Part 24b - White Balancing in the iDarkroom

In Part 24a - White Balancing in the iDarkroom, the concepts of "neutrality" in color and "known reference" were explained. Pretty exciting stuff. Right? If you have not read Part 24a, take the time now. It will make this discussion much easier to follow and understand.

Using these concepts, it's possible to apply white balancing in the iDarkroom to control precisely the color rendition of any image. Precise color in photographic terms means that colors in the print or on the monitor appear just as they would if seen under standard sunlight conditions.

In terms of "neutrality", when a true gray object is viewed under normal sunlit conditions, the individual Red, Green and Blue values are identical. If they are not the same, then the gray object exhibits a color bias or "tint". The object of white balancing is to adjust the individual RGB color values of the known neutral reference until all three colors have the same numeric values -- a true gray.

When we allow the computer to adjust a "known reference" to its neutral values, our imaging software can automatically apply this same numeric color correction to every pixel in the image. Like magic, the entire image becomes color balanced based on one "known reference".

But there are almost "known references" and then there are real "known references". This would be a good time for some examples and some helpful pictures.

(Blog pictures can appear small. Clicking on any of the following images will produce a larger version to save your eyesight.)

An "almost" known reference

Figure 1 - Camera white balance set to daylight, light source incandescent table lamp

The Figure 1 image was taken with a DSLR set on a white balance of "daylight". However, the light source was a table lamp using a standard incandescent light bulb. The result is a picture containing far too much yellow. We'll correct the color rendition in post processing using both Photoshop and Lightroom 2. But to make the needed correction, a "known reference" point is required. A point in this picture where we know the color should be a true neutral (where the red, green and blue values are equal).

We learned in Part 24a that all true shades of gray from pitch black to pure white have red, green and blue values that are equal. Our first task is to find a neutral color in this picture. This is tough, but there is one small area that appears to be a very bright white.

Figure 2 -- "Almost" known reference shown in yellow circle

The small area of the decorative ball shown in the yellow circle of Figure 2 appears to be made of white thread. That's a good thing. Photoshop can use this as a reference point. And here's how.

Figure 3 -- Using Photoshop's "Levels" command to adjust white balance.

Figure 3 shows our picture in Photoshop with the "Levels" command window open. Below the "Options" button are 3 eyedropper icons. These are the tools for color balancing. The three droppers from left to right are black, gray and white. The dropper selected is determined by the area chosen as the known reference. In this case, I selected the white eye dropper (inside the green circle) because I will be applying the color correction adjustment to a known white reference point in the picture.

I click on the white eye dropper to select it. Then I click on my known white reference (the white thread inside the red circle in Figure 3). Zap. It's done. Not only was my white reference point corrected to a neutral white, but every other pixel that makes up this image was automatically adjusted with the same color correction. Compare the color in Figures 2 and 3. Lightroom has a similar "eye dropper" white balance tool.

So that's it? If only it were that simple.

Remember, I said this is an "almost" known reference example. It works, and I use it frequently. It's a "good enough" solution for most situations. But, it is not an exact white balance color correction.

The reason is because the thread in this picture -- like every other color that we perceive as neutral -- isn't exactly neutral. If we could analyze the color of the thread that was used as our white balance reference point, it would not be a true neutral white. It would have some color bias (or tint). So, when I corrected the thread to a true neutral white with the "eye dropper" tool, I forced it to become a white that wasn't true to the real world color of the thread. For many, this is good enough.

A "Real" known reference

When color rendition is critical, there is a simple solution. A solution that has been used by photographers for decades. PLACE A KNOWN REFERENCE IN THE PICTURE.

Figure 4 - Kodak Color Control Patches Chart

All we need is something we can place in the frame of the picture that we know is absolutely accurate in color. Figure 4 shows one of these standards. This Kodak Color Control Patch chart contains colors of known color values. The black, gray and white on this chart are totally neutral. They are our "known references". If we could "eye dropper" one of these colors in Photoshop or Lightroom, then correct white balance would be assured.

Figure 5 - Original picture with Kodak reference chart included

Figure 5 shows the original picture again. Only this time the Kodak chart has been added to the scene. (I know. Having the chart in the picture isn't something most people would want to frame and hang in their living rooms. I'll take care of that issue later.) But the picture now contains a white that we know is truly white in reality.

Note: The Kodak chart shown here is only one type of reference that can be bought at your local camera shop. Many photographers use a commercially produced gray card. This 8 inch by 10 inch card is a single solid 18% gray in color on one side and pure white on the other side. For white balancing, either type of card works well. Remember to use the appropriate "eye dropper" tool when white balancing in Photoshop.

However, one complicating factor to our white balancing process by using this reference card is that WE DON'T WANT THE CARD TO APPEAR IN OUR FINAL PICTURE. So, when taking the picture in Figure 5, take a second picture with the reference card REMOVED. The plan is to correct the picture with the reference card to a perfect white balance, and THEN apply the same correction to our second picture with the card removed. But, how is this done?

Figure 6 - Create a "Levels" adjustment layer

Once the picture with the reference card is opened in Photoshop, create a new "levels" adjustment layer as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 7 - Making the white balance correction using a "levels" adjustment layer

Figure 7 shows how this white balance correction is made.

• from the "layers" window (green box) select the new adjustment layer (yellow box);
• from the "adjustments" window (blue box), select the white "eye dropper" (magenta box);
  
• click the "eye dropper" on the white patch of the Kodak reference chart in the picture (red circle).

