What is involved in photo editing. Wedding photographer ekaterina upit. An example of a photo before and after retouching and processing

For many photographers, and for me personally, phrases such as “sources”, “primary processing”, “color correction”, “deep retouching”, “ artistic processing» and the like. Not everyone understands what this means, and photographers themselves often invest in the same term different meanings. As a result, I often have to explain to clients what is what. Therefore, I decided to dot the "i" and write a detailed article with illustrative examples.

So, let's start with a brief educational program. You probably know that professional (and many amateur) cameras can take photos in two file formats: RAW (extensions .cr2, .nef, .dng and others) and JPG. In short and without details, the RAW format contains much more information and lends itself much better to subsequent processing in graphic editors than JPG. Therefore, all professionals shoot only in RAW. There is, of course, a separate category of photographers who believe that you need to immediately shoot well and not process photos, but in real life shooting takes place in a variety of lighting conditions, so RAW is preferable in any case. The disadvantages of the RAW format are the large size of the files, and the limited number of programs that can read it. Moreover, different camera manufacturers have different RAW formats, and different programs interpret RAW images differently. Therefore, for clients, photographers usually first process RAW files in specialized programs, and then convert the final version to JPEG.

Now about terminology.

Sources- files just copied from the camera. It can be both ravens and jeeps, or both formats at once. Personally, I shoot in raw format 100% of the time. Jpeg files from a camera are often called camera jpeg. Raves are often referred to as source codes, because usually they are the ones that are subjected to further processing, i.e. are the starting material for the final product.

Photos without processing- only the jpg format applies to this phrase, and to all subsequent ones, because raw files are unconditionally only source files and are never used anywhere except for processing. So, photos without processing are called either the same camera jpeg, which I wrote about above, or raw files converted to jpeg without pre-processing in the editor.

Primary processing- this is exactly the format in which I give clients most of the photos. In my case, the primary processing is jpegs converted from raws that have been pre-processed in the editor. Such processing includes: cropping, brightness \ contrast, white balance, and sometimes color correction. This processing does not include any interference with the content of the photo. As a result, we get just good photo without any photoshop. Its difference from the source is the correct shades of colors, optimal brightness (aka exposure), higher sharpness and the best cropping.

Retouch(she is artistic processing, full \ deep processing, processed photos etc.) - this is the final stage of the cycle of work on the image, it is here that it becomes (theoretically of course) ideal. At this stage, a photograph is taken with primary processing and its content is already put in order: skin defects, wrinkles and foreign objects in the frame (for example, debris on the grass or sockets on the wall) are eliminated. Models often add harmony, hair becomes more magnificent. Depending on the processing style, color correction is sometimes carried out, or the image is made black and white. Artistic effects are superimposed, such as stylization of a film or a paper photo. Sometimes the background of the photo is even completely replaced - in general, the creative line of the retoucher works to the maximum here. It is at the end of this stage that the satisfied photographer uploads the resulting picture to all social networks and photo sites.

Photo processing - what does the customer get? December 18th, 2011

I continue to post answers to frequently asked questions.
Other articles can be found at:
This article will delight you with a small amount of text and large quantity interesting pictures. In the article, I will explain to clients what photo processing is, what it is like in general, and what it is like for me.
The main purpose of the article is to put the main terms in order (and there is a lot of confusion in them!), To clearly show the difference between different types processing and to explain what kind of photo material is obtained as a result of the photo session.
There are a lot of service packages at the moment (wedding, family, portrait, love-story, reporting from three types of packages in each genre), but in this article we will focus exclusively on photo processing, without affecting
end products such as books, large format prints, slide shows, etc. It is important that the types of processing are universal for all service packages. Small exceptions will be mentioned further.
So, buckle up and let's go!

1. Color correction:
I hasten to note that most photographers, when they say “processing”, mean “color correction”.
What is color correction in human language is the improvement of the color, tone and contrast of the image.

So, we take a photo in a “raw” form - the way the camera took the picture:

Color correction is such a powerful means of influencing a photo that the difference between what was in the source and after color correction is simply striking. Now you understand why professional photographers don't give back source files? The concept of "professionalism" in this area is associated primarily with a certain, quite high quality images, and not with the level of photographic equipment and the number of lenses. I think that no one will call the top picture professional, although it was taken with the help of a top-end SLR camera.

