Real World Digital Photography

by McClelland, Deke; Eismann, Katrin

• ISBN13: 9780201354027
• ISBN10: 0201354020
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: Peachpit Pr

Summary

Once the domain of professional photographers and designers, digital photography is making inroads into businesses everywhere as prices drop and image quality rises. Whether you plan to use digital imagery for fine art, illustration, or documentation--in print or on the Web--Real World Digital Photographyis your industrial-strength reference guide to this exciting and evolving technology.Written by two nationally recognized experts in digital imaging, the book is chock-full of hands-on production techniques designed specifically for working professionals. It also includes advice on how to choose a camera that fits your needs and your budget, a full-color portfolio that beautifully illustrates the creative potential of digital photography, and the accumulated wisdom of artists and others who use the technology in their daily work.

Author Biography

Deke McClelland is the award-winning author of more than 50 books on graphics and electronic publishing. His work includes Real World Illustrator 8, Web Design Studio Secrets, Photoshop for Windows Bible, and Macworld Photoshop Bible. Deke is a contributing editor for Macworld and Publish magazines and hosts the cable TV show "Digital Gurus." Katrin Eismann is a photoimager, artist, educator, and internationally respected lecturer on imaging and the impact of digital technologies on the professional photographer. Her work has appeared in numerous books and magazines, and her clients include small associations, organizations, conferences, and Fortune 500 companies. Katrin has coauthored two other books with Deke McClelland.

Table of Contents

1. Why Use a Digital Camera?

Affordability and Image Quality. Digital Quality On the Mend. Factoring In the Other Costs. Storage and Duplication. Availability and Flexibility. Surviving the Destructive Forces of Time. Speed and Convenience. Color and Focus Modifications. Other Considerations.

2. Types of Digital Cameras.

Entry-Level Digital Cameras. Who Is Using Entry-Level Digital Cameras? Why Wouldn't You Buy Entry-Level? Deluxe Point-and-Shoot Digital Cameras. Is a Deluxe Point-and-Shoot Right for You? Why Not Use a Deluxe Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera? Professional Lite Digital Cameras. Who Uses Professional Lite Digital Cameras? Why Not Use Pro Lite Digital Cameras? Professional Digital Cameras. Who Uses Professional Digital Cameras? So, Why Isn't Everyone Using Professional Digital Cameras? Gadgets, Just for Fun. Who Uses Gadget Cameras? Why Wouldn't You Want a Gadget Camera? The First Step Is Half the Journey.

3. How Digital Cameras Work.

(And Why You Should Care). From Lens to Image Sensor. Diaphragm and Shutter (Or Lack Thereof). Focal Lengths. How the Image Sensor Works. Pixels and Resolution. Capturing Color. CCD versus CMOS. Storing the Image. Media Capacity. Types of Media. Image Size and Compression.

4. The Mechanics of Digital Imagery.

Pixels and Bits. The Math Behind the Pixels. Recipes for Color. Converting Between Color Modes. Pixel Count and Resolution. Screen Resolution. Images for the Web. Print Resolution. Image File Formats. Conserving Disk Space with JPEG. Preserving Image Quality with TIFF. Eight-Bit Images Choose GIF. Other File Formats.

5. Bells and Whistles: The Digital Camera Interface.

Viewfinder and LCD. Rangefinder versus SLR. LCD Preview and Playback. Media and Connectivity. Serial: As Slow As It Gets. USB: The Faster Connection. Downloading Directly from the Media. Alternative Connections. Batteries. Kinds of Batteries. Don't Be Too Frugal. The Traditional Stuff: Focus, Flash, and More.

6. Shopping for a Digital Camera.

What Will You Be Using the Camera For? What Does the Camera Have to Do? Minimum Image-Quality Standards. Control. Speed of operation. How Much Can You Afford? What Features Do You Really Want? Accessories: The Little Things in Life. Time to Test Some Cameras. Lens Performance. Evaluating Digital Image Files. Buying a Professional Digital Camera. Internet Resources.

7. The Digital Darkroom.

The Computer. The Laptop Option. Mac versus Windows: Which OS Is Better? Windows 98 versus NT. Memory. Virtual Memory. Carving up RAM on the Mac. Storage. The Hard Disk. Removable Media. Monitor and Video Card. CRT versus LCD. Variations on CRT. Video and VRAM. Gamma Adjustment. Printers. Ink-Jet Printers. Dye-Sublimation Printers.

8. The Desktop Studio.

Essential Studio Requirements. The Set. Tripod. Backdrops and Sweeps. Not-so-Nondescript Backgrounds. Props. Chewing Gum and Baling Wire. Light. Matching the Camera to the Light. Artificial Lighting. Continuous Light. Flash Equipment. How Much Light. How Many Lights. Critical Lighting Variables. Modifying the Light. Essential Accessories. Light Meters. Test Targets. The Bottom Line. Your Camera Bag. What's in Your Bag?

9. Essentials of Photography.

Seeing the Light. Measuring the Light. Metering Patterns. Working with the Light Meter. Overriding the Light Meter. Beating Backlight. The Digital Zone System. Exposure Partners: ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. ISO Ratings. Aperture and Shutter Speed. Creative Exposure Techniques. Slow Shutter Speed Effects. Slow Flash Synch. Aperture and Depth of Field. Lenses. Modifying the Light. Natural Light. Adding Light with Flash. Using Flash on a Sunny Day. Off-Camera Flash.

10. Framing for Success.

Get Close, Really Close. Look for Details. Rotate the Frame. Violate Symmetry. Take the Shot Less Taken.

11. Immersive Imaging and QuickTime VR.

Kinds of Immersive Images. Making Panoramic Movies. Planning and Shooting the Panorama. Image Composition. Avoiding Ghosts. The Camera. Setting up the Camera on a Tripod. Number of Images. Keeping Exposure and Depth of Field Consistent. Mental Focus. Stitching the Panos. Software. Download and Organize. Resize, Rotate, and Sharpen. Retouch. Stitch. Adding Interactivity and Hotspots. The Technology Behind the Magic. Interactive Object Movies. The Equipment You Need. Turntables. Object Rigs. Lighting. Shooting the Movie. Putting the Movie Together. Software. Prepping the Files. Stitching. Animating the Objects. Embedding Immersive Images in a Web page. Additional Types of Immersive Images.

12. Correcting Your Photographs.

Straightening and Cropping. Using the Measure Tool. Using the Crop Tool. Cropping One Image to Match Another. Brightness and Contrast. Reading a Histogram. Correcting the Levels. Adjustment Layers. Curves and Beyond. Correcting Colors. Variations: The Intuitive Approach. Adjusting Saturation. Balancing Colors with Levels. Restoring Saturation. Changing a Specific Color. Sharpening Focus. Using Unsharp Mask. Practical Applications of Unsharp Mask. Suppressing Noise and Artifacts. Averaging Pixels. Median and Saturation.

13. Preparing Images for Print and the Web.

Mixing Pigments on Paper. RGB to CMYK. Key Color and Characterization. Even Then, Some Colors Won't Print. Using a Personal Printer. Page Setup. Printing Quality. Color Matching. Preparing for Professional Output. Converting an Image to CMYK. Defining CMYK. Creating Images for the Web. Putting the Squeeze on File Size. Indexing Colors for GIF. Eliminating Unnecessary Data.

14. Archiving Digital Images.

How Archiving Works. Burning CD-ROMs. Making a Windows CD. Making a Macintosh CD. Compression Utilities. StuffIt and WinZip in Action. One Compression Is Enough. Cataloging Your Archives. Thumbnail Previews. Cataloging Utilities. Printing Contact Sheets.

Index.