SETTING UP YOUR OWN DIGITAL DARKROOM

Since all post editing in film-photography is done in the darkroom, the post editing of digital photographs (on PC) is also called the digital darkroom. The concept of a "digital darkroom" is a very hot idea in photography today. However, a digital darkroom isn't like a traditional darkroom for one thing, the lights are on. The appeal is also justified. Like Traditional photographers and their traditional darkrooms, today's digital photographer has the same desire to create, control, and manipulate their own prints. As the quality of inkjet prints now rivals that of traditional prints, it has now become possible for photographers to set up a high quality digital darkroom at home.
Setting up a home digital darkroom doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. It does involve a number of decisions and careful planning.In a traditional darkroom, you control images with choices of films, chemicals, papers and processes. In the digital equivalent of the darkroom, you do so with a computer system and a photo-editing program. Today's personal computers are capable of bringing digital imaging to the general public. However, it’s not just for creating and storing photos anymore, but also for editing images. In fact, in your computer you can build a darkroom with every function of a standard chemical darkroom. The advantage? A digital darkroom is easier to use, safer and offers faster results than its chemical counterpart
In past owning a 35mm camera didn't imply that you had a darkroom in the basement. Only serious amateurs photographer who dared to play with the toxic chemicals, noxious smells, and complicated procedures that needed to develop and edit one's own photos have their own darkroom. These days, though, most digital photographers do their own editing and printing--it's easy and fun. But what tools do you need to really make a go of digital photo editing and printing? That's what we're here to find out?
Assembling your own digital darkroom isn't complicated or expensive. You can tailor the equipment to your specific applications and budget. You can spend less or more, it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish, and the size of your budget. How? There are numerous configurations and setups possible. This article serves as a simple guide and tool for designing and building your own digital darkroom.
Choose Your Computer
The computer is the heart of the digital darkroom. The good news is that unless you're planning to output prints significantly larger than 8x10, chances are your existing computer will be good enough. In fact, unless you've got money to burn, it's best to work on your existing computer.However, if you're thinking of building a darkroom setup from scratch, there are a number of decisions to be made. PC or Mac
The fact is that either system is fully capable of delivering excellent output. So, unless you've got a valid reason to choose one platform over another, stick to the operating system you are most comfortable working in. Some points may be considered such as the Color management is far more stable and mature on the Mac platform. If excellent color management is a must you cannot go wrong with the Mac. However, note that true color management requires additional hardware and software that isn't cheap. PCs are cheaper and the supply and range of peripherals and software is considerably greater today.
Hardware Specifications
Once you've decided on which O/S you want to use, you'll have to decide what specifications you want for your CPU. There are a number of key areas to consider:
Processor
Faster is better, but you don't have to lose your mind about it. Processor power is usually measured in terms of MHz. Adobe's Photoshop requires only a Pentium or faster Intel Processor for the Windows version, and any PowerPC-based Macintosh for the Mac OS version. I'm running the Photoshop 7.0 on a 500MHz Cyrix-powered Pc, with no ill effects. Would I like more power? Yes, but the temptation has no end. So buy the fastest processor you can afford.
Memory
RAM is the amount of memory that your computer holds on and juggles while doing its Computation. You can never have too much RAM, so get as much as you can afford. Even for the least expensive system, I urge you to get a minimum of 128MB of RAM, preferably 256MB. Photoshop requires only 32MB of RAM to work but more the RAM faster the work. If you're hesitant about buying a new computer, adding RAM is a good way of making up for slightly slower processors like Pentium II, III or older-type PowerMacs.
Hard drive
The 15 GB hard disks included with my old systems is more than adequate to accommodate a digital darkroom, but more space is always useful. Today 40/80gb hard disks are common. For still photography, you can stick to the more standard hard drive interfaces-ATAPI. Forget about SCSI, you won't really need it. It's also easy to add another drive to your old machine, if you need to beef it up.
THE MONITOR
Go for Larger displays from recognized manufacturers because that will give you better results. A larger display allow you to better see on the screen what you'll get in a printout. They also support a wider range of resolutions.
Dot Pitch
All CRT displays use an electron beam that scans the screen which is covered with dots of colored phosphor. Between the electron gun and the screen is a mask that allows the sweeping beam to strike the screen only in selected areas (pixels). There are two kinds of masks; shadow masks and slot masks.
A shadow mask is a screen drilled with holes. The closer these holes are together in this screen, the higher the screen's resolution.
A slot mask (or aperture grill), like those in Sony Trinitron tubes, uses slots cut in the plate instead of round holes.
The spacing between the center of one dot or slot of the same color is called the dot pitch and is given in millimeters. The closer these are together, the better the screen's display (all other things being equal). The images are crisper and edges and lines look smoother. To compare monitors with the different types of masks, you need to know that the numbers are not equivalent. For example, a monitor using a shadow mask and having a dot pitch of .27mm is about the same as a .25 mm dot pitch on a monitor using a slot mask. You can determine a monitor's maximum resolution by dividing its width by its dot pitch. For example, a 14", .28mm dot pitch monitor measuring 300mm across could clearly display 1071 dots.
Dot pitch isn't a reliable measure of monitor quality because it's often distorted by different measurement techniques. Some monitors, such as the Sony Trinitron, use stripes instead of dots so there is no comparable measurement.
Resolution
On any given monitor, changing screen resolutions changes the size of displayed objects such as icons, text, buttons, and images. As the resolution increases, object sizes decrease but they do appear sharper. Take a look here at the same image displayed at three different resolutions: 640 x 480, 600 x 800, and 1024 x 768.
Because higher resolutions make things smaller on the screen, not all screen resolutions on a given sized screen make for comfortable viewing. For example, a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 on a 14" monitor makes text too small to be easily read. On the other hand, using a resolution of 640 x 480 on a 21" monitor makes things unreasonably large for hose with normal vision (but like a large-print edition for folks with vision problems).
White Point
Light sources have different color temperatures. When you set up your monitor, you can adjust its "white point" which is another name for its color temperature. The monitor's white point has a big effect on how the image looks on the screen. It's best to match it to the way you'll finally output the image so you can preview the end results better. If your images will be displayed on a monitor set it to 9300K, and if they are to be displayed on a TV set it to 6500. If they are to be printed, set it to 5000.
Source Color
Temperature
Computer monitor -9300K (adjustable)
Average daylight -6500K
Television monitor -6500K
Cool white fluorescent -4300K
Tungsten lamp -2800K
Sunlight at sunset -2000K
Gamma Correction
The image sensor in a digital camera is a linear device—the output signal is directly proportional to the scene illumination and exposure—doubling the exposure doubles the output signal. However, the phosphors that are used to make display monitors are non-linear. Typically, the phosphors have less gain for dark signals and more gain for bright signals. As the input voltage is increased, the screen brightness doesn't change smoothly because it's affected by electrostatic effects in the electron gun. This means that if you input a linear signal, the display on the screen is nonlinear and images tend to be darker with detail lost in the shadow areas.To compensate for this, the monitor adjusts the input signal to boost the dark areas and reduce the light ones. This ensures that combination of camera and monitor working together produce a linear effect. This process of adjusting the incoming signal is called Gamma correction. The term Gamma comes from the fact that the screen's brightness is proportional to the input voltage raised to the power 2.5, or gamma.
To make the displayed image better match the original image, the input signal can be adjusted to distort the signal in the opposite direction from the distortions of the CRT. For example, if the original image has a middle gray tone, the correction lightens it. When it's then displayed on the screen, the CRT darkens it again, bringing it back to middle gray. This adjustment is called gamma correction. Gamma correction controls the overall brightness of an image and images that haven't been properly corrected will look too light or too dark. Varying gamma also affects colors by changing the ratios of red, green, and blue. For this reason, you need to correct it to accurately reproduce colors.
Most monitors have a gamma of about 2.5. In the art below you'll see that a CRT with a gamma of 2.5 has a response like the one shown in the top two charts. In the bottom three charts you see what happens to the output signal when the input signal is first corrected.
Although gamma correction sounds technical, it's important if you want images displayed accurately on your screen or if you want to post images on the Web and have them displayed correctly on other people's screens.
Video Card
This is really for the PC users. You don't really need much; it should have just enough power to display 32bit colors (the limit on PCs) at the optimum resolution for the size of your monitor. In general 32MB of video memory is enough for still digital photography. You must have more video RAM if you're going to use a larger monitor that can utilize higher resolutions.
SCANNER
A scanner will allow you to bring Prints, slides or negatives, either color or B&W into your computer in a matter of minutes. Scanners come in many price ranges. The math when considering resolution of a scanner is easy. If the scanner is capable of 2700ppi then a 10" print will have a resolution of 270ppi. This is sufficient for output that rivals traditional photographic media. 300ppi also happens to be the required resolution for digital light printers. Beware of Optical Vs. Interpolated resolution in scanner specs. The only number that counts is true optical resolution. Each scanner has its own control software that plays an important part in both the quality of scans and ease of use. Scanning software not only provides an interface between the scanner and the computer, it also provides the user with the ability to adjust a wide range of parameters before the image ends-up ready for final processing. Choosing a scanner therefore involves evaluating its bundled software as well as hardware capabilities. The most important features of a negative scanner are bit depth, speed and dynamic range.
Bit depth refers to how a pixel is assigned a color. Some scanners record in 24 bits, or 8 bits per primary color. The greater the bit depth, the more flexibility there will be in editing and reproducing quality photographs.
Speed refers to how long it takes the scanner to scan the negative. If speed is important to you, use the specs as a rough guide, but don't rely on the accuracy of the numbers, because there is no set standard for measuring scan time.
Dynamic Range is a measurement from the least to the greatest. In this case, white is zero and black is four. A dynamic range of 4.0 would mean that the scanner is capable of reading the entire color scale accurately. Most scanners are rated somewhere between 3.0 and 3.6.
CD-R/RW Burners - Yes, you're going to need them. Suppose you have a few years' worth of digital pictures stored on your PC--what happens if its drive fails? Your digital darkroom should have a reliable backup system in place. The least expensive solution is to periodically copy your digital photos to a CD-R using the CD-RW drive. CD-R/RW technology is so mature and affordable that there's really no reason not to have one. These also come in handy when you need to transport image data to service bureaus or wish to send them to loved ones.
Optical Mouse - You're going to need a very good mouse for working in your image manipulation software. I really recommend going optical. They work well, are very precise, I highly recommend.
Ergonomics
One very important issue often ignored in many Digital darkrooms is ergonomics. We aren't accustomed to sitting in front of a computer for long hours. Therefore, it makes sense to be comfortable in order to be more productive. There are several things you must consider when setting up your workstations.
Your monitor should be at or below eye level. Your wrists should be straight with your forearms supported and parallel to the floor. Your thighs should also be parallel to the floor with your feet on the floor or a foot rest.
The proper height for a computer work surface is about 3 or 4 inches lower than the average writing desk. You should adjust your back support of your chair so that the seat back s curve is in curve of the lower back. Your monitor should be directly in front of you. The monitor height should be adjusted so that the top row of characters on the screen is at or slightly below eye height. The monitor should be about at arm's length away from your eyes. Also, keep in mind that good soft lighting is essential,the wall colour of your darkroom should be grey and soft background music can improve your working environment.
Try getting you feet wet and seeing for yourself what the fuss is all about. If you already have a computer why not start experimenting yourself. There are several modestly priced programs available for digital editing, some software are free for trial use and these will allow you to explore this exciting new side of "darkroom" practice. Have fun and don’t be afraid of change.

