There are a lot of resources on the web about Apple’s Aperture workflow, but I am still looking for one on a workflow for underwater digital photography. So, for my own benefit to remember between dives and anyone else who may be interested, here is what I am using.
RAW: Use RAW and JPEG - always. I know it is obvious to many, but after trying both, I have settled on using RAW underwater. JPEG’s do not have enough information to make the necessary corrections as outlined below. Disk space is always a a concern, but today’s camera storage cards are cheap enough and large enough so that is not a limiting factor. Disk space can be an issue if you keep all your pictures on a portable. However, if you a ruthless in getting rid of your rejected or lower quality shots, you should not run into a problem.
White Balance: For underwater shots there are basically two ways to get the proper white balance: Take a card and calibrate underwater, or correct via post processing. While the card system may be the most accurate, you may still end up tweaking the photo in Aperture. Correcting in Aperture after the dive is an extra step, but you have a lot more control. Correcting JPEG’s is possible, but the results are far superior with RAW files. Correcting white balance is the first thing I do when I have a shot that has too much blue in it, like a landscape shot or a shot where flash is not enough to illuminate the scene.
Auto Color: My next step is to try using AutoColor (Auto levels for B&W and RGB). In many cases, that is all a picture may need, Note that Apple recommends you work on exposure controls before the color controls.
Other Adjustments: My next options are to play with Contrast, Black Point, Highlights and Shadows, depending on the needs of the picture. Additionally, I may use Exposure to brighten/darken the entire photograph or Brightness to lighten the darker portions of the photograph without affecting the bright areas.
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