Post Processing
Photo processing is a bit of a controversial topic because opinions differ on how much processing is acceptable. If you approach photography as art, then basically anything goes. The raw image is just the starting point for your creation, limited only by your imagination. Photographers supplying content for marketing also engage in a lot of image processing. In this case, the objective is to deliver spectacular images that help to sell something. This usually entails heavy photo enhancement (Is the overcast sky in your image a bit boring? Pop in a nice blue one.)
Most nature photographers, especially hobbyists, approach image processing differently. For them, the main objective is to share the beauty of nature with others. Moreover, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment that comes with taking an outstanding photo — it’s far from easy. There is no pride in faking it through image manipulation.
Because this guide is about nature photography, the processing recommendations will emphasize realism. Some processing is always necessary because the raw data captured by your camera is not equivalent to what you saw at the scene. The exposure level, sharpness, and contrast usually need to be adjusted. When you take photos with your phone, this processing is all done behind the scenes. Here we will discuss how to take control of the process yourself using photo editing software to achieve better results. In this case, “better” means a closer rendition of the actual scene.
RAW vs. JPG
Most modern cameras allow you to choose between RAW and JPG image formats. If you choose RAW, the camera will generate image files that contain the unprocessed and uncompressed data captured by the sensor. These are large files that can only be opened with image processing software. In contrast, if you choose JPG, the camera will apply an image processing algorithm and compress the image. Most cameras have menu settings that allow you to tweak the processing algorithm, but once a photo is taken, the processing cannot be undone. The main benefits of the JPG format are that the photos can be viewed on almost any device without special software and the files are relatively compact, making for easy sharing.
If you plan to do any post processing (and you should), then it is best to use the RAW format. It provides the most detail and gives you full control over the processing steps. Working with JPGs means you are processing an already processed image, which limits what you can do.
Software
Another important decision concerns which software to use. Older programs, like Photoshop, provide a large palette of editing tools that are applied sequentially. These programs remain the workhorses used for heavy-duty image editing, such as combining multiple layers, applying fine-scale changes, and adding items like text or shapes. The main downside of these programs is cost and a steep learning curve for becoming proficient with the many tools and procedures.
More recently, a class of programs has been developed for photographers who simply need an efficient solution for processing their raw images. Instead of applying edits in sequential steps, these programs provide a menu of image parameters that can be tweaked in any order. For example, to brighten an image you just shift the exposure slider to a higher value. Individual changes can be reversed at any time by setting a parameter back to its default setting. Because of their flexibility and ease of use, these programs have become very popular among photographers, including professionals, and they are the best choice for beginning photographers.
There are several competing products that feature the new approach to image processing. Lightroom is the leader, and like Photoshop, it is an Adobe product. But if you are just starting out, you should think twice before jumping on the Lightroom wagon. Adobe has transitioned to a subscription model, which means you can no longer buy the program outright. You have to pay a monthly fee of $12.99 CAD — forever. There are several other products that do much the same thing as Lightroom and do not have an ongoing cost. A leading contender is DXO Photolab, which actually does some tasks, such as lens corrections and AI noise reduction, better than Lightroom.
Getting Started
Nature photographers are usually happiest in the outdoors, and not in front of a computer screen. But basic processing only takes a couple of minutes per image (once you’ve got the hang of it) and makes a significant difference. If you consider all the effort that goes into capturing an outstanding photo, it makes sense to devote a few minutes at home to bring it to perfection. That’s why winters were invented.
There are a couple of things you should do when getting started. First, you should ensure that the colour balance and brightness of your computer monitor are not out of whack. If your monitor is off, your processed photos may look abnormal to others when viewed on their displays or when printed. To avoid this, check some of your results on different devices and adjust your monitor if the photos don’t look as they should.
Second, you need to develop a sense for what a properly processed photo looks like. Your best bet is to spend some time studying the work of professional photographers and the winners of photo contests. Some suggestions are provided in the More Information section of this guide.
Step 1: Photo Selection
As a serious photographer, you will take many photos of the same scene to increase the odds of getting a perfect shot. The downside of this approach is that it can take a lot of time to wade through the pile of photos you've taken. In fact, this step often takes longer than the other processing tasks. It helps to develop an efficient system for scanning through your photos. For example, you might begin with a rapid scan, tagging only photos that are sharp and have a well-posed subject. From this short list you can begin to do more careful comparisons, narrowing the list down to the few that will go on to be fully processed.
Step. 2: Colour Balance
In nature photography, pure white light is the exception rather than the rule. You’ll rarely be aware of this because your brain automatically compensates and makes everything look normal wherever you go. Your camera sensor does not work the same way — it renders the scene as it actually was. For example, shooting amidst foliage can result in a green colour cast, and so forth.
Before doing any colour adjustments, be sure that you are working with the raw unprocessed image. Some image programs apply a default colour scheme at the outset that boosts colour saturation and contrast, and this should be avoided. You should select “neutral” in the colour rendering section instead. The neutral image may look unimpressive, but don’t despair, its full potential will be revealed in subsequent steps.