Adobe Photoshop Cs4 new features

Adobe CS4 New features
Adobe has released CS4 in September 2008. Let us preview some of its cool new features. CS4 now supports 64 bit.
Revolutionary 3D painting and compositing
Now paint directly on 3D models, wrap 2D images around 3D shapes, convert gradient maps to 3D objects, add depth to layers and text, get print-quality output with the new ray-tracing rendering engine, and enjoy exporting to supported common 3D formats.It also supports 3D Lenticular Imaging. Lenticular printing is a technology in which a lenticular lens is used to produce images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles. Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended now supports the creation, and printing, of 3D lenticular images. However, it will currently only support 3D effects and not flip animation.
Adjustments panel
CS4 Simplify image adjustment by easily accessing every tool you need to nondestructively adjust and enhance the color and tone of your images; on-image controls and a wide variety of presets are also included in the new live and dynamic Adjustments panel
Masks panel
Quickly create and edit masks from the new Masks panel. This panel offers all the tools you need to create editable pixel- and vector-based masks, adjust mask density and feathering, easily select noncontiguous objects, and more.
Fluid canvas rotation
Now just click to smoothly turn your canvas for distortion-free viewing at any desired angle — no more tilting your head in the middle of painting and drawing.
Smoother panning and zooming
Gracefully navigate to any area of an image with new, ultra-smooth zooming and panning. Maintain clarity as you zoom to individual pixels and easily edit at the highest magnification with the new Pixel Grid
Extended depth of field
Easily create a single image from a series of shots that have different focal points with the enhanced Auto-Blend Layers command, which smoothly blends color and shading and now extends your depth of field, automatically correcting vignettes and lens distortion.
Auto-alignment of layers
Create accurate composites with the enhanced Auto-Align Layers command. Move, rotate, or warp layers to align them more accurately than ever before. Or use spherical alignment to create breathtaking panoramas.This feature was already in CS but it has been enhanced in CS4.

Workshop by IIPC

26th Annual
International Workshop & Conference
DEDICATED TO YOUSUF KRASH

December 26th -29th 2008
Organized By:
INDIA INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC COUNCIL
In Collaboration with
DEPARTMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHY, UNIVERSITY OF ALLAHABAD
WORKSHOPS ON:
PORTRAITURE, FASHION, PRODUCT & TABLE TOP , DIGITAL, VIDEO, OUTDOOR FASHION AT SANGAM AND PHOTOJOURNALISM

For queries contact:
Mr B. B. Singh -09415235281
Workshop coordinator
Email: himanshu640@gmail.com

Photoshop For Photographers

It seems as though the whole world is going digital. In music world Black Vinyl LP was first replaced by cassettes and then CD/DVD has completely replaced them. Digital TV are already in market and several channels are already broadcasting in digital format. And now you see that photography has also become Digital. It is clear that future technology is digital so if you do not want to be left behind you will have to convert from conventional to digital. According to PSA journal today 60% prize winning photographs in annual competition are digital, which shows how quickly digital photography is rep[lacing the conventional photography.
Due to decrease in price of digital cameras and rapid expansion in popularity a lot of traditional camera users are making a direct leap to digital image processing. For many people darkroom work has its unpleasant aspects, including the isolation and the chemical fumes and dermatological effects. There is a good news for them that they can now also enjoy the pleasures of PC based darkroom, working in a well light, well ventilated space closer to the rest of the family.
A freshly scanned/downloaded image from a scanner or camera is referred to as being raw, even though one might have exercised some control over it during the scanning/shooting process. These include adjusting contrast and brightness, color balance or tonality, sharpening, and cleaning up any dust spots or other unwanted artifacts. The rest processing work is done in a digital darkroom.
In image processing software, all of the controls of the traditional darkroom - brightness, contrast, color balance, burning and dodging are available, but with infinitely more control and ease than you’ve ever had or imagined. One of the most important advantages of working in the digital realm is that adjustments are made with real-time feedback, changes that you make, are instantly displayed on-screen, and are closely akin to what you’ll see on the final print. Most importantly, once made these changes are saved to disk as part of the final image and therefore making subsequent prints is a snap. Depending on the size of image image processing takes anywhere from a few minutes to several hours
Which program is best to accomplish these tasks? For most serious workers the first choice is Adobe Photoshop. This is virtually the de facto standard for image processing software on both PCs and Macs. While it’s expensive, it is without peer in terms of versatility and power.
When photographers switch from the traditional chemical darkroom to PC-based desktop image processing the hardest part of the learning curve is learning Photoshop. This program is one of the most sophisticated pieces of software ever designed and now with 17 years+ of revisions and enhancements presents a daunting challenge to the newcomer
There are numerous third-party books on Photoshop but most are filled with unnecessary and confusing information aimed at non-photographers. Several of the books designed specifically for photographers go into so much depth that figuring out where to begin can be an intimidating at best.
This article is designed with you in mind. You want to take your scanned (or digital camera generated) images and be able to produce high quality prints You want to use all of the quality-enhancing tricks that you know are available to pros and people who¹ve spent years studying Photoshop, but you don't want to waste time getting started.
If you are one of those,You've come to the right place. The following articles details in a step-by-step manner how to take your raw scan or digital file and produce the highest quality print. While some explanations are provided of why certain actions are taken, the main thrust will be results rather than reasons.
RAW Files
If you are working with files from a digital camera they should preferably be in RAW mode. JPG files have been degraded by the camera and the application by the camera of White Balance and Sharpening has done the same (though to a lesser extent). Apply controls once only in Photoshop for best results.

HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGING HDRI

What is High Dynamic Range?
Dynamic Range refers to the range of brightness levels that exists in a particular scene-from darkest-before complete and featureless black to, to lightest-before complete featureless white. A scene showing the interior of a room with a sunlit view outside the window , for instance, will have a dynamic range of approximately 100000:1. So it has a High Dynamic Range. Our eyes are a marvelous piece of instrument which can see both in highlights and shadows simultaneously even when the dynamic range is as high as 10000:1. But unfortunately the dynamic range which can be handled by a slide film, CCD or CMOS is only six f/spots from the brightest to darkest point, while colour negative and black and white film users always had a few more stops to play with so the dynamic range of a film/transparency, CCD or CMOS is called low dynamic range .
Contrary to popular opinion-what you see is not what you always get in a photograph. You may be able to see the details in those dark shadows and bright highlights when the sun is shining because our eyes have high dynamic range-but your, negative/Slide film /CCD or CMOS sensor can not because they have low dynamic range . If the dynamic range of the scene is outside the camera limits, the highlights and shadows will be reproduced without details.
How to capture High Dynamic Range faithfully on film/ slide /CMOS or CCD:
Rendering the scenes presenting very bright highlights and deed shadows is very problematic. The problem already exits with traditional solver halide photography and is more pronounced with slide films. In digital photography, the problem is even worse as the linear response of the sensors imposes an abrupt limit to the dynamic range , sonce the sensor maximum capacity is reached. If you capture details in the shadows by long exposure times, you then get blown-out highlights. Conversely, you can capture details with short exposure times , but you then lose contrast in the shadows.
If you have a SLR or compact camera, the judicious use of a graduated neutral density , split neutral density or polarizing filter or by combining the best bits of two different exposure in the computer much like the dodge & burn technique used by experienced darkroom users, you can achieve equally good result in high contrast scenes. Dynamic Range is one of the limitations that have not yielded much over the years to technology’s inexorable advances but now this problem has been tackled. The Merge to HDR from file/Automatic menu feature of Photoshop CS2 ,allows the photographer to combine a series of bracketed exposures (usually one normal exposure ,and then a few more at 1-2 stops over and under that point) into a single image which encompasses the tonal details of the entire series. High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) enable photographers to record a greater range of tonal detail than a given camera could capture in a single photo. This opens up a whole new set of lighting possibilities which one might have previously avoided-for purely technical reasons.
The use of high dynamic range imaging in computer graphics was pioneered by apul Devevec. Debebee is thought to be the first person to create computer graphic images using HDRI maps to realistically light and animate computer graphic objects. Gregory Ward created the Radiance RGBE image file format in 1985, which was the first and still is the most commonly used file format for HDR imaging today.
File Formats for HDR images:
HDR photographs are 32 bit images (i.e. 96 bit per pixel for a colour image) Unlike 8 /16 bit images which can take a finite no of values, 32 bit images are coded using floating point numbers, which means the point numbers, which means the value they can take is unlimited . There are various formats available to store HDR images , such as Radiance RGBE(hdr), and open EXR9exr) among the most coomonly used . Open EXR is a HDR file format developed by Industrial Light & Magic for use in computer imaging applications.
How to shoot images for HDR?
Most digital cameras are able to capture a limited dynamic range . This is why HDR images are commonly created from photos of the same scene taken under different exposure levels.
Here are some recommendations for taking different exposures for the HDR images.
Mount your camera on tripod.
Set your camera to manual exposure mode, select and appropriate aperture for your scene. (e.g.- f/8 or less if you need more depth of field) and the lowest ISO setting.
Measure the light in the brightest part of your scene(use spot metering and use Av mode and point camera toward highlights) and note the exposure time. Do the same for the darkest shadow of your scene.
Determine the number and value of exposures necessary. For this , take as a basis the exposure time measured for the highlights. Multiply this number by 4 to find the next exposure with a spot spacing of 2EVs are often sufficient to properly cover the dynamic range.
You cane make use of Auto Exposure Bracketing if your camera supports it and if it allows a sufficient exposure increment and number of auto- bracketed frames to cover the dynamic range determined in step-4 . Otherwise ,you will have to vary the exposure times manually.
What is Tone Mapping?
Tone mapping is the process of converting tonal values of an image from a high range to a lower one. For instance , an HDR image with a dynamic range of 100000/1 will be converted into an image with tonal values ranging from just 1 to 255.
You may wonder why someone would want to reduce the tonal range when an HDR image provides so many benefits compared to a low dynamic range. After all, HDR images contain a much higher level of detail and are closer to the range of human vision. The reason is simple: standard display devices whether it is LCD/CRT monitor or paper can only reproduce a range of about 100:1, and paper even less. So, the goal of tone mapping is to map the appearance of the images of higher dynamic range so that they can be reproduced on media such as prints of standard monitors.
When you merge several low dynamic range photographs you get file which is in 32 bit mode. It will have the extension. PBM (portable bit Map). In photoshop you are presented with 4 choices for reducing the dynamic range down to something that you can work with, as follows.
Exposure and Gamma lets you to manually adjust the brightness and contrast of the HDR images.
Highlight compression, compresses the highlight values in HDR images so they fall within the luminance values range of the 8 /16 bits per channel image file. No further adjustments are necessary’ this method is automatic. Click OK to convert the 32 bit per channel image .
Equalize histogram: Compresses the Dynamic Range of the HDR image while trying to preserve some contrast. No further adjustments are necessary; this method is automatic. Click Ok to convert the 32 bit per channel image.
Local Adaptation adjusts the tonality in the HDR image by calculating the amount of local brightness region through the image.
The most versatile and flexible choice among above method is Local Adaptation using the Toning Curve and Histogram.
Software available for creating HDR Images:
There are various software packages around to help you to create HDR photos . These include the following :
Adobe HDR-Supplied as standard with Photoshop CS2 upwards. You can find this option in the menu File>Automate>Merge to HDR.
HDR Shop- an interactive graphical user interface image processing and manipulation system designed to view an manipulate High-Dynamic Range images.
Photomatrix Pro- The Tone Mapping Tool is also available separately as a plug-in computable with Photoshop CS2. This software is more popular than photoshop for HDR imaging due to it’s easy and novel method of tone mapping. It has also tool for removing ghosting effect which comes due to moving objects in image.
Photo genenics HDR is from Indruna Software the first 32 bit per channel HDR paint package.
FDR Tools- a collection of tools supplied as free Basic Version and Advance Version which has also a trial option.
HDR proptograph from one RAW file:
Instead of taking many shots at different exposure there is also a quick rout for obtaining HDR image. Just shoot one Raw file and process it using any Raw converter to create a series of different exposures. For scenes in which there are moving subject this method is best, but the quality of photograph produced by using this method is not as good as shooting different exposures because noise is more apparent in shadow areas .One thing more, if the programme you are going to use to create HDR uses EXIf data you will need to remove this first ,otherwise any changes you make in the RAW processing will be ignored when the program reads the original exposure from EXIF data. When shooting in RAW mode you have to convert the file first. Make sure that the RAW converter setting are the same for each file and save as 16 bit Tiffs or PSDs.
Merging images which include moving objects:
Moving objects produce ghosting effect after merging but now this problem can be solved by using latest version of the software Photomatrix Pro . HDR Soft has released an updated version of Photomatrix Pro . The most notable upgrade is the incorporation of settings to reduce Ghosting artifacts in multiple –source HDR GENERATION . There are two types of Ghost removing settings : moving objects/people and periodic movements, such as rippling water. Both ghosting option can be set to “Normal” or High to attempt to fix moving elements in the combined HDR image.
When to use HDR Images:
I would suggest only using HDR images when the scene’s brightness distribution can no longer be easily blended using a graduated neutral density filter. His is because GND filters extend dynamic range while still maintaining local contrast while trying to broaden the tonal range with HDRI will inevitably comr at the expense of decreased contrast in some tones.

