A Simpler Workflow

[Ed Rooney]

Like many of you here, I shoot RAW and move my captures through Lightroom and Photoshop to get a polished jpeg to submit to Alamy. I have a new friend here in San Miguel. She has a very good eye, but knows nothing about digital tech. She's buying a Sony RX100-3 at my suggestion, but she has . . . no editing programs. 

 

I'm trying to come up with a way that she can shoot in Intelligent Auto, green or gold, and produce acceptable jpegs to submit right out of the camera. Any advice would be helpful.

 

I did some snaps myself yesterday with the two Intelligent-Auto modes on my own RX100-3. New to me, but I'm impressed. (Or I think I am.) The gold setting, Superior Auto, seems to be shooting auto HDR. ??? When you press the shutter release in low light, there are 3 or 4 clicks. Hmm.

 

Gracias, Edo
 

[John Mitchell]

Can't speak for the RX100 since I don't have one. However, I went through an experimental "straight from the camera" JPEGs stage with my NEX-6 when I first started using it, and the results were fine for Alamy. My guess is that the RX100 produces even better JPEGs since it was probably designed primarily for people who don't want to spend time on RAW processing. 

[Martin P Wilson]

6 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Like many of you here, I shoot RAW and move my captures through Lightroom and Photoshop to get a polished jpeg to submit to Alamy. I have a new friend here in San Miguel. She has a very good eye, but knows nothing about digital tech. She's buying a Sony RX100-3 at my suggestion, but she has . . . no editing programs. 

 

I'm trying to come up with a way that she can shoot in Intelligent Auto, green or gold, and produce acceptable jpegs to submit right out of the camera. Any advice would be helpful.

 

I did some snaps myself yesterday with the two Intelligent-Auto modes on my own RX100-3. New to me, but I'm impressed. (Or I think I am.) The gold setting, Superior Auto, seems to be shooting auto HDR. ??? When you press the shutter release in low light, there are 3 or 4 clicks. Hmm.

 

Gracias, Edo
 

 

I seem to recall David Kilpatrick suggesting that Program mode and OOC JPGs was good enough for most stock purposes. I think it was probably in one of his magazines a good few years ago. I guess you should still do the 100% review for dust, artifacts, CA and noise so would need simple photoediting tools PS Elements or one of the other amateur products would be good enough.

 

I'll stick with my raw based workflow though.

[M.Chapman]

6 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

I did some snaps myself yesterday with the two Intelligent-Auto modes on my own RX100-3. New to me, but I'm impressed. (Or I think I am.) The gold setting, Superior Auto, seems to be shooting auto HDR. ??? When you press the shutter release in low light, there are 3 or 4 clicks. Hmm.

 

Gracias, Edo
 

 

It's not auto HDR, it's swapped to handheld twilight mode, it's a way of reducing noise and effect of camera shake when shooting in low light. It takes several short exposures in quick succession, aligns them (to reduce effect of camera shake) and then combines them.

 

I'd be happy to submit jpgs straight from my Sony RX100 M3 to Alamy using either of the intelligent auto (iA and iA+) modes assuming conditions weren't too challenging. (Only the iA+ mode uses the multi-exposure trick). I'd still want to inspect at 100% before submitting though.

 

In reality I don't submit the jpgs because I prefer to start from RAWs because of the extra flexibility they bring. But, for many shots, when I compare the results of my efforts, the in camera jpgs would have sufficed.

 

Mark

[Roger Johansen]

The reason to show raw is to have the options to edit without loss in quality.

She could submit JPG's straight from camera, but then the pictures need to have no artifacts (chromatic aberations, dust etc.) and the horizon need to be straight and white balance can't be

to far away.

 

[Ed Rooney]

Yes, I'm in step with what you guys are saying. For my work, I will be sticking with my RAW to jpeg workflow, LR to PS, with an occasional stop in the Nik collection. For my friend, this Big Auto thing might work. I can't take on the task of teaching Digital Photography 101. 

 

Thanks

[DDoug]

Your friend might be interested in testing (free trial) Silkypix JPEG Photography 8, an inexpensive (under $50) app that offers some basic image adjustments.

[hdh]

Your friend may also have a look into GIMP (sort of PS)  and Darktable or RawTherapee (both sort of LR) . 

All open source and for free with full scale functionality. 

[KODAKovic]

I own a Fuji S3 Pro (the same applies to the newer Fuji S5) which is a 2004 camera and still considered by many the best OOC jpgs in the whole market (at least for colors and highlights falloff).

you can find it used for $170 as i did 2 months ago.

i forgot to mention it uses Nikon lens and in my case i only use prime (Zeiss) high quality lens

[Ed Rooney]

Ciao, Lorenzo e tutti.

 

It would make no sense at all for my friend to get a camera or an editing program that I do not have myself, but might have to buy and learn in order to teach her. I used the word "simpler" not more complex.

 

My guess is that more Alamy shooters own a Sony RX100/3 as their second or even first camera than any other kit.  As I do. That's what my friend is getting, in fact she's already ordered one. So, one piece of the puzzle solved.

 

If after I give her a visual walkthrough of my workflow, from camera to Alamy, she is still interested in learning the workings of digital stock, she will get the Adobe CC $10 package.

[Joseph Clemson]

I've spent quite some time looking for a photo processing package that was both free, straightforward and with some powerful features without being overwhelming. The aim is to teach my daughter how to get the best result from her Powershot SX bridge camera. 

 

The only package I have found so far which sees to meet my criteria is PT Photo Editor . I think it appeals to me because it is similar in visual layout to Lighrtoom and has many of the features a beginner will need and a few more to stretch themselves with when ready.

 

I have only recently found this and so can't comment in depth on how it well works, but as it costs nothing (unless you decide to go for the Pro version), it may be worth a punt. 

[John Mitchell]

6 hours ago, Joseph Clemson said:

I've spent quite some time looking for a photo processing package that was both free, straightforward and with some powerful features without being overwhelming. The aim is to teach my daughter how to get the best result from her Powershot SX bridge camera. 

 

The only package I have found so far which sees to meet my criteria is PT Photo Editor . I think it appeals to me because it is similar in visual layout to Lighrtoom and has many of the features a beginner will need and a few more to stretch themselves with when ready.

 

I have only recently found this and so can't comment in depth on how it well works, but as it costs nothing (unless you decide to go for the Pro version), it may be worth a punt. 

 

I downloaded PT Photo Editor. It definitely looks like it would do the job. I could see using it myself in a pinch. Thanks for the link.

[Ed Rooney]

I can't open that app on a Mac, but my friend has a PC.

[Betty LaRue]

I have both the original RX100 and the 3, and have never set aperture or SS. Always on auto and a few times one of the night modes. I have submitted hundreds that have passed easily. They are the only two cameras where I have ever shot auto for stock. But still RAW except for one of the night modes that only gives jpegs. Possibly the hand-held twilight mode. It’s been a couple of years since I used the night modes.

Betty

[Ed Rooney]

Thanks again for your thoughts. Here's basically what I've decided to do: 

 

1. Walk my friend through shooting her first three submission captures on my RX100-3, using Intelligent Auto.

2. Edit those pics on my Mac under her direction.

3. Send the full-size jpegs to her as Gmail attachments.

4. She will then sign up with Alamy and submit the images.

 

Not much else will happen until she returns here from Texas in June. if I'm still here when she does, I'll help her get Adobe CC. No new cheap or free editing programs that I must first learn to teach her. 

 

Hasta luego, Edo