Histograms and post processing?

[saltwaternewb]

When you process your RAW files, do you adjust according to the histogram and other values or more to what looks good to you? I ask because I have finally got around to downloading camera raw and I want to start shooting in RAW but I have no idea where to start with the processing. When I played around a little bit with PSE 4 with a RAW file I saw that there was a RGB histogram that moved around as I made adjustments. I have zero idea what it all means so basically I just adjusted to what looked good to me on my monitor. Post processing is still so foreign to me and I need to just take the time to learn about it but I am too impatient...lol

 

[Poseidon]

Make sure that you calibrate your monitor using one of the many optical tools that are available to do that, then, you adjust your picture so that it looks good, or "right". If you try and do this on a screen that is not properly calibrated, your prints will never match your screen.

 

[saltwaternewb]

Good advise. I'll do that. So basically just process until they look good to me? I have never played with RAW before so when I opened the file and the RBG histogram was there it kinda threw me for a loop and just added to my already mounting confusion.

 

[Poseidon]

Yup, that is the idea. There is tons of things that you can use the histogram for, the LEFT edge is for BLACK, and the right for WHITE.... If you keep that in mind, it will help.

 

[gparr]

To get you started, it might help to follow the steps I use to process RAW files into jpg files. You can download the steps here. I don't claim that it's the only way to process photos, but it works for me and will at least give you a starting point.
Gary