Digital Cameras--Nature's Palette, Printer's Plate

Jerry Magee
Product Line Manager, Digital Cameras
Kodak Professional, Eastman Kodak
To understand the complexity of colors in a digital camera, try to imagine that the possible colors which can be reproduced in a digital image are located on a single sphere. Though the sphere doesn't reside in the camera, the sampling of that sphere and the camera's ability to record the colors within, in terms of its mathematical representation, do. The sampling of the sphere, in turn, is metaphorically located within the camera and helps to assign the proper lighting and colors to pictures.

A color scientist is tasked with sampling this color space to create color matrices closer to the actual subject at the time of the shoot. The matrices are created and stored in the camera to accommodate any possible color configuration that may need to be recreated.

Innovations in digital technology provide the freedom for photographers to set the mode of the camera or leave it up to the camera's "brain" to decide the best lighting. By letting the camera decide, the photographer can leverage the power of the camera's sensors to determine appropriate settings for its environment.

Tim Bates
Director of Marketing
Dicomed
Color is a critical subject for the photographer when using a digital camera. With a digital camera, there is a direct link to the printed page—and color management becomes a major issue. With most digital cameras, color management is more about converting files.

Today, color management systems are allowing the photographer to color-balance monitors, printers and the press close to the original image. It is important to understand when employing a digital camera for product photography, the most important issue is getting the color correct on the printed page. Thus, a great RGB-to-CMYK program is needed.

Taking pictures with digital cameras and getting excellent results in a RGB format is easy. Getting the file into a CMYK format and ready for press takes education and the right conversion program. What most photographers need when using digital cameras is good conversion software, not just color management software.