iPad workflow (or iPad vs Lightroom, sofa vs desk)

[Alf]

Hi everyone.
Winter here means longer hours working and bad weather, hence my little shooting activity.
Add to this my home PC processor (or motherboard) going dead, and the coincident raining on our little home of a lovely present in the form of an iPad and the switching to new smartphones for both of us (two LG E-900 windows phone 7), together with choice and assembly of the new PC components, and you get the image.
My time after work was spent happily configuring and installing into oblivion.

But it seems I start to reconnect with human life, and happily I can report a nice weekend with temperatures reaching into the 20s (°C) for a few minutes today, and probably going to last for a while before February storms hit and cold comes back.

So the home PC sees less direct use, it almost has become our little server that could - and here is the undecided part.

Up to this moment I usually shot Jpeg+RAW, used the jpegs as a guide and did all postprocessing in LightRoom. Working on my Ethiopia trip pics took weeks because of this choice, even when I liked the result.
Receiving the iPad was great for immediate photographic satisfaction, as it has great color calibration. But it also showed me how great are Olympus Jpegs, and how little fiddling they need - apart from dark moments.

The iPad has plenty of photo apps, and at least a few of them are good (especially photogene,photo fx ultra, and filterstorm. PS Express is nice, but limited and slow. And piRAWnha is interesting, at least in concept. a RAW developer on iPad!) and maybe they could be sufficient.

So at this moment I am undecided, if going for the sofa route and shoot jpeg only, with minimal cropping and pp on iPad, or going on shooting jpeg+RAW and firing up Lightroom - which screams on my new rig and could extract that more juice from my pics?

Please see exibit A, iPad vs Lightroom

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Jpeg, cropped in PhotoGene and upped as-is from iPad

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ORF developed and exported from LR

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Denoised using dfine 2 from LR

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Jpeg, retouched on iPad to make it a little colder and exported from there

What do you think?

 

[Ray Sachs]

I wouldn't limit myself personally. Your ipad only shots look good, but the LR shots look better IMHO. Even if you conclude that the jpegs are good enough most of the time, having the ability to really work on some shots is a good thing. But that's just me and my priorities. Obviously whatever works best for you is the way to go. But I just see fewer and fewer reasons not to shoot RAW and keep all of that data available. I also do a lot of conversions and RAW is that much better for that (although a good jpeg can be a pretty good starting point also).

-Ray

 

[~tc~]

After getting PSE9 on a fast computer, I'm looking at the same thing but from the other way around - used to shoot only jpg, and now have had my eyes opened by RAW ...

Currently, I am thinking shooting JPG+RAW, using the iPad to sort out the keepers (it conveniently deletes both files) and upload to FB and Shutterfly on the road, then can develop RAW on the super best ones when I get home.

 

[BBW]

Alf, as I said over across the hall at SC, I think your last photo tweaked on the iPad looks very good. You lose a little detail in some of the people in the lower portion, but I like it.

We also have to remember that we're all looking at these photos via our own computers. So, Alf what do you think yourself?

tc has a good suggestion, I think. If I had an iPad, I think that might be the route I'd go initially. It takes me a long time to really decide to jettison some pictures...

 

[~tc~]

Yeah, I need to be a lot more heartless in my culling. I save SO many pictures that never get looked at again.

 

[BBW]

Well, yes, I do too. I definitely get rid of some ASAP but others I like to let sit for a while and find that I do come back to some and find there actually was something there as I'd first thought... I'm still finding some from a day in early January, I like - so I'm glad I didn't trash 'em right away.

 

[crsnydertx]

After getting PSE9 on a fast computer, I'm looking at the same thing but from the other way around - used to shoot only jpg, and now have had my eyes opened by RAW ...

Currently, I am thinking shooting JPG+RAW, using the iPad to sort out the keepers (it conveniently deletes both files) and upload to FB and Shutterfly on the road, then can develop RAW on the super best ones when I get home.

I've used the iPad in the manner described by ~tc~ while on vacation last year. I uploaded photos to the iPad using either the Apple SD card reader or an Eye-Fi card. I used the apps mentioned by the OP, and they do a passable job of basic full-image adjustments (cropping, exposure, levels, curves) but I emphasize the word "basic". They don't rise to the level of functionality of even the free editing tools available to laptop users, let alone Lightroom or Photoshop. But I was in a position where I hadn't brought along a laptop and didn't have wireless access. Under those circumstances, a 3G iPad served the purpose well.

 

[Alf]

Thanks everyone for your ideas.

I think ~tc~ is right in saying that using the iPad to filter who lives from who dies is the first thing if shooting Jpeg+RAW.
I am still thinking about the way to separate the pics which need RAW post processing fom the ones which can be left as they are - and maybe delete their .ORF only.

Must do some homework.
Thanks again.

 

[Alf]

iPad postprocessing

This time, simple pp on iPad using PhotoGene

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The original OOC jpeg

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E-pl1 with FeiHua 25/1,4 C-mount

 

[Alf]

Update:

Shot a few hours, used the iPad to select images, retouched a few in LR, here they are to compare.

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OOC

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LR3

The set in flickr

 

[DHart]

Somehow, your processing in LR of the fountain images resulted in a lower quality image than the OOC JPG. Too contrasty resulting in blocking of shadows and harshness.

Personally, I feel that the entire reason we shoot m4/3 is to try to maximize image quality in a smaller format. To that end I only shoot RAW. PP RAW files in LR is as quick and easy as anything in my view and well worth the effort.

In your last image, if you reprocess you should easily be able make a better image than the OOC. Your levels/contrast setting in the last process in LR killed your tonal range.

Regarding the iPad, I use mine merely as a convenience device. And as such I like having it. But it is in no way a substitute for a computer. I may be a little obsessive (or a lot!) but I very much appreciate the 27" i7 iMac on the desk, the 15" MacBook Pro i7 for chair, sofa, bed, and remote computing, and the iPad for casual surfing, email, and some apps.

In your first set ofimages, the detial and quality of the RAW is clearly superior. of course, as always, you should do what suits your desires not anyone elses.

 

[isabel95]

I agree about the OOC images...

Color looks more realistic in the camera jpgs...particularly the skin color of the lady in bed.

Isabel

 

[DHart]

Color looks more realistic in the camera jpgs...particularly the skin color of the lady in bed.

Isabel

I agree... your OOC skin tones are superior to iPad processing. if you want the best color results, do your color work in something like Lightroom, not with a limited application on the iPad.

 

[Alf]

I agree... your OOC skin tones are superior to iPad processing. if you want the best color results, do your color work in something like Lightroom, not with a limited application on the iPad.

Actually, in the last set the iPad images are only OOC resized.
The post processed ones are made in LR on my PC, with more attention to effects than to tones correctness.. Though I agree that LR could squeeze that extra juice from RAWs when looking for it.

So I am quite happy with the workflow: choosing on the iPad, sorting the OOC to keep as they are, post process in LR the ones which promise something more.

Than you all for your comments. All are helpful!

 

[DHart]

So I am quite happy with the workflow: choosing on the iPad, sorting the OOC to keep as they are, post process in LR the ones which promise something more.

That sounds like a very sensible approach!