Digital Photography

Compiled by Kyriakos Vyras

Impact of Digital Photography

Digital Photography combines a vast array of technologies to create an imaging system that is quickly displacing conventional silver halide photography in the consumer and professional markets, and motion picture productions shift to all digital systems may be only a few years away.

Uses

Presentations Handouts Pamphlets Newspapers Web sites

What is Scanning?

Scanning is a process which converts photographs, drawings or any other images into retrievable computer files. The process utilizes a device called a scanner which is interfaced with a computer. These stored images can later be inserted into documents and presentations.

Choosing a Scanner

Inexpensive 30 - 10000 Even cheap ones can be very good Sheetfed vs Flatbed All in one units can be convenient (Failure of a component affects evrything else) Bundled Software can be a factor OCR is important

DPI and Colour

Fax 200 dpi 1 bit = 2 colours (BW) Scanners from 300 dpi 9600 dpi 8 bit 256 colours 16 bit 65536 colours 24 bit 16 Million colours Now 30-48 bits / pixel (dot)

Problem

You are given a 10x15 cm sharp photo to scan Its final size in a newspaper will be 20x30 cm Newspaper resolution is 200 dpi What dpi are you going to use?

Problem

You are given a 10x15 cm sharp photo to scan Its final size in a webpage will be 10x15 cm on a 17 XGA TFT monitor XGA TFT monitor resolution is 1280x1024 What dpi are you going to use?

Compression and File Formats

GIF (256 most common colours) 3:1 compression BMP lossless compression 20% reduction in size of file (e.g. 1024x768x3 bytes =~ 2.1 Mbytes) TIFF similar JPEG JPG 10:1 compression throws awy information the eye cannot see

GIF Animation

Copyrights and Laws

As an education professional, we must always be aware of copyright and licensing laws. There are many clip art and photodisks that maybe royalty free or public domain, but we must be vigilant in using images, photographs and text that are protected from unauthorized duplication

Digital Cameras

Choosing a digital camera

Choosing a digital camera is exciting because you get to explore and play with the latest gadgets loaded with cool features. Your main goal is to find a camera that lets you easily take and use pictures and that fits in your price range. You have to decide whether you can handle a totally cool, techno-loaded camera or would be better off with an easy-to-use one or something in-between.

What to Consider

Expense Ease-of-use Size & styling Lens system Resolution www.dpreview.com

Expense
The cost of snapshot digital cameras ranges from 100 to 1,000. Those at the low end give low-resolution pictures suitable for e-mail and monitor viewing but not for prints. Those at the high end give exceptional quality pictures and often have advanced camera functionality. You'll have to find the right balance of cost and capability. Watch the prices. When new models come out, the prices of older models are often lowered, making them a good deal. And don't forget to add in the cost (50-75) of a few accessories, such as extra batteries and memory cards.

Ease-of-use

Do you take family snapshots or do you photograph a variety of subjects, from race cars to school plays to wildlife? As capability increases so do cost and complexity. With a complex camera, you'll need to read the manualmaybe twice. You'll have to practice with the camera to learn its many features. But once mastered, you can take incredible digital pictures.

With a simple snapshot camera, you'll be taking good snapshots minutes after opening the box. And should your Aunt Marikkou ask to borrow it, she'll be able to take pictures, too. But neither of you will have quite the versatility and capability of a more advanced camera.

Size & styling

Do you covet a sleek, stylish camera that looks cool and slips into your pocket? Or do you want a practical camera with large, well-positioned controls? Find a camera that fits your style, but don't ignore the trade-offs. The main trade-off of small, stylish cameras is that the controls are harder to find and can be difficult to manipulate. The main trade-off of a bigger camera is its size. You'll be less likely to take it with you. Whereas, you may carry a small pocket camera almost everywhere you go and get some unusual pictures.

ResolutionDetermines Picture Quality

Resolution is a key factor in how big you can print and how much you can crop your pictures. It also affects camera cost. The higher the resolution, the greater the cost. For general picture-taking, we recommend a camera with at least 4 megapixel resolution. In addition to a camera's maximum resolution, review its other resolution settings. Many offer a range of settings, which can be convenient to fit more pictures on a picture card or save time making later adjustments. For instance, if you know you'll only e-mail a particular picture, you could set the resolution setting low and not have to resize the picture later.

Resolution 2 megapixels

Maximum print size 5 x 7 inches

3 megapixels
4 megapixels 5 megapixels

8 x 10 inches
11 x 14 inches 20 x 30 inches

Resolution

Resolution is the digital version of square footage. In other words, how many pixels (picture elements) are there on the sensor that creates the picture? The sensor is the digital equivalent of filmonly it is used over and over. Resolution is expressed by the number of horizontal pixels on the sensor multiplied by the number of vertical pixels. Resolution for a typical sensor might be as follows: 2,160 horizontal pixels x 1,440 vertical pixels = 3,110,400 pixels. Or in the language of digital cameras, 3.1 megapixels (mega equals million).

Type of lensaffects quality and versatility

Is it made of glass or plastic? Glass gives much better quality pictures. Is it a zoom lens or a non-zoom lens? A zoom lens adds costs but also great versatility. With a zoom lens, you can magnify subjects or shrink them to include more area in the picture. If you choose a zoom lens, what is the zoom range? 2X? 3X? More? The greater the zoom range, the greater its versatility.

Digital zoom shouldn't be an important factor in choosing a camera. In effect, it crops the picture as you take it, reducing resolution of the picture and the size you can print it.

Close-up modelets you photograph small subjects

Many digital cameras have a special close-up mode that opens the door to exploring miniature worlds. You can take close-ups of flowers, jewelry, stamps, coins, and other small objects. Not only is it a great way for online auction sellers to show their wares, it's a desirable feature for the rest of us, too.

Other features
Here are a few other features and options that may sway your decision. ISO (speed range); typically 100 to 400. A higher number enables more picture-taking in dim lightthe trade-off being lower picture quality. Video capability to make short movies. Acceptance of add-on wide-angle, telephoto, or close-up lenses increases versatility. Product bundles with a complete starter's kit or desirable items, such as a picture-editing software, an extra picture card, and a camera bag. But if you find a camera that seems to fit your needs, don't give it up for a promotion on another less-desirable camera.

Microsoft Photo Editor

On your computers Spartan

Picasa

On your notebooks Free. Download from google Easy to learn Powerful Not Perfect