[Leica] Re(2): Cool Leica Pictures

["Christopher Hoover" <cdhoover@invitrogen.com>]

         Reply to:   Re(2): Cool Leica Pictures
Here's a couple thoughts on Alan's & Eric's posts.

Viewing graphics on a computer monitor leaves much to be desired. Viewing
through the web is even more difficult; the images are either compressed
(JPEGs) or limited in color palette (GIFs). Both methods reduce image
quality and either way, you're limited to 72 dpi on the monitor. You also have
to contend with variable color interpretation in which the browser,
monitor, end-user color settings (gamma), and video card all argue. There's
also not much information present to begin with. Most web site pics are
30-50K files and can hardly be compared to a 40MB CMYK drumscan of a 35mm
slide. Thus the common utterance of the new web user, "I printed out this web
page but the pictures look terrible. Is there something wrong with the
printer?". If printed at the  standard color output of 300dpi, a 3x5" web
image would be under 0.72" x 1.2".

Outside of higher resolution monitors (which will take a while), there
are a few ways of improving image display on the web. First, you can
recommend that the web visitors  check their monitor settings (8-bit only allows
256 colors to be seen simultaneously, 16 bit allows thousands of colors,
24-bit allows millions). 

The new PNG graphics format offers lossless compression, unlike JPEG and
GIF. It's more like TIFF or LZW compression but smaller and
web-compatible. It's starting to catch on, and will be supported by the next generation
of graphics programs (i.e. PhotoShop 5, due this spring). PNG graphics are
even visible within some current browsers. There's an article in the
Spring 98 Adobe Magazine, which is unfortunately (and inscrutably) not
available online. However, you can subscribe for free at http://www.adobe.com/publ
ications/adobemag/subnew.html. 

Also, I checked the Kodak site 6 months ago and they offered a set of CGI
scripts that allowed viewing of PHOTO-CD images in their native (baseX)
format. Their system, which I believe is free, enabled you to zoom and scan
across a picture. Similar systems are available from LivePicture. 

So, the current state of the web is useful for getting a sense of a photo
(in a similar way to a 3x5 print of a 35mm film). I agree that it's not
realistic to distinguish subtle differences (especially on different
monitors), but it is the quickest and least expensive method of sharing images. 

Keep the image pages coming!

Chris Hoover

For an example of quick and dirty image exchange, here's some low res
images which were scanned directly from contact sheet and slides with a
flatbed! http://www.invitrogen.com/cdh/nyc.html


> From: Alan Ball <AlanBall@csi.com>
>  Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 08:26:20 +0200
 
> ...[edit]...

> Maybe Web imaging requires a new way of creating the images, with Web
> usage as the main objective even at the shooting stage, and attention
> concentrated on the strengths and weaknesses of this particular
> application: the technology allows the creation of 'living' images,
> loaded with 'inner' animation, timed transformation, etc.

> Anyone care to share his/her thoughts on this ?

> Alan
> Brussels-Belgium