Digital darkroom
Encyclopedia
Digital "darkroom" is the hardware, software and techniques used in digital photography
that replace the darkroom
equivalents, such as enlarging, cropping, dodging and burning, as well as processes that don't have a film equivalent.
All photographs benefit from being developed. With film this could be done at the print lab, or an inexpensive home darkroom. With digital, many cameras are set up to do basic photo enhancement (contrast, color saturation) immediately after a picture is exposed, and to deliver a finished product. Higher end cameras, however, tend to give a flatter, more neutral image that has more data but less "pop," and needs to be developed in the digital darkroom.
Setting up a film darkroom was primarily an issue of gathering the right chemicals and lighting; a digital darkroom consists of a powerful computer
, a high-quality monitor setup (dual monitors are often used) and software. A printer is optional; many photographers still send their images to a professional lab for better results and, in some cases, a better price.
While each implementation is unique, most share several traits: an image editing workstation as the cornerstone, often a database
-driven digital asset management
system like Media Pro 1 to manage the collection as a whole, a RAW conversion tool like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom or Capture One
, and in many cases the software that came with the camera is used as an automated tool to "upload" photos to the computer. The machine itself is almost always outfitted with as much RAM
as possible and a large storage subsystem - big hard drives. RAID
and external USB and Firewire drives are popular for storage. Most photographers consider a DVD
-burner essential for making long term backups, and keep at least one set off-site.
The term was coined by Gerard Holzmann of Bell Labs
for a book entitled Beyond Photography: The Digital Darkroom, in which he describes his pico image manipulation language (not to be confused with the pico programming language
).
Image Acquisition: entails downloading images from a camera or removable storage device or importing from a scanner. Windows XP
and Windows Vista
both include an inbuilt wizard for importing images, including scanning images. Many professionals however may choose an importation tool built into image management software such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture, ACDSee
or Capture One
.
Image Library Management: involves managing images in a photographer's library and may extend to backing up images. Software such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture and Media Pro 1 are examples of major image management software.
RAW Software: software, either stand alone or as part of image library management software that is designed to import and process RAW
images. Most digital cameras capable of outputting RAW images will include a program or plug-in for this purpose such as Canon RAW Image Converter. Programs such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture and Capture One
include extensive support for RAW importation and processing.
Image Editing: There are countless image editing suites, programs and tools available. Adobe Photoshop is among the most highly used in professional circles as are programs from Apple Inc., Microsoft
, Macromedia
(now Adobe), ACD
, Phase One and various open source projects. Consumers may use professional software or choose less expensive options such as Adobe Photoshop Elements
, Capture One Express or free open source options such as The GIMP.
Camera Control Software: software that can remotely control a camera from a computer connected via USB (tethered shooting). Normally included as utilities with camera, these allow photographers to control the camera from a nearby computer. Cameras such as the Canon 40D include such software and a live view mode so that a user may use a computer to control numerous functions of the camera while seeing a virtual viewfinder onscreen.
Capture One
is one of the pioneer software programs used for tethered shooting which is very useful especially for studio photographers.
Capture Pilot is a photography app with camera control. The photographer is able to use a virtual camera display on an iPhone or iPad to remotely fire the camera and control capture parameters such as ISO sensitivity, exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation. Capture Pilot requires Capture One
to function.
Computer: A computer in a digital darkroom typically have a generous amount of RAM, often 4GB or more, coupled with discrete graphics and a powerful multicore processor. For much of the 1980s and 90s, Macintosh
based systems were dominant in the digital imaging market as Adobe's powerful new Photoshop software had only then been developed for the Mac. However, Windows-based systems such as Dell
's high-end Precision range have become increasingly popular in recent times; better value for money than Apple's high-end Mac Pro and a more familiar Operating System
are both factors that affect the choice of many prospective buyers of photo-editing systems.
Cameras/Scanners: Digital cameras and image scanners are increasing in quality, including the amount of colour they can capture and output. Many newer digital cameras can support wider colour spaces such as Adobe RGB and have higher resolution analog-to-digital converter
s; 14 bits rather than the common 12 bits.
