Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Choosing a Computer System for Digital Imaging
Then consider size. Most people assume bigger is better. It isn't. Look over the
specs carefully. You'll notice that smaller monitors are significantly sharper than
larger monitors. Seventeen-inch to 19-inch monitors offer the best compromise
between sharpness and screen area. This has not changed in the last 10 years. The
problem is that a 17-inch or 19-inch monitor is too small for your images and all
the tool palettes you'll need to work on them. The solution is to use two monitors.
Get a 15-inch monitor for holding your tool palettes. You won't believe how much
time this will save you until you use a dual-monitor setup.
LCD monitors are just now (early 2002) maturing to the point where they may be
useful for critical color work. Their advantage is a smaller footprint than CRTs,
meaning they take up less desk space. LCD monitors do not flicker like CRTs, so
are easier on your eyes during long work sessions. The disadvantage is that LCD
monitors remain two to three times as expensive as CRTs with the same usable
pixel dimensions.
Calibrating the Monitor
You need a monitor that gives you hardware control over the white point and the
individual electron guns so you can calibrate it properly. PhotoShop ships with a
built-in software calibrator. The Macintosh OS ships with a Calibration Control
Panel. Adobe ships Adobe Gamma with PhotoShop. Ignore these tools. They're
good enough for non-critical work, such as desktop publishing or web
development, but the only way to properly calibrate a monitor is with a hardware
sensor to measure the colors, and software that lets you adjust the red, green, and
blue separately. Optical makes a very nice calibrator for a good price, but - as with
all things in the computer industry - things will change with time. Ask on the photo.
net non-archived forum for current choices.
How Much RAM Do You Need?
Before deciding how much RAM to purchase you need to decide how you're going
to scan your photos. If you want a home desktop scanner for getting 35mm images
into your computer you'll need a lot less RAM than someone who shoots 4x5 film
and sends slides to a service bureau for drum scanning.
Also consider how much post-scan manipulation you'll perform on the files.
Cleaning up dust and scratches does not increase file sizes. Using multiple
adjustment layers in PhotoShop can easily double or triple the file size. Keeping
these files in RAM so your computer doesn't access the scratch disk frequently will
speed your work tremendously. For example, consider a typical 35mm slide
http://www.photo.net/photo/computers (2 of 33)7/3/2005 2:19:07 AM