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NEW TECHNOLOGY IN DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographs keep our memories alive.
Photography has undergone a revolution
with digital technology. No longer
is photography done with a camera
and the prints developed in a dark
room, which would take a few days
to be developed. Now it is the digital
age. Everything has to be done quickly.
With the advent of digital photography
this is indeed possible.
 Earlier
to take photographs, photographic
films were used, images created
and photographic processing was
done to make the photos visible
for all to see as pictures. In , digital technology
is used to make digital images of
people or any pictures that fancy
us. This is then stored digitally
in computers. No chemical processing
needs to be done. The pictures can
be stored, retrieved whenever we
want, transmitted to any one we
want to send it to, printed and
also displayed.
The
pictures can be taken with the help
of a digital
camera. The digital
film is made up of flash memory
modules or recordable CD’s.
This can be transferred to the computer
and stored there. In the computer,
the photos can be made to look better
with . The color
of the picture, the background,
the main image in the photo and
the lighting can be made to look
different and better. It can also
be put on a website.
Digital
technology gives the pictures a
longer life as opposed to the camera
print. We no longer need to have
prints. We can see in on the computer
whenever we want to. We can sent
to near and dear ones far away.
Digital
photography is a form of digital
imaging. This can be done without
a camera. It can be done with computer
tomography scanners and radio telescopes
without photographic equipments.
Digital images can be made of conventional
photographs, thus helping in restoring
old photographs and helping in keeping
memories alive.
Digital
photography is the order of the
day. Nowadays no one uses the conventional
camera. Many new techniques have
been made to improve the technology
of digital photography. Every aspect
of photography is advancing. New
strides are being taken in all fields
of lighting, optics, sensors, processing
and display. There is also new software
to integrate all this.
 Normal
images can be transformed into 3D
images. This looks good when viewed
from different angles. Making 3D
images is very computer intensive.
Models of famous places can be seen
with the help of Microsoft Photosynth.
High
Dynamic Range Cameras and displays
are available. With a non-HDR camera
a HDR a person can create his/her
own HDR image combining multiple
exposures. Dust Reduction Systems
are also being put in digital SLR
cameras to keep the dust of the
image sensors of the camera.
A
new technique is now used in museums.
Using computer controlled lights
and sensors; an object’s specular
reflection is captured. This helps
in taking pictures of oil paintings.
This is not available in the market.
Another feature is the removal of
motion blur with the help of a flutter
shutter. This is also not available
in the market. Other areas that
have improved are computer software,
displays, enlarged gamut sensors
and computer controlled lighting.
Various new techniques
are being worked on and thought
of by the companies that produce
digital cameras and those who are
into digital photography. Every
now and then we hear of newer advances
which improve the quality of photographs
and help to restore the old ones
that we possess.
Digital Photography and Printing
Using digital photography
to produce passport and visa photos
involves more than just photographing
subjects with a digital camera.
That is just the first step, the
image capture step, of a multi-step
process that also includes image
display and image printing using
computer and printer equipment.
Each of these components —
can influence either positively
or negatively — the final
printed photo that will be submitted
for the passport or visa. The following
recommendations for each of these
digital components will ensure high-quality
photos.
Digital Camera
 Digital
cameras are principally characterized
by their image resolution or mega-pixel
capacities; from low-resolution
(less than 1 mega-pixel) to high-resolution
(greater than 1 mega-pixel) to advanced
high-resolution (4 mega-pixels or
more). The camera''s resolution
is the most critical feature in
producing high-quality photographs.
For U.S. passport and visa photographs,
a digital camera with a resolution
of 1 mega-pixel will be more than
adequate for capturing the image
and producing the final photo that
conforms to the dimensions specified
on this web site.
These cameras generally
have automatic features for controlling
many of the photographic qualities
emphasized on the preceding web
pages. Care should be taken not
to rely totally on these controls
since each subject — facial
characteristics, clothing, facial
movement, etc. — can vary
and may not be accommodated for
by the automatic settings.
Cameras with a
direct electronic camera-to-computer
interface are preferable to those
requiring the use of an external
memory card. Data transfers will
occur much faster and allow for
verification of a good image being
stored in the computer. If a retake
is required because the subject
blinked or moved, it would be more
convenient than taking several shots
to be sure of a good one and then
downloading them via the memory
card.
Computer
The computer is
the central component in digital
photography. It stores and displays
the digital images from the digital
camera and enables those images
to be printed on a variety of digital
printers. Because of the huge amount
of data contained in high-resolution
digital images, the computer should
have adequate memory and storage
capacities. In addition to these
two key elements, the computer should
have high-speed interfaces to the
camera and printer, as well as a
fast CPU to control the image processing
functions. The recommended computer
configuration for processing digital
images is provided below:
* CPU Speed: 1.4 GHz
* Main Memory: 128 MB RAM
* Hard Drive Storage: 20 GB
* Interfaces: High-speed interfaces
to match your camera and printer,
such as Firewire or USB 2.0
Display Monitor
Most display monitors
today are capable of displaying
images in various screen resolutions,
all of which are suitable for viewing
passport and visa images. These
monitors also display images in
a wide variety of colors. However,
an image can look quite different
when viewed on various display monitors,
in terms of both screen resolution
and image quality. For this reason,
it is important to set the monitor''s
settings to the manufacturer''s
default values to view the image
in the most appropriate manner.
For more accurate color-matching,
check that the calibration of your
monitor is correct. If necessary,
use the monitor''s control panel
to fine-tune its color adjustments;
for instance, to set the monitor''s
color temperature to 6500 ºK
to approximate daylight. For even
greater color accuracy, the stored
image can be converted to and displayed
in a device-independent color space
by using standard image display
software. This removes the color
bias of the specific display monitor
and will more accurately represent
the way the image should actually
appear.
Printer
 If
digital printers are used to produce
passport and visa photographs in
lieu of conventional photographic
processes, the photographs produced
must be high quality and photo-like
in appearance. Certain types of
digital printers such as —
inkjet and dye sublimation —
can be used to produce high-quality
passport and visa photos. deposit multi-colored ink
onto photographic print paper. Dye
sublimation printers use heat, applied
to a multi-colored ribbon or film,
to release a dye that is transferred
onto photographic print paper. These
two types of printers, when used
with compatible print paper that
produces high resolution, photo-like
images, are suitable for printing
passport and visa photos. They have
multiple printer settings to control
the format, print resolution, and
print quality of the printed photo.
In addition, they come with printer-specific
device driver software that converts
the stored image pixel data in the
computer into the actual printer
output to be printed onto the photographic
paper. Just as with display monitors,
printers have their own unique color
profile that should be taken into
account before the image is printed.
The combination of proper printer
settings and photo-quality paper
determines whether high-quality
photos can be obtained.
Avoiding Photo Printing Problems
Using digital photography
to produce high-quality passport
and visa photos is dependent on
the condition and proper use of
the digital camera, computer, display
monitor, and digital printer. Maintaining
the digital printer in good working
order however, can be the single
most important aspect of producing
quality photos. Regardless of how
much attention is paid to capturing,
storing, and displaying an image,
image quality will be poor if printers
— including inks and ribbons
— are not properly maintained.
To ensure that a quality print is
obtained, the image can be transferred
to disk and taken to a photo lab
to be printed. The equipment found
in a photo lab will normally be
capable of producing higher-quality
photos and undergoes the frequent
calibration and maintenance necessary
for consistent results.
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