By Byron Jorjorian, www.naturephotocentral.com

Until recently, I suffered from scattered image syndrome. That is to say I had images and projects scattered all over my desktop and throughout multiple hard drives. It seemed a hopeless mess. As a professional nature photographer with more than 180,000 images in my files this can quickly become overwhelming.

I looked at various workflow programs but they seemed to be mostly a collection of tips for improving image quality, etc. That was great but there was no overall flow plan. I needed a way to handle thousands of images in a high quality organized and consistent manner. So I came up with my own workflow. It is loosely based on the assembly line approach from the manufacturing world. Here is a brief overview of my workflow it is in-tended to share the overall concept of my assembly line image processing approach.

IVIEW MEDIAPRO & CAPTURE ONE - The right tools for the job

I chose Capture One for my RAW processing. I believe it delivers the highest image quality with greatest flexibility and speed. I spent a lot of time studying the results from other RAW Processing programs before I settled on Capture One. I also chose iView MediaPro for managing my library of RAW images and my library of finished master tiff files. It delivers unparalleled flexibility for image organization, key-wording and searching.

I also chose iView MediaPro for managing my library of RAW images and my library of finished master tiff files. It delivers unparalleled flexibility for image organization, key-wording and searching.

In my assembly line approach to workflow I use Capture One as the processing plant and Iview to manage my inventory. I think that what I have developed actually ad-dresses the flow of workflow and not just the work. I have been a photographer for thirty years so my plan also had to allow for the management of scanned images as well. I use a series of folders to guide the steps through the assembly of a finished image. All images regardless of when, where, or for what they were created follow these steps and travel through the same series of folders. They are moved from folder to folder along the assembly line as they move from a group of selected RAW files to processed tiffs to final completed images ready to enter in my Master Tiffs library. The sequence of folders that I use is shown below.

1. Catalog images in a "RAW File Library"

All images regardless of project are brought into my RAW File Library where they are subdivided into DVD sized sub folders and backed up. This RAW File Library is cataloged using iView MediaPro and backed up using Archival DVDs. It can span several hard drives and mine does. Cataloging a library that spans multiple drives is no problem for iView MediaPro.

2. Select images to work with using MediaPro Lightbox

I then use iView MediaPro's Lightbox feature to quickly go through and color code the images that I wish to process. I use the Orange label to designate the images to be processed. I then select all orange tagged files and copy them into the Capture folder in Capture One. I have named it "1Raws to Process". (I created it on my desktop and designated it as the capture folder by dragging and dropping it into the session pane in Capture One and clicking on the set selected as capture folder button.)

3. Process RAW files

I have named a folder "2Processed Tiffs" and it is on another drive. I designate it as the process folder by repeating the steps above and choosing “set” as process folder in the session pane. After processing in Capture One the processed images appear in the "2Processed Tiffs". This same folder is also selected as a favorite in the Adobe Bridge, so I can browse the processed files easily.

4. Get images ready for tweaking

After a quick examination of the developed tiff files any images that need any dust removal or cloning, etc., move to the "3Tiffs to Tweak" folder the rest move straight to the end folder, "4Master Tiffs".

5. Catalog the final images - now they're ready for use

Those in the "3Tiffs to Tweak" folder are moved to the "4Master Tiffs" folder once any needed image adjustments are completed on them. The images in the "Master Tiffs" folder are then Cataloged in iView MediaPro and becomes the source files for all other outputs such as email, prints or to stock agencies. All of the raw files that were orange are now labeled yellow so that I won't accidentally process them again.

WORKFLOW BENEFITS

By keeping all of my image processing projects moving through the same series of folders I avoid searching through numerous folders for particular images or jobs. Another advantage to this approach is that if I have to stop working and come back later I don't have to try to remember where I left off. Each image is located along the assembly line where I stopped and therefore I know what still remains to be done to finish them up.

A GREAT TIP - Sharpen your images in two steps

I would like to pass on a tip I find very useful. Many photographers including myself subscribe to the two stage sharpening concept. This involves doing a light sharpening after processing followed by another round of harder sharpening geared to the type of output that the photographer needs. I have found that by setting Sharpening in Capture One to enable and the amount to zero and threshold to zero , just the right amount of capture sharpening is applied thereby saving another step along the workflow. These settings can be made automatic by setting these parameters in the preferences of Capture One. That way you don't have to remember to set it each time you work on images.

LOOKING FOR MORE INSPIRATION?

Obviously, in the limited space here I am not able to cover all the nuances of my workflow but this should get you started. If you would like to know more about how to organize and streamline your workflow using the assembly line framework, I have released a 1 1/2 hour studio quality DVD and a 40 page e-workbook on an accompanying cd with text, charts and illustrations that covers the entire process in great detail. It also includes tips and scripts for automating the process.

You can learn more about the DVD at http://e-book-associates.com/workflow.html or visit http://www.naturephotocentral.com/.