Travels with Abulafia: Digital Image Workflow Redux

Travels with Abulafia: Digital Image Workflow Redux: "Digital Image Workflow Redux

After playing around with Adobe's DNG format and converter, I'm quite pleased. It looks like I can convert my 10-11MB raw PEF files to 5-6MB DNGs without sacrificing any image data. The only down side is that I've seen some lost metadata, though that may be correctable.

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Now, my image workflow is:

1. Use Adobe's DNG converter to create local DNGs in RAW_Pictures/ straight from the SD card.

2. Delete the original PEFs from the SD card and put it back in the camera or backpack. (I always seem to forget this step...)

3. Use dpMagic and/or Photoshop to select the images worth saving. Any others get deleted immediately or get 'trashed' via dpMagic (really just a renaming) to be cleaned up if disk space is low.

4. For each remaining image:
* Open in Photoshop CS and convert from RAW diddling exposure, white balance and lens settings as needed.

* If needed, apply a Unsharp Mask at 20%, 100-200 pixels, 0 Threshold to add a bit of large-scale dynamic range.

* Standard sharpening via Unsharp Mask at 80-150%, 1.5-2.5 pixels, 5-7 Threshold.

* Any other manipulations.

* Convert to sRGB color space.

* Move to 8-bit color.

* Finally, save the final version with 'File->Save as...' (not the 'for web' choice) a JPEG using 'withMetadata.iros' settings (custom settings saved from within ImageReady to preserve EXIF data).

* Name the new JPEG as Pictures/Category/DescriptiveName_P0001.jpg."