@jazzman1 wrote:
Biggs, Biggs, have you not read my previous posts?????? In a post to the other thread I said I'm now doing all my pics in RAW!!!!! And I also said I would use DPP only untill I can get Lightroom. You sound as if I'm resisting your suggestions...I'm not.
My instructor today in class, "photography 100, told me the same thing you have about LR. In fact later this year they're doing a class just on LR, as they do a few times a year. I learned so much today about my camera and using it. Now I know how to use most of it's features. I also learned about using P and M mode. I did'nt retain all the details they taught today, but I did comprehend the basics of using P and M mode. I understand it alot, of how one makes M setting and why. I also know how to check my M setting before I snap a pic to see if I have my exposure correct for my shot. I learned about aperture, ISO, and shutter speed settings and why and when to use them. It helps so much to have hands on ones camera when taking instructions and the help of the instructor to answer questions and show you when and where you went wrong. I will be able to understand and follow you guys instruction better now. Biggs you have to stop assuming any delay on my part, of taking a suggestion, is from my resistance to progress.
Biggs, no offense, but I do agree with Bob as to what he said about inches vs. pixels in DPP. In fact, using the exact method Bob described with the pexels, is how I figured out how to make the proper settings in DPP to post pics here on this site. After you change the data in the box, inch measurement disappears, and you only see measurements in pexels. Maybe your way is best for you, but I found the correct pic size using pixels, and think as Bob said .......one should forget about inches in DPP and just use pixels. Of course the 950 size max I determined I would use, is only for uploading pics to this site. One can make them big as one wants I suppose for other uses. In that instance maybe inches would work, I dunno.
Inches work best when inches are the ultimate objective. Printers, for example, take their input in pixels, but their output is usually understood and measured in inches. So when the desired result is a print, it may be easier to set your pixels per inch to the resolution of the target printer and do your planning in inches. But when your objective is to maintain as much resolution as possible while conforming to a file size restriction, it can be easier to work in pixels. The point is that neither way of thinking is right and the other wrong; you get to choose which works in different situations.
Similarly, there's no perfect photo editor, and the choice among them depends on your particular situation. DPP, for example, is especially good when you're switching around among different computers, because all of the editing data can be carried along in a copy of the original RAW file. Lightroom, OTOH, maintains a database of subjects and keywords that can be vital if you have a very large number of pictures and need to be able to quickly identify those that are related in some way. Photoshop excels by allowing you to manipulate large picture elements like figures, backgrounds, etc. Depending on the type of photography you do, you may never need that capability; but if you do, only PS and possibly a few other high-end editors will suffice.
Please be clear on one thing if you're not already: Ernie and I aren't arguing to get you to do things his way or mine. We're just telling you what works for us, in the hope that you'll find enough of it useful that it can help you become a better photographer. And it's important for you to realize that Ernie has had teaching experience while I haven't, and that while I'm actually a bit older than he is, his involvement in the game has been a lot more continuous and intensive than mine has. And you're absolutely doing the right thing by taking the hands-on class. You're obviously paying attention; and if you follow it up with self-directed practice, it can do you a lot of good.
Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
