Table Of Content
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Absolute
Beginner’s
Guide
to
Digital
Photography
Joseph Ciaglia, Barbara London, John Upton, Ken Kobré, and Betsy Brill
with Peter Kuhns
800 East 96th Street,
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240
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Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Digital Executive Editor
Photography Candace Hall
Copyright 2004 by Que Publishing Acquisitions Editor
Karen Whitehouse
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record- Development
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is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although
Karen Whitehouse
every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and
author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed Managing Editor
for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Charlotte Clapp
International Standard Book Number: 0-7897-3120-7 Project Editor
George Nedeff
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004100876
Copy Editor
Printed in the United States of America
Karen Whitehouse
First Printing: April 2004
Indexer
07 06 05 04 4 3 2 1
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Contents at a Glance
Part I Digital Quickstart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
1 Quickstart to Digital: Pix to Print in Seconds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
2 Advantages & Disadvantages of Digital Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
3 Film Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Part II Digital Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
4 The Importance of Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
5 Exposure and Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
6 Getting Your Pix Onscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
7 Files & File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
8 File Recovery: Finding “Lost” Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Part III Image Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
9 Basic Editing with Photoshop Elements and iPhoto . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
10 Editing with Selection Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
11 Advanced Selection Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
12 The Importance of Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
13 The Importance of Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
14 The Importance of Brightness/Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
15 The Importance of Levels & Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
16 The Importance of Layers & Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
17 The Importance of Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255
Part IV Digital Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267
18 Printers and Printer Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
19 Preserving Your Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285
20 Color Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
21 Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307
Part V Using Your Digital Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323
22 The Portrait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325
23 Digital Photography & the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353
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Table of Contents
I Digital Quickstart . . . . . . . . . .1 Direct Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Design Rule for Camera File
1 Quickstart to Digital: Pix to Print in
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Seconds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Digital Print Order Format . . . . 27
What Do You Mean by “Digital
3 Film Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Photography”? . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Choosing a Color Film . . . . . . . . 30
Why Flash Media Is Important . . 5
Types of Color Film . . . . . . . . . . 31
Photography and the Internet . . 6
Negative Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Is Digital Photography Reversal Film (Slide Film,
Expensive? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Transparency Film, or
“Chromes”) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Is Traditional Photography Really Professional Film . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Less Expensive? . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Films for Specialized Color
Balance and Exposure Times . . . 32
2 Advantages and Disadvantages
of Digital Cameras . . . . . . . . 11
Selecting and Using Film . . . . . . 32
Color Balance and Film . . . . . . 33
Capture Delays . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Do You Need a Film for a
Sensor Resolution and Crummy Special Purpose? . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Storing Film Properly . . . . . . . . 35
Film Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
The RGB Color Space . . . . . . . . . 15
Film Speed Rating Systems . . . . 36
The CCD Image Sensor . . . . . . . 17 Film Speed and Grain . . . . . . . . 37
CCD and Color: Using a Color
How Film Responds to Light . . . 41
Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
CCD Competition: Low-Cost
CMOS Image Sensors . . . . . . . . 20
II Digital Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
What About Foveon? . . . . . . . . 20
4 The Importance of Lenses . . . . . 45
Aliasing and Other Imager
Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Lens Focal Length . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Normal Focal-Length Lenses . . . 47
Highlights and CCD Sensitivity . 23
Focal Length and Digital
Digital Camera Technologies and
Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Long Focal-Length Lenses . . . . . 49
EXIF 2.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Short Focal-Length Lenses . . . . 51
Exif Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Special-Purpose Lenses . . . . . . . 52
PictBridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
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Automatic Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 TIFF File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Types of Autofocus . . . . . . . . . 55
Photoshop File Format . . . . . . . 95
Center-Weighted Autofocus Lock .
