Demystifying Digital Photography

Advantages of Digital Camera over Film Cameras Speed: Images recorded by the camera can be transmitted directly into the computer without processing. Conservation: Film and chemicals are not expended. Can preview image immediately. Safety: There is no exposure to processing chemicals.

Disadvantages of Digital Camera over Film Cameras LATITUDE OF FILM BETTER THAN DIGITAL

Historical Perspective on Digital Imaging Let’s face it…digital photography has only been with us for about 15 years. It is still in its embryonic state. Digital technology continues to EVOLVE and become more technically sophisticated as quality keeps getting better and costs incrementally get less each year for higher resolution cameras.

Is there really a difference between traditional photography and digital? Digital photography is another form of the photographic medium, and a background in traditional photography will allow you to go further, faster, in the digital realm however it is not imperative.

Black & White Prints The Grain Factor The latest mid- to high-end DSLRs have made great strides and out-do film in the grain department. But sometimes especially when shooting in black-and-white that gritty graininess that a film like Kodak Tri-X produces is desirable. Sure, you can add the look to your digital shots in Photoshop, but given Tri-Xs 4.5-stop latitude vs. digital (typical) 3 stops, Tri-X wins if you want the grain. I have never seen a black and white ink jet or laser print look as good as a traditional silver print.

Analog vs. Digital A digital system is one that uses discrete values (often electrical voltages), especially those represented as binary numbers, or non-numeric symbols such asbinary numberssymbols lettersletters or icons, for input, processing, transmission,icons storage, or display, rather than a continuous spectrum ofcontinuous values (ie, as in an analog system).analog

What is Digital Imaging? A digital or electronic, image is one that has been produced with a computer or camera. The machine (or digital camera) takes (captures) a visual image and translates it into a series of mathematical values ones and zero's, or bits of information. The image can be acquired via digital camera or by scanning any two-dimensional image such as a photograph, printed page, or any other type of picture. Even a three-dimensional object can be placed on a scanner and its surface captured. The scanner then digitizes the image and displays it electronically on the monitor.

What happens when you take a digital photograph? Digital images are made up of pixels. Pixels (short for picture elements) are the small sections of color and/or tone that together form a digital image. Pixels form an image like pieces of a mosaic. A digital image is a grid of pixels. When the pixels are viewed together in proper registration, the image is formed. When there are enough pixels and they are small enough so as not to be individually discernible, the digital image can achieve photo quality. Increased magnification of any digital image will eventually show the individual pixels,as in the enlarged section in the image at right.

Digital Photography is based on the Pixel - Picture Element The more pixels per square in the better the quality of the image - it is that simple. Pixel —(Picture Element) The smallest element of a digitized image. One small dot of light among the many dots that makeup an image on a computer screen.

Digital Imaging Methodology and Imaging Options An understanding of resolution issues is critical to getting good photographs (output)

Let’s Talk Pixels, File Size and Resolution They all interrelate!

Megapixel Megapixel—A unit equal to one million pixels. The higher the resolution, the more pixels in an image and therefore the greater the image quality. An image file that is 1 megapixel (MP) can make a photo realistic print of 5 x 7 inches; a 2 MP file can make an 8 x 10-inch print; a 3 MP file can make an 11 x 14-inch print.

Image Resolution The number of pixels in an image. A higher number correlates to a higher quality image. More is ALWAYS better! Minimum 240 resolution Needed for photo quality Ideal

Digital Camera vs. Scanning (Negatives/Prints) Tip: Better off scanning negatives than prints for higher quality output (photographs) - more visual information in the negatives.

File Formats File types are mathematical formulas that help the computer read the colors in the file. There are hundreds of file types. Tiff - Tagged Image File Format (Universal Format - High Quality) Gif - Graphic interchange format (For the Web) Jpeg Joint Photographer’s Expert Group (Web or Prints) Png Portable Network Graphic In every graphics application, when you save your file, the program asks you, “What file format would you like to save this as?” In the land of print work, most labs will use the Tiff file format. They will create a Tiff file and save it at 300dpi. The Tiff file is a big (non-compressed) file format.

