As Spring begins in this part of the world (Raleigh, NC, USA) I often have a chance to use my digital camera to capture matters that are of much interest to me. Some of these matters are included in this month's newsletter and are shown in the "collage" below.
I mention a few of this Web page's comments in my March 2002 newsletter and apologize for repeating some of those comments. However, some readers of this Web page have not been first to the March 2002 newsletter and for convenience I place some introductory comments from the newsletter here. I apologize for this repetitiveness.
During April I will be in Scotland for a while as part of an annual golf/pleasure trip. During this year's trip I will be once again summarizing the trip's activities/experiences by using my laptop to keep a journal and using my digital camera to take pictures -- and move the pictures to my laptop.
Once on the laptop, I will be able to view/modify the pictures using software on the laptop -- and, later on my home PC. I use, primarily, PaintShop Pro for modifying the pictures; I use Olympus Camedia for taking a quick peak at multiple pictures in slideshow-type of format. Why do I do this viewing/modification? To enjoy the pictures (together with my trip's journal) over the years -- and to share the information with friends/family when they ask about my trip... and, sometimes even when they don't ask.... Sometimes those of us on trips just want to share the experience with others.... In any case --
I intend to, during this trip, use my digital camera to take pictures at a higher degree of detail (larger number of pixels) than I have done in previous trips.
This brings about a few challenges/concerns including:
I have been satisfied up until now with the smaller/standard-sized digital pictures for online/Web showing of my vacation pictures.
We will see, when we return from this trip and I have time to review/assemble the trip's pictures as I have done in the past. Who knows.... what my final opinion will be? I don't know - yet!
In any case, the following pictures are shown to give you a feeling for the "on screen" differences between my digital camera's SQ (0.3 megapixels) pictures and HQ (1.2 megapixels) pictures.
An ongoing topic -- but, one I still do not have a firm opinion on. Let me know your views regarding level-of-details ("megapixels") you use on a regular basis with your digital camera.
Note: Multiple images are downloaded by this file. Please have patience until your web browser lets you know it has downloaded the images (a "Document Done" message or something similar will let you know that). It will take a few minutes! If you do NOT want to continue, just press the Stop button of your browser, followed by the Back button.
The photographs shown in this example are in the PC as a result of being obtained from a digital camera or from scanning a photograph. The following pictures default to digital camera origin and, if not, the shown picture will be identified as a scanned image. If digital camera, the photograph has been taken at a max of 1.3 megapixels (1280 x 960), with many of the digital pictures having been taken at a less pixel size (640 x 480). In many cases, even if the digital picture was taken at these-mentioned sizes, the picture has been resized for showing on PC screens. I try to keep most images to have a maximum height of 550 pixels for PC-display. I use Paint Shop Pro (from JASC) as my primary application for modifying/resizing/coming photographic images into one image (photo).
Scanned photographs are scanned at 300 PPI (Pixels Per Inch), 150 or 100 PPI, and the chosen PPI will be identified in the comments for that particular image.
The following is aimed at showing examples of using the PC, digital cameras, and perhaps scanners, as part of home PC environment. Hopefully, the shown pictures will give you some ideas for your home use of PCs.
Contact SCScompA if you have any comments/questions regarding anything that is shown in this Web page.
This first picture was taken at 1.2 megapixels (HQ as defined by my Olympus camera) and has a focus distance of 180 yards. The picture is 1280 pixels wide by 960 pixels high. I will use this picture's level of detail when printing the pictures.
The download size of this picture is: 182 KB
The above picture, for showing on the Web and/or as part of my trip's journal is re-sized to be 550 pixels high. The original picture then ends up being 733 pixels wide by 550 pixels high.
The download size of this picture is: 70 KB
In past year's trips I took the pictures at 0.3 megapixels (SQ - "standard" - as defined by my Olympus camera). Again, the picture has a focus distance of 180 yards. The picture is 640 pixels wide x 480 pixels high.
The download size of this picture is: 55 KB
Showing both the for-PC-use pictures next to each other:
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Both the SQ and the HQ (the HQ Resized for 550 pixel height for showing on the Web/PC)
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Again: I will use the above first-shown larger (HQ) picture (1280 x 960) pixels picture for printing and the immediately-above-right-side HQ-resized to be 550 pixels high picture for showing on the Web and on the PC using a Web browser and as part of the trip's journal. I use Microsoft Word for the journal.
I will let you know if taking the pictures in HQ (1.2 megapixel) format is of trip-overall value. Yes: I could take some in HQ and some in SQ (0.3 megapixel) detail. However, for my own convenience and sanity (this is supposed to be a vacation and fun!) I will use one setting for my digital camera.
The following pictures are presented without much detail -- but, I want to share with you some of to-me-enjoyable scenes of Spring in this part of the world.
Stay tuned for a yearly update to see what happens!
Ah, Spring -- a glorious time of year!
The picture shown (below) is a combined image, taken in 2001, using the lowest-level of detail offered by my Olympus digital camera (0.3 megapixels).
Multiple pictures where taken and then put into a single image using PaintShop Pro. I am not an expert at doing this -- but, I enjoy the results!
The course is Royal Dornoch -- and I will be walking/playing this wonderful course in April.
The download size of this picture is: 177 KB
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Let me know if you have played -- or expect to play in the future -- the above golf holes.
I wish you well in your picture taking and travels or other activities -- and hope you share that with a journal and Web-type of presentation you share with family/friends.
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To contact me about anything on this Web page, please:
send mail to: SCScompA@aol.com
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