Displays: Professionals may use premium displays from companies such as EIZO
and Dell
which are capable of displaying a wider range of colours than consumer oriented devices.
Printers: In addition to computers and displays, digital darkrooms may include printing equipment, ranging from smaller size printers for proofing to large format productions printers. Scanner and studio photographic equipment may also be included.
program for the Macintosh
published by Digimage Arts.
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
that replace the darkroom
Darkroom
A darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light sensitive photographic materials, including photographic film and photographic paper. Darkrooms have been created and used since the inception of photography in the early 19th century...
equivalents, such as enlarging, cropping, dodging and burning, as well as processes that don't have a film equivalent.
All photographs benefit from being developed. With film this could be done at the print lab, or an inexpensive home darkroom. With digital, many cameras are set up to do basic photo enhancement (contrast, color saturation) immediately after a picture is exposed, and to deliver a finished product. Higher end cameras, however, tend to give a flatter, more neutral image that has more data but less "pop," and needs to be developed in the digital darkroom.
Setting up a film darkroom was primarily an issue of gathering the right chemicals and lighting; a digital darkroom consists of a powerful computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
, a high-quality monitor setup (dual monitors are often used) and software. A printer is optional; many photographers still send their images to a professional lab for better results and, in some cases, a better price.
While each implementation is unique, most share several traits: an image editing workstation as the cornerstone, often a database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
-driven digital asset management
Digital asset management
Digital asset management consists of management tasks and decisions surrounding the ingestion, annotation, cataloguing, storage, retrieval and distribution of digital assets...
system like Media Pro 1 to manage the collection as a whole, a RAW conversion tool like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom or Capture One
Capture One
Capture One is professional RAW converter and image editing software developed by Phase One. It is designed for professional photographers who need to process large volumes of high quality images in a fast and efficient workflow...
, and in many cases the software that came with the camera is used as an automated tool to "upload" photos to the computer. The machine itself is almost always outfitted with as much RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
as possible and a large storage subsystem - big hard drives. RAID
RAID
RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disk drive components into a logical unit...
and external USB and Firewire drives are popular for storage. Most photographers consider a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
-burner essential for making long term backups, and keep at least one set off-site.
The term was coined by Gerard Holzmann of Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
for a book entitled Beyond Photography: The Digital Darkroom, in which he describes his pico image manipulation language (not to be confused with the pico programming language
Pico programming language
Pico is a programming language developed at the Software Languages Lab at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The language was created to introduce the essentials of programming to non-computer science students....
).
Software
The software employed in a digital darkroom varies greatly depending on the photographer's needs, budget and skill. The following are general areas and examples of software.Image Acquisition: entails downloading images from a camera or removable storage device or importing from a scanner. Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
and Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
both include an inbuilt wizard for importing images, including scanning images. Many professionals however may choose an importation tool built into image management software such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture, ACDSee
ACDSee
ACDSee is a shareware image organizer, viewer, and editor software for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X 10.5 and higher developed by ACD Systems. It was originally distributed as a 16-bit application for Windows 3.0 and later supplanted by a 32-bit version for Windows 95.ACDSee displays a tree view...
or Capture One
Capture One
Capture One is professional RAW converter and image editing software developed by Phase One. It is designed for professional photographers who need to process large volumes of high quality images in a fast and efficient workflow...
.
Image Library Management: involves managing images in a photographer's library and may extend to backing up images. Software such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture and Media Pro 1 are examples of major image management software.
RAW Software: software, either stand alone or as part of image library management software that is designed to import and process RAW
RAW image format
A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
images. Most digital cameras capable of outputting RAW images will include a program or plug-in for this purpose such as Canon RAW Image Converter. Programs such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture and Capture One
Capture One
Capture One is professional RAW converter and image editing software developed by Phase One. It is designed for professional photographers who need to process large volumes of high quality images in a fast and efficient workflow...
include extensive support for RAW importation and processing.
