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PREVIOUS PAGE • SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER • CLIENT LOGIN Great pictures, no filmSomething different this time: A look at digital images and how you might be able to use an inexpensive digital camera to create outstanding images for your Web site. Digital photography isn't new. Satellite images are digital photographs. Magazines such as Newsweek and Time have been using digital imaging for years. Some professional photographers use digital cameras that cost tens of thousands of dollars to create outstanding images for magazines that are printed on glossy paper. And while professional digital cameras still tread a bit heavily on the average webmaster's budget, some of the high-end non-professional cameras provide all the quality needed for images destined for the Web, and often for images that will be printed. That's not to say that a $995 digital camera is the equivalent of a $23,000 digital camera any more than a Ford Escort is equivalent to a Mercedes E430. But with care, the sub-$1000 digital camera can deliver surprisingly good images. For as little as $400, you can buy a "megapixel" camera, although it will have uncomfortably limiting features. Megawhatsel? "Mega", as all of us computer geeks know, means "million". "Pixel" is a portmanteau word that means "picture element". Your computer screen, for example, may display an image 640 pixels wide by 480 pixels tall. That's about 307,000 pixels. So a megapixel camera would capture an image that's at least 1200 pixels wide and 900 pixels tall. A camera that records about 1.6 million pixels has enough visual information for at least a 5x7 print, and possibly enough for an 8x10. And today you can buy a 1.6 megapixel digital camera (and a few that record more than 2 million pixels) for less than $1,000. If your goal is to create images that will be used solely on the Web, you could even consider some of the discontinued models that are limited to 640x480 resolution (300,000 pixels). The problem with this approach, of course, is that if you create a blockbuster image that you'd like to enlarge to 8x10, you'll be sorely disappointed by the result. One of digital photography's strongest points is its speed. Less than a minute after you take the picture, it can be on your Web site and anyone in the world who has Internet access will be able to see it. That's why news magazines like digital cameras: illustrations for breaking stories can be updated at press time. But you can't just buy a digital camera, point it at subjects you'd like to illustrate on your Web site, and hope for the best, though. The digital camera is just a tool and, like any other tool, it must be mastered before you can use it to create good work. Consumer-grade digital cameras invariably come with a wimpy built-in flash that's located somewhere near the lens. With few exceptions, this built-in flash should never be used. The light is flat and hard. Because of the placement of the flash, subjects often suffer from the hideous condition known as "red eye". Backgrounds that otherwise might contain some detail become unnaturally black. Look for a camera that includes the ability to attach an external flash unit. Until now, digital cameras have been little more than expensive toys. Those who wanted prints had to make do with bad images from inkjet printers -- prints that could easily cost a dollar or more for each 4x6 print. Things are changing. Kodak has embraced the technology, turning out numerous cameras and planning for a future that includes digital mini-labs. As digital cameras continue to become more popular, we'll see attempts by operators of mini-labs to provide new digital services, including some that are available today only to professional photographers at a high price. Several photofinishers (Kodak, Mystic Color Lab, Seattle Film Works, EZ Prints, and some local operators) already have some of the technology in place. Mystic Color Lab and EZ Prints, for example, both offer prints up to 8x10 from digital camera files. Their prices are comparable to those charged for reprints of images from film negatives. (I like EZ Prints. You'll find them on the Web at http://www.ezprints.com/.) Kristy Holch at Info Trends Research Group says digital camera and scanner users someday will drop off their digital media at their local one-hour photo processing store and get back photo-quality prints, just as they do with film. Today, those who want to correct red-eye, adjust color balance, or change the contrast or density of an image must master photo-editing software such as Photopaint, Photoshop, or Paint Shop Pro. That could change. Mini-labs already offer some options for editing images. The coming digital mini-labs will open up a range of new output possibilities, says Holch. For example, you'll be able to order inexpensive sheets of "thumbnail" images to index your photographs and then have prints made of just the ones you want, you'll be able to order personalized photo greeting cards and enlargements, add captions and make collages without having to cut photographs, put decorative frame images around the photo, and make sophisticated improvements to the overall image quality. Some of these capabilities are available now at selected outlets. According to Holch, convincing people to try some of the new digital options and enhancements will be the initial challenge. Mini-lab owners could be reluctant to install new equipment until they're sure consumers will want to use it, and consumers won't rush to use new technology that's not widely available. Around one-third of US homes have computers today and about 18% of the homes with computers have scanners. It's taken a while for scanners to catch on, but lower prices and easier-to-use scanners and software are pushing scanners into more homes. Holch says about 13% of computer owners her firm surveyed plan to buy scanners this year. Scanner shipments are expected to grow more than 30% per year through 2002. Sales of digital cameras will likely increase even faster. Info Trends suggest annual growth rates of a little less than 45% per year through 2002. The arrival of 2-megapixel cameras for under $1000 can only accelerate that trend. The future of photography is digital. |
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