2. Retouching:
The next step is retouching. This stage is optional. Many photographers do not retouch photos as a matter of principle, considering the shortcomings of the model's appearance as her personal problems. My personal aesthetic perception involves bringing the photo to the most complete artistic view, so I always retouch the best shots in the series.
The number of retouched files depends on the genre of shooting and the selected service package. Personally, my style of retouching is "invisible" delicate retouching. The task is to show human beauty, and not your rich arsenal of professional techniques. However, even the most inconspicuous, delicate retouching requires skills and a lot of time.
I want to point out right now important point: The quality of retouching is difficult to assess on the Internet, as small file sizes "eat up" important details. Especially to focus your attention on the work done, I made a selection of image fragments before and after retouching. Agree that the girl in the photographs is very pretty even without retouching, but the additional refinement of her portrait was not at all superfluous.
Let's compare:

As can be seen from the examples of correction, the lines of the neck and arms were required. Pay attention to the face: shooting in the open air often requires very rich makeup, and if the makeup is not contrasted and saturated enough, retouching helps to enhance it. Also, not a single girl was harmed by a delicate increase in the volume of her hair. And of course, not only the model deserves attention, but also the background - too dark or light areas of the background can disrupt the composition and interfere with the holistic perception of the photo. Retouching helps fix this. By the way, in the picture below you can see that the skin of the shoulder and arm is slightly darkened - this was done consciously so that they are not lighter than the face and do not attract the increased attention of the audience.
So, we evaluate the result as a whole:

3. Black and white images:
In addition to retouching and color correction, I make black and white copies of the best photographs (hereinafter referred to as BW).
I want to immediately notice that I am doing the author's black and white. Its peculiarity is that it is slightly tinted with a warm or cold color. This processing meets my creative vision. Since I love color very much, I love and know how to work with color, a completely discolored image seems to me aesthetically imperfect, insufficiently informative and deep. Barely noticeable toning makes the image much better. This is my creative position, you can disagree with it, but if you like my color work, then I'm sure that the author's black and white will also please you.
I always give both options - color and B&W.
In 90% of cases, I personally prefer the color, but clients have both versions and freedom of choice.

4. Author's processing:
Now let's talk about this type of work on photography as "author's processing".
The author's processing is based on my artistic vision. She has no other laws than "I like it so much" and "I'm sure it's beautiful." In authoring, the main task is to create from simple beautiful photography a magically beautiful photograph, and here, as in love or war, all means are good :).
Here's how I wanted to process this portrait:

5. Optimized for web browsing:
Another important service that is included in all packages is the optimization of photos for different sizes.
Modern cameras allow you to get very large high-quality files for printing on large formats. This in itself is wonderful, but for modern people it is very important to publish their photos, especially beautiful artistic ones, on social networks. Printing photos is now fading into the background. However, photos for publication on the Internet must be able to prepare.
Let's compare how a normal print size photo uploaded to social network and a photograph specially prepared for the Internet, published in the same album:

The difference is nuanced, but if you look closely, you will see it - a printed-size photo uploaded to the network from a computer turned out to be less sharp and contrasting than a photo saved using a special algorithm. Additional Benefits- photos prepared for publication on the Internet have a small "weight" and load very quickly.
I put my logo on the reduced copies of retouched photos in color, bw and author's processing intended for publication on the Internet.

RESULTS:
So, by purchasing any package of services you get:
1. N-th number of photos with color correction
2. N-th number of photos with retouching
3. Copies of all retouched photos in B&W
4. A series of photographs in the author's processing (with the exception of packages with exclusively reportage shooting).
5. Duplicates of absolutely all photographs, prepared for publication on the Internet. Retouched photos and author's processing have a small logo in the lower left corner of the frame (web versions only, not for print) .
The number of photos in all points depends on the genre of shooting and service packages.
I never give away raw material.

The text and illustrative material are copyrighted and protected by the copyright law of Ukraine. Reprint not allowed

In this short article, we will analyze what photo processing is and what this concept includes.

Photo processing - changing the original image. The term processing includes several basic concepts:

1. converting a RAW file to a JPEG or other file;
2. correction of frame parameters;
3. artistic effects;
4. photo retouching.

In most cases of commercial shooting, talking about processed frames means converting the RAW file and correcting the image parameters.

If everything is usually clear with the conversion of a RAW file, then other concepts raise questions. So:

Correction of frame parameters - minimal changes aimed at ensuring maximum credibility and reliability of the image, namely the change of such parameters as:

• white balance
• exposure compensation
• Noise suppression
• Lens correction
• Detail
• Contrast
• Composition
• The size
• sharpness
• Saturation

Artistic effects are image processing methods that change its brightness, color gamut, sharpness, and other parameters.

Examples of such effects are:

• Coloring
• Vignetting
• Convert to sepia or black and white
• HDR effect
• split toning
• Cross processing

Separately from everything in photo processing, retouching is distinguished.