The entire picture changes in color to reflect the correction needed to make the white Kodak patch a true white. Now we have a picture of the decorative balls with a Kodak reference chart that is color accurate and suitable for framing.

Figure 8 - Applying white balance correction to the final picture

Figure 8 shows how the corrections we just made can be applied to the picture with the Kodak chart removed. After all, this second picture should require exactly the same correction.

• Start by opening both pictures in Photoshop and place them side-by-side.
• Make the active window the corrected picture containing the Kodak chart (the green box shows that this is the active window).
• The layers window (I placed it between the two pictures for this example.) shows two layers. One called "background", and one labeled "levels 1". Click and hold on the "levels 1" layer.
• Drag the "level 1" layers (shown as the red box above) to the second picture (without the Kodak chart) and release the mouse button.
• Photoshop will automatically make a copy of the adjustment layer from the first picture and create an exact adjustment layer in the second picture. And the color will change to match our first, white balance corrected picture.

Figure 9 -- Final "real" known reference" white balanced image

Compare the final picture in Figure 3 using the "almost" known reference to the final "real" known reference picture in Figure 9 above.

Lightroom uses a similar "eye dropper" technique, but requires fewer steps.

Figure 10 -- Lightroom 2 White Balance Tool

White balancing is done in the Develop module of Lightroom 2.

• click once on Lightroom's white balance "eye dropper" tool (red circle in Figure 10);
• find the known neutral reference point in the picture and click once (shown in the green circle of Figure 10).
  

Then all colors within the picture will change based on the correction required to make the reference point neutral. Figure 11, below, shows the results of this white balance procedure.

Figure 11 - Original image after applying the white balance tool

Applying this correction to the picture without the reference chart is even easier. As a matter of fact, this correction can be applied to multiple pictures at the same time in one quick step.

Figure 12 - Applying one correction to multiple images in Lightroom

In the Library mode, shown above in Figure 12:

• click-select the picture that has the correction you want to apply to other pictures in the collection (shown in the green box);
• while holding down the Alt key on PCs or the Command key on Macs, click-select all the images to which you want to apply the same white balance correction as the original;
• click on the "Synch Settings" button (shown in red circle in Figure 12).

The window below will appear:

Figure 13 - Lightroom "Synchronize Settings" window

The window that appears (Figure 13) allows the synchronization of dozens of image attributes. But only the white balance correction will be selected for this example. Only the White Balance box (shown in green) should contain a check mark -- all others blank. Then click on the Synchronize button in the lower right-hand corner.

Figure 14 - White Balance of master image is applied to all selected images.

Figure 14 shows the results of synchronizing the white balance of the four images. Lightroom's Synchronize feature allows for rapid duplication of any of the program's editing features to other pictures in the collection.

Note: Applying a white balance correction to multiple images ONLY works when all the pictures were taken under the SAME light source.

Considering the wealth of white balance controls available on modern DSLRs when the picture is being taken and the additional controls available in image editing software during post processing, there is little excuse remaining for poor color accuracy. Take advantage of all these controls to provide the color accuracy and creativity your vision of the final picture requires.

Part 20 - Cropping Digital Images

Without a doubt, the first and most frequently used function in any digital imaging program is the Cropping Tool. Cropping has been basic to photography since its beginning.

Cropping determines the dimensions and boundaries of the final image. In addition, cropping ultimately determines the artistic and aesthetic placement of the central focus of any image.

Cropping occurs twice during the creation of a photograph:

• The first crop is performed in the camera as the photographer composes the picture in the viewfinder. The photographer decides at this time the limits of the scene that will be contained within the 4 borders of the picture as well as the elements (objects) that will be captured.
• The second crop takes place in the iDarkroom. Digital imaging programs contain cropping tools that allow the photographer to perform a final technical and artistic adjustment to define the dimensions and element contents of the final image.

A fundamental rule in photography is to crop in the camera. Photographers have long been advised to compose the image in the viewfinder as it is to appear in the final print. There are sound reasons for making this recommendation.

• Aesthetically, cropping the image in the camera forces the serious photographer to focus on the rules of good composition and to mentally visualize the final image.
• Technically, cropping in the camera produces a digital file that requires less cropping in the iDarkroom which interprets to sharper final prints. Excessive digital cropping and/or enlarging reduces the resolution and, consequently, the quality of the final photograph.

In the real world, photographers walk a fine line when they consider cropping. Yes, professional photographers will "pre-visualize" the final image and crop accordingly as they compose the picture in the field or studio. However, to provide some margin of error, most professional photographers will leave a small excess of the original scene on each of the four sides of the viewfinder image. The final cropping almost always takes place in the iDarkroom.

Because of the importance of cropping to photography, virtually every digital imaging program offers tools to perform this function. I will use cropping examples with Adobe's Lightroom and Photoshop. Most imaging programs will offer a tool with similar functionality.

Original picture as shot without iDarkroom cropping.

This is my sample picture for walking through Lightroom and Photoshop's cropping functions. To match the pre-visualized image of this outstanding photographer (me), some cropping refinement is required.

The area to be eliminated (or "cropped out") is shown in light brown.

Shown above is the same image with the areas to be eliminated shaded in brown. Notice: I am not concerned about the size of the final image at this stage. I am only concerned with the contents of the image appearing within the borders of the final print.

Cropping Screen with the Lightroom's Develop Module

Lightroom's cropping tool (red box above) is available from the program's Develop Module. Clicking on this tool reveals the window shown above. A free-hand cropping icon (shown in green) is available for a click-and-drag cropping. Or, handles that appear on each corner and the center of each side can be clicked-and-dragged to a new location. (Normally, I use the six handles to define the cropped area.)