Why Shoot in High Resolution or RAW? RAW file format is the uncompressed, unprocessed data file captured by the camera's image sensor, before any in-camera processing has been applied (though, in practice, depending on the camera manufacturer, some minimal in-camera processing may have been applied to the RAW data). In this sense, an image saved in the RAW file format is the digital equivalent to the (exposed but as yet unprocessed) film negative. In fact, the camera will ignore your white balance, sharpening, contrast and saturation settings. Instead of applying them to the RAW data, it will save those settings in a separate header associated with the RAW data.

Why is RAW so Powerful? What is RAW capture, and why is it so powerful? RAW capture, an option that is available on many cameras, saves data off the image sensor without internal camera processing. The camera only applies the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture that you set on the camera. Other settings, such as white balance, contrast, sharpening, etc., are “noted” or tagged, but they not applied permanently when the image is saved to the memory card. And therein lies the power of RAW: Because the settings are not applied in the camera, you have the opportunity to change settings such as exposure and white balance after the image is captured. In other words, you get a “second chance” to get the best possible image. The same is not true, however, for JPEG capture. When you set the camera to JPEG capture, all camera settings--white balance, contrast, saturation, color space, and sharpening--are processed in the camera. You get a finished picture that has been processed by the camera's internal software. And, in the process, the image is converted to 8-bit mode (which means that many, many bits are blown away), and it is compressed (which means that even more bits are blown away). You have a finished file that is much smaller than the original, and a file that leaves comparatively little room (data) to make editing corrections without risking banding and/or posterization.

Should you use Raw or Jpeg?? For most of us, saving in JPEG is more than adequate. JPEG files are compressed and compared to RAW, they are smaller, save faster, and more images can fit on a memory card. Many professional photographers shoot at the highest JPEG image quality. For ultimate control over white balance, saturation, contrast and sharpening, and/or if you know ahead of time that you intend to print a certain picture super extra large, RAW file format (or, RAW + JPEG) is the ultimate answer. For many professional photographers, there is no substitute to shooting RAW.

What is Digital Workflow and Why is it Important? Most pictures taken with the current crop of DSLR cameras can be improved by varying extents with post-processing work done on a computer. Mundane pictures can be given the extra POP needed to become exceptional. Exceptional pictures can be tweaked to perfection. To take advantage of this fact, you must create your own digital workflow. Essentially it is a standard operational set of procedures that you apply when preparing your images for “output”.

What is Image File Management and Why is it Important Developing a System of keeping track and organizing your digital images (files) is essential for any serious photographer. There is no exact right way to do this BUT you should have a system that works for you.

What is Color Management and Print ICC Profiles? Printer profiles are a crucial part of a color management system. A color management system includes a calibrated monitor, a color managed software system (Apple's Colorsync or Windows ICM), an application program to control color management (like Photoshop), and a color profiled printer. In this system one color profile is used to control the monitor colors, and a second profile is used to control the he printer and its media. Profiles are also used with scanners and digital cameras.When using this setup most printers capable of producing photo quality prints can also use and benefit from printer profiles. These benefits include more accurate colors, a wider range of printable colors, better shadow and highlight detail, and more neutral grays.

Demonstration in Photoshop of these Imaging Concepts

Digital Imaging Part II Photoshop Demonstration - What is a Pixel? Resolution? Steps “workflow” for preparing an image for “output” - printing. Demonstrate Bridge Software for Image File Management Raw File Overview Q&A

Basic procedure for getting better digital photographs with Photoshop Or minimum 240

Most of rules are the same (composition, content, creativity) equipment, but the process is very different. Getting the latent image from camera to print is vastly different.

Some Basic Shooting Tips 1. Don’t always shoot standing up (eye level) 2. Stay away from busy / chaotic backgrounds 3. Use flash Outdoors (Opens Shadows)) 4. Move in close to your subject. 5. Rule of Thirds - Don’t place subject in middle of frame 6. Ask Yourself what is my main subject before shooting. 7. Know your flash's range 8. Watch the light - Light is the key to great photos 9. Take some vertical pictures - vertical subjects like people 10. Be a picture director - direct your subjects when possible

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