Post editing - why the hate?

[StevieBee]

Not much of this here but I'm on a couple of Facebook Photo Groups and there seems to be a general consensus that anything done to an image out of camera is evil incarnated.

Surely Lightroom and Photoshop are just modern version of what used to be done in a darkroom?

I get that the temptation to over-edit exists but personally I gain as much enjoyment form tweaking and changing as I do from actually composing and shooting.

Be interesting to see if I'm a lone voice on this.

[StevieBee]

What sparked this off was a picture I posted somewhere. Taken at LeMans this year - hadn't intended to take anything, was justing watching the end but though this might be an historic moment worth capturing:



Turned out it was but not - as you can see - the best of images. So, hit Photoshop and got this (work in progress - the track's not right)



But apparently this is 'not a true record of the event captured'!!

[StevieBee]

feef said:

I loathe being critical of something I can't do, as your photoshop skills are obviously WAY better than mine, but there's something about the edited image that just doesn't look right, mainly around the wheels. It looks edited, which I think may be the issue.

Please - critique away! As I say, it is a work in progress. I can't get the track to blend with the wheels and lower edge of the car but I will persevere!

[StevieBee]

eltawater said:

I'm impressed by the fence removal, well done!

But not a fan of the fake motion blur, although I can understand why you've done so if to work around the gaps left by the fence removal

Sussed! yeah, clone stamping has its uses but also its limits, over such an expansive area you still get a sense that something was there. Tried a couple of things but motion seemed to the best option.

I guess the only solution for next year is a Press Pass ..... but that 'aint going to happen!

[StevieBee]

Do appreciate the heads up on the efforts thus far on the Toyota pic. To be honest, that started really as bit of an exercise on seeing what I could do with the fence and sort of got carried away with it - labour of love. Hadn't really picked it up again until I posted it here and clearly the work in progress still applies

[StevieBee]

Francis85 said:

I will keep it simple:

If you want people (not your nan nor your best mate) to appreciate your photographic skills and the good luck/timing you had on one shot, never post edit.

So, playing devil's advocate....you've capture the perfect photo of someone (not your nan nor your best mate :-) - perfect expression, setting, composition, etc..all spot on but, as you pressed the shutter, the light changed and then, you notice that they have a few specks of their lunch on their chin and bulging zit on their cheek. The moment has passed and you'll never get the same shot again. What then, is the harm in a little rebalancing of the light and spot removal? It's still a cracking shot, is it not?

[StevieBee]

Tony1963 said:

I just can’t believe that there are still people that believe the camera records exactly what the eye sees.

...or what the mind would 'like' to see.