Re: d100 weddings

"Alan P. Hayes" <ahayes@berkshire.rr.com> · Thu, 12 Dec 2002 22:58:13 -0500

Jpegs only degrade when opened and subsequently saved. Just opening 
one and viewing it or copying it without opening it, is not a 
problem. Modifying one and saving it or opening it and saving it to 
another location, if done several times in succession will cause the 
image to deteriorate. As long as you return to the original file, not 
making progressive modifications and repeatedly saving them as jpeg 
files, you won't get a progressive degradation of the image. Always 
save to a high quality jpeg, the largest jpeg files tend to be a 
tenth the size of the uncompressed file. That should be plenty small 
enough. I usually shoot to the highest quality jpeg format the camera 
allows then do all my post processing to a file which I save in 
native Photoshop format. This lets me keep intermediate versions 
available, as well as giving you an undegraded image. These layered 
Photoshop files can be enormous, but these are on your hard drive or 
can be archived on CDs. You can save your final for-output veraions 
as tiff or even high quality jpeg, just don't use that second 
generation jpeg as a source for further versions.

At 8:45 PM -0600 12/12/02, colette wrote:

----- Original Message -----
From: "rand flory" <ferret@wyoming.com>

 But if money is tight on this shoot, you have little choice but to shoot
 JPEG.

 peace,

 rand

EEKS!  Sorry, I have to jump in here, Rand.  Your advice to Jody re: JPEG is
on the mark in order to save space on her cards....HOWEVER, never, and I
mean NEVER shoot a wedding or anything professional as a JPEG.  Everytime
you open a JPEG document you compromise the image, thus lose more and more
each time you open it, manipulate it, close it, print it, etc.  Soon  you
end up with an image that is for crud.  Please learn from my mistake.  I am
brand new to digital.  We shot it as JPEG, downloaded it to the laptop,
digitized it, closed it, opened it up, admired it, closed it, tweaked it a
little more, admired it more, decided to burn it to a cd, and print it.
NEVER AGAIN.  I would strongly suggest using JPEG only for images that will
be viewed on a computer monitor.  Your prints will suck.  :)    If you want
further details of that disaster, feel free to e-mail me privately.  Robert
has given you the best advice!

P.S.  NEVER drop the card....or god-forbid, the microdrive!

Cheers!
Colette
cmm@wi.rr.com

--
Alan P. Hayes
Meaning and Form: Writing, Editing and Document Design
Pittsfield, Massachusetts