I
like to think of digital photography in three categories or stages.�
First there is the capture stage, then the manipulation stage and finally
the output stage.
 The first stage in digital
photography requires a digital camera.� The image is captured directly
to digital form.� This can also be "stills" from a digital video camera
as well.
The second stage is where
the fun begins.� Photographs can be digitally manipulated once the
image is imported into the digital form via scanned prints or negatives.
Drawings and other art can be digitized as well.� Once in the computer,
sizing, cropping, color balance and other traditional darkroom techniques
can be applied to enhance or completely modify your photo with the use
of a graphics editing software.� This stage of the digital process
requires the most skill, time and attention.
The third stage is the
final output of your image.� This usually involves the digital file
printed out onto a physical medium.� It can be done on your home color
inkjet printer, or taken to a service bureau and printed on quality photo
paper.� Output options onto a film scanner where an original 35mm
slide or negative can be made from your digital file.� Other printable
medium include T-shirts, mouse pads, clothing, baseball caps and coffee
mugs.
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Digital Camera Basics�������������������������������������������������������������
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With prices coming down and
image resolution going up, digital cameras have become increasingly popular
over the last couple of years.�� In a nutshell, digital cameras
expose images on a CCD (Charged Capacitance Device) or a CMOS (Complementary
Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) which act as the camera's digital "film." CCD
chips are more common but some cameras are using the CMOS chip due to its
inexpensive manufacturing process and low power consumption.
Newer CMOS sensors are found in the top 11 and 14 MP cameras. Once the image is exposed onto the chips, the picture is stored onto some type of removable
storage medium such as a compact flash card (CF), memory stick, smart media
cards, secure digital SD, xD or floppy disk, and even recordable CD-RW disks. The resolution is
measured in pixels. Higher the pixel count, better the image quality, especially
for printing enlargements beyond 4x5 inches.
Maximum printable photo quality sizes. (At around 150 dpi acceptable resolution.)
Under 1 megapixel (MP)- Ideal for e-mail or Web, very small print.
1.3 MP - 4x6 inch prints
2.1 MP - 5x7 inch prints
3.34 MP- 8x10 inch prints
4 MP - 8x10 inch prints or larger
A 3 MP pixel is all most people need for quality 4 x 6 prints. Feature-rich digital cameras in the 3 MP will cost between 300 to 400 dollars.
Memory media
Compact flash media: Canon, Nikon, Kodak
Smart media: Olympus, Fuji, Toshiba
Sony memory stick: Sony
xD and SD cards are postage-sized which work in newer cameras.
Zoom types
Optical: This is a function of the LENS where the image resolution and quality is preserved.
Digital: This is a function of the camera which enlarges the image and crops it, reducing the resolution and image quality.
Not to confuse you, but pixel
recording resolution may differ slightly from the actual image output dimensions
due to differing CCD sensor configurations and in-camera image processing
methods. Lets take my favorite digital Nikon D-1x for example. It has a
optical pixel resolution at 1324 x 4024, however, after the in-camera imaging
processing a 1980 x 3008 pixel count is the actual printable outputted
dimensions. This has to do with the way different camera sensors capture
the image. For a more accurate calculation, determine the exact pixel dimensions
of your final image by selecting the Image Information menu selection in
your graphic program.
Digital medium is equivalent
to that of a 100 speed print film in terms of overall light gathering properties.
Digital "noise" replaces the grain factor in these "films." Some pro models
can record at higher speeds.
In terms of the quality of digital
vs. print, a print made from a traditional film camera with an ISO 100
speed taken with a professional quality SLR camera and lens would be equivalent
to that of an image made from a 40 Mega Pixel camera! 14 Mega Pixel camera from Kodak which accepts Nikon lenses is the current top of the line in digital photography. Did I mention that it will set you back around $10,000!!! Suddenly that $100 point and shoot collecting dust in your closet looks appealing eh? However, to be fair, digital is evolving quicker than traditional film has in the past. Canon makes an 11 MP camera within reach of dedicated photographers.
So, if you needed the picture
yesterday and the final output is for the web, then by all means buy a
digital. But if you don't mind waiting a few hours for film processing
with higher quality, then stick to traditional film cameras.
Some higher mega pixel cameras
allow you to record low resolution video clips in the compressed JPG file
format stored as an AVI file. This gives you a postage size window to play
back your "movie" on the web. Fine, but don't expect to make broadcast
quality full screen documentaries with it. Some video cameras can capture
"stills" from the video image. Nice idea, however, the quality is worse
than the cheapest consumer still digital camera.
Advantages of digital cameras:
-Instant preview of the picture
seconds after you take it
-No chance of your pictures
being lost or damaged at the photo finisher
-Direct interface to a computer
-Less moving parts to fail
Disadvantages of going with
a digital camera:
-Image quality not as good
as traditional film
-Excessive drain on the batteries
-More expensive than traditional
film cameras
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Digital image Resolutions��������������������������������������������������������
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For a more accurate gage of resolution, there are
two basic things to know about image resolution. Images for the web are
at 72 dpi and those intended to be printed out should be scanned in at
around 300 dpi. Print resolution is about 4 times greater than that of
your computer monitor. That's why when you print out a photo from a web
site it appears smaller on paper than it did on your computer screen. Printed
medium requires a higher resolution to obtain readable text. To print out
an image at 8 x 10 inches you should scan the original image in at about
360 dpi which translates into 2880 x 3600 ppi. A flatbed scanner with a
scanning resolution around 600 dpi (optical resolution) or higher would
be needed for best results. To create an image file outputted to a 35mm
original would require a resolution of 3000 ppi.
