Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D Digital Field Guide

Appendix A: Postproduction

With the advent of digital technology, once you press the shutter button, you have completed half the job. Next, you need to edit your photographs and decide which of them you want to share. Chances are you will make some adjustments before your images are uploaded, e-mailed, printed, or shared via the Internet or social media. Sometimes, only a few basic adjustments are necessary, such as cropping, lightening, or sharpening. Other times, you may want to create a work of art from your image. A successful video also relies on postproduction. After shooting it, you have to combine the different elements of a video to tell a story. Entire books have been written about many of the editing programs covered here, and you should refer to those if you need more detailed instructions; this Appendix is intended to be an introduction.

AA.1 Family vacation photos can take as much time in postproduction as a professional assignment. (135mm lens, ISO 400, f/8.0, 1/1000 second)

Photo-editing Software

Editing your photographs is as important as taking them, and selecting the best of a batch is not usually an easy task. Photographers put a lot of emotional energy into their work, but often select images to share based on the wrong reasons. The reason for the selection is sometimes linked to a backstory that is not represented in the photograph. For example, maybe you ...