Image Editing: There are countless image editing suites, programs and tools available. Adobe Photoshop is among the most highly used in professional circles as are programs from Apple Inc., Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Macromedia
Macromedia
Macromedia was an American graphics and web development software company headquartered in San Francisco, California that produced such products as Flash and Dreamweaver. Its rival, Adobe Systems, acquired Macromedia on December 3, 2005 and controls the line of Macromedia...
(now Adobe), ACD
ACD Systems
ACD Systems Ltd began as a software developer for the CD-ROM cataloguing industry. ACD products include JPEG decoder, image viewing and image management software.-Products:...
, Phase One and various open source projects. Consumers may use professional software or choose less expensive options such as Adobe Photoshop Elements
Adobe Photoshop Elements
Adobe Photoshop Elements is the consumer version of the Adobe Photoshop raster image editing product, targeted at hobbyist users and hence sold at a fraction of the cost of the professional product. It contains most of the features of the professional version but with fewer and simpler options...
, Capture One Express or free open source options such as The GIMP.
Camera Control Software: software that can remotely control a camera from a computer connected via USB (tethered shooting). Normally included as utilities with camera, these allow photographers to control the camera from a nearby computer. Cameras such as the Canon 40D include such software and a live view mode so that a user may use a computer to control numerous functions of the camera while seeing a virtual viewfinder onscreen.
Capture One
Capture One
Capture One is professional RAW converter and image editing software developed by Phase One. It is designed for professional photographers who need to process large volumes of high quality images in a fast and efficient workflow...
is one of the pioneer software programs used for tethered shooting which is very useful especially for studio photographers.
Capture Pilot is a photography app with camera control. The photographer is able to use a virtual camera display on an iPhone or iPad to remotely fire the camera and control capture parameters such as ISO sensitivity, exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation. Capture Pilot requires Capture One
Capture One
Capture One is professional RAW converter and image editing software developed by Phase One. It is designed for professional photographers who need to process large volumes of high quality images in a fast and efficient workflow...
to function.
Hardware
As image size and resolution increases, so do the requirements for hardware in a digital darkroom.Computer: A computer in a digital darkroom typically have a generous amount of RAM, often 4GB or more, coupled with discrete graphics and a powerful multicore processor. For much of the 1980s and 90s, Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
based systems were dominant in the digital imaging market as Adobe's powerful new Photoshop software had only then been developed for the Mac. However, Windows-based systems such as Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
's high-end Precision range have become increasingly popular in recent times; better value for money than Apple's high-end Mac Pro and a more familiar Operating System
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
are both factors that affect the choice of many prospective buyers of photo-editing systems.
Cameras/Scanners: Digital cameras and image scanners are increasing in quality, including the amount of colour they can capture and output. Many newer digital cameras can support wider colour spaces such as Adobe RGB and have higher resolution analog-to-digital converter
Analog-to-digital converter
An analog-to-digital converter is a device that converts a continuous quantity to a discrete time digital representation. An ADC may also provide an isolated measurement...
s; 14 bits rather than the common 12 bits.
Displays: Professionals may use premium displays from companies such as EIZO
Eizo
, or EIZO, is a manufacturer of high-end computer displays. A Japanese corporation, it was founded in March 1968 but did not adopt its current name until 1999 when Nanao Corporation and Eizo merged...
and Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
which are capable of displaying a wider range of colours than consumer oriented devices.
Printers: In addition to computers and displays, digital darkrooms may include printing equipment, ranging from smaller size printers for proofing to large format productions printers. Scanner and studio photographic equipment may also be included.
Digimage Arts program
Digital Darkroom is also the trademarked name of an image editingImage editing
Image editing encompasses the processes of altering images, whether they be digital photographs, traditional analog photographs, or illustrations. Traditional analog image editing is known as photo retouching, using tools such as an airbrush to modify photographs, or editing illustrations with any...
program for the Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
published by Digimage Arts.