Digital Image Workflow
Tim Johnson Photography
The ease with which digital images are created, moved and deleted needs to be balanced with the way they are preserved. “In my computer” is no comfort when “my computer” crashes or is stolen. The following is a protocol for you to follow with your images.
save the originals
Most professional and serious amateurs shoot RAW files. These should be maintained separately. They are large and could be considered to be like slides or negatives. Most camera manufacturers have raw file converters as do Microsoft, Mac, Linux. Even if you are taking JPGs, I suggest taking the largest images possible and saving the originals intact until you are through with your projects related to those images. Even then, I would suggest saving the original shots to multiple drives and an archival DVD. Film and slides go in archival sleeves and the sleeves go in archival boxes. The boxes go into heat and humidity controlled rooms. Get in touch with Light Impressions for your archival storage materials.
organize
Picasa, Adobe Products, Corel PSP and many other software packages will organize your images by type and/or date. This will help you keep up with them and prevent you from keeping redundant copies in multiple folders on your hard drive or drives.
work on copies
Copy or convert the images into the format you will be working on in your software: Photoshop Elements, Paintshop Pro, and Quark all have native, proprietary file types that save your steps and files. Adobe products create PSDs, Paint Shop Pro creates PSPs and so on. The GIMP, an open source product, uses its native XCF. They can also save your files in web and transfer friendly (smaller) formats. Most printing services want files outside of folders. Loosey-goosey files on the drive work for most kiosks. They generally want JPGs. Some will work with TIFFs. A little-known item is that many photo kiosks do not like the U3 firmware built into some thumbdrives. Be prepared so that you are not disappointed or confused.
be nice when you share
Small files are faster for sharing. Most software has file-optimizing routines. This allows a file to maintain good quality and travel quickly. Some photo sharing sites automatically resize images. Kodak, Wolf, Ofoto and others just make the changes for you and post your images for others to visit.
back up your backups so there are no hiccups
At best, digital storage is transient. Hard drives crash and CDs and DVDs are fragile. The test of time simply has not been applied to digital formats. For instance, if you have some 8 track tapes, 8 inch floppy disks or SyQuest disks, what are the chances you can read the information that is stored on them? I recommend using internal, external and off-site storage services for your images. Migrate your images when you are able. Storage is cheap and your images are precious. Keep moving your images forward. Soon they will fit on a solid-state chip and 2001 & 2010 will be a memory complete with our images and memories.
Tim Johnson http://www.timjohnsonphoto.com/
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Love All The Letters To Life
We are often told to watch our “p's” and “q's”. We certainly do want to get the descenders on the correct side.
The letters we really need to practice are emphasized on the ever-popular WHEEL OF FORTUNE. In the FINAL SPIN for the BIG PRIZE the contestant is given R, S, T, L, N & E. These letters are the most commonly used in American English. “Z” is the least used.
So, for each “z” used, the other letters are used in this proportion:
e – 60
t – 42.5
i, n, o, & s – 40
h – 32
r – 31
d – 22
l – 20
u – 17
c & m – 15
f – 12.5
w & y – 10
g & p – 8.5
b – 8
v – 6
k – 4
q – 2.5
j & x – 2
So, you can become a better “wheelie” and you now can understand that American English is 92% German. Wiki on over to these two links, but come on back to finish this note.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English
The real task for writers is putting these letters together into words and the task for people doing handwriting and calligraphy is to create legible art. You might pick a favorite letter or find some easier to make than others. However, you must learn to make them all.
Take commanding charge of your expressions, vocabulary, writing instruments and set down your thoughts and feelings. All writers are not calligraphers and all calligraphers do not continually create their own material.
Calligraphers do make legible art. The dance of the pen leaves readable footprints. Our letters, banners, posters, books and designs communicate on many levels. Information, inspiration and aggravation all flow through the hand and pen onto the paper or other media.
We like to make the letters and jazz up words that do have “z's” and “x's”, but we do like writing out things that matter.
I enjoy seeing the expression on a face when I write out a person's name in a fine hand. I like finishing a project that I've invested my talent and heart in. I really like seeing something that I did 25-30 years ago still hanging in a restaurant, office, home or school.
Stop lurking. Get out your pens, buy some fresh ink. (Your ancient gouache is still fine.) Join a class or a club or hide in a closet but write, use all the letters. Stretch your mind, abilities and skills and then come get some more.
You can do it. Do it. Classes are forming NOW at Wake Tech. Tim
http://www.timjohnsonphoto.com/
The letters we really need to practice are emphasized on the ever-popular WHEEL OF FORTUNE. In the FINAL SPIN for the BIG PRIZE the contestant is given R, S, T, L, N & E. These letters are the most commonly used in American English. “Z” is the least used.
So, for each “z” used, the other letters are used in this proportion:
e – 60
t – 42.5
i, n, o, & s – 40
h – 32
r – 31
d – 22
l – 20
u – 17
c & m – 15
f – 12.5
w & y – 10
g & p – 8.5
b – 8
v – 6
k – 4
q – 2.5
j & x – 2
So, you can become a better “wheelie” and you now can understand that American English is 92% German. Wiki on over to these two links, but come on back to finish this note.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English
The real task for writers is putting these letters together into words and the task for people doing handwriting and calligraphy is to create legible art. You might pick a favorite letter or find some easier to make than others. However, you must learn to make them all.
