Languages
Pages
Legal
THE ADVANTAGE OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
DIGITAL REVOLUTIONISED THREE AREAS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
BUT FIRST ... WHAT IS DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY?
LET’S EXAMINE THE
DIFFERENCES
ANALOGUE PHOTOGRAPHY
• Images are:
• captured and recorded to film
• developed and processed in the darkroom
• printed chemically or projected
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
• Images are:
• captured by a sensor and recorded to a memory card
• developed and processed in software like Photoshop
• rarely printed but often shared on the internet
THREE AREAS WERE REVOLUTIONISED
1.CAPTURE
2.PROCESSING
3.OUTPUT
WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT DIGITAL?
DIGITAL PROCESSING IS POWERED BY INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
THESE ARE
THE MOTORS OF THE DIGITAL
AGE
MOORE’S LAW
GORDON MOORE, INTEL CO-FOUNDER
1965
THE NUMBER OF COMPONENTS IN AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DOUBLES EVERY TWO YEARS
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
THE NUMBER OF COMPONENTS ≈
THE PROCESSING POWER
MORE COMPONENTS ≈
SMALLER COMPONENTS
SMALL COMPONENTS ≈
SMALLER PROCESSORS
SMALLER PROCESSORS ≈
FASTER PROCESSORS AND
CHEAPER PROCESSORS
DOUBLES EVERY TWO
YEARS?
THE PROCESSOR YOU CAN BUY IN TWO YEARS WILL BE
TWICE AS FAST
THE PROCESSOR YOU CAN BUY IN FOUR YEARS WILL BE
FOUR TIMES AS FAST
THE PROCESSOR YOU CAN BUY IN SIX YEARS WILL BE EIGHT
TIMES AS FAST
THE PROCESSOR YOU CAN BUY IN EIGHT YEARS WILL BE SIXTEEN TIMES AS FAST
EXPONENTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Components
Time
THIS IS EXPONENTIAL
IMPROVEMENT THAT AFFECTS EVERYTHING DIGITAL
THE THREE PHOTOGRAPHIC AREAS
1.CAPTURE
2.PROCESSING
3.OUTPUT
IMPROVING
EXPONENTIALLY
CAPTURE
• More megapixels
• Greater dynamic range
• Greater ISO sensitivity
• Less noise
PROCESSING
• Faster computers
• Cheaper computers
• More powerful software
• Cheaper software
OUTPUT
• Better screens - approaching print DPI
• Easier to share images
• Millions of pictures uploaded to the internet each day
RECENT HISTORY
FLICKR’S MOST POPULAR CAMERA 2006
• Canon 350D
• Released: 2005
• Cost: €1099 RRP
• 8 megapixel stills
• Capture Only
FLICKR’S MOST POPULAR CAMERA 2012
• Apple iPhone 4
• Released: 2011
• Cost: £424.68
• 5 megapixel stills, HDR
• HD (720p) video
• Capture, Process, Output
ONE YEAR OF IMPROVEMENT…
• Apple iPhone 4S
• Released: 2012
• Cost: £424.68
• 8 megapixel stills, HDR
• HD (1080p) video
• Capture, Process, Output
CANON 600D
• Canon 600D
• Released: 2011
• Cost: €749 RRP
• 18 megapixel stills
• HD (1080p) video
• Capture Only
CAMERAS GET BETTER AND BETTER
AS TIME PASSES
CAMERAS GET SMALLER AND SMALLER
AS TIME PASSES
CAMERAS GET CHEAPER AND CHEAPER
AS TIME PASSES
CAMERAS ARE EVERYWHERE
EVERYONE HAS A CAMERA
• High quality cameras now come free with mobile phones
• People can process their images without using a computer
• People can instantly share their images with their friends
PEOPLE TAKE MORE PHOTOGRAPHS THAN EVER BEFORE
• Everything is documented - not just special occasions
• 250 million photographs are uploaded to Facebook every day
• Out of the estimated 3.5 trillion photos ever taken a whole 10% of them were taken in the past 12 months
CAMERAS ARE GETTING BETTER
SMALLER AND CHEAPER
THE NEAR FUTURE
IMPROVEMENTS IN CAPTURE
LIGHT FIELD CAMERAS
LYTRO
RECORDS LIGHT AND INTENSITY
IMAGES ARE FOCUSED ONTO THE FILM PLANE
USING THE FOCUS RING BEFORE CAPTURE
RECORDS LIGHT, INTENSITY AND DIRECTION
WITH DIRECTION FOCUS CAN BE MADE AFTER
CAPTURE
LET’S SEE THAT AGAIN
CURRENT DISADVANTAGES
• The image is interactive, cannot be printed
• Capturing the direction of light requires a more complex and larger sensor
• Images currently limited to 1.2 megapixels
IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESSING
CONTENT AWARE MOVE PHOTOSHOP CS6
View video demo from Adobe at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrlsnQ32YhY
IMPROVEMENTS IN OUTPUT
RETINA DISPLAY
• Super high resolution screens
• More pixels than a 1080p HD television on a 9.7 inch display
• 264 pixels per inch, almost print like
SOCIAL NETWORKS
• Facebook - 100 billion photos
• Flickr - 6 billion photos
• Instagram - 150 million photos
THE ADVANTAGE OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY?
MOORE’S LAW
THE THREE AREAS OF EXPONENTIAL IMPROVEMENT
1.CAPTURE
2.PROCESSING
3.OUTPUT
QUESTIONS?