Does Size Really Matter In Our Digital Age?
Well, we've all seen the advert, but that's not what I want to talk about, so get that out of your head straight away. No, let's think about what many call the "Queen of Arts" - namely painting. Have you ever wandered around a huge Art Gallery and marvelled at the works by Tintoretto, Raphael, Constable or any master painter who has produced huge canvasses? Then again, we have many fine examples of beautiful artwork in cameos and miniatures. In fact, in all sizes between these two extremes the evidence of creative genius can be found down through the ages. However, it's patently obvious that the correlation between size and creative genius is poor. Mere size on the premise, "never mind the quality feel the width" is not the prime element of a masterpiece. Yes we are fascinated by the Sistine Chapel, for example, by the sheer scale of the paintings, but it's the genius of the painter that draws the eye. It's also true though that the artist tugs at our heartstrings by the wealth of detail that working in a large format permits. In the same way, large format and medium format cameras have traditionally been the working tools of professional photographers for many, many years. In a previous article, I suggested that there would always be room for film, especially for users of the larger formats. Now, we get to the nub of the matter, because in digital parlance, the wealth of detail evident in the larger formats is expressed as the size of the file. Unlike physical dimensions which cannot be changed once the work has been committed to the recording medium, be it film or indeed canvas size, the digital file is not so restricted. Of course, when image size is changed from the original during, say, image compression, there is generally a loss in quality e.g. jpeg Even the use of a lossless transformation doesn't add anything to the image, it merely preserves what's there. However, there is a revolutionary item of image manipulation software that does totally "change the picture" It comes as a Photoshop plug-in with Photoshop 6.0 or higher and it's called "Genuine Fractals" and here is what the originators claim, "It's an indispensable tool for photographers, graphic artists and digital imaging professionals, Genuine Fractals enables you to create resolution-independent images from any size file and lets you print superior quality enlargements without any degradation in image quality" By saving your digital image with this package as a very small stn file, you can create lossless files of up to 70Mb and beyond. After saving and re-opening this file in Photoshop, Genuine Fractal kicks in and you can easily produce files of a specified size I was stunned by this software and began to wonder what the impact might be for both digital photographers and medium/large format professionals. Of course, as already stated, this increased size does NOT put extra information into the shot. There again, neither does making a 67 dupe of a 35mm slide improve image quality and many photographers still do that when submitting to libraries. Digital photographers may get even more benefits by beefing up the file size using Genuine Fractals, before printing out enlargements. This could be very useful for Wedding Photographers who want the convenience of using a digital camera, but are unhappy about the quality of enlargements often requested. Using Genuine Fractals may save time effort and money by eliminating the need for a film backup camera. On the other hand, it may be that Genuine Fractals may produce the best result with photos captured from film and then scanned, because noise in the original image is not removed when enlarged, in fact it will be more obvious. This means that mid-range digital camera shots are likely to fare worse on enlargment than film shots captured with 10 million pixels+ With a new version Genuine Fractals 3.5 just released, it could be worth a test and could be a worthwhile investment too. So, if you want to explore this a little more, get a copy of Amateur Photographer for 23 October 2004 and read their review of this exciting software. You can get a free test copy of the software itself from this link: http://www.dcp-systems.co.uk Why bother with a medium format camera if 35mm caressed by this Software will do instead? Oh I know I'll get lectures from purists for even suggesting something so daft, given superior lenses and better optics, but for some people that may be just overkill. If this article has opened up the possibility of a better working method for some freelances, that's all that matters. So don't please run around telling your mates that size does not matter and that I've assigned medium format cameras to the dustbin of history. No, I'm just shining the spotlight on that funny old coin digital/film and giving it a flick in the air. Who knows how it will land? At least I've got a 50-50 chance of being right! About The Author One of a series of articles by Robert Hartness, successful freelance and author of an hotlinked, flip-over, e-book, published on the web in October 2004. It offers a step-by-step guide to those on the threshold of freelance photography and is illustrated with 40+ published photographs. Acclaimed as a great reference source for serious freelancers. More information and order link - http://www.cashfromyourcamera.com Press Release: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/10/prweb168698.php
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Ten Ways (plus 1) to Save on Printer Ink and Toner Cartridges
Are you getting tired of the high cost of printing? You're not alone. Many consumers are up in arms. For example, they believe paying $22 per ounce for printer ink and $150 to $300 (or more) for a toner cartridge is way too much.
USB Key Drives - Useful Tool
There are many different names for these drives, just so we are all on the same wavelength about what I'm talking about, here are a few of the other names:
Surge Protector: A Simple Mechanism Description
A surge protector [AKA surge suppressor] is an electrical plug-in device designed to distribute safe electrical voltages to other electrical or electronic devices. Surge protectors resemble power strips in appearance; however, they are more sophisticated and deliver a constant, continuous power supply.