An additional convenience provided in Lightroom is the inclusion of "rule of thirds" indicators. Faint grid lines that divide the picture into thirds horizontally and vertically are overlaid on the picture. The four intersections of these grid lines (shown in blue) are the "rule of thirds" points for subject placement. The locations of these points change dynamically as the crop (border lines) is moved -- nice touch for beginning and advanced photographers alike.

Lightroom's Develop Module with Crop Indicated

Here is a closer view of the Lightroom screen with the crop lines positioned. The image areas in dark gray will be eliminated (cropped) from the final digital picture. By pushing the "enter" key, the crop will be performed, and the final image appears.

Remember from our previous discussion about the non-destructive editing features of programs like Lightroom and Apple's Aperture, the original digital file is NOT being altered. The information about the crop just performed will be included along with any other corrections in a separate file and applied to this image whenever it is displayed on the monitor. The original uncropped and unaltered file is ALWAYS retrievable.

Let's compare this cropping technique to that used by Photoshop and many similar programs.

Photoshop's Crop Tool (in red)

In Photoshop, the cropping tool is always present on the left-hand tool bar as shown in the red circle above. This icon has become almost universal and looks similar in other editing programs. Clicking on this tool activates the cropping function.

The Photoshop crop is indicated and ready for execution

In the picture above, the crop tool (a click-and-drag functioning tool) has been positioned as indicated by the "marching ants" marque. After releasing the mouse button, the area to be "cropped out" will be shown in dark gray (above). Notice, much like Lightroom, that six positioning handles also appear when the mouse button is released (red circles above). Using these handles allows for final precision positioning of the borders of the crop. Hitting the "return" or "enter" key completes the cropping function.

Final cropped picture

Remember, Photoshop and similar editing programs work on a destructive editing process. In other words, the original file HAS been altered. So, perform a "SAVE AS" command and use a new file name NOW. This will ensure that the original file will NOT be overwritten and destroyed.

Simultaneous Cropping and Sizing

It is possible to perform cropping and image re-sizing at the same time with the cropping tool. Having this capability allows the photographer to specify the desired specific print size and print resolution while performing the cropping.

Original picture before cropping and re-sizing

This picture requires cropping to correctly position the subject. In addition, I know that a final print with the dimensions of 10" x 8" at 240 ppi is required. With Photoshop's cropping tool, I can perform both operations at once.

Photoshop's cropping and resizing functions

With the cropping tool selected (red circle above), I can type in specific dimensional attributes in the width, height and resolution boxes (shown within the green circles above). In this case, a width of 10", a height of 8" and a resolution of 240 ppi are typed into the boxes.

Caution: When you don't want to automatically re-size an image to specific dimensions or PPI resolution, these boxes must be blank. Using the "Clear" button (yellow circle above), will erase any specified sizing in the width, length and resolution boxes.

Areas to crop are shown in dark gray and the constrained 8"x10" print area is visible.

Now, as the click-and-drag is performed with the mouse, the crop is constrained to the proportions of 8"x10". Any crop can be accommodated when you perform this operation, as long as it conforms to the proportion of 8 by 10. The crop and re-sizing is completed by hitting the "return" or "enter" key.

Final cropped and re-sized image

Check the properties of this image and you will discover that the new cropped image is 8 inches by 10 inches with a resolution of 240 ppi. Remember to save this file under a new file name to prevent overwriting the original file. Most modern image editing programs incorporate this time-saving feature in their cropping tools.

You will find that the cropping tool is one of your best friends and most utilized tools. Because of the frequency of use, cropping will soon become second nature.

Part 19 - Storing Digital Images

If there's a downside to your new found photographic passion, it's the fact that there's almost no limit to the number of pictures that can be taken. There's no film to buy. There are no film processing costs. And DSLR data storage cards can be used over and over to spread their cost over hundreds or thousands of pictures.

With almost no cost involved, today's DSLR photographers shoot more images than ever. Now the issue is the safe storage of files. Not only the data files from the camera's storage cards, but all the variations made from the files during post processing in image editing programs. Just one file might give birth to several more. Here's an example of the versions in the life of just one digital image:

• The original camera file that was copied and saved to your computer's hard drive.
• One file in the same size as the original file that has been edited, corrected and saved.
• One file that was re-sized and saved for use on a website.
• One file that was re-sized and saved to make an 8"x10" print for your den.
• One file that was re-sized and saved to appear in a magazine or newspaper.

In this case, one original file generated the need to save 4 new files. Multiply this scenario for all your best images and you are soon experiencing a computer hard drive that's overflowing. Most disturbing is the vulnerability of these fragile and irreplaceable files. There are dozens of ways this data can be lost forever, like:

• power surges
• jarring or dropping a hard drive
• virus attack corrupting the hard drive
• computer being stolen
  
• the hard drive wearing out over time from normal use
• your 8-year old types "reformat"
  
• alien computer abductions.
  

It's obvious some regular and "adhered to" back up process is necessary for image security and peace of mind. The Internet is filled with suggestions for backing up your images -- some good, some bad.

I will describe the procedure I use for backing up and storing my images. My method is not necessarily any better, but it has provided me with the confidence to know that my images are protected and always retrievable.

To start with, my primary imaging computer is an iMac. (No, that's not a recommendation, it's just the digital imaging computer I grew up with and am most comfortable using.) The current Mac OS has an automatic back up feature called Time Machine. I have a dedicated 750GB hard drive that is used by Time Machine to provide an HOURLY backup of my "changed" or new files.