Conclusion:
Over the next decade, the imaging industry will inevitably transition to high dynamic range imaging, creating devices that provide a latitude range for greater than traditional silver halide film. This change will affect all aspect of image making. Today’s camera has an ample resolution. So the next area of product differentiation of camera manufacturers will be the quality of the pixels, rather than number of pixels. This shift has started to happen already. For example, Fuji’s Super CCD S3 Pro Camera has S chip with high and low sensitivity sensors per pixel location to increase dynamic range. For most consumers, HDR will simply mean that the camera records more details in shadows and in highlights. Just as RAW images extend the detail held in digital images, HDR will further increase the available tonal range.Consumers will benefit from the true point –and-shoot ability that broader latitude offers, because HDR cameras will produce usable images from a much wider range of lighting situations. With HDR technologies, photographers can really push the creative envelope, exploring the extremes of high-key and low-key effects. In future professional cameras will offer a multitude of HDR image taking modes. For example, they will automatically blend multiple images taken with the different exposures, with and without flash, possibly using multiple light sources, to produce a single master image. Over the past decade, display companies have steadily improved the dynamic range of LCD and DLP display. Few displays available today indicate where the market is going, new technology wil

Interview of Mr Gurdas Dua FIIPC, Hon APASP

Dear Readers,
For you I have Interviewed Mr Gurdas Dua, FIIPC,HPASP of Indore. I hope that you will learn a lot from his interview & photographs. A very gentle person by nature and always ready to help the newcomers. For any clarification or question you can contact him directly. His mobile no is-94250-32922 and - E-mail is: gurdasdua@gmail.com................enjoy-Rajendra

How did you get started?
Since childhood I had great fascination for Photography, but could not afford to buy a camera till 1988, when I purchased Minolta XG-1 with normal lens. With this camera I joined a local camera club and started learning Pictorial Photography. And I never knew the journey ahead would be so long and so exciting. What equipment you currently use and why.
Do you think expensive equipments are necessary for good photography?
At present I am using Nikon D200 with AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 G ED VR lens.
Expensive is a relative term. To some Nikon D 200 may look costly at the same time to some it may look cheap.
Necessity of expensive camera depends upon the application. If photography is only a hobby, a normal value 6 mega pixel camera is more than sufficient for you. But when photography is a profession, you will need to have high end camera like Nikon D3 or Nikon D700 with 18-200 2.8 lens or a medium or large format digital camera.
Which medium you prefer, B/W, Color Film or Color Transparency and why?
Few years back when I was working on analogue, I was using b/w film, color negative film, color positive (transparency) film as well as Polaroid and was working on all formats.
Small format- Canon T-90
Medium format – Mamiya
Large format- Sinar (With roll film, sheet film and Polaroid backs)
Depending upon the application and use of the image the medium and the format is selected.
You like conventional or Digital phototherapy why?
In present scenario Digital has gone way ahead analogue. Since so many years you may not have heard of any technological improvement or any innovation in film cameras or in any type of film. Whatever advancements and innovations are taking place are in digital only.
Those all camera, film and electronics manufactures who had nothing to do with digital e.g. Sinar, Lieca, Hasselblad, Fuji, Sony have now switched over to digital and every now and then trying to bring some thing new to end users.
So I feel this era has to be completely ruled by Digital Photo therapy.
Have you studied photography anywhere?
Since 1988 when I first picked up my camera and till today I am learning photography and I will be learning it till end of my life. But till now I have not done any formal training course from anywhere.
Can you name few photographers who influenced you or you find that you consciously or unconsciously copy his style?
I have always admired photographers like Ansel Adam, Wellington Lee, Yusuf Karsh and from our own land to name a few O.P. Sharma, C. Rajagopal, T. Kasinath.
Yes I wish to follow their style because they all are great masters, if I can copy just 10 % of their style it will be a great asset to me. But I think it is very difficult to copy any body’s style.
One should do his work with great understanding, enthusiasm, dedication and devotion so that one day his pictures should be recognized with his own style.
How would you rate Indian photographers with their International counterparts?
In current scenario of Photography as an art, many times I find Indian photographers are way ahead of the international photo artists. I think it is because Indian photo artists make images using traditional laws of pictorialism and use esthetics instead of modern trends which most of the international counterparts are now a days following.What are the most important points to consider when you are photographing anything?
1. Originality of the subject matter with a unique concept.
2. Choosing an interesting subject matter.
3. Composition, Background, Lighting.
4. Technique.
5. Presentation.
In this age of automatic cameras do you feel that basic knowledge of photography techniques is necessary for better photography?
What ever camera you use digital or analogue, manual or automatic you must have basic knowledge of photo techniques like relation between aperture and shutter speed, knowledge of depth of field as well as rules of composition and lighting etc.

Photography is your profession or only your hobby?
I started photography as hobby but later on somewhere in 1992 it turned into my profession when I started doing Industrial Photography for Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India.
At present I am mainly involved in Pictorial and Advertising Photography.
Pictorial Photography boosts my energy to carry on my profession well.
Which field of photography-Pictorial, Journalism, Nature, Fashion Still life or Advertising you like most and why?
From the core of my heart, I like Pictorial the most because I strongly feel that pictorial is mother of all branches of photography. And let me tell you frankly that whatever I have earned so far i.e. name, fame and money is only because of my practice in pictorial photography.
I also enjoy doing different branches like nature, wildlife, landscape, still life, portraiture, fashion, child, travel, advertising and industrial but always with pictorial approach.

In your view which is your best photograph and why?
It is really difficult to choose the best out of your own best works. It is just like choosing your own best finger out of five.
Every time out of my entire shoot, I select just one or two images, which I feel, are perfect in all regards. So I consider all my final images are my best images because they all are very close to my heart. I would not have made a print or a final image if they were not my best shots.
Besides photography what are your other hobbies ?.
Since last 30 years I am so much involved in photography, that now photography to me is my bread & butter, my entertainment, my duty and my religion. Whatever is related to photography like visiting different beautiful places, different cultures, meeting people and making friends are my other hobbies.

