Did you choose your particular workflow, or did it choose you ?

John Bragg

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Perhaps an enigmatic title, but what I mean is, did you set out with a clear idea of what was needed and what you wanted in your hybrid or darkroom workflow, or did it evolve over time ? Mine is a product of time and a gradual morphing from a pure darkroom set up into a hybrid. I started out with self taught darkroom skills and had to adapt as I moved house and lost the space for a darkroom. I chose a film scanner and had to start learning new skills. After a while I am again confident that my results are going to be predictable. I love my film cameras and this way I get to use them as normal with the flexibility and repeatability of scanning and inkjet printing. What is your story and how did you get to where you are ?
 
2006 or maybe earlier I down loaded every editing program I could find. They all worked but everyone was using PS then (at least friends were). PS was too much for me so I just went with PSE (and still use it). I also, liked RAWtherapee so I have that too. ColorPerfect is a plug into PSE but I struggled with for a few years and then realized I didn't need to use everything it offered. So now I use it for color simple editing and like it very much.
 
In the digital era, for film, my current workflow is getting film developed and scanned and I pick up the negatives when I can, having received the files by dropbox. Editing is in Lightroom. I use the Development pane and have never properly got to grips with its multiple organising and categorising functions.

I have negatives in sleeves, up to date till about three, or maybe five years ago. I have rolls of 120 negatives in the boot (trunk of my car), and covering my cameras in my camera cupboard. I am very time-poor. I am thinking of (block your ears) throwing out those negatives... I think, therefore, that my process found me.
 
My workflow chose me. Back about 20 years ago when I became interested in outputting film digitally, a copy of PS Elements came bundled with a $99 Epson printer I bought. Shortly after that Adobe allowed people who owned the OEM version to Elements to upgrade to Photoshop 5.5 for like $75, so I did. Used Photoshop for many years. When Lightroom was released, Adobe allowed Photoshop owners to buy a copy dirt cheap, so I did. I have bought a few upgrades over those 20 years.

All along the way, new competitive editing programs were released. Since I owned, knew how to use the Adobe programs, and saw no potential for significant improvement in output, I have just kept using PS and LR for all these years.

Some love learning how to use new and totally different software. I am not one of them. I only want results.
 
If it is same film, same chemicals it is very predictable. As long as I'm sober and concentrated on results. :)
 
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