Retouching is the process of editing an image, in which various defects in the image are eliminated.

Retouching can be simple and deep (artistic, magazine).

With simple retouching, defects such as:

1. temporary defects of the skin surface (wounds, rashes, scratches, etc.);
2. extra objects on clothes (threads, garbage, etc.);
3. small objects that distract attention (cigarette butts, cans, cigarette packs, etc.);
4. red-eye effect.

With simple retouching, the following cannot be changed:

1. permanent skin imperfections distinctive feature(scars, birthmarks, wrinkles and other skin folds, etc.);
2. deviations in appearance from beauty standards (thinness, excess weight, the size of individual parts of the face: nose, ears, lips, etc.);
3. objects of the surrounding space in which the shooting is made.

With simple retouching, standard editor tools are most often used, and various additional plug-ins can also be used to simplify and speed up the processing process. The disadvantage of using such plugins is that they can lead to a loss of image quality and most often this affects the texturing of the skin (the effect of blurring, a plastic face).

Deep retouching uses more labor-intensive photo editing processes to get rid of imperfections while maintaining the quality of the original image.

The main focus of deep retouching is on:

1. Processing using frequency decomposition;
2. Processing by the Dodge&Burn method.

These two methods allow you to get a beautiful picture while preserving all the important details of the image, such as skin structure:

Separately, in the concept of retouching, restoration or restoration of photographs is distinguished.

Restoration of photographs is the most time-consuming process in all processing and is often associated not only with the removal of photographic defects, but also with the restoration of destroyed parts of the photograph.

The cost of photo editing depends on many factors:

• Material format
• Source File Permission
• Image quality
• Number of defects
• etc.

Each photo is different and therefore it is difficult to determine a single price for photo editing. The price tag for work starts from 10 rubles. per frame and ends with several thousand rubles, based on the complexity of each processed frame.

Often, when publishing their photos, people do not know all the rights that belong to them. We will now try to understand the issue of copyright protection.

According to the current legislation, the copyright in photographs belongs to the photographer, he is a priori the author and has all the relevant rights. Photo copyrights are divided into two groups - property and personal rights. To personal photographer's copyright include the following: the right of authorship, the right to a name, the right to publication and the protection of reputation. The right of authorship extends not only to the photograph itself, but also to its individual details. Assignment of copyright is considered a civil offense, and in some situations even a criminal offense, and is punishable by law. The right to sign a photograph with one's name or pseudonym, or to publish it anonymously, is included in the concept of the right to a name.

Copyright protects both negatives (black and white and color), slides, digital images, and prints from them. If the negative or slide is lost, but the prints from them are preserved, then they are protected "as original". This greatly increases the value of such photo prints. There are photographers in the West who destroy the negatives after the first five to ten prints have been made. Their cost, due to the impossibility of creating additional copies, becomes very high.

The concept of the right to publish a photograph includes the right of the photographer to allow or refuse to bring the photograph to the public. This right can only be exercised once. If, for whatever reason, the photographer decides to withdraw his photograph after publication, he can exercise the right of withdrawal. Following the revocation, this photograph must not be used or referred to as the work of the photographer. The right to protect the author's reputation includes protection of the photograph from alteration: cropping, adding or cutting out individual details, changing the color scheme of the photograph, etc. Such changes are carried out only with the consent of the author.

The photographer's property copyright includes the photographer's right to prohibit or permit the use of a photograph through reproduction and distribution, as well as public display, reproduction, sale or free distribution of copies of a photograph, and importation of a photograph into the country. Property rights also include the right to change a photograph, i.e. for its processing. Of these property rights, there are statutory exceptions that specify those cases in which a photograph can be used freely, without the consent of the author.

Any part of the original photo is protected by copyright. It doesn't matter how small this part is. To use part of the original photograph, for example, in a photo collage, an agreement must be concluded with the author. If the use of a part of the image is carried out without an author's agreement, which violates the law, then the photographer or other owner of exclusive property rights may demand a ban on illegal use and the recovery of their losses or payment of monetary compensation.

Let's say, an elderly photographer in his declining years decided to transfer his photo library to the city archive for a certain fee. In this case, after the conclusion of an agreement between private and legal entity, there is a transfer of property rights to the archive. Now the archive has the right to dispose of the received photo library, using the pictures, say, for exhibitions and publications. However, at the same time, the personal rights of the photographer must be respected: the surname of the author is reproduced under the pictures. Proprietary rights give the photographer (or other owner of exclusive copyright) the right to authorize or prohibit the use of a photograph. In this case, use is considered to be the reproduction and distribution of copies of photographs, their public display, including on television. Permission to use a photo is given orally or in writing. Such permission is an author's agreement, according to which the user receives part of the property and copyrights.

