Chapter IV Introduction to Digital Imaging http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/digital/dlc/book3/chapter4/index.shtml

Chapter IV, Introduction to Digital Imaging: Lesson I The Digital Image http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/digital/dlc/book3/chapter4/lesson1/p01.shtml

Lesson I: Moving from Traditional to Digital Pictures Pictures have always played an important role in our lives. They motivate, captivate, educate and inform more than words ever can. With instant access to dazzling, high quality images, digital photography is just the tool for today's fast-paced world.

There is no limit to the number of ways digital pictures can be used at work and at home. Today's digital cameras, like the KODAK DC210 Plus Zoom Digital Camera, produce high quality, megapixel pictures in seconds. The affordability of this new generation of digital cameras plus the instant access to fantastic images has caused the use of pictures in business to explode. And, virtually every industry has been using digital pictures to add interest and excitement to their communications. At home, you can quickly and easily add heartwarming pictures to e-mails, cards, gifts and just about everything you create.

Digital pictures can appear to have the same "look and feel" of traditional photographs, but there are many differences. For traditional photography, you need a camera, film and a darkroom with chemicals, photographic paper and an enlarger. With digital imaging, you still need a camera, but now the computer, software and printer become your "digital" darkroom.

As you know, traditional cameras record images on film As you know, traditional cameras record images on film. Then, the film is processed and the prints are made. The digital camera, on the other hand, electronically records images on a charge-coupled device (CCD), which captures light reflected from the original scene and stores it as red, green and blue pixels. Pictures are ready to be reviewed, edited or shared instantly on the LCD panel, transferred to your computer or viewed on a television. All without processing costs, though digital photography is not free.

Chapter IV, Introduction to Digital Imaging: Lesson II The Digital Imaging Process http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/digital/dlc/book3/chapter4/lesson2/p01.shtml

Lesson II: The Digital Imaging Process From picture taking to picture making, archiving and retrieval, the digital imaging process gives you total control over image content and quality. So, you get exactly the right picture every time. Whether you own a digital camera or not, there are many ways to try your hand at making and using digital pictures.

Interact with a digital camera.                      Interact with a digital camera. Because megapixel cameras capture at least one million pixels, they deliver photo-realistic picture quality and more. The easiest way to create digital pictures is with a digital camera. This megapixel camera allows you to capture high quality, pictures for both web and print applications. It looks very much like a traditional, point-and-shoot camera, but it offers so much more. There are the familiar settings for zoom lens, flash settings, self-timer and shutter.

In addition, digital cameras often have an LCD panel for previewing and immediate reviewing of images. There are also controls for white balance, resolution and compression as well as a menu to let you take advantage of a number of additional capabilities that are definitely digital. In

Getting your pictures from camera to computer has never been easier. As you capture your pictures with a digital camera, they will be stored on a removable, reusable storage media, such as floppy disks, CompactFlash cards or Smart Media. Think of these as an endless roll of "digital film." To start putting your pictures to work, you must first transfer your pictures to your computer. Most digital cameras offer a number of ways to transfer images to your computer.

Serial - by connecting your camera to the serial port on your computer using the special cable provided you can transfer images directly from camera to computer. Card Reader - a mouse-sized peripheral that accepts CompactFlash-compatible Kodak Picture Cards and provides high-speed image transfer PCMCIA - a thin, credit card sized auxiliary image and data storage device that fits into the PCMCIA slot of your computer (with adapter) or a specialized card reader for direct from disk transfer.

Infrared - the cable-less option for image transfer that uses an infrared beam to transfer images or data between camera and computer. Requires an infrared port on both the camera and computer to operate. USB - a Universal Serial Bus connection allows you to transfer data with rates of up to 10x faster than traditional serial cables. The wire's slim design makes it easy to connect and it's even "hot pluggable."

You also can choose to hook your camera directly to a television set or digital projector for sharing your pictures with family and friends moments after the pictures were taken. Once you transfer images to your computer, you are ready to insert your pictures into text documents, presentations, graphics, emails or Web pages. Create picture-rich, professional-looking flyers, newsletters, posters and brochures without hiring a professional designer.

If you don't have a digital camera, there are other ways to create digital images. First, you can convert traditional pictures to digital images using a flatbed scanner. Simply lie your photographic print on the glass of the scanner and activate the software to "acquire" or convert the traditional photo into an electronic file.

By simply checking the appropriate box on your film processing envelop, the local film processor can also give you digital copies of your traditional pictures on Kodak Picture CD. Or, you also can choose to have a "duplicate" set of your pictures placed on your own secure, password-protected Kodak PhotoNet online site. If you are already on-line, this is a great way to share your pictures with family, friends and associates.

In addition, you also can purchase "stock" digital pictures on CD or download them from websites. These collections are typically offered as royalty-free so that you need only to pay once for unlimited usage.

Digital photography gives you total control over the picture making Digital photography gives you total control over the picture making. Once you have just the right image, it's time to make it even better. We call this part of the process "picture making." Today image editing software, like ADOBE PHOTODELUXE, puts you in total control of the final look of your picture in ways that would be difficult or impossible to do photographically. Digital images can be manipulated, sized and color corrected all at the touch of a button. You can also use this same software to automatically apply special effects such as silhouetting, drop shadows, neon and more.

Take your pictures in new directions Take your pictures in new directions. With digital imaging, the picture is only the beginning of the process. There are a number of programs that let you get downright creative with your pictures. Kodak's Picture Playground lets you add all sorts of special effects to your pictures. Or stretch your imagination with Kai's SuperGoo.

Desktop printing of digital images gives you photo-realistic prints and more. Just team up any popular inkjet printer with high quality, bright white inkjet media and the right printing software and you are in business. In minutes, you can create business cards to full 8x10-inch prints and everything in between. Or produce your own custom stickers, invitations, T-shirts, etc. In essence, you become your own photo processor.

Archive your digital images for a lifetime of memories Archive your digital images for a lifetime of memories. As you begin to take lots of digital pictures, its time to start thinking about long-term image storage and a system for easy retrieval. Like any type of electronic file, you can safeguard your digital images by storing them on a floppy disk, Zip® disk or CD media. Because these image files are rather large, your floppy might hold 1-2 high quality mages, a Zip disk can store between 15-30 images, while a single CD can store over 100 pictures. For easy retrieval later, organize your pictures in albums, appropriately labeled with the associated name, subject, account number, etc. of the pictures stored there. Most applications can save images in a variety of file formats.

Here is a listing of the typical graphic file formats you're bound to come across.  

The evolution of hardware and software makes digital imaging easier and more affordable than ever. When digital cameras first appeared on the scene just 10 years ago, these multi-megapixel cameras were difficult to operate, expensive--often costing tens of thousands of dollars--and definitely not portable. That's all changed. Instead of targeting professional photographers and journalists, today's digital cameras   are for priced right for business people and amateur photographers alike.

In this same way, flatbed scanners, printers and virtually every hardware component used in digital imaging has gotten smaller, faster and more affordable than ever before-without sacrificing image quality. The variety of fast-drying, inkjet media products also has exploded as people find more and more creative ways to use pictures.

Today's image editing software packages now integrate menu-driven options, an intuitive user interface and a "show by example" technique to walk you through the steps of image correction and special effects creation.

But, perhaps the biggest change has come in the evolution of small, but powerful image storage and rechargeable batteries. For example, a CompactFlash-compatible Kodak Picture Card, no bigger than a matchbook, now offers removable, reusable image storage right in the camera. CD writers are now an economical peripheral for single-user desktop computer systems. And, today's hybrid batteries offer fast recharging and hundreds of cycles of use with a single set.