You have got prizes in many competition please let us know about few of them.
· Over 1000 Photographs Exhibited & over 150 Awarded so far in All India and International Exhibitions.
· Represented India in FIAP-KODAK International Photo Contest in 1993 at Belgium.
· Won Nikon International Photo Award '99 (Honorable Mention).
· Won 6th prize in the International AGFA net Photo Contest "Men At work"-2000.
· Won Highly Commended Award by Cannock Photography Society UK for Photograph “Pentomino Bugs Emerging”.
· Won Kodak Action Photographer of the year 2002 Award (Refer Oct. 2002 issue of Better Photography).
· Won Epson Color Imaging Award at Japan in 2004.
· Five times National Award Winner (National Contests organized by Govt. of India).
· Won Nominee Medal for Butterfly Art Foundation International Award.
· Had been member of Indian photographers delegation to Pakistan in March 2006.
Please tell us how and when you got your different honors.
· FIIPC : Fellow of India International Photographic Council, New Delhi, India. [2005]
· Hon. APASP : Hon. Associate of Photographer’s Art Society of Pakistan, Lahore. [2006]
· FBAF : Fellow of Butterfly Art Foundation, Trrisure, Karala, India. [2006]
· India International Photographic Council’s Platinum Grade Exhibitor. [2007]
· Federation of Indian Photography’s Three Star Exhibitor. [2002]
· Pakistan Salon Group of Photography’s Gold Star Exhibitor. [2006]
Have you written any book, discovered any process, then let us know about that?
I have written different articles on photography, few of them have been published in Better Photography and Smart Photography magazines.
· Creativity Through Available Light In Pictorial Photography –April 2000 issue of Better Photography.
· Pictorial lighting _ Basic Lighting issue of Best of Better Photography.
· Kaleidoscope- May 2006 issue of Smart Photography.
· Kaleidoscope- April 2007 issue of Smart Photography.
· Photograph titled ”Scavenger Vultures” published in Dec.-Jan. issue of National Wildlife Magazine, USA.
Tell us about future of photography in India.
In India weather in private, public or government sectors; I don’t think there is any home, office, industry, institution or any project, which does not need photography in their day-to-day operations. That is why all camera and photographic goods manufactures of the world see a great potential of their business in India. Today Photo goods market in India is of Rs.1,700 crores per annum and is increasing every year approximately by 11%. This is in white. Now you can think of the gray market.
So the future of photography in India is very very bright.
What you did or wish to do for budding photographers.
I have conducted many Photographic workshops for budding photographers. Few important ones are:
1998- CCI Indore- C-41 Processing
1999- Focus, Ahmedabad- Industrial, Pictorial, Product with E-6 & C-41 process live demo.
2001- PSJ Jabalpur- E-6 & C-41 Manual Processing.
2004- IIPC New Delhi- Pictorial & Portrait
IIPC Convention Indore- Digital.
2006VPA Vadodara- Pictorial & Studio Portrait
PSJ Jabalpur- Digital, Portrait & Photoshop
2007- Kala Color Lab, Banswara- Digital, Photoshop & Studio Portraits.
25th IIPC International workshop 2007, New Delhi.
2008- Indore Press club-Digital & Adobe Photoshop.
Jodhpur Photographic Society- Portrait, Digital & Photoshop.
Photographic Society of Sagar & Rotary- Digital & Photoshop.
Gopeshwar/ Chamoli (Uttranchal)- Basic Digital and Photoshop.
Is there anything in particular would you like to share with budding photographers?
The budding photographers should first have basic knowledge of camera and it’s working, digital, software like Photoshop and should understand & practice Pictorial Photography.
Without having primary and middle level education one should not jump directly to advanced photography.
There are no short cuts for success!

A Short Glossary of Digital Photography Terms-Part-1

AA Filter - Most digital SLR cameras employ a Low Pass Filter (LPF) or Anti-Aliasing (AA) filter in front of the imager to help eliminate color aliasing (moire) problems.
Adapter- Used to insert a smaller storage device into a larger slot in a computer or other device.
A/D Converter - A device that converts analog information (a photograph or video frame) into a series of numbers that a computer can store and manipulate. All digicams use an A/D converter, the higher the bit rate the better the output. Modern hi-res digicams employ a 12-bit or 14-bit A/D to increase the dynamic range (range of light from highlight to shadow).
Add-On Lens - Some lenses have filter threads on the front edge that allow you to mount an auxiliary wide angle or telephoto lens in addition to the standard lens.
AE - Auto Exposure, a system for automatically setting the proper exposure according to the existing light conditions. There are three types of AE systems:
Programmed where the camera picks the best shutter speed and aperture automatically
Aperture Priority, the user chooses an aperture value and the shutter speed is automatically determined by lighting conditions
Shutter Priority, the user chooses a shutter speed and the aperture is automatically determined by lighting conditions
AE Lock - The ability to hold the current exposure settings and allow you to point the camera elsewhere before capturing the image. This is usually accomplished by half-pressing the shutter button and keeping it at that position until you're ready to capture the image. AF-Auto Focus. A system that automatically focuses the camera lens. Aliasing - An effect caused by sampling an image (or signal) at too low a rate. It makes rapid change (high texture) areas of an image appear as a slow change in the sample image.
Algorithm - A mathematical routine that solves a problem or equation. In imaging, the term is usually used to describe the set of routines that make up a compression or color management program to accurately reproduce the original image from the sampled image.
Anti-aliasing - The process of reducing stair-stepping by smoothing edges where individual pixels are visible.
Archive - A collection of data in long-term storage. Artifact(ing) - Misinterpreted information from a JPEG or compressed image. Color faults or line faults that visibly impact the image negatively. Aspect Ratio - The ratio of horizontal to vertical dimensions of an image. The most common aspect ratio in digicams is 4:3 so that images "fit" properly on computer screens (800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024). Some cameras offer a 3:2 mode so that you can print "perfect" 4x6" prints with no cropping necessary.(The Aspect Ratio of 35mm film is 3:2, TV sets are 4:3, HDTV screens are 16:9) Aspherical Lens - A lens whose edges have been flattened so that it is not a perfect sphere, produces a superior image. AVI - Movie clip in Windows' AVI format.
AWB - Automatic White Balance. A system for automatically setting the white balance in today's digital cameras. ".
ATA. -A standard for storage devices that lets them be treated as if they were hard drives on the system. Any ATA compatible media can be read by any ATA device.
Attachment- A file such as a photograph sent along with an e-mail message so it can be viewed or saved at the recipient’s end.
Banding - An artifact of color gradation in computer imaging, when graduated colors break into larger blocks of a single color, reducing the "smooth" look of a proper gradation. Bayer pattern- Patterns of red, greens, and blue filters on the image sensor’s photosites. There are twice as many green filters as the other colors because the human eye is more sensitive to green and therefore green color accuracy is more important.
Bit - The smallest unit of memory; a contraction from 'binary' and 'digit'. Binary digits are 0 and 1, also known as ons and offs. Bit Depth - This refers to the color or gray scale of an individual pixel. A pixel with 8 bits per color gives a 24 bit image. (8 Bits X 3 colors is 24 bits.) 24 bit color resolution is 16.7 million colors.
Bit-mapped. -Images formed from pixels with each pixel a shade of gray or color. Using 24-bit color, each pixel can be set to any one of 16 million colors.
Bleed - Printing term referring to an image or linked area that extends to the edge of the printed piece. Blooming - A visual effect caused by overexposing a CCD to too much light, This "digital overexposure" can cause distortions of the subject and/or color.

Blue Tooth - The new wireless standard for connecting cameras, PDAs, laptops, computers and cell phones. Uses very high frequency radio waves. Blue Tooth devices when in-range (less than 30 feet) of each other easily establish a connection. BMP - BitMapped graphic file format popular with Windows computers. This is an uncompressed file format like TIFF. Borderless - Means a photo print with no border around it. Old term for this was full-bleed printing. Brightness - The value of a pixel in an electronic image, representing its lightness value from black to white. Usually defined as brightness levels ranging in value from 0 (black) to 255 (white). Buffer - A temporary storage area usually held in RAM. The purpose of a buffer is to act as a temporary holding area for data that will allow the CPU to manipulate data before transferring it to a device.
Burst Mode - The ability to rapidly capture images as long as the shutter button is held down. Also called continuous frame capture. Byte – It is an ensemble of eight bits of memory in a computer.
Card- The sealed package containing storage chips or other devices with electrical connectors that make contact when inserted into a card slot on a camera, printer, computer, or other device.
Calibration - The act of adjusting the color of one device relative to another, such as a monitor to a printer, or a scanner to a film recorder. Or, it may be the process of adjusting the color of one device to some established standard. Card Reader - A device that you insert flash memory cards into to transfer the data to the computer. Much faster than the serial port! See also "PCMCIA" and "PC Card".
CCD Raw format. The uninterpolated data collected directly from the image sensor before processing. It may be called as digital negative.
Charge-coupled device (CCD). An image sensor that reads the charges built up on the sensor’s photosites a row at a time.
CD - CompactDisc - read only storage media capable of holding 650MB of digital data.
CDR - CompactDisc Recordable - a CD that you can write to once that can not be erased but can be read many times, holds 650~700MB of digital data.

