Digital Image Guidelines

All images of your artwork should be of the highest professional quality. The standards that apply to traditional slide documentation also apply to the digital slide format. For applicaitions images should be AT LEAST 1MB (megabyte or 1024 KB - Kilobyte) in size. A larger file size is preferred as it can be easily used in print publicity materials as well. 4MB is the recommended minimum for images that will be printed.

The Details - In Short:

Use a digital camera that is 3.2 to 4 megapixels or larger (6 is great). Take your photos using the highest quality setting your camera allows. Burn these images to a CD and mail them in.

If you already have images and don't know their size, look at the file size of the images (instructions below). As long as they are greater than 1MB you are ok to submit them with your application.

NOTE: These large images may be too much for your internet connection and/or email so please don't wait until the last minute. It may be easier to burn them to a CD and mail them in.

The Details - Nitty Gritty

The standard format of digital cameras and images converted to digital from film is JPG (also know as jpeg). Some cameras also take images in Raw or TIFF formats. If you have questions about these file formats you should contact us directly at info@clayhouston.com.

Resolution and DPI
Resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image. A pixel is a single point in a graphic, electronic image. Resolution is sometimes referred to by the width and height of the image as well as the total number of pixels in the image. So resolution refers specifically to electronic images.

DPI stands for dots per inch. DPI is specific to print formats. Your inkjet printer at home usually prints between 150 and 300 dpi. Laser printers typically produce 1000 dpi or greater and most people can easily tell the difference. Standard publishing format is 300 dpi. For computer and web uses, images are displayed at 72 dpi, regardless of whether the image was created or saved with a higher dpi because computer monitors generally only display at 72 pixels per inch.

For convenience, most digital cameras today take images in jpg format at 72 dpi because every computer has several programs (such as your web browser) that can view these images. To keep the image crisp at this low resolution (dpi) the images must be very big. Using my Olympus Camedia 4 megapixel camera on its Super High Quality setting I can take an image that is 72 dpi. However it's print size is 24" x 32"! This is obviously WAY too big to print at home. To compensate for this many photo printers today automatically resize the images to a standard 'photo' size. More technically savy users can use software programs to modify images themselves. Another option is to take your camera to a store such as Walgreens or CVS where they can convert your files to an image CD at varying sizes and resolutions.

Equipment
Use a good 4 or 5 mega pixel digital camera. Do not use a camera below 3.2 mega pixels. Always use a tripod to steady your shot. If you choose to take your picture on film and digitize from a negative you need to use good color film like Fuji Provia 100F or Kodak Ektachrome 64 or 100.

To check your image file size
Check the image file properties while the image is closed. On a PC, find your image file, right click and choose properties. On a Mac, find your image file and click "get info" on the finder tool bar. Both Properties and Get Info will give your the image file size in KB or MBs.

Tips on Taking Digital Images
Taking a digital photograph instead of scanning a hard copy photograph or slide to digital format will yield the best results. Use at least a 3.2 mega-pixel camera. For best results we advise using a 4 to 5 mega pixel camera or higher. For really professional results, use a camera that will allow you to save the image in a loss-less format such as TIFF or RAW. This will give you the best opportunity to resize your image without losing detail. However, you will need to use a service lab or have some advance software such as Adobe's Photoshop to manipulate these images.

Slide Conversion
Traditional slides can be scanned and converted to digital format at most full-service photo labs. It is better to have the original slide scanned because the color and detail has not been diminished from duplication. Most photo labs offer picture CD's that come with basic photo-editing software(KODAK Picture CD) that saves images as JPEGs.

Houston Photo Labs:

A commercial photo lab can easily help you convert slides to digital images or vice versa. It may cost you $1-4 per slide/image, however their expertise is well worth the cost. Two recommended labs are;

HPI - Houston Photo Imaging http://www.houstonphotoimaging.com

QUE Imaging http://queimaging.com/

You can also purchase a 35 mm scanner designed for scanning slides and digitize the image on your home computer. Some people even set up a tripod in front of their computer monitor and take photographs to film from images displayed on screen (in that weird case where you need a slide of a digital image).

Digital Imaging Software

• Jasc Paint Shop Pro
• Adobe Photoshop Elements
• Adobe Photoshop