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WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY EDITING- What is the difference between “Basic” and “Photoshop” editing?



You have probably looked at dozens of wedding photographers in your search for the perfect one to capture your Wedding Day in all it’s glory.  I get it, it can be hard.  Aside from pricing, what on earth do you look for to compare?  And what does all the terminology mean? Photoshop edited, Basic Edit, worse still- NO edit!  What is the difference, right?  Never fear, we are here to help clear up some of the confusion and make sure you receive the images that you are hoping for from your day.


RAW or Jpeg?
This one is pretty easy to explain.  RAW is the format that most professional photographers shoot in.  It is a kind of file that saves all the nitty gritty pieces of information it possibly can from an image, the digital negative if you like.
Jpeg is the file type that the image gets converted to to make it more readable and shareable for the average client.  The Photographer has made specific decisions and discarded all of the unnecessary information from that RAW file, which makes the file: a. Look better,  b. Smaller in size & c. Universally readable.

The RAW images are the ingredients, the Jpeg is your finished cake.

To get from RAW to Jpeg requires editing, and this is where the confusion starts.  Everyone has a different style and amount of editing.  While the style cannot be changed (so choose a photographer whose style you like!), the amount of editing varies from photographer to photographer.  

No Editing
If your photographer specifically states that “No Editing” will take place on the images, the RAW image that was taken will be converted directly to a Jpeg.  You are likely to get varying quality (depending on the photographer).  Any images that are over or under exposed will stay that way, many smaller details will remain as they  were captured which will result in a fairly bland, amateur looking image.  See below for our sample image of an unedited picture.



Basic Edit
The next step up from this is a “Basic Edit”.  This can again, vary from photographer to photographer, but will usually include exposure, sharpness, contrast and colour correction.



 Lightroom Edit  
More and more common is the “Lightroom Edit”.  Lightroom is a very common editing program used amongst photographers, it has a lot of scope, but while covering the basics, it also offers a bit more range in style. A Lightroom edit can give a much more polished result than the basic edit offers, with a lot more options in terms of style, see below for some examples.

 
 

Photoshop Edit
Finally there is the “Photoshop Edit”, this is a more time consuming process, so is usually reserved for images that will be presented, like album images, prints or canvases.  It will give a perfectly polished result, with the option to remove distractions from a background (or even your sister’s ex from a wedding photo if you’re lucky!), smooth out skin imperfections, add shine & gloss to hair and slim down turkey necks & bingo wings if desired!  It takes much more time for a Photoshop edit, which is why it is usually reserved for the important shots that you will hang or display.  The cost of the extra editing is usually included in the price of the printed item you have purchased.  For those playing along at home, here is an example of a Photoshop edit on our sample image.


For the record, we return all of your images with a Lightroom edit, and we include a handful of our favourites from the day (usually 20 or so) with a full Photoshop edit.  We do of course, offer full Photoshop editing upon request, so if you have a favourite that you would like to print large, just let us know & we will ensure it is perfect & ready to print!

Hopefully this has helped de-mystify some of that photographer jargon- good luck on your search for the perfect photographer (and don't forget to include us on your list!).  ;-)

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