1. Chapter IV, Introduction to Digital Imaging: Lesson V Colors and How They Work

2. Lesson V: Colors and How They Work

3. Unlike traditional photography, you must rely on a computer system to "process" your pictures. As the original image is converted to pixels in the digital camera, then to dots on your monitor, colors can change and shift. Knowing how to manage color for an accurate representation of the original image is critical for getting the best results.
Color is comprised of four elements:
hue, saturation, brightness and contrast.

4. When we call an object "red," we are referring to its hue.

5. The saturation of color is a measurement of its purity or how much it has been diluted by white.

6. Brightness refers to the amount of light the color reflects, or how much black is in the color.

7. Contrast is a measure of the rate of change of brightness in an image
Contrast is a measure of the rate of change of brightness in an image. Very high contrast, for example, indicates both dark black and bright white content within the picture.

8. The digital camera electronically records images on a charged-coupled device (CCD), which captures light reflected from the original scene and stores it as red, green and blue pixels. The ability to change the size, location, color, contrast and overall appearance of each pixel makes it possible to change or manipulate any digital image using image editing software. Most imaging software programs will offer you a number of color variations of the same picture. In this case, which variation you select to use may be totally subjective and one that looks best to you.

9. Monitor Resolution
Pixels
VGA
640x480
SVGA
800x600
XGA
1024x768
What you see is not necessarily what you get. Our eyes see the greatest range of colors. Film is next. While a color monitor displays even fewer colors. The resolution of your monitor limits the number of colors displayed and therefore will affect the color, sharpness and quality of the image you are viewing on the screen.

10. Let's take a closer look at how monitors process your pictures
Let's take a closer look at how monitors process your pictures. If you look at your monitor screen with a magnifier, you will see three colored dots (Red, Green and Blue) which combine in different proportions to produce a full-range of colors. The process by which colors are displayed on a monitor is referred to as the additive color process because the combination of these three colors "add up" to white light.

11. It takes many colored RGB dots to make one pixel and many pixels to make an image. So, the finer the number of dots and the closer the dot spacing, the sharper the images appear.
At the high color setting, each pixel can display 256 levels of intensity in each of the three colors (RGB), so you have the potential to view 16 million colors. How your image "appears" on your monitor screen has more to do with your monitor properties than the characteristics of the electronic file. If your image does not look quite right on your monitor, view it on another screen to compare color, sharpness and overall quality

12. Printers process color differently than monitors
Printers process color differently than monitors. They render color through a subtractive color mixing system using three colors: Cyan, Magenta and Yellow (CMY). The subtractive colors are transparent and overlap to produce color. For example, the colors Magenta and Yellow combine to produce the color red. In both the RGB and CMY color systems, the color black is the result of a combination of the colors. However, many photo-quality inkjet printers have now added Black (CMYK) to produce a true black color, which helps to increase contrast, add shadows and improve overall image quality.

13. Chapter IV, Introduction to Digital Imaging: Lesson VI Saving, Using and Printing Your Images

14. Since digital images can come from a variety of sources, it is important to have the right software to easily store, manipulate and print the images. The way you store your images will impact compatibility with application software and suitability to the final use.

15. Choosing the right storage medium is critical Digital cameras and scanners can save images in a variety of graphic file formats. Some cameras can store images in finished file formats (JPEG, BMP, TIF, FPX). Other files are considered to be in a native or proprietary format and must be converted for broader software compatibility. Once the image is converted into a finished file format, it can be viewed on your monitor, manipulated using image editing software or stored directly onto your computer's floppy or Super Floppy disk, hard disk, Zip® disk, CD Media, SmartMedia or a COMPACTFLASH-compatible KODAK Picture Disk. Which media you use to store your images will have a lot to do with the size of the image file, how often you will need to access it and whether you are in need of short- or long-term (archival) storage. Here is a brief summary of several options:

16. Floppy disk-a removable, magnetic storage medium protected by a hard plastic case. With a capacity of just 1.44MB, floppies can store only four high-resolution (1536 x 1024 pixels) images.
Super Floppy Disk-a new higher capacity 3.5-inch disk that stores up to 128MB of images and data. The Super Floppy drive typically reads and writes the 128MB, 120MB, 1.44MB and 720KB disks as well.

17. IOMEGA Zip® disk-a removable disk developed by Iomega, available in 100MB and 250MB capacities, for storing images and data. Can be used for secondary, active desktop, backup or archival storage.

18. CD Media-holds up to 700MB of pictures, documents and/or data files
CD Media-holds up to 700MB of pictures, documents and/or data files. Available as "write once" or "rewriteable" discs that can be erased or written up to 1,000 times. This inexpensive, "permanent" storage option can safeguard your data for up to 200 years.

19. COMPACTFLASH Card-stores from 2MB to 128MB of electronic files
COMPACTFLASH Card-stores from 2MB to 128MB of electronic files. Can be reused thousands of times. In an adapter, it slides into your computer's PCMCIA slot. Without the adapter, you can quickly transfer data using a mouse-size, external Card Reader.