I use the Time Machine feature as a secondary backup (sort of a "just in case" copy of my files). My primary back up device is a 1 terabyte Seagate external hard drive that stores an exact copy of my computer's hard drive that is created every morning at 2 a.m. using a backup program called SuperDuper. This primary back up drive is connected to my computer by Firewire (rather than USB) to provide faster copy speeds. If you have more than one computer or are part of a network, this "image-dedicated" back up drive can also be installed to allow back up over the network.

Seagate Free Agent, 1 Terabyte External Hard Drive

Here is the process I follow for uploading and protecting the files coming from my DSLR:

1. Using Lightroom's import feature I transfer the files from my data card to a dedicated Lightroom image folder.
2. I then make a second copy of the same files into a dedicated holding folder on my external terabyte hard drive.
3. I then erase the original files from my data card for re-use.
4. SuperDuper and Time Machine perform their timed back ups to ensure my original and edited images are backed up on two separate hard drives.
5. Over time the Holding Folder on my terabyte drive grows in size. When the folder reaches 4 gigabytes, I copy the folder to a DVD for long term storage. The files in the Holding Folder are then erased in preparation for the next series of images. I am very careful to store my DVDs in a safe environment to maximize their life.
   

There is much dispute over the life expectancy of CDs and DVDs, but they are the best alternative available today. The better (and more expensive) DVDs do have a longer projected life expectancy. Since there's little likelihood that these DVDs will be needed on a regular basis, it's a good idea to consider storing them off-site (i.e. safety deposit box, under grandma's bed, etc.). If the worst ever happened and something catastrophic happened to your digital darkroom, your original image files would be safe.

In total, I have 4 copies of my original files and 3 copies of any new or altered versions I create from the original image files. Although my procedure isn't bullet proof, it does allow me to sleep better at night.

Not long ago, the expense of 750GB and 1 terabyte drives made this back up process financially prohibitive and other alternatives like storing images on Internet services were more attractive. However, the cost of large capacity hard drives has dropped dramatically and is within the reach of most photographers. Be sure to research and compare hard drives to determine the positives and negatives that real users are experiencing.

Finally, with the exception of Time Machine, these same procedures are adaptable to any PC platform and operating system.

Part 16 - Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture

The last two posts covered the topic of organizing digital image files. The capabilities and search flexibility of programs like Adobe's Lightroom and Apple's Aperture have brought a new level of image organization and retrieval to the individual photographer that was previously the exclusive territory of sophisticated corporate image storage systems.

What's currently muddying the waters are the enhanced editing features that these organizing programs are bringing to the market. The question now being asked is: "Do I need a dedicated photo editing program, like Photoshop, or are the editing features now included in Lightroom and Aperture enough for my needs?"

This post will lay the basic groundwork towards making that distinction apparent, and ultimately help in making your "buy - no buy" decision. The best place to start is to understand the editing features these new programs offer. I will use Adobe's Lightroom for my examples, but similar features and tools can be found in Apple's Aperture. (These editing tools will be briefly described in this post. How and when to use each of these editing tools will not be covered in this primer.)

Main Lightroom Workspace

Shown above is Lightroom's primary workspace. The various modes of Lightroom are located at the top of the screen as Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print and Web. The previous two discussions took place in Library Mode (yellow box). This mode contains the organizational features of this program including keywording, metadata, image ranking, film strip, preview area and the image search function.

But even in this Library Mode some limited image status and editing operations are available. So, as an image is selected (click on image in central preview area or on an image in the film strip at bottom), an image histogram is displayed (shown in yellow) and several coarse editing functions become active (shown in green box). The histogram in Lightroom displays the levels for all the primary colors (red, green and blue) as well as the secondary colors (cyan, magenta and yellow) for a more detailed look at the digital make up of the selected image.

Quick Develop Function in Library Mode

Here are the controls available for coarse image corrections in Library Mode. These controls are not nearly as elaborate as their sister function in the Develop Mode, but they do provide a quick way of making initial adjustments to individual or groups of selected images. For example, if a particular group of your images have a slight green cast, all of the images can be selected at once and their white balances adjusted to add more magenta (magenta is the opposite of green) and reduce the green cast. In the same way, a group of images that are too dark can be lightened as a group using the coarse exposure control.

To make more critical corrections, Lightroom users select the Develop Mode in the top bar of the main workspace.

Lightroom's Develop Mode Workspace

Although the above picture is small, it does help orientate you to the Develop Mode workspace in Adobe's Lightroom. Here a picture was selected in the Library Mode to be adjusted. "Develop" (see green box) was selected from the top bar to reveal this image editing workspace.

Lightroom's Histogram and Treatment Tools in Develop Mode

That's better. In this close up view of the right-hand side of the Develop Mode workspace, the first of Lightroom's editing tools can be seen. Again a histogram is always visible and will reflect -- in real time -- any changes you make during image editing. Among the tools available are:

• White balance control (color temperature and tint)
• Recovery, fill light and blacks
• Brightness and contrast
• Presence (controlling overall clarity, vibrancy and saturation).

All of these tools are represented as sliders to allow precise control of the adjustment. Any adjustment made using these tools is immediately reflected in the large preview image in the center of the screen.

