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Chapter 15 Digital Darkroom Basics
Image-editing software is often bundled
(included as an accessory item) with a digital
camera or a scanner. Programs offered in this
way tend toward the basic, but others provide an
intermediate level of features. Kodak’s Picture
CD, promoted as an “add-on” to conventional
processing, even includes a simple image editor
on the disk containing the digitized photos.
newspapers and magazines maintain strict
control over photo content—the photographer or
other staff member can make basic processing
adjustments, but cannot manipulate the photo
by adding or removing content. Although some
changes (such as removing a distracting person
in the background) might seem harmless and
an improvement to the image, news ethics do
not permit such manipulations. A number of
newspaper and magazine photographers have
lost their jobs after making changes that they felt
improved the photo and did not harm its content.
The reasoning behind the news media’s strict
approach is that permitting even such minor
“improvements” could lead to manipulation of
photo content that would distort the meaning of
the image and mislead readers.
Photographic artists are not necessarily
bound by such considerations. They may use
a variety of photo manipulation techniques to
create works that might be called “believable lies.”
Such images might distort reality to a greater or
lesser extent, much like the work of impressionist
or cubist painters. The artist’s intent in creating
the image is not to mislead the viewer, but to
convey his or her individual viewpoint. The work
might be intended to convey a specific emotion,
an idea, or a sense of altered reality.
Many photographers prefer to do what they
refer to as straight photography, using little or
no manipulation. These photographers prefer
to produce prints that reflect, as accurately as
possible, what they saw through the camera’s
viewfinder (or on its LCD screen). As noted
earlier, they use conventional or digital darkroom
tools to make adjustments to color or contrast,
improve shadow or highlight areas by dodging or
burning, or to correct overall exposure. They may
also crop the image to improve composition.
Image Editing Software
The indispensable tool for either image
processing or image manipulation is a software
application referred to in general terms as an
editing program or image editor. There are a
number of such programs on the market, ranging
from very simple ones that can be used for basic
tasks to highly complex applications with an
array of specialized features. See Figure 15-2.
Figure 15-2. Image editing software can range from
the quite simple to the very complex. A—Simple, basic
image editors typically use buttons to display a number
of preset functions and effects. B—Adobe Photoshop
is considered the industry standard for image editing.
It offers a huge number of features, but requires
investing considerable time and effort to learn to use
it effectively.
A
B