POST-PRODUCTION WORKFLOW
1ST STAGE • CLEANING
- The preview screen renders my images with 100% accuracy,
- Adobe Camera Raw is completely integrated with Adobe Bridge and therefore I don’t use Adobe Lightroom.
- I can select any number of images in Adobe Bridge and send them to Adobe Photoshop’s Image Processor, to convert files to PSD or JPG
- I also use Adobe Photoshop’s Batch feature to add my watermark.
- Adobe Bridge is also used to add additional metadata to my images. This includes keywords, copyright, biography, and my web links.
- I use the 5-star rating system to organize all my images for publication. More on that later.
- Adobe Bridge creates a convenient modular *.XMP sidecar (i.e., Extensible Metadata Platform file that accompanies each *.CR2 or *.CR3 file from Canon cameras). This *.XMP file is the image’s “custom profile”. If accidentally deleted or no longer in the same directory, then all edits will not be loaded by Adobe Bridge.
- File renaming in Adobe Bridge is useful. You can save presets which helps in the final stages when I need to annotate the filenames. Adobe Bridge created “sidecar files that are linked with the original RAW image: *.XMP (i.e., which includes metadata and basic editing tweaks) and *.ACR files (i.e., which contain touchups and other advanced editing techniques). All sidecars are automatically renamed with the original RAW image.
- Adobe Bridge allows copy-pasting of the *.XMP profile to any image, preventing the need to start from scratch.
The first pass requires deleting all out-of-focus or poorly composed images. A fundamental rule is ensuring that the model’s eyes are in focus (i.e., there are exceptions depending on where I want to redirect the viewer’s attention). I also do a preliminary pass of color, composition, and horizontal-horizon corrections. Duplicates are deleted (i.e., photos taken in rapid succession resulting in nearly identical images).
Favorite images are labeled with 3 stars.
1st Stage Reduction • 3600 → 900 images (75% of the images are removed in stage 1).
Total Reduction • 3600 → 900 images (25% remaining after 1st stage).
Time per Image • 12 seconds
Stage 1 Completed
2ND STAGE • REPAIRING & REFINING
Through each iterative pass, distractions are removed (i.e., once an image has been tweaked, there is clarity in how it compares to adjacent images). Throughout this process, new images graduate to 3 stars. The remaining unrated images are given a single star.
2nd Stage Reduction • 900 → 300 Images (66% of the images from stage 1 are removed)
Total Reduction • 3600 → 300 Images (8% remains after the 2nd stage)
Time per Image • 48 seconds
Stage 2 Completed
3RD STAGE • FINALIZING
23.Mar.19 – Toronto • Anastasiia Koval (Canadian Ballet, ak, 2.com, b&w, @, xx).CR2
Next is to quantize all 3-star images into sets of 10 with a “.com” designation. This way I’m able to find which ones will be published on https://gabrieldusil.com and https://dusil.org, and in which order (i.e., 10 files have “1.com” in the filename, 10 with “2.com”, etc.). The images labeled with ‘@’ are sent to publishers. Black & White (i.e., B&W) and Color designations help segment images based on the publisher’s color preference. My file name convention is further organized as follows:
- Art nude images are appended with “xx” in the filename (i.e., topless or fully nude). An “xxx” designation is erotic art. The absence of ‘xx’ or ‘xxx’ are fully clothed or implied nude images. This annotation helps with segmenting the photoshoot into #Glamour #ImpliedNude #Nude #B&W and #Nude #Color. Art nude images are published on dusil.org because my site has an 18+ age gate restriction, #Glamour images are posted on gabrieldusil.com.
- Images used in promotional videos are appended with .video.#, This helps keep track of which images are in which video.
- A “.print” designation means the image that has been printed in my portfolio.
- Finally, an @Super designation means that is the “best of the best” from my entire portfolio.
23.Apr.28 – Prague • Lenka Rouskova (Hradcany Square, 2.com, m @Super.print.video.1).jpg
Essential to my file management is Everything Search, which can be downloaded here. When I need like to find all @Super images in my portfolio that have been printed & published the search term would be as follows:
path:”Dusil, Gabriel (blog, portfolio)” .com @Super .print .jpg
★☆☆☆☆ = Unpublished #Glamour #ImpliedNude
★★☆☆☆ = Unpublished #Nude #B&W #Color
★★★☆☆ = Published #Glamour #ImpliedNude
★★★★☆ = Published #Nude #B&W #Color
★★★★★ = Unpublished #EroticArt
Final images are all sent to Adobe Photoshop’s Image Processor to create *.PSD files (i.e., PhotoShop Document). This step automatically combines and embeds the *.CR2 with the *.XMP, and *.ACR files into a single 16-bit image Smart Object inside of Adobe Photoshop (i.e., This gives some flexibility in case I want to do last-minute non-destructive editing in Adobe Photoshop). These PSDs are then sent through Adobe Photoshop’s Batch process to add my “GabrielDusil.com” watermark. I then individually adjust the watermark in each image by transparency, size, and placement. My rule of thumb is to position the logo so that it doesn’t interfere with the model and isn’t too visible. I mainly use the Soft Light layer blend and adjust the fill percentage accordingly so that the watermark doesn’t take the viewer’s attention away from the model.
All watermarked PSD files are then sent through Photoshop’s Image Processor one more time to create JPGs for publishing and delivery to the model. All three and four starred *.CR2 images with ‘@’ are processed in Adobe Photoshop to create files without watermarks, as required by all publishers.
3rd Stage Reduction • 300 → 180 Images (40% of the images from stage 2 are removed).
Total Reduction • 3600 → 180 Images (5% remain after the 3rd stage).
Time per Image • 4 minutes
In this example, post-production requires 36 person-hours of patience, endurance, and attention to detail – approximately 1 hour for every 100 photos taken.
Stage 3 Completed
4TH STAGE • PROMOTION
Once accepted the images sent to the publishers are no longer resubmitted. Images can take anywhere between one week and six months for publication, depending on the publisher’s schedule. Once published I prepare an announcement graphic which includes two images from the issue. Four versions are prepared: portrait & landscape censored, and portrait & landscape uncensored to accommodate various publication requirements. Digital copies are purchased for archiving. I only buy prints where my model is featured on a cover (i.e. it’s too expensive to buy every issue where my photos are featured because some publishers charge over $50 plus taxes, shipping & handling). Announcements are posted on dusil.org and the URL is sent to the publisher and model.
Once the publisher’s exclusivity window expires I’m free to post images on gabrieldusil.com and dusil.org. On gabrieldusil.com #Glamour images are posted in sets of ten. Anecdotal text is created with relevant hashtags. Search Engine Optimization data (i.e., SEO) and featured images are cropped and loaded with a 16:9 aspect ratio as needed for most social media posts. dusil.org posts are split into three sets: The first post includes “Facebook-friendly” images. The second post contains #nude #b&w, and the third set is #nude #color images with the 18+ age gate.
Images are also periodically submitted to international contests.
And We’re Done!