20. SmartMedia-the thinnest and smallest type of flash card
SmartMedia-the thinnest and smallest type of flash card. It is available in sizes from 2MB to 32MB. These cards are about 1/3 the size of a credit card, and just as thin. Their ultra-small size makes SmartMedia an ideal storage card for digital cameras and other electronic devices.

21. In the same way you store your traditional pictures in albums, you also can store your electronic images in albums, using your image editing software. By labeling the albums or folders with key words or phrases (client name, account number, holiday, vacation location or special event) you will be able to retrieve exactly the right image when you need it.

22. Choosing the right graphic file formats will depend on a number of factors. First, the type of image you are working with may lend itself to one format over another. Then, determine which file format will be compatible with the application software you intend to use. Then, consider your need for cross-platform compatibility. Finally, each format offers varying degrees of compression, which can impact image quality.

23. There are two types of data compression: lossless and lossy
There are two types of data compression: lossless and lossy. Lossless achieves about a 2:1 compression ratio, but the reconstructed image is mathematically and visually identical to the original. Lossy compression provides much higher compression rates and the loss of data can be visible to the eye. (For more information on file formats take a look at Chapter #4 in Book #2.) Each format offers varying degrees of compression and quality. The first step in choosing is to determine which file formats will be compatible with the application software you intend to use. Then, consider the way you intend to use the pictures. Finally, determine if you have the need for cross-platform compatibility.

24. Bring full-sized image (1:1) directly into your presentation program
Bring full-sized image (1:1) directly into your presentation program. Once your have saved your image properly, you will want to place it in various software programs so you can use it. It is important to size your image, using an image editing software package, to match the final physical dimensions of the image in your application. This will give you the best image quality.

25. Always INSERT your image, never CUT-and-PASTE
Always INSERT your image, never CUT-and-PASTE. When adding pictures to your documents and presentations, use the INSERT Menu, rather than copying or cutting the image, storing on the clipboard and then pasting it in position. Various word processors have different methods of inserting images. In MICROSOFT WORD 97, you place the cursor where you want the image to go, the pull down the INSERT Menu, select PICTURE and FROM FILE, then indicate the filename. This will take the image file from its location on your disk and place it in the document in the most efficient manner, while also yielding the highest image quality. Then simply drag the image to reposition it in your document, presentation, brochure or web page. This procedure works the same way for MICROSOFT POWERPOINT and many publishing programs.

26. When it comes to printing your pictures, there are many choices
When it comes to printing your pictures, there are many choices. Once your image is in position and your project completed, it's time for the best part of the process-seeing the results. Today's inkjet printers are an affordable way to add photorealistic printing capabilities to your desktop.

27. Thermal printers produce true, photographic quality prints at a much higher cost. These are the types of printers used in KODAK's Picture Maker kiosks found at many retailers. Many people use these kiosks to obtain prints of pictures without negatives. These kiosks also accept COMPACTFLASH cards making it easy to obtain prints from your digital camera in minutes. Some cameras even allow you to create a Digital Print Order Form (DPOF). This order form contains information you specify about which images to print, which size and how many copies of the image to print.

28. For best results when printing, use the highest quality media
For best results when printing, use the highest quality media. Improving the overall color and look of your inkjet prints might just be as simple as upgrading the media you use. A fast-drying, bright white glossy paper will give your print the look and feel of a photograph. Some inkjet paper is even pre-perforated for smaller reprints without the measuring and cutting. Today, inkjet media comes in a variety of styles, including paper, transparencies, stickers, T-shirt transfers and invitations. And programs such as KODAK PHOTOPRINT Software allow you to take full advantage of the various formats by incorporating built-in printing templates that match each distinct layout of Kodak Inkjet Media.

29. Use digital pictures to really spice up your web pages
Use digital pictures to really spice up your web pages. Getting your pictures onto your website has definitely gotten easier thanks to today's crop of web page applications such as ADOBE PAGEMILL Software. PAGEMILL is the only tool you need to design, build, post, and manage your Web pages. There's no need to learn HTML or master complex applications. With its drag-and-drop simplicity, PAGEMILL integrates seamlessly with your current office and graphics applications, including MICROSOFT WORD, COREL WORDPERFECT and ADOBE PHOTODELUXE.

30. Here are some guidelines for putting pictures on the web.
Resolution:
72 dpi
File Format:
JPEG or GIF
File Proportions:
Horizontal aspect ratio
File Size:
The smaller the file, the faster it will load

31. Working with your digital pictures.
Using some of the more robust image editing software, you can cut-and-paste images so that they can be placed into other images. See what we did to create a family picture even when the whole family couldn't get in the original picture?

32. In this example, we took the clouds from one picture, reversed them and pasted them into our original picture of this airplane. The new KODAK Picture Playground lets even novice users have fun with their pictures. Place your best friend's face into the body of a dog. Add special effects. Or really stretch the truth with KAI'S SUPERGOO SOFTWARE.