Digital cameras store images digitally rather than on film. There are two main types: point-and-shoot and SLR. Image quality is measured in megapixels. To take a picture, the camera focuses, sets exposure, and exposes the image sensor to light. The image is processed, compressed, and stored on removable memory. Images can be transferred to a computer, edited, printed, distributed electronically, or backed up for long-term storage.

1. Digital Cameras
 With a digital camera you can get instant
results and e-mail pictures to your friends.
 A digital camera is a type of camera that
stores photographed images digitally
(electronically) instead of on traditional film,
and uses a small reusable disk or internal
memory to store the digital photographs.

2. Types of Digital Cameras
 Point & Shoot:
 fully automatic
 fits in your pocket
 easy to use
 ideal for average consumer use

3. Types of Digital Cameras
 SLR – Single Lens reflex
 Allows you to make manual adjustments before
shooting
 Can use a variety of lenses

4. Image Resolution
 The image resolution is measured in pixels
(short for picture element).
 The image quality increases with the number
of pixels.
 The image resolution is usually measured in
megapixels (million pixels), abbreviated MP.

5. Digital Cameras
 Most digital cameras have an LCD screen, so you
can view your picture right away. This is one of the
great advantages of a digital camera -- you get
immediate feedback on what you capture.
 Of course, viewing the image on your camera would
lose its charm if that's all you could do. You want to
be able to load the picture into your computer or
send it directly to a printer. There are several ways to
do this.

6. Storage
 Early generations of digital cameras had fixed
storage inside the camera.
 You needed to connect the camera directly to
a computer with cables to transfer the images.

7. Storage
 Although most of today's cameras are capable
of connecting through serial, parallel, SCSI,
USB or FireWire connections, they usually
also use some sort of removable storage
device.

8. Storage
 Digital cameras use a number of storage
systems.
 These are like reusable digital film, and they
use a caddy or card reader to transfer the data
to a computer. Many involve fixed or
removable flash memory.

9.  Digital camera manufacturers often develop
their own proprietary flash memory devices,
including SmartMedia cards, CompactFlash
cards and Memory Sticks.

10.  Some other removable storage devices
include:
 Floppy disks
 Hard disks, or microdrives
 Writeable CDs and DVDs

11. Storage
 No matter what type of storage they use, all digital
cameras need lots of room for pictures.
 They usually store images in one of two formats:
 TIFF, which is uncompressed, and
 JPEG, which is compressed.
 Most cameras use the JPEG file format for storing
pictures, and they sometimes offer quality settings
(such as medium or high).

12.  To make the most of their storage space,
almost all digital cameras use some sort of
data compression to make the files smaller.

13. It takes several steps for a digital camera to take a picture.
Here's a review of what happens in a CCD camera, from
beginning to end:
 You aim the camera at the subject and adjust the
optical zoom to get closer or farther away.
 You press lightly on the shutter release.
 The camera automatically focuses on the subject and
takes a reading of the available light.
 The camera sets the aperture and shutter speed for
optimal exposure.
 You press the shutter release all the way.
 The camera resets the CCD and exposes it to the
light, building up an electrical charge, until the
shutter closes.

14. Take a Picture
 The ADC measures the charge and creates a digital
signal that represents the values of the charge at each
pixel.
 A processor interpolates the data from the different
pixels to create natural color. On many cameras, it is
possible to see the output on the LCD at this stage.
 A processor may perform a preset level of
compression on the data.
 The information is stored in some form of memory
device (probably a Flash memory card).

15. Transfer and Manage Image Files
 The method of transferring images from the
camera to the personal computer differs
depending on the capabilities of both.
 If the camera uses a flash memory card, you
can remove the media and place it in a slot on
the personal computer or in a device such as
a card reader, connected to the PC
 Your camera or card reader may also connect
to the PC using a USB port.

16. Transfer and Manage Image Files
 When you insert the memory card or connect the
camera, software on the PC will guide you through
the process of transferring the images to the hard
disk.
 Some operating systems and software recognize a
memory card or camera as though it is another hard
disk on the computer.
 This feature allows you to access the files, navigate
them and then copy, delete or rename the files while
the media still is in the camera.

17. Edit Images
 Image Editing Software allows you to edit
digital images.
 Examples of software:
 Microsoft Picture It!
 Adobe Photoshop 7
 Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0
 Paint Shop Pro

18. Edit Images
Common Image Enhancements or Alterations:
 Adjust the contrast and
brightness
 Correct lighting problems
 Remove red-eye
 Crop an image to remove unnecessary elements and resize it
 Rotate the image to change its orientation
 Add elements to the image such as descriptive text, a date, a logo, or
decorative items
 Create collages
 Replace individual colors with a new color
 Add special effects such as texture or blurring to enhance the image

19. Print Images
 After an image is
digitally altered, it is
ready to be printed.
 You can print images
on a personal color
printer, use a digital
kiosk or send them to a
professional service
that specializes in
digital photo printing.

20. Online Photo Developers
 send them to a professional service that
specializes in digital photo printing.

21. Print Images
 When printing the images yourself, make sure that
the resolution used to create the image is high
enough for the size print you want to create.
 For example if the camera used a resolution of
640x480 pixels, the ideal print is wallet size.
 If you print such an image at a size of 8x10 inches
the image will appear pixelated, or blurry
 Use high quality photo paper for the best results

22. Distribute Images Electronically
 Rather than printing photos you often need to use the
images electronically.
 Depending on the electronic use of the image, the
image may require additional processing.
 If you use the images on a web site or want to e-mail
a photo, you probably want to use a lower resolution
image which will be a smaller file size.
 You should use standard file formats when
distributing an electronic photo. The JPEG (JPG)
format is viewable using most PCs or web browsers.

23. Distribute Images Electronically
 You can store very high resolution photos on
a DVD or a CD.
 DVD and CD mastering software allows you
to create slide show presentations on a
recordable DVD or CD that can play in many
home DVD players or PC DVD drives.

24. Back Up!
 You should back up and store images that you
distribute electronically with the same care as
you store your traditional film negatives.