Tone Curve, Hue, Saturation, Luminance, Color and Grayscale control panels

The editing tool bar on the right of the screen has its own vertical slider to provide access to more editing options. Here the Tone Curve is shown as well as the slider controls for Hue, Saturation, Luminance, Color and Grayscale. Again each slider control allows for very precise control and any adjustments are previewed immediately on the large center-screen image. A helpful feature is available on several controls that makes visual adjustment much easier. In the above example, Saturation is shown to be active. Notice the small circle to the left-hand side of the word Saturation. Clicking on this button converts your pointer/cursor to an on-screen saturation tool.

Cursor Saturation Tool Example

Here's the cursor saturation tool (within the green circle) as it appears on the large preview image. I can now be very specific about the color that I'm adjusting. In this case, the cursor is located on top of a yellow portion of the sunset. With a combination of click/hold, I can drag the cursor up or down to increase or decrease the saturation of the yellow in the entire picture. While performing this operation, the sliders in the Saturation portion of the tool bar will move to reflect precisely the change being made. Pretty cool. This feature is available with several of Lightroom's image editing tools.

Detail and Lens Correction Options

The final two editing controls in the right hand options bar are "Detail" (for precisely controlling image sharpness) and "Lens Correction" (to adjust for or simulate imperfections common to lenses). The sharpening functions of Lightroom are very precise and flexible. See the Sharpening post in Part 13 of this iDarkroom primer for more information.

Cropping, Red Eye and Straightening Controls

Immediately below the large central preview image are the controls for setting the preview image (i.e. full screen, side-by-side before and after view, etc.). In addition, a Red Eye function is available as well as all cropping and straightening functions. Cropping and straightening are very intuitive within Lightroom and performed in real time with guidelines on the large preview image.

Lightroom's Pallet of Preset Effects

The final feature to be mentioned in this primer are Presets. Adobe has included a selection of predefined effects that can be applied to any image (shown above). The presets in Develop Mode are listed on the left-hand menu next to the large central preview image. As the user passes the cursor over each optional preset a small preview image is displayed (red box above) to provide visual feedback on the effect each preset will have on the selected image. In the example above, the preset labeled "General - Grayscale" is selected and all of the Lightroom corrections required to convert the selected image to a grayscale (B&W) image are applied. The result is immediately shown in the center-screen image.

Lightroom as well as Apple's Aperture - not covered here - also have significant additional features that make them a nearly universal imaging product:

• Slideshow production including music and multiple export options
  
• Web gallery production including a broad selection of gallery styles
  
• Extensive Printing Options offering unique printing formats for numerous purposes including contact sheets and fine art layouts.

The distinctive feature unique to Lightroom and Aperture is contained in how all the corrections made during editing are applied to your original digital file.

They aren't!

In photo-speak, all of the actions (regardless of how dramatic or extensive) that you make during image editing are NOT applied directly to the original image. This is called non-destructive editing. Although you see the changes being made on-screen -- before your very eyes -- all corrections made are held by these programs as a set of instructions that are applied when the image is subsequently viewed, edited, exported as a new image file, viewed as a slide show, or printed. The original file is NEVER altered. The corrections are contained in a small text file that becomes permanently associated with each image file in your collection. (Consider this information as "image editing" metadata.)

Unlike the standard procedure of saving an original file, making corrections and then saving the new edited image under a new file name to preserve the original, Lightroom and Aperture save all that hard drive space and file organization chaos by maintaining a very small text file that allows these programs to apply the corrections within the program each time the image is accessed.

Then which type of program should a photographer choose -- a dedicated image editing program like Photoshop or an all-in-one software package like Lightroom or Aperture? Much of the answer is determined by the photographer and the images he/she wants (or is required) to produce. Although it's highly likely that a professional photographer's computer will have both types of programs, it is also becoming more and more frequent for these photographers to do the majority of their work in Lightroom or Aperture.

Why is this?

Most working professionals -- especially commercial and studio photographers as well as photojournalists -- have become extremely proficient at capturing a technically and compositionally accurate image in the environments they typically encounter. Their need for extensive image editing is minimal. However, their need for organizing and editing speed as well as the ability to meet tight deadlines is extremely high. So a typical workflow (under "normal" conditions) for these pros might be something like:

• Download all images from camera's storage card and generic metadata into Lightroom or Aperture
• Review all images and determine images to be used for the assignments (selects)
• Apply image-specific metadata to selected images
• Perform any corrections that can be applied to all images
• Perform any corrections necessary to specific images
• Export images in required format (with Lightroom corrections applied)
• Transmit images to their editor or client.

Remember this is only an example. Each photographer has his/her own personal workflow. But they will generally include similar steps. For these pros or any skilful photographer, Lightroom or Aperture is capable of performing all the steps in their workflow. So, many photographers have drifted to using Lightroom or Aperture the majority of the time.

However, other photographers in the industry or in the non-professional ranks -- including fine art photographers, architectural photographers, photographers shooting for illustrations or advertising, etc. -- have a critical need of performing fine adjustments throughout the entire image. As a result, stand-alone imaging programs like Photoshop are a necessity in their work.

The strength of dedicated image editing programs like Photoshop is found in the almost limitless image control they provide to their users. Unlike Lightroom or Aperture where the corrections made are almost always to the entire image, Photoshop-like programs allow control over the individual components of a digital image -- down to the individual pixel level. Layers can be applied. Actions can be utilized. Cloning can be achieved. Delicate masking can be accomplished. HDR and panoramas can be accommodated. Paths can be constructed. Text can be introduced. These are some of the options not currently available in Lightroom or Aperture that are considered essentials to the work of many photographers.