CDRW - CompactDisc ReWriteable - the newest kind of CD-R that can be erased and re-used many times, holds about 450MB of data.
Center-Weighted - A term used to describe an auto exposure system that uses the center portion of the image to adjust the overall exposure value. See also "Spot Metering" and "Matrix metering" CF - see CompactFlash and check here: Flash Memory Cards/Readers Channel - One piece of information stored with an image. True color images, for instance, have three channels-red, green and blue. Chroma - The color of an image element (pixel). Chroma is made up of saturation + hue values, but separate from the luminance value. Chromatic Aberration - Also known as the "purple fringe effect." It is common in two Megapixel and higher resolution digital cameras (especially those with long telephoto zoom lenses) when a dark area is surrounded by a highlight. Along the edge between dark and light you will see a line or two of purple or violet colored pixels that shouldn't be there. CIFF - Camera Image File Format, an agreed method of digicam image storage used by many camera makers. CMOS - Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor - Another imaging system used by digicams. It is not as popular as CCD but the future promises us even better digicams based on CMOS sensors due to the lower amount of power consumption versus the typical CCD device. CMS - Color Management System. A software program (or a software and hardware combination) designed to ensure color matching and calibration between video or computer monitors and any form of hard copy output. CMYK - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK; These are the printer colors used to create color prints. Most color printers, Ink-Jet, Laser, Dye-Sublimation and Thermal printers use these as their printer colors. (This is one of the color management problems for computers. Converting RGB files to CMYK files cause's color shifts.) When used by a printer the CMYK is also known as a reflective color since it is printed on paper, or reflective films. Codec - Compresses information so that it can be sent across a network faster, and decompresses information received via the network. Color Balance - The accuracy with which the colors captured in the image match the original scene. Color Cast - An unwanted tint of one color in an image caused by a disproportionate amount of cyan, magenta, and yellow. This can occur due to input or output device. Color Copier - Color printing device using electrostatic and CMYK Pigments. Color Correction - The process of correcting or enhancing the color of an image. Color Depth - Digital images can approximate color realism, but how they do so is referred to as color depth, pixel-depth, or bit depth. Modern computer displays use 24-bit True Color. It's called this because it displays 16 million colors, about the same number as the human eye can discern. Color Space - Digital cameras use known color profiles to generate their images. The most common is sRGB or AdobeRGB and this information along with the camera and exposure data is stored in Exif header of the JPEG file. This color space information ensures that graphic programs and printers have a reference to the color profile the camera used at the time of exposure. CompactFlash - The most common type of digicam flash memory storage. It is removable, small and available in sizes from 4MB up to 1GB.
CF Type I the original 3.3mm high cardCF Type II cards and devices that are 5mm high.

Compression, lossless-. A file compression scheme that makes a file smaller without degrading the image.
Compression, lossy.- A file compression scheme that reduces the size of a file but degrades it in the process so it can’t be restored to its original quality.
Compression. The process of reducing the size of a file.
COM port - Your computer has serial communication ports, which support the RS-232 standard of communication. This is the most common interface used to transfer data from a digicam to the computer.
Continuous Autofocus - (Continuous-AF) The autofocus system is full-time and works even before the shutter release is pressed. Continuous Tone - An image where brightness appears consistent and uninterrupted. Each pixel in a continuous tone image file uses at least one byte each for its red, green, and blue values. This permits 256 density levels per color or more than 16 million mixture colors. Contrast - A measure of rate of change of brightness in an image. CR-V3 - This is a 3V lithium battery used in many Olympus brand (and other) digicams. It lasts much longer than alkaline but it is also more costly. CRW / CR2 - The raw CCD file format used by Canon digicams. Abbreviated from CanonRAW. Canon also has newer CR2 raw format as well.