Photographer's copyright arises from the moment the photograph is created and continues to be valid throughout the life of the author, as well as for 50 years after his death. However, photographs created before 1968 or earlier are no longer subject to copyright protection, as current legislation has changed.

If a photographer takes a photo on a business assignment, given by the organization employer, then such a photo falls into a special legal regime and is considered "official". The personal copyright of the photographer for this photo is fully extended, but property rights are transferred to employers, for the entire duration of the copyright of the photographer himself. Additional fee for such a photo, except wages, not provided.

"Official" includes only those photographs that were taken on official behalf. If the employer has established "working standards", then photographs taken in excess of this norm are not considered "service" ones. The legislation provides for the conclusion of an agreement between the employer and the photographer. The contract stipulates the photographer's copyright for "service" photographs. The content of such an agreement is regulated by the photographer and the employer. Such an agreement can be concluded not only with one individual photographer, but also with a group of photographers. If such an agreement has not been concluded, then the photographer does not have the right to use "service" photos for personal purposes.

try do not transmit(even to the customer) photos in RAW format, as well as other source and working files. For example, a Photoshopa (psd) file can be a good proof of your photography work.

Enter in camera settings information about yourself(field owner / owner, authour / author, etc.). Specify the data in such a way that it is not difficult to establish your identity. At a minimum: first name, last name and other information (for example, your website address or passport number, etc.).

On photographs posted on the Internet, and, if possible, on all other photographs of yourself and in any other ways of using (including when printing photographs in magazines) place information about the author on the photo itself. Accepted format: © Author's First Name, Year of First Publication (for example, © Ivan Ivanov, 2008). It will not be superfluous to provide a link to your site, especially if you publish photos under a pseudonym. Please note that Art. 1271 of the Civil Code notifies of the exclusive right (these are the property rights of the authors), therefore, if you create a photo by order and transfer all rights to the customer (only property rights can be transferred), the customer may reasonably object to indicating you in the copyright (as copyright holder) and identify yourself. You can insist on indicating you as the author (by law you have such a right - Article 1265 of the Civil Code), then instead of the copyright icon (©) you can indicate "Author:". Article 1300 of the Civil Code provides for a specific amount of compensation for violation of non-property rights (removal of information about authorship or copyright holder), and in fact violators almost always delete or cut off information about the author and / or copyright sign.

Such general methods of copyright protection are also applicable here, such as: printing photos in a large format - an examination can determine the approximate time of printing, and accordingly - set your time priority - the priority of owning a photo in a certain period of time; notarial certificate; writing files to a one-time finalized disc; "registration" of copyrights in organizations for the collective management of copyrights; publication of photographs in periodicals and / or other publications, etc.

The property rights of the author can be transferred only on the basis of an agreement on the transfer of rights. The use of photographs by third parties without a contract is illegal and subject to liability. Thus, Article 1301 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation provides for the right holder (initially the photographer, if the rights to use photographs are not transferred to other persons) to demand compensation in the event of violation of his exclusive right in the amount of 10 thousand rubles to 5 million rubles. At the same time, according to Article 1252 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the photographer has the right to demand compensation from the violator for each case of unlawful use of the result of intellectual activity (for each individual use of the photograph), or for the committed offense as a whole. The big advantage of listing yourself as the author of the photo is that if someone used your photo without your permission, then according to the law, the minimum compensation for such copyright infringement will be not 10,000, but 20,000 rubles. for one (each) photo (although the court does not always consider each photo as a separate “case”)! This means that the photographer can claim monetary compensation, both for each use of his photo, and for the cumulative use of the photo.

Arbitrage practice

When applying to the court for protection of the copyright of a photographer, the latter must prove that he is the author of the photographs, and that he owns the copyright in the photographs that were illegally used by the defendant.

I note that in accordance with the law, the author of a work is considered to be a citizen whose name is indicated on the original or copy of the work. That is, when submitting statement of claim the photographer must submit printed photographs, which will be marked with his name.

And only if the other party disputes authorship, then other evidence must be presented confirming that the photographs were taken by the plaintiff. For example, providing the court with photo files in the .RAW format, which is mainly used by professional photographers.

At the same time, when applying to the court, it is necessary to prove that the defendant illegally used other people's photographs. For example, if he posted them on his website on the Internet, then the most preferable proof of the violation would be certification by a notary of the pages of the site that use photographs.