Here is a rough scaling of the
maximum size of the print capable from your digital camera. Take the larger
pixel value from your camera and round it to the nearest number below for
an idea of how large you can print without losing image quality. Example
your camera has a 1980 x 3008 pixel count. 3008 is the larger of the two
dimensions and thus rounded to 3000 shown below. At this resolution, you
are able to make a print about 10 inches wide. I estimate a final print
to be about 6 1/2 x 10 inches. Not bad! Dimensions from the Pro level Nikon
D-1x at about $5000!!! Quality digital is NOT cheap.
500 pixels |
1.8" wide� |
less than 1 MB file |
1000 pixels |
3 1/2" wide |
2 MB file |
2000 pixels |
7 " wide |
10 MB file |
3000 pixels |
10" wide |
20 MB file |
4000 pixels |
13" wide |
37 MB file |
For a photo quality print out
from a high res scan, you will also need to calibrate your monitor and
printer to match the color through the use of ICC (International Color
Consortium) color spaces.� This is due to the differences in how colors
appear on screen, the inks used in various printers and how they react
to different types of photo papers. Images on a computer monitor are "emitted"
color and the printed photo, "reflected" color. Be sure to open and save
an edited image file in the RGB mode. CMYK mode is reserved for the 4 color
separation process used for printing magazines and newspapers.
Kodak Photo C.D.������������������������������������������������������������
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This is not to be confused with
the Image CD, Picture Disk or Picture CD which is nothing more than low
res JPG files stored on a CD-R.� If you want to put them on the web
or send them as E-Mail attachments, then this may be all you need.�
However, Kodak Photo CD costs a bit more and the service is not available
in most places.
If you are comfortable in using
graphic editing programs and are looking for an economical way to archive
your images to a digital format, I highly recommend using Kodak's Digital
Science Photo CD.� Your negatives, slides and or prints are scanned
in at 5 different image resolutions in a compressed "Image Pack" form in
a PCD file format. Each image is compressed to a 4 - 6 MB file with 100
images fitting onto one 650 MB Kodak Digital Science Master rewriteable
CD-ROM disk.
Here are the various resolutions
and their corresponding printable output sizes-
128 x 192 ppi |
72k |
0.5" x 0.7" print |
256 x 384 ppi |
288k |
0.9" x 1.3" print |
512 x 768 ppi� |
1.13MB |
1.7" x 2.5" print |
1024 x 1536 ppi |
4.5MB |
3.4" x 5" print (3x5) |
2048 x 3072 ppi |
18MB |
6.8" x 10" print |
The standard Photo CD disk itself
usually costs around 5 to 10 bucks and up to 100 photos can fit on one
disk. It usually costs around $2 to scan one image, so be selective about
what you want scanned. I prefer this method over scanning them in myself.
The disks, along with your originals,
come back from the photo lab with an index print (extra charge) with numbered thumbnails
of the images. Once opened in the computer, you're given a choice at the
resolution you want your working image to be. Your image will look a bit
dark and some of the borders from the slide mount or negative edge may
be visible. This is normal. These are raw scans and the image needs to
be cropped and equalized to get rid of the Photo C.D. haze. Brightness
and contrast or Auto Levels in your graphics program should do the trick.
I use the Curves function in Paint Shop Pro.
Also remember that these disks
are multi-session.� More times it is written to, the more working
memory is used up.� For maximum memory capacity, try to have all images
scanned at once, or at least limit it to no more than 10 rewirtes.
For medium format images or
very high res 35mm scans, Kodak offers a Pro Photo C.D. Which offers one
more resolution in addition to the regular 5 found on the regular disk.
4096 x 6144 ppi 72 MB file capable of producing an 11" x 17" print at 300
dpi. 35mm images should be of highest quality and finest grain since all
and any flaws will be magnified at this resolution. Pro Photo C.D. scans
are about $20 a piece. 30 images at this resolution can fit on one disk.
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Paint Shop Pro 7����������������������������������������������������������������������
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PhotoShop
from Adobe is the industry standard for graphics professionals. (At a professional's
price as well.) It is more software than most people need and is slightly
overkill for web graphics. Unless you are doing pre press work and you
are comfortable with CMYK color separation protocols, I'd recommend instead
a very capable and easy to use PaintShop Pro by JASC Software, the only graphics program you'll ever need.
PaintShop Pro can do many things Adobe's PhotoShop can, and even automates some hard to achieve effects Abobe does not have built-in. You can download a FREE
trial version at download.com or at the JASC home page. Download time approximately
an hour on a 56K connection. If you decide you like it, it will cost you
a hundred bucks to register it. This includes full version and product
support as well as discounts on future upgrades. Adobe PhotoShop retails
for around $600 bucks and no full version trial program for you to test
either. Don't get me wrong, I like Adobe PhotoShop, just not the price.
