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How it is done Manipulation of images was once limited to the rephotographing of the original work, and then painstakingly hand-working the new print. There were clear limits to what could be achieved with a badly damaged original, and a very high price to be paid for the many hours of work required for even the simplest repair or adjustment. With the advent of digital imaging, a whole new world of possibilities is opened up. The original is not rephotographed, but scanned as a high definition image into a computer. Professional software is then used by a skilled digital photographer to electronically restore, manipulate and enhance the image. The result is then printed on a high quality digital photographic printer. The new possibilities allow changes to images that once could not even be contemplated. This is, of course, in addition to the traditional adjustments such as enhancing contrast, enlargement, reduction, and cropping, which can all be done electronically. But to say these restored and manipulated images have been produced 'by computer' is like saying that an old piece of furniture has been restored 'by hammer and nails'. We know that it is the skill of the craftsman using the tool, rather than the tool itself, that results in a beautiful end product. For our work a computer is not enough. Indeed it takes more than a computer with a technically competent operator - it takes these things plus a love of the art of photography to produce a totally satisfying result. |