How long do you spend post processing?
 

I've been getting into DSLR photography over the last couple months and have just now started shooting RAW and playing around with DPP. I started by shooting in RAW+JPEG so I could compare the two.

After playing around with a RAW photo in DPP I was able to get some really nice results. When compared to the JPEG the post produced RAW photo was definitely superior. The only complaint that I have is how time consuming it was. Granted, I'm a beginner and don't quite know my way around DPP very well, but I can't imagine how long it would take to go through a couple hundred photos in post.

Is this just a leaning curve I need to go through before I will be able to bust out photos in post rapidly or do most of you just enjoy spending hours in post?

I spend about as little time in post processing as possible. But then again, I have always been a "do it camera" kind of guy.

Not much for me. I also shoot jpeg & RAW combo, for web photos like we post here I use the jpeg with a quick crop, level & maybe a little sharping in Elements 8, takes about a minute a shot. Colors out of my 7D is pretty much money stright out of the camera:)

Do it with the camera!

It depends. Sports and Wildlife I do very little- basically like what Randy does- crop, level, sharpen and usually darken the sky a bit. When I shoot a model for a paying or trade gig I often have to do extensive processing. One thing I hate is removing tacky tattoos the model doesn't want in any photos. Models should think before they get a tattoo that covers have of their stomach! The underwater stuff I shoot actually requires a lot of processing. I like to darken the water and do other stuff that dramatically enhances the pic but takes a lot of time. I'd rather be out shooting than sitting at the Mac any day!

For sports I only shoot JMEG. For Wildlife I usually shoot JPEG. For portrait stuff and landscapes I only shoot RAW.

Looks like the consensus is that PP is a pain in the ass. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who feels this way. I guess I just need to get better at using the correct settings on my camera.

Thanks for the info!

I go thru a routine in aperture 3 which usually only takes a minute or so.

1) check white balance which normally is OK because I mostly shoot outdoors.
2) check highlites and adjust exposure/recovery or both until all the whites are in range.
3) pull the black point up or down to taste.
4) Hit the definition slider to increase micro contrast.
5) Adjust the vibrancy slider to POP the colors a little.
6) turn on the default sharpening (which is usually about right.) Adjust if necessary.
7) Level and crop as needed.

If I've got a series of shots with the same general exposure I'll lift the setting from the first processed shot and "stamp" the rest.

A little adjustment goes a long way if you have images shot in harsh lighting as this before and after shot taken with an XTi shows. I like saturated colors (which is pretty obvious in most of my PP'd images.)