articles/Post-Processing/post-pro-p3-page1

The First Stage of Post-Processing Part 3 - part 1 of 1 2 3

by Mike McNamee Published 01/06/2015

Post-Processing If you don't get it right in the field!
There are three things that need to be correct when capturing an image in the field: Focus, Exposure and Composition. You can never make an out-of-focus image in focus by post processing. So that absolutely needs to be right. You can recover, to a large degree, an incorrect exposure. Adobe Camera Raw is extremely powerful and will forgive a lot of sins from the field.

Regarding composition, there isn't normally a lot that you can do if you don't get it right. However, in some cases, such as the one I will demonstrate here, you can save the image. In this particular image, I just didn't frame the image very well. The main body of rocks is far too near the bottom of the frame. In addition the horizon is not level and there is a rock creeping in on the left side of the frame.

So let's start. I have made the appropriate changes in Adobe Camera Raw much as I laid out in my last article. I set the Whites and Blacks. Pulled back the highlights because the sky is very bright and changed the colour temperature, as this being a long exposure the image was very blue.

Now to post processing in Photoshop. Before I make any adjustments to specific areas of the image I will need to set about by dealing with the framing and composition issues.

Firstly I will need to straighten the horizon. This is very easy as within the crop tool there is a straighten tool. It looks like a spirit level. Click on this and place one end on the horizon and drag it the right, tracing where the current horizon is. When this done, hit Enter and a crop takes place. It is worth noting how much of the image is cropped when straightening.

In this case quite a lot. You should be mindful of framing your images in the field as if you have to straighten the image then you may well compromise anything that is close to the edge of the frame.

Even though the image has been straightened, you will see that the horizon is not a straight line because of the barrel distortion created by the 24mm lens that was used.

• The First Stage of Post-Processing Part 3 page 1
  
• The First Stage of Post-Processing Part 3 page 2
  
• The First Stage of Post-Processing Part 3 page 3
  

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