I took this pic last night and I have no idea what to do with it.
Does it need Post Processing? If so what does it need?
I strive to get what I want straight off the camera, but everybody seems to post process. I have 'played' a little with PP exposure & WB etc, but nothing serious.
How do I tell if any picture that looks right needs a bit of PP and how do I work out what it needs?
This particular pic is my first try at Still Life. It was taken on a bedside cupboard under a bed-lamp with my 350D with a 50mm EF lens (with Sunpak filter) F2.8 1/8th sec. hand held. Which leads to another question, which applications show EXIF data? I have access to CS3, Digital Photo Prof. and a couple of other small Mac apps like Image Tricks & Pixelnhance, none of which I can get to display EXIF.



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All CS3 products come with Bridge CS3 which will show you EXIF and most of the other image data if it exists. I would recommend that you watch "Camera to Print" video. This will answer many questions that you have and will undoubtedly create new ones but it covers the issues that you are most interested in.

All pictures need some post but the idea is to get the picture right in the camera and keep post to a minimum because you will always give up something.

I like your picture but I would clean up the background maybe remove everything behind the glass but the one control. Besides a good non chill filtered single malt scotch does not need much but a little spring water.

Tom

Thanks for the input Tom.
I'll watch that video first, then get back here with remaining / new questions.

Cheers,
Phill.

Post production is a tool in the toolkit of creating the image you want to create

There is no anwser to whether an image needs post production

PP generally falls into two parts

'correction'

Where for example you might fiddle with the WB to create a natural look

'improvement'

Where you might fiddle with the image to enhance it

like smoothing skin, lengthening legs, removing wires from a landscape or in the example that you posted i might consider touching out the marks on the back of the glass

People can argue about the ethics of improvement no end of course - I make no comment

But fundamentally its all about creating your artistic vision or fullfilling a client brief - that may or may not require post production

S

This is a good answer from MM.
I post process to bring the image closer to what was in my mind's eye when I shot it. (e.g. red-eye, sensor dust, odd colours etc. are usually not what I had in mind).
I would start by learning one image editor and then you will know what tools you have at your disposal. For example, Canon has a helpful site for DPP at http://www.usa.canon.com/content/dpp2/index.html.
Incidentally, you can see exif information in DPP by right clicking the image and choosing "info" or by highlighting the thumbnail and selecting File_Info.
David

Thank you both Sam & David. I would like to show my work the way it was shot, a true moment that is as it was. Imperfections are not necessarily, to me, a negative. I would like to see a distinction drawn between processed and unprocessed shots. I guess the 'Art' can be as much in the processing as in the shooting, so that will probably never happen.

Thanks for the tip on DPP David.

Cheers,
Phill.

The first thing I do (if the image is generally OK) is use the clone brush to take out any small unwanted artifacts. Small bright spots and streaks are usually the most annoying. For most other issues, I'll make a test fix on a copy of the image, then compare them in a viewer where I can quickly toggle between them, and check for any degradation with the fix. For many images, I have to put them aside and come back later for a second or third look. You don't want to make permanent changes on impulse. When you do make several changes, it can be very difficult (for example) to back out change #5 and retain changes 1 to 4 and 6 to 8.