In the end, the photographer must choose based on his/her image editing requirements. Because of the different strengths of each type of program, both are likely to be found in a photographer's iDarkroom.

It will certainly be interesting to watch the evolution of Lightroom and Aperture as Adobe and Apple continue to add more and more dedicated image editing program features. Who knows, we may be heading towards an all-in-one software solution.

Which would I recommend?

That's tough. But if I were just starting out -- and understanding the importance I place on keeping digital images organized and accessible -- I would probably buy either Lightroom or Aperture first. Putting organization considerations aside, the editing features of Lightroom and Aperture are extensive and certainly powerful enough for newcomers.

I would learn the ins and outs of these programs including all the image editing tools and functions. Then when I had conquered the tools and as my finances allowed, I would purchase a dedicated image editing program like Photoshop to cover the full range of my editing needs. Virtually everything I learned while using Lightroom or Aperture would transfer to shorten the learning time associated with most dedicated image editing programs.

Part 15b -- Organizing, Storing and Retrieving Image Files

This article is a continuation of Part 15 - Organizing, Storing and Retrieving Image Files.

The last post explained how to import images from your camera or stored on your computer's hard drive into image management or organizing software -- in this case, Adobe's Lightroom. Once the images have been imported, the next step is to provide the information that these programs require to organize the individual images and make their later retrieval a simple matter -- regardless of how many images you have in your entire collection.

Adobe Lightroom's Workspace

Seeing the entire Lightroom workspace is difficult using images that fit within the blog template. So sections of the workspace will be enlarged in each segment of this post.

The picture above shows the entire Lightroom workspace. I've attached descriptive words (in yellow) to this full workspace view to highlight the areas that are common to most image management software.

• Library Mode: Only the organizing and storage features to this class of software will be discussed in this post. For Lightroom, these functions take place in the Library mode -- shown in white lettering at the top of the screen. Other modes in Lightroom include: Develop, Slideshow, Print and Web. (These modes are topics for future articles.)
• Thumb Nail Window: In the center of the workspace is the area reserved for larger thumbnail images of the images in either the folder you've selected or as a result of an image search you have performed.
• Image Folders: The left hand menu bar displays a complete list of the image folders you've created and stored in Lightroom. In this section resides the folder created in the last post.
• Scrolling Filmstrip: At the bottom of the workspace is a film strip that can be scrolled to show all the pictures selected. Users can scroll through their images quickly using this feature. Clicking on any filmstrip image will result in showing a larger thumbnail in the center pane for closer inspection.
• Keywords: This is the area that displays current keywords associated with the selected image. Additional keywords that are specific to this image can be entered in this box.
• Metadata: This area is reserved for displaying and modifying the metadata of the selected image. (Click here for the discussion of Metadata in Part 14 of this iDarkroom blog.)

The "folders" pane (circled in yellow) in Lightroom's workspace

It's probably becoming obvious from these descriptions that we are now at the level of organizing each INDIVIDUAL image. The importing accomplished in the last post provided a basic gross organization of the images. All files were placed in a folder unique to a particular shot or event (shown in "folders" pane above). At the same time, images were provided metadata and keywords that were common to ALL images in this folder. Now we can describe individual photographs to identify what makes each unique. It all begins with information entered in the right hand column of panes.

Lightroom Histogram Pane

The top pane contains a histogram of the image that is currently selected. Although this histogram won't be altered, it does provide a graphic that is several times larger than your camera's version as well as an opportunity to take a closer technical look at the exposure made in the field.

The pane for viewing, changing and adding keywords

The keyword window below the histogram shows any keywords that are currently associated with the SELECTED image. These initial keywords were assigned to this image (and all others in the group) by the photographer when the file(s) was originally imported into this folder in Lightroom. Now's the time to enter words that specifically define this image. For example, this folder contained pictures of landscapes, people, scenery, water falls, babbling brook, towering trees, sunrise, etc. taken at the Old Grist Mill in Clark County, Washington in 2008. So every picture in this series shares these keywords. The picture that is currently SELECTED is of a waterfall in the park. By adding the keyword "waterfall" to the list for this image, it's now different from all the others. This is the first step in locating this image two years from now. Enter keywords that identify/describe this particular image.

Lightroom's Metadata Pane Showing EXIF Metadata

As explained in Part 15a, two forms of metadata are commonly associated and travel with each image -- EXIF and IPTC. The picture above shows the EXIF metadata (as selected in the yellow hightlighted pull down menu). This information isn't editable. EXIF data describes exactly how this SPECIFIC picture was taken (i.e., camera name, f/stop, shutter speed, ISO, shooting mode, etc.). Instead of taking notes, the camera records this important reference material automatically and includes it with each picture file. You'll see later that you can even use this information to find particular pictures. For example, if you wanted to locate all pictures that were taken with your Nikon D200, you can do that based on each picture's EXIF metadata.

IPTC Metadata Window

You might not be able to read all the "fill in the blanks" in this picture, but you can see there's room for lots of information that's specific to this picture. IPTC metadata was originally created with photojournalists in mind. Here all the information about the photographer, the assignment, location, dates, captions, etc. can be entered. You may not need all this information for your photography, but several fields are useful for everyone -- like photographer's name, address, date, etc. You decide what information is important and use these fields to permanently assign this data to THIS specific image.

These are the critical data entry areas and information required to make later retrieval of a specific image a snap.

You mean I have to do all this work for every picture I take?

If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your image organizational software the answer is YES. But, don't panic. Software manufactures have included shortcuts to speed up the process.

