These software packages are capable of doing more
than you could accomplish in a conventional darkroom;
they do it much quicker.
Advancements in the development of software
packages have made it possible to transform computer
imaging from minicomputers or mainframe computers
to desktop models. Because software is continually
being improved and updated, the application of specific
computer software is not addressed in this chapter.
Software packages are used to modify and enhance
images and to control input and output devices.
DISPLAYS
Most of the computer color monitors available for
desktop computers have far less resolution than a digital
photograph. A number of graphic boards are available
for computers that can produce Super VGA resolution
of more than 1,000 by 1,000 pixels on cathode-ray tube
(CRT) color displays. A high-resolution, noninterlaced
monitor and a 24-bit video card are essential viewing
images. A 24bit video card allows for 16.8 million
colors to be displayed.
Graphic images displayed on a computer monitor
are bit-mapped images. Bit-mapped images are
produced by a pattern of dots. Bit-mapped images are
sometimes called "pixel-oriented," "raster," or "paint"
images. At high resolutions, the individual dots are not
discernable.
When you are working on enhancement,
modifications, and page makeup of digital images, it is
important for you to view what you have done.
Therefore, a calibrated color monitor is important so
you can see the images or “soft proofing” before you
print the images. Monitors for electronic imaging use
the additive system. They combine red, green, and blue
and add it to the black surface of the screen to create
colors.
Monitor quality depends on screen resolution. The
finer the pitch of the screen, the sharper the image. The
PITCH of the screen is the size of a single pixel. On
color CRT screens, a single pixel is composed of three
phosphor dots: red, blue, and green. These phosphor
dots are struck by an electron gun through a screen or
mask. The resolution of the CRT depends on the size
of the holes in the mask. The holes in the mask are
3-12
Figure 3-8.—Electronic imaging workstation centered around an AT computer.
