Workshops
Raw processing panel
Saturday, March 31, 2012, 9AM to 4PM
Sunset Center, Carmel, CA
Lunch is provided.
Fee: $140 for members, $195 for nonmembers.
Space is limited; reservations are accepted in the order received.
This panel will bring together:
Jason Bradley, Photographer and workshop instructor
Eric Chan, Adobe
Mike Collette, Better Light
Brian Griffith, Iridient Digital
Kate Jordahl, Professor of Photography and Digital Imaging at Foothill College, Los Altos Hills and co-coordinates the PhotoCentral Program in Hayward, California
Nick Wheeler, Photographer
Jim Kasson, Moderator
What tools are fundamentally different in a raw processor than in a traditional pixel editor such as Photoshop and why? At some point in the raw processing pipeline the image data has been demosaiced and interpolated and becomes a standard bitmapped file in the color space of the raw processor; at that point editing in Photoshop may be superior to editing in a raw processor. This point may occur differently in different raw processors. It's important for the end user to know something about the way raw processors work in order to competently be able to edit the image.
Example questions:
- What operations in a raw processor take place before the image is demosaiced? What advantages accrue to applying those operations to mosaiced (eg. GRGB) image data?
- Does exporting the image from a raw processor to Photoshop in other than the native color space of the raw processor cause increased color errors?
- Do curves in a raw processor work differently than in Photoshop?
- Why use the sharpening, clarity, or intensity controls in raw processors when so much more control over the same attributes is available in Photoshop?
- Why use the lens corrections in a raw processor rather than perform the same task in Photoshop or more specialized applications.
- Do highlight and shadow recovery tools in raw processors provide different results than luminosity masks and highlight/shadow adjustments in Photoshop?
- Do aliasing artifact removal tools in raw processors provide different results than equivalent adjustments in Photoshop?
Knowing the correct answers to questions like these becomes even more important when preparing raw files for additional editing in applications specializing in stitching multiple images together to create panoramas or greater depth of field or assembling images for 32 bit Radiance (HDR) editing.
This panel will bring together software developers of image editors that perform processing on raw images with photographers who are expert users of these tools. The panel has the following objectives:
- To allow photographers better understanding of the usually-opaque image processing algorithms associated with raw conversion.
- To provide software developers a better understanding of the way in which experts use their products, and to provide them with suggestions for enhancements.
- To provide photographers with enough information for them to understand the relative trade-offs of performing similar operations at various stages of the image editing process and for them to create optimal raw conversion workflows.
Who should attend:
- Photographers who already have extensive knowledge of photographic color management, and whose workflows contain raw conversion with user adjustments.
- Product managers and software developers who desire expert users' perspectives.
Bios:
Jason Bradley is a nature and underwater photographer based in Monterey, California. His passion for photography extends to all kinds of subjects, but he is happiest and most in his element focusing on coastal habitats and ecosystems. Jason's work has been published in various books, magazines, calendars, digital media outlets, and elsewhere, and he has worked alongside many conservation groups and scientists.
Initially, Jason wanted to be a marine scientist and didn't take to photography until later in his life and career. Like many aspiring field biologists he found the camera to be an essential tool, but discovered a new and exciting way to explore and understand the world. Inevitably his interests shifted from the library and the lab to the lens and the darkroom. While he liked marine science, he loved nature and marine photography.
Jason is an expert in all aspects of modern digital workflow and techniques and leads both classroom seminars and field expeditions for nature and underwater shooters.
Eric Chan is a Senior Computer Scientist at Adobe Systems, where he develops techniques for processing digital photographs. Current software projects include Camera Raw, Lightroom, and DNG Converter.
Eric is an enthusiastic nature photographer and spends an unusual amount of his free time peering through lenses, experimenting with papers and inks, and figuring out how to squeeze every last ounce of quality out of his printer.
To learn more about Eric and to see some of his photographs, please visit http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/ and http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/photos/.
Mike Collette is a self-taught electronics engineer who invented the large-format digital scanning back in 1992, and founded Better Light, Inc. (www.betterlight.com) to develop and manufacture these high resolution digital capture devices. Mike also had to develop his own approach for working with the huge digital files created by his invention, long before ICC color profiles, Camera Raw, or 16-bit capable image editors were available. Mike's image processing workflow has evolved over time as the tools improved, combining his intimate understanding of how digital image capture devices operate with a desire for efficient and transparent post-capture modifications. Although Better Light was among the early implementers of Adobe's DNG format for saving raw camera data, Mike doesn't use DNG or raw editors to achieve his carefully-crafted landscape photographs, which can be seen online at www.betterlight.com/gallery.
Brian Griffith is the founder of Iridient Digital and author of RAW Developer, a RAW image processing application for Mac OS X. Brian has been an avid photographer and software engineer for over 20 years. Prior to his work with RAW image processing he has been involved with a variety of pioneering projects in digital media from the early days of CD-ROM multimedia to cutting edge digital cinema production and delivery for Disney. When not in front of the computer or behind the lens, Brian enjoys exploring the outdoors and volunteering for the Monterey Bay Aquarium on sea otter research.
Kate Jordahl is a Professor of Photography, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills and co-director of the PhotoCentral Program in Hayward, California. She photographs places where spirit of the earth and the human spirit come together using a blending of digital and traditional tools. Her work is in numerous collections including the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Jordahl’s work is represented by Modernbook Gallery, San Francisco. She was editor for the book Searching for True North published by Modernbook Editions in 2008 and author/photographer for the Conversation Series with Dreaming Mind. Teaching inspires Jordahl. Making her photographs then sharing that process and helping others make their own photographs completes the circle of creativity for Kate.
Nick Wheeler began his career in photography in 1969 in San Francisco, after graduating with a B.A. in Architecture from Stanford University. He moved to Massachusetts in 1971 where he resided for the next 33 years. His career focus was commercial architectural photography between 1969 and 1998. In 1998 his interest shifted to personal projects, including a book with Doris Cole, Architecture of the Boston Public Schools and, more recently, an extensive photographic exploration of the Badlands of North America.
Nick's commercial clients included many prominent architects, builders, and interior designers. He also worked as a stringer for TIME magazine and Architectural Digest in the late 1970’s. His work has been published in most major architectural magazines worldwide. He was the recipient of the American Institute of Architects Honor Award for career achievement in 1985. More recently his work was the subject of one man shows in Washington, DC and Boston and was favorably reviewed in The Washington Times, The Boston Globe and Art New England.
Nick and his wife Whiteley returned to California in 2004.
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