Learn How To Diagnose Power Supply Problems
The Power Supply convert's your regular household current into low DC voltage used by the computer. When this component fails,there is simply no activity going on wih your computer.Remember to do the easy troubleshooting first.Inspect the Power Supply for any damage.Double-Check all connections.
3 Easy Step To Locate A Real Bargain On Laptop Batteries
Looking for a real bargain on laptop batteries? How do I know the batteries are running good as advertised? Which merchants are offering quality rechargeable cells? Where can I get the bargain? Where to buy?
What Is A Crystal? And How To Test It
Crystal are use to keep the frequency of the clock from drifting. If the signal from this clock stops, or is weak, or the pulses begin to vary, the electronic equipments might show intermittent faults or might stop altogether. The microprocessor pins that hold the crystal are usually called OSC IN and OSC OUT as shown in Figure 1 and the frequency is marked on the crystal. Typical examples of crystal oscillator frequency are 3.58MHZ, 4MHZ, 8MHZ, 24MHZ etc.
Buying a New Computer
Someone recently asked me "I teach senior citizens in a community based free computer lab. They often ask what to look for when buying a computer, what software they need for email, basic Internet usage, word processing, etc. Many are on a limited budget. What would you suggest they need as a minimum?"
The Newest Thing in Lighting - LED Lighting and What It Can Do
The other day my son said to me, what else could anyone possibly invent? Sometimes it would seem that way, but I think that couldn't be further from the truth. Back in the late sixties and early seventies someone realized that light emitting diodes could be used for indicator lights. They only were available in the color red, but that didn't stop anyone, in fact we all became quite familiar with that red color in things like calculators and hand held games. That is pretty much where LED's stayed until a few years ago.
What is EEPROM ?
EEPROM stands for Electrical Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory and also referred to as EPROM. As the name suggest, an EEPROM can be both erased and programmed with electrical pulses. Since it can be both electrically written into and electrically erased, the EEPROM can be rapidly programmed and erased in circuit for reprogramming without removing them from the circuit board.
Using System Restore to Save Yourself from Formatting Your Hard Drive
It is the most annoying thing when one day you use your computer and nothing seems to work fine. Program freezes, files get corrupted or internet doesn't work. You called the customer support or some friends you know who's very much familiar with computer and still didn't solve the problem.
Drop On Demand Printers
Most HP and Epson printers are drop on demand printers. They use electrical pulses to fulfill requests for ink. The ink is expelled out of the print head by a bubble which forms as a reaction to being heated. Once the ink is propelled out of the cartridge, the bubble cools, contracts, and forms a vacuum of sorts, which pulls more ink into the nozzle.
Buying Cheap Refurbished Laptops
When comparing refurbished laptop models, ask about these specifications:
Getting A New Laptop At A Great Price
With all the wheeling and dealing that seems to take place on the internet at all times of the day, it can sometimes get confusing just trying to find your own deal. Finding the best price on your new laptop is most likely your highest priority at this point, but there are other important factors as well.
Learn About The Three Basic Types Of Computer Mouse
1) Mechanical: This is a type of computer mouse that has a rubber or metal ball on its underside and it can roll in every direction. Sensors within the mouse, which are mechanical, detect the direction in which the ball is moving and moves the pointer on the screen in the same direction. A mouse pad should be used under the mouse to run on.
Rear Projection TV Facts - Understanding the Pros & Cons of Rear Projection in the Home Theater
Rear Projection Television - An Affordable Option
Looking for Information on CD Duplication and Replication?
Time is one of the most important things we have that we are always short on. One way to maximize your time is to have the most up to date technology available. But, this can be costly. If you are in the market to purchase CD duplication or replication products, you won't have to spend a lot of money to get quality products to help you with this. Depending on what type of CD duplication you are interested in, you will more then likely find just what you need online and do so quickly.
Do You Have Dead Pixels?
Take a good look at your notebook computer screen. Do you find some tiny dark spots? You could have dead pixels. One of the most expensive parts of your notebook computer is the LCD screen.
How To Purchase A Quality Laptop Computers Case
So you finally have that new laptop you have been drooling over for the past 3 months, only there is one problem ?- You don't have a case for it. You've probably already laid down over a grand for the notebook and you're telling yourself that you don't want to spend another $70 for a case. Trust me, this isn't the time to be cheap.
Moving to a New PC
Getting a new PC is exciting and a pain. It's exciting because you get a faster processor, more storage and all the latest stuff even though it's outdated as soon as it hits your desk. The pain comes with re-installing all of your programs, re-customizing your preferences for programs, applications, and Windows, and transferring data to the new PC.
Laptop Computers and the PVP Effect!
Roll over lumbering desktop computers, the limber laptop is here, and it's here to stay! For a while now notebooks have outstripped their ageing desktop PC siblings, easily winning the gold medal in the computer sales olympics. We will illustrate how the PVP effect has contributed greatly to the increase in popularity of notebook computers.
|