(I also own a copy of PhotoShop 7 which has a "healing" tool which I use for photo touch ups.)
Some features of PaintShop
Pro 7 worth mentioning:
-Up to 100 editable Layers
-Integrated Vector drawing
tools
-Automated Photograph enhancing
tools
*Auto color balance
*contrast adjustment
*saturation and histogram
*scratch removal
*red--eye removal tool
*sepia toning
-Support for the most file
formats
-PNG graphic file support
-MPEG Video support
WEB RELATED FEATURES
-Transparent GIF creator/optimizer
-JPG optimizer
-Image Map creator
-Image slicer
-Support for digital watermarks
-Image preview up to 3 browsers
Built-in Animation Shop 3 to
create animated GIFs and the like.
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Photos on your Palm Pilot��������������������������������������������������������
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Not only does your Palm Pilot keep your life organized, it can also store
and display your photos as well. And with Kodak's PalmPix Digital Camera
Module, you can take digital pictures right on your Palm.
It's a lot of fun sharing your
latest vacation photos right from your Palm at parties. I have the Color
Palm 3c. Unlike the Color Handspring Visor or the Pocket PCs, the Palm
3c displays clean whites and sharp blacks. The color depth is only capable
of displaying 256 colors which make some colors a bit dithered, but you
get bright, vivid colors unmatched by any handheld device out there.
Using the supplied Album To
Go software, you can download images directly from your computer via the
HotSync cradle to your Palm. The software allows you to organize your images
right on your handheld. The image viewing area on the Palm is 160x160 pixels,
so be sure to crop your image at 156x156 pixels due to a two pixel border
which frames the image on the Palm. Non-colored Palms can also take advantage
of the digital features by way of greyscale images, without color of course.
The Kodak PalmPix module snaps
images at a resolution of 480x640 to 600x800. Picture resolution is fine
for the web but not quite up to par for a quality print out. The image
can be viewed in real-time at the time of exposure, however it is in black
in white. Once the image is taken, you can view it in color. However, it
may look a bit pixelated, I recommend loading it into your computer and
re-save it as a JPG from your graphics program and dump it back into your
Palm via Album To Go for better image quality.
One other photographic use I
have for my Palm Pilot is to use it in conjunction with my Nikon N90s SLR
camera. The "N90s Buddy" is a very useful piece of software which allows
the user to control most of the on-board camera functions as well as trip
the shutter via data cable. Exposure information and auto bracketing can
be performed from this software running on the Palm. This is the portable
version of Nikon's Photo Secretary program.
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Digital Cameras Scanners and Printers�������������������������������������Back
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Nikon D-1x. 5.2 Mega
Pixels. Pro quality digital SLR at a pro's price. Also accepts standard
film camera lenses.
Minolta DiMAGE 7. 5.2
Mega Pixels. Only camera with a high res ferro electric LCD VIEWFINDER
in place of a traditional optical one.
Nikon CoolPix 995. 3.34
Mega Pixels. Excellent quality for the money.
Olympus E-10. 4 Mega
Pixels. Built-in 35-140 F-2.8 zoom lens. Also has a dual card memory storage
capability.
Sony Mavica CD 1000.
2.1 Mega Pixels. 20x optical zoom lens. 156 MB 3 inch mini CD-R disk storage
medium.
Olympus C-3040. 3.4 Mega
Pixels. 3x zoom with an extremely fast F-1.8 lens.
Canon G-1. 3.1 Mega Pixels.
This cameras offers a 3x optical zoom and has one of the highest color
rendering quality available in a digital.
Kyocera (Yashica) Fine S3.
3.3 Mega Pixels. Smallest digital camera on the market with a ton of features.
Quality Photo Printers
Epson Stylus Photo2000P-
One of the best consumer photo printers out on the market. This printer
uses archival inks which lasts up to 200yrs. Not bad considering most photographs
fade within 10 to 40.
The Epson Photo 1270
is another excellent photo printer half the cost of its archival bigger
brother.
The HP Photosmart 1115
An excellent all-around printer. Good photo quality and excellent text and graphics printing for around $200.
Quality Scanners:
Polaroid SprintScan 120.
Film Scanner. 4000 dpi at 48 bits with SCSI
or FireWire (IEEE1394) connector.
Nikon Super CoolScan 8000ED
Film Scanner. Scans at 4000 dpi at a color
depth of up to 48 bits.
Minolta DiMAGE Scan Multi
Pro.� Film Scanner. 4800 dpi 33 MP file at 4800x7200
pixels. Digital ICE3, ROC and GEM image enhancing technologies. High speed
SCSI and Firewire connectivity.
MicorTek Scanmaker 8700
Flatbed scanner. 2400x1200 dpi resolution. 42
bit color.
Follow this link to download free downtown Minneapolis photos as desktop wallpaper.
http://home.mn.rr.com/lexpix/minneapolis_skyline_index.html
I'd figure if you stayed this long on my site, least I could do is give something away. :-)
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