Digital imaging, as it is discussed here, means the capture, storage, and manipulation of photographs in a digital (electronic) format. It means capturing the image using a digital camera, camcorder, or scanner. And saving the information on a diskette, hard disk, or tape. And finally, loading the captured image into a computer to manipulate and print the images.

Digital Cameras and Camcorders

These 2 products are fast becoming 1, as more and more camcorders come equipped with a photo capture mode. Still, at the present time, the better digital cameras capture images which contain more pixels of information than a camcorder. The more pixels there are in the width and height of an image, the sharper the image will be. Most consumer grade camcorders capture images at 720 x 480 pixels, whereas a good digital camera will captures images at or about 1080 x 720 pixels.

If the images are going to be used on a computer monitor or television screen only, then the difference is generally not noticeable. If you are planning to print out your images, you will notice the difference.

Scanners

You can also scan colour slides or negatives, or the prints to create a digital file which can be manipulated on your computer. A good scanner for home use, which will scan prints up to 8-1/2" x 11", can be had for $200 or even less. This allows you to manipulate the images with your computer to make post cards, calendars, or creative images. You can also buy a scanner that will capture images from slides and negatives, but generally, given the cost of such scanners, you are better off to have a photo dealer scan slides and negatives for you. The advantage of scanning slides and negatives is that you will have a permanent record of your pictures on a CD which will last a lifetime, without colour degradation or loss of image quality. The dyes in slides and negatives will change over time, and are much more sensitive to humidity and temperature extremes than a CD.

So, for creativity and enjoyment using your computer and colour printer, a print scanner is an economical way to go. For archiving photos you want to have forever, it is better to have the original slides or negatives scanned professionally onto a CD.

Photo Manipulation

If you bought a colour printer or scanner in the last couple of years, chances are it came with a suite of software to manipulate the images. And if you would like to experiment with other software, trial versions of many products can be obtained at www.download.com. The industry standard is Adobe Photoshop, which is overkill for most consumers. You may want to consider other products such as Paint Shop Pro, LView Pro, or even Adobe Photodeluxe, which is a diluted and user friendly version of Photoshop.

All of these packages include standard procedures to correct colour, brightness, and contrast in your images, as well as a long list of special effects. You are limited only by your imagination.