Despite the fact that when applying to the court, the photographer can independently determine the amount of compensation that he would like to recover from the violator, the court determines this amount at its discretion, having considered all the evidence available in the case and having heard the explanations of the parties.

In this case, the amount of compensation to be recovered must be justified by the court. When determining the amount of compensation, the court takes into account, in particular, the nature of the violation committed, the period of illegal use of the photograph, the degree of guilt of the infringer, the presence of violations of the copyright of this particular author previously committed by the person, the photographer’s probable losses, the proportionality of compensation to the consequences of the violation, etc.

It should be noted that if the photographer's claims are satisfied, the court must recover from the defendant the costs incurred by the photographer in connection with the consideration of the case in court. This includes: the state duty paid for going to court, payment for notary services to certify the Internet site, payment for lawyer services and other expenses.

Frequently asked Questions:

No, it's not. Copyright in a photograph arises automatically - from the moment the photograph is taken and expressed in an objective form that is accessible to others. At the same time, unpublished photographs are protected in the same way as published photographs. Copyright protects a photograph, regardless of its artistic merit. Of course, an artistically weak photograph is unlikely to be used. However, if it is used, then it can only be done under copyright.

To indicate their copyright, the owner of the exclusive copyright may place a copyright notice on the photographs. The sign consists of the following parts: the letter C, framed by a circle, the name of the owner of the exclusive copyright, the time of the first publication of the photo. Of course, the absence of this sign does not deprive the photographer of copyright either in whole or in part.

In what cases can a photograph be used freely, that is, without the consent of the author and without payment of remuneration to him?

A photograph can be used freely, that is, without the consent of the author and without paying him remuneration, only in the following cases: - a published photograph can be used in publications, television programs and video recordings of an educational nature; - the photo can be reproduced in a review of current events on television; - a photograph published in the press can be reproduced by a library or archive at the request of individual citizens or for research purposes; – a photograph placed in a collection or periodical may be reproduced educational institution for the purpose of displaying during the classroom. In all other cases, the use of a photo is allowed only with the consent of the photographer and with the payment of remuneration.

The photographer is engaged in reproduction shooting of painting and graphics. Are slide reproductions subject to copyright protection?

Copyright protects any original, creative photographic works and works obtained in a manner analogous to photography. The task of a photographer who takes photographs of a work of art and graphics is to achieve the correct color reproduction characteristic of the subject. No more. To do this, appropriate light and film are selected, special devices are used that determine the color temperature. In other words, the task of a reproduction photographer is not to create an original author's work, but to achieve maximum compliance with the original being shot. Therefore, the so-called “technical” photographs cannot be considered original and are not protected by copyright: reproductions of paintings, graphics, drawings, tapestries, mosaics, panels, stained-glass windows.

What is photo manipulation

Many people believe that the camera has magical properties and the photographer just needs to press the magic button "masterpiece" and that's it.) I want to disappoint you in this. The process of photographing is only half of the work of the photographer. Post-processing takes a significant share in the process of work and turns the footage into a finished look, which is the result of a photo shoot.

All shooting is done in raw format. This is a "raw" format that requires subsequent development and conversion to the familiar jpg format. It can also be compared to a film negative.

So, first of all, the footage (and this is from 200-300-500 frames, depending on the shooting) is viewed by me on the camera itself, in order to remove the obvious marriage - blur, out of focus, unsuccessful emotion, and so on. The raw material is then driven into the Lightroom graphics editor. This is where all the fun begins. Selection and primary processing of the very 30-40-50 frames that you will receive, depending on the package of services that you have chosen. I do the rest of the retouching in Photoshop. My rule is to work for quality, not quantity. My clients receive the best shots from the photo session - photos that have undergone detailed photo processing.

I will list What do I mean by photo processing:

- color correction(Improve the tone, brightness, contrast of a photo)

-framing(finding the most correct compositional solution)

- skin retouching(I think it doesn't need a comment, improvement appearance, work on skin defects; I hasten to note that I do not do plastic surgery and do not work as a hairdresser :)

- author's processing(and here we already mean the artistic vision of the photographer, the "signature" colors of the author, that zest that distinguishes one photographer from another, just look at the portfolio)

- preparation for printing(adding sharpness, setting the desired parameters for printing).

All the best photos that you get through these stages is a very painstaking work, but I love it. I do the selection and retouching of photos at my own discretion, and therefore, choosing me as your photographer, please trust me in this part.
I do not provide original photographic material. If desired, all other photos without marriage in color correction can be ordered additional option- sold separately.
And yet, you get black and white photo editing options as a gift!

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