56
8 File Recovery: Finding “Lost”
Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Focus and Depth of Field . . . . . . 58
Controlling Depth of Field . . . . 58 Using PC Inspector File
Lens Focal Length, Aperture, Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
and Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Recovering Lost Images from
5 Exposure and Focus . . . . . . . . . . 63 Flash Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Recovering Specific Images . . . 102
Digital Cameras and Color
Partially Corrupt Files . . . . . . . 102
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Color Balance and Film . . . . . . 66 Filesystems at Work: The File
Color Balance and Slide Film . . 66 Allocation Table (FAT) . . . . . 103
What Happens to Lost Data . . 106
Exposure Latitude . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Preventative Maintenance:
Film Latitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Defragmenting Flash Media 107
Formatting Flash Media . . . . . 108
6 Getting Your Pix Onscreen . . . . 71
Formatting in the Camera . . . 108
Working with Scan Software . . 73
Another Disaster Point: USB . . 109
Making a Scan Step by Step . . . 74
Determining the Samples per
Inch of a Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
III Image Editing . . . . . . . . . . .111
Scanning for Internet Output . . 77
Scanning for Inkjet and Dye- 9 Basic Editing with Photoshop
Sublimation Output . . . . . . . . . 78 Elements and iPhoto . . . . . . 113
Scanning for Laser and Offset
Finding an Image on Your
Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Alternatives to Scanning . . . . . . 79
Editing with Photoshop
7 Files and File Formats . . . . . . . . 81 Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Printing Resolution . . . . . . . . . 116
Photoshop Elements and Resizing an Image Step
Photoshop: File Format
by Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Resampling an Image . . . . . . . 118
JPEG File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Rescan or Resample a Photo . . 119
How JPEG Works . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Resampling 101 . . . . . . . . . . . 120
The Replacement for JPEG:
JPEG2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
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vi ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Modifying an Image in The Amazingly Versatile Pen
Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Perspective Correction in
Saving Selections . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Rotating an Image in
When Your Software Tools Quit
Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Unlimited Transformations in The Power of the Color Range
Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Modifying Selections . . . . . . . 165
Editing with iPhoto . . . . . . . . . 126
Feathering and Antialiased
Working with the Print Dialog
Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Box in iPhoto . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Don’t Forget the Crop Tool . . . 170
Resizing an Image Step by
Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Photoshop Elements Workarounds
for Pen and Quick Mask . . . 170
10Editing with Selection Tools . . 133
12The Importance of Resolution . 173
Introduction to Selection
Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Understanding Different Terms
Toolbox Options . . . . . . . . . . . 137 for Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Fly-Out Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Input Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . 176
The Most Popular Selection Digital Cameras and
Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Using the Magic Wand Tool . . 140 Resolution of Film: How Many
Using the Lasso Tool . . . . . . . 142 Pixels? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Using the Rectangular Marquee Scanner Software and
Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Using the Elliptical Marquee Understanding Bit Depth . . . . 183
Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 12- and 16-bit Scan Rates . . . 184
How Can a 48-Bit Scan Help
Introduction to Image Editing . 145
Me? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Color Balance 101 . . . . . . . . . . 148 Drawbacks to 48-Bit Images . . 185
11Advanced Selection Tools . . . . 151 Output Resolution . . . . . . . . . . 186
Digital Methods for Increasing
The Polygonal Lasso Tool . . . . 153 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Printing Press Output and
Magnetic Lasso . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Single Row and Single Column
13The Importance of Filters . . . . 191
Marquees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Sharpening Prints . . . . . . . . . . 192
Quick Mask Mode . . . . . . . . . . 156
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CONTENTS vii
Degrees of Unsharp Masking . 193 Correcting Images with Curves 226
An Exercise with Unsharp Curves for People in a Hurry . . 226
Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Understanding the Curves
Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Taking Advantage of Blur . . . . 197
Getting Information About the
Removing Moiré Patterns and
Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Halftone Dots . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Color Corrections with Curves 231
Using Blur to Add an Artistic
Touch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Accessing Levels and Curves
Noise Filters: Despeckle and Adjustment Layers . . . . . . . 231
Dust & Scratches . . . . . . . . . . 200
16The Importance of Layers and
14The Importance of Brightness/ Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Adjustment Layers Are a Different
Introduction to Histograms . . . 207 Kind of Layer . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Correcting Brightness and Contrast
Creating Image Layers . . . . . . . 237
for Dark Images . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Blending and Opacity