Metadata Synchronization Button in Lightroom

The "Sync Metadata" button at the bottom of Lightroom's workspace is one of Adobe's methods for making your metadata life easier. By selecting one image that contains all the metadata you've entered and then selecting all others that require the same information and clicking on the "Sync Metadata" button, your metadata is automatically entered into the fields you specify. For example, in the "waterfall" example above: If you had taken 20 pictures of the waterfall, then you only need to enter the data into one of the waterfall images, select the remaining images and let the "Sync Metadata" feature automatically write the information into the other 19 picture files.

Every program has shortcuts for entering metadata. Check out data entry shortcuts when you are evaluating different software programs.

Most programs also include a few additional options that make the initial job of organizing, sorting and editing pictures even easier and faster.

As hard as it is to believe, not every picture is a winner. But instead of trying to determine which pictures to save before importing them, I recommend you import EVERYTHING. Good and bad. It's actually much easier to make these decisions at the same time you are entering keywords and metadata. Any image can be selected and deleted at any time. So, import everything to save time.

Additional options for classifying or editing your newly imported pictures include:

Color Labeling

These features are presented in the order suggested by Adobe for Lightroom. Color labeling can be used to quickly review ALL of your images. You can apply a color coded label to any of the thumbnail pictures to indicate their importance to your project. (Notice the "red image label" applied to the picture above surrounds the thumbnail picture.)

"Pick" Flag Applied in Lightroom

Once you've made your first cut by color labeling important pictures, you can then make final selections by selecting a "Pick" flag. The flag (upper left corner of thumbnail picture) indicates that this image is your "pick" for final use.

Lightroom's Star Rating System (circled in yellow)

At the bottom of each thumbnail image is a series of stars. Choosing "stars" ranks your images from poor to best (5 stars usually indicating best). It's your call. Rank the image according to your photographic taste. You will also be able to search and sort images based on these star rankings.

Notes: Additional information available on the thumbnail images includes:

• the size of the image file and its sequence number in all the thumbnails being displayed (shown in green circle)
• the file name and the f/stop and shutter speed used for this picture (shown in blue circle)
• information showing if the image has been altered in any way using the program's image editing features (shown in the red circle).

All of this information is customizable. A list of items to display with each thumbnail is available for you to customize these "corner" information displays.

At this point, you've created a complete database of images that can be quickly searched to find individual or groups of pictures that meet your search criteria.

The Lightroom "Find/Text" Menu

Let's walk through one simple search. In Lightroom in Library mode, the Find function is located on the left hand scrolling menu. For this search, I'll look for an image based on a specific keyword, "Clark County". From the "text" pull down menu, I select "Keywords". Notice I could have searched for pictures based on many choices -- title, filename, metadata, etc.

The "Find/Text/Rule" pull down menu

Next I tell Lightroom to search for keywords that match all the keywords I entered from the "Rule" pull down menu. Then I type in "Clark County" in the text field below the "rule" line.

Completed "Find" with results of the search

The results of the search appear almost immediately (this search took less than one second). All of the images found that match the keywords I entered are displayed in the thumbnail window and in the filmstrip at the bottom of the workspace. The details of the search are shown in the yellow circled area. I performed this search on my Grist Mill folder and 65 images matched my request. (I could have searched on multiple folders or the entire picture collection as well.)

The searching features of these programs are extensive and fast -- making it virtually impossible to lose a file that has been properly identified when brought into the program.

For most photographers, these sophisticated image organization programs are worth their weight in gold. Finding a single image among thousands has been a photographer's nightmare since George Eastman was a kid. Today, we can attach image-specific information and permanently include it with the picture. And then leave the grunt work of finding the files to our computers. It's not a miracle, but it is a godsend.

Is this just for professionals? Well, imagine your daughter is getting married and you're in charge of creating a scrapbook of images from delivery room to college graduation as a wedding keepsake. If you had been entering your family pictures into an image management program for all those years, just typing in your daughter's name as a keyword would display her entire photographic history. Pretty cool.

The amount of information you add to your images and the ways you rank your files are totally within your control. However, whatever choices you make, be consistent -- forever. By standardizing your importing and organizing process you have defined your own image management "workflow".

Finally, don't forget that the Lightroom process I have described is only ONE software solution on the market. Check out others -- like Apple's Aperture -- to determine which is most comfortable and usable in your iDarkroom.

But wait! There's more! Although the organization that these programs bring to the chaos of managing thousands of individual images is well worth the price, there's more to most of these programs. Future iDarkroom articles will discuss why many professional photographers are using these programs to perform the majority of their digital image editing and enhancement as well.

As always, if you have questions or comments, please drop me a line.

Part 15a - Organizing, Storing and Retrieving Photo Image Files

It's called "Film"

Back in the "olden days" (pre-2002) when I was the Director of the Time-Life Photo Lab and before the company's conversion to digital photography, we would process hundreds of rolls of film each day for the organization's 135 magazines. It wasn't unusual for Sports Illustrated to shoot 600 to 800 rolls of 36 exposure film at major sporting events like the Super Bowl. This shooting pace using multiple photographers resulted in 21,000 to 28,000 images that had to be down-selected, edited and eventually stored. It was a huge, deadline-driven workload and responsibility for each magazine's photo editor and staff.

It would seem the organizational and storage challenges couldn't get more complex. Then digital cameras and the advantages of digital editing entered the scene.

