I’m a longtime hobbyist but want to up my game and get better with the tools. Therefore I’d like to settle on a workflow for processing raw images.
I have a Fujifilm XT-5 with kit 18-55mm lens, Photolab (7.21), and Nik Collection. Mainly I do street photography, travel, or other outdoors.
Phase 1, obvious stuff:
import RAW into Photolab
Use stars or colors to pick favorites, delete, etc.
I set PL to do auto DxO Optical Corrections Only
Phase 2: PhotoLab; (I read in this forum that the order of operations doesn’t actually matter)
crop, straighten (optional)
Denoise with High Quality or DeepPRIME, etc.
Select Color Rendering because I often set these on the camera: Astia, Provia, Velvia, Kodak Kodachrome, etc.
Adjust exposure if needed; Smart Lighting, ClearView, contrast, shadow, etc. (I often find ClearView to look kind of unnatural IMO so I turn the slider down).
Vibrancy, saturation
Local adjustments; can do in Viveza as well but maybe it’s better to do in PL while working with RAW?
Phase 3: Nik Collection (use TIF format here)
DFine is to denoise but I’ve read that DeepPRIME is better so likely not needed?
Sharpener Output - save as JPG
(Optional) I might play around with Color, Analog, or Silver Efex
I only use for a digital purpose so JPG works; I rarely print.
Does it make sense? Definitely some steps I need to get better at like local adjustments.
I’ve tried Nik on and off and found that there are about 2-3 features that I find useful. Not much, considering a) the cost of the collection, b) the fractured workflow, c) the space those Tiffs take and d) that I can get close to same results with PhotoLab alone - and in one app.
Disclaimer: I also use Lightroom Classic because PhotoLab’s asset management isn’t reliable and resilient. I do have licenses for FP and VP, but haven’t upgraded for a few years now.
In general, “sense” develops as we get used to and use our tools. What we consider sensible is also a matter of personal taste, along with whatever technical restrictions we have to face in doing so.
@rotterdamn8, you can explore your workflow in asking yourself things like “why does it feel good/wrong”, “what is it that I like/don’t like in my pictures” etc. The latter question sounds alien in this context, but it helps to define the target which helps to find your way through the sliders.
Why do you perform output sharpening if you don’t print? Serious question, perhaps there’s a reason to do so but it hasn’t occurred to me. I am very happy with the sharpening tools in PhotoLab for on-screen viewing.
DFine is an old denoise tool that is useful when you have noise patterns that aren’t handled well by PhotoLab or other RAW development software (or when you’re using RGB files such as JPEG, TIFF…). It also helps when you need finer control over how and where denoising is applied. So far, I have only come across one kind of noise pattern that is better handled by DFine: banding. Maybe posterization, too - DeepPRIME continues to struggle with this in extreme cases of amplifying shadow detail.
Like Joanna, I prefer FilmPack to the Analog and Silver Efex tools in Nik Collection. Both sets of tools are very good, though - it’s a matter of preference for your workflow.
Color Efex is a good filter package - I used to like it very much and will revisit it from time to time. IMO, HDR Efex is junk - it doesn’t work right. I notice you didn’t mention it.
Dug up a recent Lightroom Queen Newsletter proposing smooth workflow. Considering AI recalculation is something that might be worthwhile. Here’s an edited extract:
For best balance of performance and flexibility, we suggest this sequence:
1. Merge Photos (HDR, Panorama) to create the image you actually want to edit.
2. Complete any additional HDR adjustments if required.
3. Denoise, Raw Details and Super Resolution define the definitive pixels.
4. Distraction Removal, e.g. Reflections, People etc.
5. Generative Expand (currently in Camera Raw Tech Preview).
6. Remove Tools: Generative Remove, Content-Aware Remove, Heal, Clone.
7. Lens Blur.
8. Lens Corrections.
9. Crop & Geometry.
10. Profiles (primarily Adaptive Profiles)
Other profiles can be changed later without triggering AI recalculations.
11. Global Adjustments (Light/Tone, Color, etc.)
They may benefit from being applied after core processing.
12. Masking can impact performance, especially with complex or multiple masks.
13. External Editing
None of it is set in stone; it’s just to save you time. If you don’t mind waiting for it to do repeated AI updates ... you can do what you like. Doing steps 1 & 2 very early makes the biggest material difference. T
Crop later rather than earlier: Some AI tools (like Remove) operate only within the cropped area. If you crop early and later expand the crop, previous removals may no longer look correct.
Lr and PL are different, but the same considerations might help nevertheless.
Absolutely; Yes - - Viveza’s capabilities are pretty much replicated within standard PhotoLab tools … even more-so if you have a Film-Pack license too (which enables additional capabilities from within PL).
As others have noted, there can be benefit from Nik tools ColorEfex & AnalogEfex that’s not available with PL - - and SilverEfex too, if you don’t have a Film-Pack license.
As @Egregius pointed out, there’s no need to apply output sharpening with Nik tools
If you’re NOT resizing during Export to Disk then the auto-applied Lens Sharpness Optimisation (for your specific camera+lens combo) is very good: Job done !
If you do resize your images (during Export to Disk) then you can choose between two different “interpolation” algorithms to apply 2 extremes of Output Sharpening
AND, and a recent discovery (see here) now makes it possible to select one’s personal preference for degree of Output Sharpening to be applied during the inperpolation process - rather than accepting the (previously assumed) limitations of soft/mushy (Bicubic) or very sharp (Bicubic Sharper).
