The Digital Negative

The Digital Negative
Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
Jeff Schewe

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
What Is a Digital Negative?
Dissecting a Digital Negative
Raw versus JPEG
Camera Sensor Types
Attributes of a Digital Negative
Linear capture
Digital exposure
ETTR
Sensor noise and ISO speed
Colorimetric interpretation
Metadata
Bit Depth
Raw vs. JPEG
Photographic Aspects of a Digital Negative
Shutter speed
Lens aperture
Lens aberrations
Sensor resolution

Chapter 2
Adobe Raw Image Processing: An Overview
The Genesis of Camera Raw
The Genesis of Lightroom
The Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop System
Bridge
Camera Raw Plug-in
Photoshop
The Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop
The Camera Raw Smart Object in Photoshop
The Lightroom Way
The Relationship of Camera Raw and Lightroom Versions
Subscription License
Perpetual License
Color Management between Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
DNG File Format and DNG Converter
To DNG or not to DNG?
Adobe DNG Converter


Chapter 3
Fundamentals of Lightroom and Camera Raw
Lightroom and Camera Raw Defaults
Lightroom and Camera Raw Functionality
The Histogram
Lightroom and Camera Raw Adjustment Panels
Basic panel
Tone Curve panel
HSL/Color/B&W panel
Split Toning panel
Detail panel
Lens Corrections panel
Effect panel
Camera Calibration panel
Lightroom and Camera Raw Tools
Lightroom and Camera Raw Crop tools
Lightroom and Camera Raw Spot Removal Tools
Local Adjustments in Lightroom and Camera Raw
Adjustment Brush
Graduated Filter
Radial Filter
Filter Brush
Soft Proofing in Camera Raw and Lightroom
Presets in Camera Raw and Lightroom
Snapshots in Camera Raw and Lightroom
Virtual Copies in Lightroom

Chapter 4
Advanced Raw Processing using Lightroom or Camera Raw
Tone Mapping
Flat lighting
High-contrast lighting
Blown skies
Inclement weather
Under exposure
Backlit subjects
Color Correction
While balance (global)
White balance (local)
Color Curves
Color Split toning
Color gradients
HSL color corrections
Lens colorcast corrections
Color to Black-and-White Conversions
Adjusting the panchromatic response
Warm toning
Split toning
Color toning and spot of color
Optimized B&W tone mapping
Color toning using color curves
Maximizing Image Detail
High-frequency edge sharpening
Low-frequency edge sharpening
Mixed-frequency edge sharpening
Balancing sharpening and noise reduction

Chapter 5
Deploying Photoshop to Perfect your Digital Negatives
Getting Images into Photoshop
A Typical Edit in Photoshop
Color Range selection tool
Creative progressive sharpening
Midtone contrast
Sculpting
Saturation and Color layer modifications
Blue edge fix
Retouching
Healing Brush and Clone Stamp tools
Copy-and-paste patching
Retouching using painting
Using paths to make selections
Compositing Multiple Images
Creating the composite mask
Compositing the sky
Luminance-based masks
Using the Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop
Convert to Smart Filter
The Camera Raw Filter
Color to Black and White in Photoshop
Photomerge for Panoramic Stitching
Merge to HDR Pro
Processing HDR for Lightroom and Camera Raw tone mapping
Focus Stacking

Chapter 6
Creating an Efficient Workflow
Workflow Principles
Do things once
Do things automatically
Be methodical
The Five Workflow Stages
Stage 1: Image ingestion
Stage 2: Image verification
Stage 3: Preproduction
Stage 4: Production
Stage 5: Postproduction
My personal workflow
Field workflow
Studio workflow
How I Organize My Images
My Digital Imaging Area
Performance Tuning Your System
Photoshop performance
Lightroom performance