Photography FAQ's
	Digital Imaging Centre

	Different Ways to be Digital
	Choosing a Digital Camera
	Printing your Digital Images
	Digital Images and Computers
	Powering a Digital Camera
	Digital Terms
	Basic Facts on Resolution & Memory

Make sure the computer that is used to download your images from your digital camera has the ports that will make this process easy. Slow data transfer rates can be one of the most frustrating aspects of using a digital camera.

Most cameras come with a cable that will allow it to be plugged directly into the computer. If that connection is not fast enough, you may consider purchasing a digital card reader that will offer a faster connection. Below you will find a listing of the different connections and approximate data transfer speeds for digital images.

Serial – 20 KB/sec.
USB (Universal Serial Bus) – 350 KB/sec.
IEEE 1394 (FireWire™) – 500 KB/sec.
USB Card Readers – 1.5 MB/sec.
FireWire™ Card Reader – up to 400 MB/sec.

Computers have touched so many areas of our lives. The impact that they have had in the world of photography is no exception. A major development in recent years is the emergence of powerful software programs that allow digital images to be improved, manipulated and perfected. Professional photographers and graphic design firms have been using photo editing software for years. Now those same tools are available to you in affordable and easy to use versions. Photo editing software often comes packaged with a digital camera and offers basic functions. Advanced versions let you become an artist and experience a world with no limits. Below you will find some of the different options that are available in these photo editing software programs.

Basic Level (e.g. free software with camera): Brightness and contrast adjustment Color adjustment Image rotate and flip Red-eye removal Cropping Intermediate/Advanced Level (e.g. Adobe Photoshop Elements – retail price of around $99): Drawing tools (brushes, color, lines) Filters and special effects Templates for greeting cards and business cards Create layers so parts of the image can be edited independently Photo stitching creates seamless panoramic images

When working on a digital image that is being opened, saved, and closed repeatedly through the editing process, be sure to save it as a TIFF (.tif) file. This file format does not use compression when being saved.

The JPEG (.jpg) file format is the best choice when sharing and printing digital files. When the editing is complete save the final version in this format. Compression is used to reduce the file size, so some data and quality will be lost each time the file is saved.