On-Line Web Site Production Workshop > Digital Image Processing

Digital Image Processing

This session started with basic information being discussed about how to prepare the “raw” digital image, once it is on a personal computer, for use in placement on a Web site or CD-ROM. Included was a discussion about how to archive the image in the highest quality for use in future projects. Mountain Visions used the Extensis Program titled Portfolio to deliver the photographs we shot to the watershed personnel. On one or more CD-ROMs these images were categorized by date and subject matter. This shared resource made communication about which images to use on the web site much easier.

Starting with the original raw digital image, we provided demonstrations of how to digitally process the image in order to get the best results possible. Many computer graphics programs provide “image manipulation tools” to help fine tune or adjust the exposure, contrast brightness, hue, and saturation of an image. Sometimes just increasing the contrast in an image can really improve how it looks on a computer screen. In addition, these programs usually let you crop and size the image for your intended use. A “web sized” image, for example, usually is sized down and compressed with JPEG compression to make it download faster on a web page. On the other hand, images that may be printed would be kept in the highest quality possible. If the image may have multiple uses it is a good idea to archive or store it in the highest possible original quality and save it under different names, and/or in a different places, for other uses.

Low, medium and higher cost image processing programs are readily available that allow an amazing array of ways to manipulate the digital image to get the best result possible. Examples of professional applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Image Ready for the web, were used during this hour to change the features of various images as described above. A short listing of other programs which are available will be noted below.

Smith canyon

Adobe provides very good resource information, on-line tutorials about their products. One of Adobe’s programs that is getting very good review is titled Elements. It is a low cost, but very powerful program, which has incorporated many useful Photoshop functions. We also noted that many other sources of information about this topic are available on the Internet.

Note that there is more detailed information about how image processing was used in the Interactive Watershed web site projects in the Detailed Overview section of this on-line workshop. Several of the pages will contain some related information.

Reference links to information on other web sites:

• Adobe’s Digital Imaging products including Photoshop and Elements
• Computer Arts Tutorials
• PhotoFoolery - Photoshop and Photography Resources
• Internet Brothers - Touch up for scanned photos
• Creative Mac Tutorials - A Guide to hidden features in Photoshop 7
• Extensis Portfolio for organizing and archiving images
• Canto Cumulus for managing digital assets