Consumer Level Pro Level Prepare Charge batteries, format cards,
check for dust, proper camera settings Charge batteries, format cards,
check for dust, proper camera settings Shoot Proper exposure and white balance,
lowest ISO practical, best quality file, NEF if
appropriate Proper exposure and white balance,
lowest ISO practical, best quality file, NEF if
appropriate Transfer Nikon View or Picture Project (or
iPhoto on Mac) Photo Mechanic Edit (Cull) Nikon View, Picture Project (or
iPhoto on Mac) Photo Mechanic Raw Processing Nikon Capture Nikon Capture Edit (Final Corrections) Nikon View, Picture Project or
Photoshop Elements 3 (or iPhoto on Mac), Photoshop CS Backup Backup to CD, DVD or External Hard
Drive Backup to CD, DVD or External Hard
Drive Output Print out of Nikon View, Picture
Project or Photoshop Elements 3. Print using Epson R300 or
R800 or 2200, depending on budget. Print out of Photoshop CS, possibly
with ImagePrint RIP. Create slide show with ProShow Gold
(Windows) or iPhoto/iMovie/iDVD (MAC). Create web gallery
with Photo Mechanic. Print using Epson 2200, 4000, 7600 or
9600, depending on budget. Catalog Picture Project, Photoshop Elements
3 or iPhoto on Mac Extensis Portfolio or iView
MediaPro
Notes: Card Handling: Always format
card in camera, after you have successfully transferred your
images to your computer and you're ready to shoot again.
Always be sure your camera has finished writing to the card
before removing the card or turning off power in the camera.
Don't mess around with your card while it's attached to your
computer. Use software like Nikon View, Picture Project or
Photo Mechanic to transfer the images from the card to your
computer. Don't erase images off the card while attached to
your computer. Shooting: Always shoot the
best quality file you can. Shoot either JPG Large/Fine or
NEF if you have the time and inclination to process the
file. Transfer: Don't just drag or
copy the files from your card to your computer. Use a
program like Nikon View, Picture Project or Photo Mechanic.
This will give you more control over renaming and captioning
your images. Raw Processing: Use Nikon
Capture to process your NEF files. Photoshop CS' ACR has a
pretty interface and lots of versatility, but my testing
shows better final results with Nikon Capture. Edit: ALWAYS WORK ON A COPY.
NEVER WORK ON AN ORIGINAL IMAGE. Copyright 2004 Michael A. Schwarz, Photography, Inc. Here's my workflow for an important
assignment: Prepare: Shoot: Transfer: Edit (Cull): Raw Process: Edit (Corrections): Backup: Output:
Check and clean all lenses.
Check sensor for dust by shooting clear blue sky or white
sheet of paper.
Format cards in camera.
Check date/time settings on camera.
Set as many of the custom settings as I can.
Charge batteries
Shoot proper exposure, custom white balance when
possible.
Shoot lowest ISO practical.
Shoot JPG Large/Fine or NEF if deadline permits.
Use Photo Mechanic to transfer images to a dated folder on
internal hard drive reserved for Photos. Batch caption IPTC
data during transfer.
Use Photo Mechanic to pick the images I want to work with.
Copy them and move them to another folder with Photo
Mechanic.
If I've shot NEF files, I'll use Nikon Capture to make my
global corrections, doing as much as I can using the batch
function or thumbnail window. Save the files as 16-bit
Tiffs, then open in Photoshop CS.
Make remaining corrections with Photoshop CS.
Everything gets backed up and ultimately resides in 3
locations.
External hard drive in my office. CD or DVD in my office.
External hard drive off-site.
Print with Epson 2200 or 4000. If I need to do a web
gallery, I'll use Photo Mechanic's Web Gallery feature. If I
need to create a DVD-playable slide show, I'll use either
iPhoto and iDVD or ProShow Gold.