Take commanding charge of your expressions, vocabulary, writing instruments and set down your thoughts and feelings. All writers are not calligraphers and all calligraphers do not continually create their own material.
Calligraphers do make legible art. The dance of the pen leaves readable footprints. Our letters, banners, posters, books and designs communicate on many levels. Information, inspiration and aggravation all flow through the hand and pen onto the paper or other media.
We like to make the letters and jazz up words that do have “z's” and “x's”, but we do like writing out things that matter.
I enjoy seeing the expression on a face when I write out a person's name in a fine hand. I like finishing a project that I've invested my talent and heart in. I really like seeing something that I did 25-30 years ago still hanging in a restaurant, office, home or school.
Stop lurking. Get out your pens, buy some fresh ink. (Your ancient gouache is still fine.) Join a class or a club or hide in a closet but write, use all the letters. Stretch your mind, abilities and skills and then come get some more.
You can do it. Do it. Classes are forming NOW at Wake Tech. Tim
http://www.timjohnsonphoto.com/
The Calligraphic Proccess - Pens, Ink & You
Calligraphic exercises are rarely just putting ink on paper.
For me, the process of writing begins with ink grinding. There is something sublime and serene about taking the quality ink stick to an ink stone and pulling water from the well up onto the grinding surface and using regular motions to create just the right viscosity of fluid for filling a quill or reed or metal nib with which to write well-formed letters.
Paper preparation comes next. That might sound tedious to someone in a hurry, but let's remember we are chasing perfection, not playing slap and tickle with this art form. Good paper still needs the attention of pumice, sandarach and the critical eye. We don't want a single loose fiber jumping into the split of the nib and ruining a line of writing.
Preparing the writing instrument is also critical and is part of the process. Whatever the writing instrument, we want it sharp, clean and prepared to receive our writing fluid. Cleaning it with soap and water is a start, a touch of acetone will remove oily impurities and a sharp eye on the edge will let us know that we will have a crisp edge and fine hair strokes and dandy finials.
Now, we prepare our mind and body. Michael Hughey, my first calligraphy tutor and expert in so many areas of lettering arts and design, suggests we begin with Mental Preparation, Relaxation which includes Breathing, even when writing. You see, even letters reveal if they are suffering from oxygen deprivation. Proper Posture. Proper pen-hold, The use of a slant board. And Practice.
We digress here because we must note that no major calligraphic work, be it a hand-lettered book, document or scroll, was ever created at a flat desk. Thus I set out to build portable, sturdy and inexpensive writing board for my students and colleagues and do to this day. They cost just $75 and will free your body from cramps, pain and bad posture. Plus, it makes you look cool as you write.
Now, we lay out our page, supposing we have something to say and we put pen to paper. We practice. We don't JUST practice. We practice perfectly. Practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.
In my studio and in my classes, we use the correct tools, which are surprisingly inexpensive, we learn to sit and breathe and we learn to hold the pen. We make our letters correctly. We practice perfectly and we laugh a lot.
Get some of the good paper, get the good tools, get the best writing fluids and get Tim to coach you through the process of practicing perfectly. I'll put it in WRITING that you'll be happy with the results.
Tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com
For me, the process of writing begins with ink grinding. There is something sublime and serene about taking the quality ink stick to an ink stone and pulling water from the well up onto the grinding surface and using regular motions to create just the right viscosity of fluid for filling a quill or reed or metal nib with which to write well-formed letters.
Paper preparation comes next. That might sound tedious to someone in a hurry, but let's remember we are chasing perfection, not playing slap and tickle with this art form. Good paper still needs the attention of pumice, sandarach and the critical eye. We don't want a single loose fiber jumping into the split of the nib and ruining a line of writing.
Preparing the writing instrument is also critical and is part of the process. Whatever the writing instrument, we want it sharp, clean and prepared to receive our writing fluid. Cleaning it with soap and water is a start, a touch of acetone will remove oily impurities and a sharp eye on the edge will let us know that we will have a crisp edge and fine hair strokes and dandy finials.
Now, we prepare our mind and body. Michael Hughey, my first calligraphy tutor and expert in so many areas of lettering arts and design, suggests we begin with Mental Preparation, Relaxation which includes Breathing, even when writing. You see, even letters reveal if they are suffering from oxygen deprivation. Proper Posture. Proper pen-hold, The use of a slant board. And Practice.
We digress here because we must note that no major calligraphic work, be it a hand-lettered book, document or scroll, was ever created at a flat desk. Thus I set out to build portable, sturdy and inexpensive writing board for my students and colleagues and do to this day. They cost just $75 and will free your body from cramps, pain and bad posture. Plus, it makes you look cool as you write.
Now, we lay out our page, supposing we have something to say and we put pen to paper. We practice. We don't JUST practice. We practice perfectly. Practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.
In my studio and in my classes, we use the correct tools, which are surprisingly inexpensive, we learn to sit and breathe and we learn to hold the pen. We make our letters correctly. We practice perfectly and we laugh a lot.
Get some of the good paper, get the good tools, get the best writing fluids and get Tim to coach you through the process of practicing perfectly. I'll put it in WRITING that you'll be happy with the results.
Tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com
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