Correcting Brightness and Contrast
Experiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
for Low-Contrast Images . . . . 209
Harmonizing the Elements
Using Histograms to Diagnose
of a Collage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Exposure Problems . . . . . . . 210
Scale and Resolution in a
Setting Brightness and Contrast
Collage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
with the Black Point and the
Managing Layers . . . . . . . . . . 240
White Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Creating an Extended Family . 241
Black-Point and White-Point
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Preventing Color Banding and
Brightness and Contrast Data Loss in Adjustment
Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
15The Importance of Levels and Making a Composite Image
Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Step by Step . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Visualize the Image . . . . . . . . 244
Using Levels to Fix Your
Inspect Each Component . . . . 244
Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Adjust All the Components . . 245
Levels Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . 221
Select a Component and
How Can Color Images Use Gray
Copy It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Values? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Copy the Selection and Paste
Working with Histograms and
It into the Background Image . 247
Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Flatten the Image When
Fixing an Image . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Finished . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
The Purpose of Levels Triangles 224
The Output Levels Section . . . 225
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viii ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Advanced Selection Techniques: The Correct Settings for Printing
The Pen Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Drawing a Straight Line . . . . . 248
What Resolution Are My
Other Uses for Paths . . . . . . . 249
Images? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
The Purpose of Clipping Paths 252
Ink and Resolution: Tips for
Layer Masks: Attaching a Mask Quality and Saving on Cost . . 275
to a Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Third-Party Ink and Printer
Masking an Adjustment Layer . 253
Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
17The Importance of Channels . . 255 ICC Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Epson Printers and Big Brother 280
Using Masks to Create Paper and Resolution: Tips for
Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Quality and Saving on Cost . . 281
Seeing Through a Mask . . . . . . 259
Why Do Images Look so Good
Removing an Object from an on the Monitor? . . . . . . . . . 282
Image and Pasting into Another
Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Printing Big Pictures . . . . . . . . 282
Using a Mask Created from an
19Preserving Your Images . . . . . . 285
Image to Create Special Effects
in Another Image . . . . . . . . . . 262 Photo Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Alpha Channels: Where Masks
Are Stored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Plain Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Troubleshooting: Keeping Track Archival Issues with Paper . . . . 288
of Layers, Channels, and
Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 What About Dye-Sublimation
Printers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
The Image-Editing Software
Stops Working . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Saving Your Images on
The Last Command Did Not
CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Work the Way It Should Have
The Advantages of a CD-ROM 289
Worked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Make Your Own Photo Gallery
I’m Still Not Getting the Results
on CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
I Want . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
A Command Is Grayed Out or Is 20Color Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Missing from the Menu . . . . . 266
Three Image Layers Create
Color Images . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Film Development Process . . . 295
IV Digital Output . . . . . . . . . . .267
Printing Process . . . . . . . . . . . 296
18Printers and Printer Resolution 269
Making Your Prints Match the
Printer Technology . . . . . . . . . . 270 Monitor—Gamuts and
Software Dithering and Error Color Management . . . . . . . 297
Diffusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Printing Without Color
Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
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CONTENTS ix
Printing in RGB and CMYK . . . 302 23Digital Photography and
Multiple Printers: About Paper 305 the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
21Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Making Images for the
Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Degree of Diffusion: From Hard
to Soft Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Creating a Web Photo Gallery . 353
Compressing Images for the
Available Light: Outdoors . . . . 310 Internet with JPEG . . . . . . . . . 356
Available Light: Indoors . . . . . . 312 The Internet: Resource and
Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Qualities of Artificial Light . . . 313
Exploring the Web . . . . . . . . . 357
The Main Light: The Dominant Your Own Virtual Gallery . . . . 358
Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
The Fill Light: To Lighten
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
V Using Your Digital Pictures .323
22The Portrait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Converting Color to Black and
White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Color to Black and White:
Using Grayscale or Desaturate 328
Color to Black and White:
Using Channels Plus Grayscale 330
Fixing Red Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
