTJE&mv=search&ef_id=Cj0KCQiAovfvBRCRARIsADEmbRL3mp8M5NaqVsVGjONCjsfNZrl9sQJRRGIMxxznA52u9vkXh0_0lMkaAjduEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3085!3!392818671268!e!!g!!lightroom#photography-mini-plans

[Harry Harrison]

You also need to check that your computer is up to it here:

 

https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/lightroom-cc/system-requirements.html?promoid=2K4PCHD1&mv=other

 

You're looking for the version with Lightroom Classic, 20GB storage, Photoshop, and (on offer) Photoshop on Ipad if purchased before January 31st., they call it "Photography (20GB)"

 

Don't get confused by the "All new Lightroom"' at the same price, though goodness knows you've got every right to be confused.

[Betty LaRue]

7 hours ago, Lee Tubb said:

Thanks Betty, that really is helpful! As you can tell and have pointed out I do struggle with the tagging ! 
 

thankyou to everyone else, I’ll take a look at the different software.

 

as for the comments on cropping, I had not considered this before! But makes a lot of sense to leave more room so the image can be used as required by a customer!

 

so I’ve learnt a great deal from just one post!

 

PS what’s the latest versions of photoshop and LR, ( I’ll have a look for some deals unless anyone can advise where to look?)

appreciated!

 

Lee. 

You are welcome, Lee. This is a helpful bunch, and we always appreciate someone who listens. Especially when we are helping a new competitor! We do lose patience after awhile when no advice is taken, then the person moans about no sales. It is everyone’s right to ignore good advice, but don’t moan about poor results, lol.

Speaking of sales...it takes time to build a portfolio. I had about 500 images up before I made a sale. Some sell with less. But in the beginning, with a small port, you’ll have months with no sales. It usually takes a few thousand to begin to make monthly sales. It all depends on the quality of your images, how well they are captioned and tagged, and the variety of images.  I know you prefer wildlife, but a variety of images will only help you make sales.

If you click on the links under our avatars, you’ll see our photos. Look at what is being photographed. Click on an image, and you’ll see the tags, how many tags, and how thorough they are.

Betty

 

[Lee Tubb]

On 22/12/2019 at 00:33, Betty LaRue said:

You are welcome, Lee. This is a helpful bunch, and we always appreciate someone who listens. Especially when we are helping a new competitor! We do lose patience after awhile when no advice is taken, then the person moans about no sales. It is everyone’s right to ignore good advice, but don’t moan about poor results, lol.

Speaking of sales...it takes time to build a portfolio. I had about 500 images up before I made a sale. Some sell with less. But in the beginning, with a small port, you’ll have months with no sales. It usually takes a few thousand to begin to make monthly sales. It all depends on the quality of your images, how well they are captioned and tagged, and the variety of images.  I know you prefer wildlife, but a variety of images will only help you make sales.

If you click on the links under our avatars, you’ll see our photos. Look at what is being photographed. Click on an image, and you’ll see the tags, how many tags, and how thorough they are.

Betty

 

Thanks Betty, I’ve done as you suggested and can see what you mean, it’s quite hard to come up with different names for the same thing but I see what you mean!

i guess I should consider my small sales history fortunate then as I managed a few sales with only 30 or so pictures on file! 
now I’m back I shall start to increase my portfolio and hope for the best!

i shall post some very nice Badger pictures soon, there from a set of badgers I visited regularly until they accepted my presents, difficult shots with twin flashes on a trigger.

Lee