Digital Workflow Stage 1: The 'Dirty' Edit

Hello. I thought I would post this file as an aid to you Raw shooters out there. It is a flow chart representing the 1st stage of my workflow - the dirty edit. This is the where I first look at all the files that I have shot and delete the blurred and 'obviously missed'. I use BreezeBrowser Pro for this edit. It is the fastest software that I have found for displaying hundreds of Raw files in one go. Using BreezeBrowser, I review full screen images for aesthetic merit, exposure, composition, and sharpness. After this quick sift, I go through the images again, comparing up to 4 images in a split screen at 100%. After a 3rd full screen review, I copy the remaining images to a Temp folder on an external hard drive. I never delete the originals files from the flash card or downloader. Those remain, in case I accidentally delete files or have a system crash, etc.

Here is the file: WORKFLOW2008.doc

After I have made the first edit, I import all the files into Adobe Lightroom. I review each image at 100%, make any necessary adjustments, and that is it. I only export files for my website and to send to clients, otherwise, I don't feel there is any need to export everything for 'archiving'. By just having the RAW files, I save on disc space and simply and quickly export files as and when I need them. With archived TIFFs, I found that I was opening and making adjustments anyway as my tastes changed and my RAW processing skills improved. Plus I was using TBs of storage!

Lightroom remembers all the settings I have made to each image. After all the images have been edited, I select what I need for the clients and web galleries, make virtual copies, adjust contrast, saturation, sharpness, and colour space for web reproduction. Then I can export the images direct from Lightroom to my/client's web server. Easy! Hopefully I will be able to post my Lightroom workflow soon.