Looking at an image you shot on your computer screen opens your eyes to little problem areas that you may not have seen on the back of your camera when you took the shot. For starters it is difficult to see any real colour cast on the LCD screen on your camera when in direct sunlight. It is also hard to see the true effect of the shadow area in an image.
When you look at your images on your computer screen using software like Lightroom or Photoshop you can also use their tools to measure brightness, contrast and colour.
You should optimise your images as part of your editing workflow. I started optimising my images a few years back when I started shooting in raw. However, I found it a steep learning curve in knowing what minor adjustments to make. For example, until I started this course I rarely considered adjusting the white balance.
I tended to focus on exposure, contrast and clarity to add some punch to my images. Occasionally I would add some fill light or adjust the blacks slider.
My course notes suggest the following as a workflow for optimisation:
- Set the contrast range
- Adjust the brightness
- Remove any overall unwanted colour cast
- Make sure that whites and blacks are not tinged with colour
It is also important that your monitor is calibrated when looking at your images.
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