Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/09

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Subject: Re: [Leica] The digital darkroom
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Tue, 09 Feb 1999 23:25:59 -0600

>Wow, my head about spun around on my neck when I read this. Ok, for
>those of you who haven't actually done a lot of work with photoshop, it's
>a MYTH that you can just "fix" any blunder you might have made with the
>camera. Yes you can usually remove a cigarette butt a little easier, but
>most of the facilities on computer have a traditional darkroom counterpart.
>One is not easier than the other, they are just different. 

As a professional who has used Photoshop for over 8 years daily at work, I
have to agree, and disagree.

You can't fix just about anything in Photoshop. You need to start with a
reasonably good negative or slide. Poor image quality can only be
compensated to a degree. And it's not really magical. On the other hand,
you are not correct in saying one is not easier than another. Many effects
that can be done with a few mouse swipes in Photoshop would require an
enormous amount of time in a traditional darkroom. 

Photoshop's abilities go way beyond what even a professional in the
darkroom can do easily. Modifying, for example, shadows without affecting
the highlights in a small defined area is MUCH easier in Photoshop. The
program might seem like magic, but it only goes so far. The better the
original, the more you can do with it.

Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO
http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch

Profanity sucks.