A Short Glossary of Digital Photography Terms-PART-3

Jaggies - Slang term for the stair-stepped appearance of a curved or angled line in digital imaging. The smaller the pixels, and the greater their number the less apparent the "jaggies". Also known as pixelization. JFIF - A specific type of the JPG file format. Also known as EXIF JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group - The name of the committee that designed the standard image compression algorithm. JPEG is designed for compressing either full-color or grey-scale digital images of "natural", real-world scenes. It does not work so well on non-realistic images, such as cartoons or line drawings. JPEG does not handle compression of black-and-white (1 bit-per-pixel) images or moving pictures. See "JPG" below.
JPEG2000 - The new JPEG compression standard that will be used in digital cameras and software starting in 2002 (maybe?). It will feature higher compression but with less image quality loss.
JPG - The most common type of compressed image file format used in digicams. It is a "lossy" type of storage because even in its highest quality mode there is compression used to minimize its size.
Landscape mode. Holding the camera in its normal orientation to hake a horizontally oriented photograph.
LCD - Liquid Crystal Display. Two types: (1) a TFT high-resolution color display device like a tiny TV set. (2) A monochrome (B&W) information display using black alphanumeric characters on a gray/green background.
LED - Light Emitting Diode. All those wonderful little red, green and yellow indicator lights used on cameras, power supplies and most electronic devices.
Li-ion - Some digicams are packaged with a lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack. Lithium batteries are lighter but more costly than NiMH or NiCd type of rechargeable cells. Lithium cells can be recharged regardless of their state of discharge, they're lighter in weight and maintain a charge better in colder temperatures. Li-ion also holds a charge longer when idle. Lossless - Storing the image in a non-compressed format, see TIFF.
Low Pass Filter - Most digital SLR cameras employ a Low Pass Filter (LPF) or Anti-Aliasing (AA) filter in front of the imager to help eliminate color aliasing (moire) problems.
Long-focal-length lens (telephoto lens). A lens that provides a narrow angle of view of a scene, including less of a scene than a lens of normal focal length and therefore magnifying objects in the image.
LZW. -A compression scheme used to reduce the size of image files.
Macro mode.- A lens mode that allows you to get very close to objects so they appear greatly enlarged in the picture.
mAh - A rating used in the consumption of power of an electronic device such as an LCD or the storage capability of a device like an NiMH or Nicad rechargeable battery (i.e. 1600mAh cell). It stands for milliAmperehour.
Matrix Metering. -An exposure system that breaks the scene up into a grid and evaluates each section to determine the exposure.
Megapixel - CCD resolution of one million pixels. Digicams are commonly rated by Megapixels. You multiply the horizontal resolution by the vertical resolution to get the total pixel count:
1280 x 960 pixels = 1 Megapixel1600 x 1200 pixels = 2 Megapixels2048 x 1536 pixels = 3 Megapixels2272 x 1704 pixels = 4 Megapixels2560 x 1920 pixels = 5 Megapixels ... and so on
Memory stick. -A flash memory storage device developed by Sony.
Memory Stick Pro - The year 2003 upgrade to Sony's Memory Stick flash cards. The new MS Pro cards are available in 256MB, 512MB and 1GB capacities and offer faster read/write times. All of Sony's digicams made in 2003 or after can use MS Pro cards.
Microdrive - IBM/Hitachi miniature hard disk drive for digital cameras and PDA devices. Packaged in a CompactFlash Type II housing and available in 170MB, 340MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB capacities.
miniCD - The small diameter (3-inch) CD discs. miniCD-R and miniCD-R/W discs are used in the Sony Mavica "CD" series (CD200, CD250, CD300, CD400 and CD1000) digicams. Their maximum capacity is ~165MB mm - millimeter, measurement to denote the focal length of a lens (i.e. 50mm)
MMC - MultiMedia Card, a flash memory card used in some digicams and MP3 players. It is identical in size and shape to the Secure Digital (SD) flash cards.
Moore’s Law. -Gordon Moore’s law that predicted that the number of transistors on a chip would double every 18 months.
MPEG.- A digital video format developed by the Motion Pictures Expert Group.
MPEG-HQX - Motion JPEG movie file created by year 2002 Sony cameras that incorporates the MPEG-HQ (high quality, full-screen) and the unlimited recording capability of MPEG-EX in 320x240 resolution. MPEG-VX - Motion JPEG movie file created by year 2003 Sony digicams. It is VGA resolution (640x480) at 16fps with audio and the length is limited only by available storage space. VX Fine is 30fps, very high quality. Multi-Pattern Metering - Exposure is determined by reading many different zones in the frame. This yields a more optimum exposure than those cameras using only a central zone metering system. Multi-Point Focusing - The autofocus systems uses SEVERAL different portions of the image to determine the proper focus. Multi Zone Focusing - Many digital cameras now offer multi zone focusing. The camera will automatically determine which zone (center, left, right, upper, lower) to use to perform the auto focusing. You no longer have to make sure that your subject is dead-center to be properly focused.
Multi-megapixel. An image or image sensor with over two million pixels.
Multiple exposure mode. A mode that lets you superimpose one image on top of another.
Multiple exposure. An image made up of two or more images superimposed in the camera.
NEF - Raw image data file format used by the Nikon digital SLR (D1x, D100, etc) and some Coolpix digicams. NEF means Nikon Electronic Format.
NiCad. Nickel cadmium battery.
NiMH. Nickel metal hydride battery.
Noise. Pixels on the image sensor that misread the light.
Noise Reduction - Some cameras that offer long shutter speeds (exceeding 1 second) usually have a noise reduction (NR) feature that is either automatic or can be enabled in the menu. This is to help eliminate random "hot" pixels and other image noise. NTSC - Term used to describe the 60 field video output (television) standard used in the U.S. and Japan. See also "PAL" and "Video Out"
Operating system. The program that controls the camera’s or computer’s hardware.
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer. Means that the piece of equipment is made by one company but labeled for and sold by another company.
OLED - Organic Light Emitting Diode - Newly developed display technology that could replace LCD. OLED does not require a backlight like LCD displays and therefore is more energy efficient which is important to battery-operated portable devices. It also offers increased contrast and a better viewing angle which means it can be more easily viewed in bright (sunlight) conditions. Optical Zoom - Means that the camera has a real multi-focal length lens, this is not the same as a "Digital Zoom" which magnifies the center portion of the picture. ORF - Olympus RAW format. The unprocessed image format created by Olympus E1, E10, E20, E300 SLRs and C-5050, C-5060, C-8080 Zoom cameras.
Orientation sensor.- A sensor that knows when you turn the camera to take a vertical shot and rotates the picture so it won’t be displayed on it’s side when you view it.
Overexposure-. Exposing the image sensor to more light than is needed to render the scene as the eye sees it. Results in a too light photograph.
PAL-. A European video out standard to display images on a TV screen.
Palette - A thumbnail of all available colors to a computer or devices. The palette allows the user to chose which colors are available for the computer to display. The more colors the larger the data and the more processing time required to display your images. If the system uses 24-bit color, then over 16.7 million colors are included in the palette.
Panorama. -A photograph with much wider horizontal coverage that a normal photograph, up to 360-degrees and more.
Panoramic mode-. A digital camera mode that uses just the center band on the image sensor to capture an image that is much wider than it is tall.
Parallel port-. A port on the computer that is faster than a serial port but slower than SCSI, USB, or IEEE 1394 ports. Often used by printers and flash card readers.
PC card. -A card, in the case of cameras usually a storage device, that plugs into a slot in a notebook or hand-held computer. Originally called PCMCIA cards.
Photosite. A small area on the surface of an image sensor that captures the brightness for a single pixel in the image. There is one photosite for every pixel in the image.
PictBridge - PictBridge is a new standard for direct USB printing from digital cameras to inkjet and dye sub photo printers without the use of a computer
PIM - PRINT Image Matching - Epson's new standard of embedded color and printing information for digital cameras. Many of the camera manufacturers have joined with Epson and now embed the PIM information in the Exif header of the JPEG images created. Epson just announced at PMA 2002 the new Exif 2.2 standard incorporating their PIM info.
Pin-Cushioning - A common geometric lens distortion causing an acquired image to pucker toward the center, usually found at telephoto focal lengths
Pixelization.- An effect seen when you enlarge a digital image too much and the pixels become obvious.
Pixels. -The small picture elements that make up a digital photograph.
Plug-n-Play - An automated installation process used in MS Windows to connect peripherals to a computer. When new devices are plugged into the computer the computer recognizes the device and prompts the user to choose setup options and finish installation.
Polarizer - A photographic filter for eliminating glare and reflections. Just like your polarized sunglasses get rid of annoying glare, the polarizer filter does the same for your digicam. However - there are 2 types, linear and circular. Linear polarise screws up most auto focus systems on digicams. Therefore be sure you use a circular polarizer filter. It is also used to darken skies.
PPI - Pixels Per Inch - A measurement to describe the size of a printed image. The higher the number the more detailed the print will be.
Pre-Flash - Some digicams use a low-power flash before the main flash to set the exposure and white balance. This does not allow the use of a normal photo slave strobe as it will be triggered by the pre-flash.
Programmed AE - the camera picks the best shutter speed and aperture automatically, also called "Automatic" or "Point-n-Shoot" mode.
Progressive Scan - Term used to describe an image sensor that gathers its data and processes each scan line one after another in sequence. See also "Interlaced" for the other method. Prosumer - Refers to more expensive semi-professional digicams costing $1,000 and up. The average digicam is made for the consumer market and costs well under $1,000.
Port-. An electrical connection on the computer into which a cable can be plugged so the computer can communicate with another device such as a printer or modem.
Portrait mode-. Turning the camera to take a vertically oriented photograph.
Preview screen.- A small LCD display screen on the back of the camera used to compose or look at photographs.
QuickTime - A motion video standard created by Apple. QuickTime video sequences can contain an audio track and are stored as .MOV files. QVGA - Refers to a Quarter-VGA resolution (320 x 240) motion video sequences.
Rangefinder - The viewfinder on most cameras is a separate viewing device that is independent of the lens. Often mounted above and to the right or left of the lens. It exhibits a problem known as parallax when trying to frame subjects closer than five feet from the camera so it is advisable to use the color LCD when shooting closeups for this very reason.