The new "film"

There is little argument among most photojournalists that digital photography has given them more flexibility and options. At the same time, the old 36 pictures per roll of film limitation has "bitten the dust". With camera storage cards of 8, 16, and 32 gigabytes available at reasonable costs and the ability to use and re-use these devices for years, the number of images that can be taken at any event has increased dramatically. (That's about 200 RAW files on each 4 GB card or the equivalent of more than 5 rolls of traditional film.) The result is "digital film" that is nearly free but even more images to organize, store and retrieve.

Regardless of your photographic status -- beginner to pro -- the challenge is the same. What do I do with all these image files?

It didn't take long for manufacturers of imaging software like Adobe and Apple to recognize the problem (along with considerable input from professional photographers) and the sales potential for a software solution. Today, there are many options for bringing order to this chaotic situation. Every solution has it own strengths and weaknesses.

I will use Adobe's Lightroom features to highlight possibilities that the majority of these image file organizing applications bring to our craft. I recommend you read this overview to understand the basic features of image organizing applications and then research available software that is in your budget range and fulfils your organization and storage needs.

Adobe Lightroom's Desktop
Yes, I know it's a small picture. I'll zoom into the important areas as necessary.

Features common to most image organizing software include:

• ability to import images from folders on your hard drive or camera storage card
• ability to place imported images into specific locations that can be cataloged and stored
• ability to add to, alter and edit the metadata attached to each image (see Part 14 of this iDarkroom primer for a discussion of metadata)
• ability to rank your images (from good to bad)
• ability to search and display all images being stored
• minor to major capability to perform image adjustments -- usually a non-destructive process where changes you make are recorded without altering your original image
  
• ability to print a selected image
• and optionally, the ability to produce an on-screen slide presentation and/or on-line picture gallery.

This post will focus on the organizing and file storage features of programs like Lightroom and Apple's Aperture.

Lightroom functions are selected from bar menu in upper right hand corner of workspace

The image file organizational features of Lightroom are contained in the Library mode as highlighted in the image above.

Importing Images Into the Library

Typically pictures can be brought into these programs in two ways:

• from a location on your computer or network (i.e., from a folder or directory)
• directly from your camera or card reader.

Using either method in Lightroom produces an import menu as seen below. All of the remaining discussion in this post takes place on this menu.

Lightroom's Image Import Screen

The selections you make on this screen set all the import parameters. Like similar programs, Lightroom's import feature contains these basic common elements:

• thumbnail images of the pictures to be included and excluded (based on the user's selections) during the import
• navigation menu for selecting the storage location on your hard drive
• a method to allow the user to alter the filenames as they are being imported
• a metadata entry box.

Organization Begins Here

I have created a master folder on my desktop that contains all the images imported to Lightroom. Besides having everything in one place, this arrangement makes it much easier to backup all of my image files by copying this single folder to another hard drive or CD/DVD. Inside this folder are individual folders -- one for every shooting event.

Lightroom's window for selecting storage location for imported image files

Creating this dedicated folder in the main Lightroom image folder is accomplished from the import menu -- Copy to/choose button. From the menu, I select my "LR_Image_Storage" folder (highlighted in yellow above). Then, selecting the "New Folder" button, I name the folder that will contain the images to be imported (highlighted in green above) -- in this case Sunset Falls.

Note: Other file import location options are available in Lightroom (i.e. importing and erasing original copies or importing from current location without moving files to a new folder). However, the options described in the last paragraph are most typical and common to similar programs.

Moving on. Normally, when files are copied, the filenames remain unchanged. In Lightroom and similar programs, the file names can be optionally changed as the files are imported. The "File Naming" options are shown in the drop down menu shown above. This option allows you to choose a naming convention that you prefer for your images. In this example, the "Filename" selection is chosen -- meaning the original file names will NOT be changed.

File Naming and Metadata Information Selections

After selecting the template for File Naming, the remaining options concern information that will be applied as metadata to EVERY image imported.

Develop setting: I have never used this option. This drop down menu allows special effects to be added to EACH image as it is imported (i.e., toning, changing to black and white). Since this setting affects every image imported, I have never had a reason for using this option. Normally, leave this set to "None".

Metadata: Again, any choice made here is applied to EVERY image imported. From this menu, any template that has been defined can be selected. In my case, I have set up a predefined template that contains my name and copyright information. This is the information I want applied to every imported image. The template is called "TEH Generic" and is selected above in yellow.

Keywords: This space is provided for entering "keywords" that are descriptive and common to EVERY image being imported. The words you enter here (separated by a comma) are a major component for organizing and retrieving specific image files later from the thousands of files on your hard drive. Take your time with this step and choose your keywords carefully.

Almost done. Make certain the image you want to import has been selected. In Lightroom, images are selected in the check box above each thumbnail preview (shown in green circles). Click the "Import" button.

So, what's going on inside the computer?

• The image is copied from the camera's data card to the folder "Silver Falls" inside my main folder "LR_Image_Storage"
• The name is changed to the format I selected (in this case I asked for the original file name to be used for the copied file).
• The original image files on the data card are erased -- if I selected that option.
  
• The metadata I specified and keywords are saved along with each individual image.
• Thumbnail images are created to be used when viewing the pictures in Lightroom.

All of this import process can take some time depending on the number of images being imported. Be patient. The program will tell you when the process is complete.

We've taken some big steps in organizing our photographic life. This import has laid the foundation for eventually being able to find any image among thousands in record time. So far, everything that's been done has been applied to EVERY image being imported. The next article in this blog series, Part 15b, will show you how these software programs take this organization process to the individual image level to make image retrieval quick and easy.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.