How Much Is Too Much?

[Sergio]

Some people don't like to edit their photos at all. They might crop or sharpen every now and then. They want to preserve the "real" thing. That's not necessarily a bad thing though.

However, you can do so much more by editing a photo. I was a graphic artist before I got into photography so I know how to manipulate a photo very well. Sometimes I take a photo with really bad lighting and I can photoshop it and still make it look awesome.

So what type of person are you? Do you edit your photos? A lot? A little?

For me it depends. Some I don't touch at all, but others I make them more vibrant or I change the color balance, shadows, exposure, and much more.

[xxpinballxx]

I am a Post processor! I touch a bit on a ll my photos unless i am purposefully trying to get a purist shot.
I love seeing what I can get out of a so so shot.

[Manila_Joe]

They didn't photoshop for nothing! There is almost always a way to keep the photo as pure as possible even with edits. I don't see a point in keeping a pure portrait without any post processing unless it's perfect to begin with. Even if the photo is technically perfect, people are not always. I had a great portrait that was technically perfect but I then removed a glaring pimple with one quick heal in photoshop.

Post Processing all the way!

[Megs Sixx]

It depends really. I like doing a lot of retouching (practising) and add effects to photographs but if I have images that are flawless and really good, then I don't touch those because to me they're perfect

[xxpinballxx]

I've never taken a perfect photo so I really wouldn't now what its like. I always find something wrong with whatever. I really enjoy playing around with photoshop and would love it to be a career along with photography.
I wonder how many actually perfect shots are out there.....totally untouched in any way film or digital that are famous shots?

[windrider86]

It does sometimes bother me that I edit prety much all of my photos. It makes me wonder if I was so good at photography why would I need to edit my work?
I cant imagine tho that National geographic doesnt edit thiers to some point so then I feel better.

[Saralonde]

I do very little editing for two reasons. One, Photoshop scares me a bit (I'm not too tech oriented) and two, I kind of like a "naturalness" about a shot. With the self-portraits I've been doing I often think I should thin myself out a bit or erace some parts I don't like, but it feels like "cheating" in that instance. I do adjust some sharpness and lighting once in awhile as well as cropping or changing to b&w.

Really there is no right or wrong, just personal preference. My daughter loves to post process and comes up with some terrific results.

[Manila_Joe]

In my opinion, post processing is fine until you start changing the photo so much that it doesn't look like the original any longer. Of course this is okay if it's your intent to do this in which case go ahead. Just don't try to process something so much and pass it off as the original.

[mrodgers]

Before digital cameras, was there no post processing done with film photography? Did the photos come out of a film camera as a perfect shot? I think not.

Post processing digital images with image software is no different than processing the photos from film in the photo labs.

[Japaslavian]

Originally Posted by mrodgers

Post processing digital images with image software is no different than processing the photos from film in the photo labs.

ie dodging and burning. Except now you use a mouse instead of an enlarger and your hands.