RAW - RAW files store the unprocessed image data - at 12 bits per channel - from the camera's imaging chip to its memory storage device. Lossless compression is applied to reduce filesize slightly without compromising any quality. RAW image files must be processed with special software before they can be viewed or printed. The advantage is that you have the ability to alter the white balance, exposure value, color values, contrast, brightness and sharpness as you see fit before you convert this data into the standard JPEG or TIFF format. Professional digi-photographers import RAW image data directly into photo-editing programs like Photoshop CS (which comes with a Camera Raw import module that works with most popular RAW formats.).
Read out register.- The part of a CCD image sensor that reads the charges built up during an exposure.
Recycle time. -The time it takes to process and store a captured image.
Red-eye reduction mode.- A mode that fires a preliminary flash to close the iris of the eye before firing the main flash to take the picture.
Red-eye. -An effect that causes peoples eyes to look red in flash exposures.
Refresh rate. -The time it takes the camera to capture the image after you press the shutter release.
Render - The final step of an image transformation or three-dimensional scene through which a new image is refreshed on the screen.
Resize - Usually means to take a large image and downsize it to a smaller one. Most graphic viewing and editing programs offer a Resize option for this purpose.
Resolution - The quality of any digital image, whether printed or displayed on a screen, depends in part on its resolution—the number of pixels used to create the image. More and smaller pixels adds detail and sharpens edges. Optical Resolution is an absolute number that the camera's image sensor can physically record. Interpolated Resolution adds pixels to the image using complex software algorithms to determine what color they should be. It is important to note that interpolation doesn't add any new information to the image - it just makes it bigger!
Camera makers often specify the resolution as: QVGA (320 x 240), VGA (640 x 480), SVGA (800 x 600), XGA (1024 x 768) or UXGA (1600 x 1200)
RGB - Means Red, Green and Blue - the primary colors from which all other colors are derived. The additive reproduction process mixes various amounts of red, green and blue to produce other colors. Combining one of these additive colors primary colors with another produces the additive secondary colors cyan, magenta and yellow. Combining all three produces white. RS-232 - Standard type of serial data interconnection available on most PC type computers. It's the slowest way to transfer image data from a camera. Most digicams made after 2001 do not use serial ports, they use the faster USB.
Removable media.- Storage media that can be removed from the camera.
Resolution, interpolated. -A process that enlarges an image by adding extra pixels without actually capturing light from those pixels in the initial exposure.
Resolution, optical.- The true resolution of an image based on the number of photosites on the surface of the image sensor.
RGB. -The color system used in most digital cameras where red, green, and blue light is captured separately and then combined to create a full color image.
Saturation - The degree to which a color is undiluted by white light. If a color is 100 percent saturated, it contains no white light. If a color has no saturation, it is a shade of gray.
Scanner- An input device that uses light to read printed information including text, graphics, and bar codes, and transfers it into the computer in a digital format.
Scene Modes - Many digicams now have an exposure mode called SCENE where the user selects the best pre-programmed scene to suit the current shooting conditions. The camera will automatically change many settings to capture the best possible image.
SCSI port.- A port that’s faster than the serial and parallel ports but slower and harder to configure than the newer USB port. Also know as the Small Computer System Interface.
SD - Secure Digital card, a flash memory card used in digicams and MP3 players. It is identical in size and shape to the MultiMedia Card (MMC) flash cards. The difference being that SD card was designed to hold protected (copyrighted) data like songs. Not all cameras that use SD cards can use MMC cards so be sure to read your owner manual before buying additional cards
Self Timer - Preset time delay (2, 5 or 10 seconds) before the shutter fires. Allows the photographer to get into the picture without using a cable release or remote control. It is also great for taking macro shots as you don't touch the camera to trip the shutter and thus eliminates any camera shake.
Serial port. -A very slow port on the computer used mainly by modems. Many digital cameras come equipped with cable to download images through this port but it’s slow! Both parallel and USB ports are faster connections.
Short-focal-length lens (wide angle). A lens that provides a wide angle of view of a scene, including more of the subject area than does a lens of normal focal length.
Shutter Speed. The length of time the shutter is open and light strikes the image sensor.
Shutter. The device in the camera that opens and closes to let light from the scene strike the image sensor and expose the image.
Shutter Lag - The time between pressing the shutter and actually capturing the image. This due to the camera has to calculate the exposure, set the white balance and focus the lens.
Shutter-priority mode. An automatic exposure system in with you set the shutter speed and the camera selects the aperture (f-stop) for correct exposure.
Skylight Filter - This is an UltraViolet absorbing filter that helps overcome the abundance of blue in outdoor photographs. Not really necessary in digital photography as the camera's white balance system adjusts for the color temperature of the scene. We do use them to protect the camera's lens from scratching, fingerprints or dirt.
Slow Sync - A flash mode in some digicams that opens the shutter for a longer than normal period and fires the flash just before it closes. Used for illuminating a foreground subject yet allowing a darker background to also be rendered. Good for night time shots of buildings with people in the foreground. Often called Night Scene or Night Portrait mode.
SLR. A type of camera with one lens which is used both for viewing and taking the picture.
SmartMedia - (aka SSFDC), a flash memory card that consists of a thin piece of plastic with laminated memory on the surface and uses a gold contact strip to connect to the camera. SmartMedia cards are available from 4MB up to 128MB in size.
Spot Metering. Autoexposure is based on a meter reading of a small circle in the center of the viewfinder.
Smoothing - Averaging pixels with their neighbors. It reduces contrast and simulates an out-of-focus image. Spot Metering - The camera's auto exposure system is focused on a very small area in the center of the viewfinder to critically adjust the overall exposure value ONLY for that area.
SRF - Sony raw format filetype identifier. i.e. DSC00101.
SRF SSFDC - Solid State Floppy Disc Card Stitching - Combining a series of images to form a larger image or a panoramic photo. Requires special graphic software. Subtractive Color - Photographs and objects of nature create color by subtracting or absorbing certain wavelengths of color while reflecting other wavelengths back to the viewer. This is called subtractive color. Example - The common apple, it is seen as "red" by the human eye or a digital camera. The apple really has no color (light energy of its own), it merely reflects certain wavelengths of white light that cause us to see red and absorbs most other wavelengths. Color paintings, color photography and all color printing processes use the subtractive process to reproduce color. In these cases, the reflective substrate is canvas (paintings) or paper (photographs, prints), which is usually white. SuperCCD - Fujifilm's image sensor used in their line of digital cameras.
SVCD - "Super Video Compact Disc"A CD-ROM disc that contains high quality video and audio. Typically, a SVCD can hold about 35~45 minutes (650MB) of video and stereo-quality audio (depends on the data rate used for encoding). The video and audio are stored in MPEG-2 format, much like a DVD. SVCD video has better quality than VHS video.
SVGA - SuperVGA refers to an image resolution size of 800 x 600 pixels.
Tagged Image File Format. See TIFF.
Thru-the-lens. See TTL.
TIFF. A popular lossless image format used in digital photography.
Time-lapse photography. Taking a series of pictures at preset intervals to show such things as flower blossoms opening.
TTL. A camera design that let’s you compose an image while looking at the scene through the lens that will take the picture. Also called thru-the-lens.
TWAIN - Protocol for exchanging information between applications and devices such as scanners and digital cameras. TWAIN makes it possible for digital cameras and software to "talk" with one another on PCs. The word TWAIN is the abbreviation of "Technology Without An Industry Name."
Unbundling. When a dealer removes normally included items from a camera package and then sells them to you separately.
Underexposure. Exposing the film to less light than is needed to render the scene as the eye sees it. Results in a too dark photograph.
Unsharp Masking - A process by which the apparent detail of an image is increased; generally accomplished by the input scanner or through computer manipulation. USB - Universal Serial Bus - the data I/O port on most digicams and found on modern PC and Mac computers. Faster than the serial port. Up to 12Mb/s with v1.1 interfaces. USB 2.0 - The newest USB standard, close in throughput speed to FireWire now. Up to 400Mb/s.
It's important to note that many manufacturers are now "duping" the buying public by using statements like - "Equipped with a full-speed USB 2.0 interface" which unfortunately means that it's really just a USB 1.1 interface that will transfer data at up to 12Mb/s with newer USB 2.0 computer interfaces. What you should look for is a statement that says "Equipped with a high-speed USB 2.0 interface." The specification for a high-speed USB 2.0 interface is data transfer up to 400Mb/s.
UV Filter - This is an UltraViolet absorbing filter that helps overcome the abundance of blue in outdoor photographs. Not really necessary in digital photography as the camera's white balance system adjusts for the color temperature of the scene. We do use them to protect the camera's lens from scratching, fingerprints or dirt.
UXGA - Refers to an image resolution size of 1600 x 1200 pixels.
Upload. Sending a file from your computer to another device.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator). The address of a Web site.
USB port.- A high-speed port that lets you daisy-chain devices (connect one device to another).
VGA.- A resolution of 640 x 480.
Video card-. A card the fits into a computer’s expansion slot so you can edit digital video.
Viewfinder-. A separate window on the camera through which you look to compose images.
VGA - Refers to an image resolution size of 640 x 480 pixels. Video Out - Means the digicam has the ability to output its images on television screens and monitors using either NTSC or PAL format.
Viewfinder - The eye level device you look through to compose the image. Vignetting - A term that describes the darkening of the outer edges of the image area due to the use of a filter or add-on lens. Most noticeable when the zoom lens is in full wideangle
White balance. An automatic or manual control that adjusts the brightest part of the scene so it looks white.
X3 Image Sensor - Foveon's new image sensor for digital cameras that captures red, green and blue data at every pixel.
xD-Picture Card - A new flash memory card standard that was co-developed by Fujifilm and Olympus in mid-2002. Rumored to be replacing SmartMedia which has stalled at 128MB. xD is scheduled to go as large as 8GB in a form factor the size of a postage stamp.
XGA - Refers to an image resolution size of 1024 x 768 pixels.
ZLR - Zoom Lens Reflex, a term coined by Olympus to describe their fixed mount lens SLR type cameras. An SLR camera has interchangeable lenses, a ZLR has a non-removeable zoom lens. Zoom Lens - A variable focal length lens. . A lens that lets you change focal lengths on the fly.