Colour casts can be corrected using the “white balance” section of your image processing software. Click on a part of your image that is white or a neutral gray using the white selection tool and the image will be adjusted automatically. If your image does not contain any patches of white you’ll need to tweak the colour temperature and tint manually (these are part of the white balance menu) until you find the settings that best reflect the scene as you remember it. Keep in mind that some colour casts should be retained, such as the warm glow of a sunset scene. Use your memory and best judgment to guide your choices.
Most image processing programs provide many additional options for tweaking colours. The law of diminishing returns applies here: 80% of the benefit comes from the initial 20% of effort. In the majority of cases, setting the white balance is all that is necessary. Avoid the temptation of pushing the colour saturation and vibrancy sliders because your photos will quickly acquire an unnatural “processed” look. Well-saturated, natural colours can be achieved by optimizing the contrast instead (discussed below).
Step 3: Cropping
Because animals are quite flighty, it is hard to get close enough to have them fill the frame of your camera, even with a good telephoto lens. Therefore, you will end up cropping most of your photos. This is where a camera with a high pixel count really shines, especially when coupled with a good quality lens. It allows you to “zoom in” on your subject through cropping while retaining adequate sharpness and resolution. Of course, there are limits to this, but you may be surprised by what you can achieve.
Remember that your animal subjects need room to “breathe” within the frame, as discussed earlier. So don’t crop in too tight. Also keep in mind that not every shot needs to be a close-up wildlife portrait. Photos that show the animal in its environment are also very compelling.
When it comes to landscape shots, cropping provides one last chance to fine-tune the composition. Try a few options and you may find a composition that works better than what you had originally envisaged at the time of shooting.
Step 4: Exposure and contrast
A raw unprocessed image will typically lack contrast (i.e., have a “washed out” look) and in this step we will bring it back. Note that we won't use the contrast slider because it’s too coarse to do a good job. Leave this slider untouched.
Begin by adjusting the overall exposure such that the image is suitably bright, but without causing any of the brightest pixels to become clipped. Use the program’s clipping indicators as a guide — they will highlight pixels that are pure white or pure black.
The next step is to set the black point and white point of the photo. You will find the necessary tools in the “tone” section of your program. The idea is to stretch the histogram such that the darkest pixels are set to zero (minimum) and the brightest pixels are set to 255 (maximum). This maximizes the available dynamic range.
Next, fine-tune the tonal contrast by adjusting sliders for highlights, midtones, and shadows. Alternatively, you can tweak the tone curve itself, which is like pulling up or down on specific parts of the histogram. Manipulating the tone curve may seem a bit daunting at first, but is quite easy to use once you get the hang of it.
Darkening the shadows and midtones will create deeper, richer colours, but if done to excess the overall image may become too dark. Use your eye and memory of the scene to guide these tone adjustments. Note that pushing contrast too far will make the scene look unnatural.
The photos below show the effects of contrast adjustment. The photo on the left is the raw photo as it was captured by the camera. Note that you never see this kind of image with JPG photos because in-camera processing is applied immediately. The photo on the right is the same scene after manual contrast adjustments have been made, as described above. The changes in colour saturation were all from contrast adjustments; no changes were made to the colour saturation setting.
Step 5: Optional tweaks
There are several additional processing steps that are helpful but not absolutely necessary. If you are a photographer who engages in photo processing reluctantly, you can skip these steps and jump to final image sharpening. However, it’s at least worth trying out these adjustments to understand their potential.
If your image was shot using a high ISO, it’s usually worth applying noise reduction, especially if you are cropping deeply. New AI-based approaches are amazing, reducing noise while retaining image sharpness.
In many landscape images, the background looks hazier in the photo than it did in real life. This can be reduced, though not eliminated, using the haze reduction tool.
If the horizon in your photo is not level, this can easily be corrected by rotating the image. Most programs provide a horizon correction tool to make this easy.
Most programs offer a slider to adjust micro-contrast (aka texture), which can bring out fine detail. This can be helpful in photographs of mountains and similar scenes.
Some programs are able to correct for known optical weaknesses of individual lenses. These should be applied if available.
Lastly, most programs have tools for localized adjustments. For example, you might apply local changes in lighting to darken an overly bright area or brighten a dark area. Or you might remove small blemishes using a retouching tool.
Step 6. Sharpening
Even if you nailed the focus and are using top-quality lenses, the raw image captured by the camera will be a little soft. Therefore, sharpening should be applied to every image, and this should be done as the last step, after all other adjustments have been made.
Because image sharpness is a fundamental feature of good-quality photos, it is worth looking into the new AI-based sharpening programs such as Topaz Sharpen AI. The ability of these programs to deliver amazing sharpness cannot be overstated (though the garbage in, garbage out rule still applies).
Step 7. Export and share
Once all the adjustments have been made, export the image in JPG format so that you can share it with others. At this stage you may want to reduce the image resolution so that the file size is smaller, and hence faster to upload on the Internet. For example, few computer displays are more than 2,000 pixels wide, and phone screens are even smaller.