Here’s a great example of how post processing won’t save a flawed image. I really like the image, but in working on it — I have to admit it’s broken. It looks okay online, but as soon as it hits paper, the flaws pop out. It’s not sharp, and that’s a killer.
So there are a couple of things to take away from an image like this:
First, just looking at it online, or on a monitor, will hide some kinds of major flaws in an image. This image looks okay online. But even at 8×10, it falls apart.
Second, if you take the attitude that you can fix it in photoshop, you will fail. If it’s not there, photoshop can’t find it to fix.
That said, I still like this image. Or at least, I like what this image ought to be. But it’s not something I’m ever going to use for more than an online slideshow — of course, that’s another useful lesson. Understand what an image is useful for, and use it for that. Don’t just throw it away because it’s not perfect…
This article was posted on Chuq Von Rospach, Photographer and Author at Half Dome in Winter. This article is copyright 2013 by Chuq Von Rospach under a Creative Commons license for non-commericial use only with attribution. See the web site for details on the usage policy.