Digital Imaging - Choosing the Right Computer

 

 

Taking pictures has been a traditional art form and an enjoyable hobby for many, and with the dawn of the digital revolution, photography has become even more fun … but you don’t even have to have a camera to still enjoy the excitement of this digital era we live in … here is the start of a few basic tips for anyone to get to grips with digital imaging if you want to take your images to the next dimension.

 

 

First things First – Choosing your Computer

 

Building up your hardware and software to manage your digital imaging can be quite costly, so you need to ask yourself “How far do I want to take this digital imaging?”  If you just want to do it for a bit of fun, then you may choose a cheaper model computer, for example, but if you intend to be more serious, it’s worth enquiring about your computer model before buying.  Let’s take a look at some important points:

 

 

PC or MAC?

 

The Apple Macintosh (MAC) has always been a first choice for graphic designers and publishers, owing to its powerful graphics programs and being user-friendly, although the IBM compatible personal computer (PC) offers similar software, and is now more user friendly.  As there are numerous manufacturers of PCs, this has brought more variety in hardware and software programs for the personal computer, and is more competitive in price over the MAC.

 

A quick tip to help you find out what you will require on a computer, it’s worth checking out the latest software programs available.  The reason is that software always appears to be ahead of hardware, and if you check out the specification what’s required for the software, this will give you a good guide to the type of computer you will need.

 

Computer - bear in mind when working with images, they hold a lot of data (pixels) and will require a faster speed for manipulation on screen.  This is where you will require a good RAM memory, which is held on your screen. It’s technical term is Random Access Memory.  The larger the RAM, the faster your computer will complete image manipulation tasks, and also handle larger software programs.  

 

Gigabyte memory on your hard-drive of your computer is another factor. Although hard-drives these days have quite a lot of gigabytes, it is important to have a good hard drive memory, because as you build up your software, in addition to storing images, you will require more space.  

 

Graphics Card - handles the colours.  You should look for at least a 32-bit card which can reproduce millions of colours.  For image manipulation, make sure your card has a high video memory (VRAM).

 

Ports and Slots - most computers are now USB (Universal Serial Bus) which means ‘plug and play’.  If you plan to buy other peripherals such as printers, scanners or other devices to work with your computer, it’s worth having at least 2 or 3 of USB and Port sockets.

 

CD/DVD Rom drive - most computers now come with a CD/DVD drive.   As software programs come in CD format, you can load your software via this drive.  

 

You may want to think about a CD/DVD writer drive, to enable you to write or store your images onto a CD.

 

Monitor - to give you more freedom of movement when working with your images, go for no less than a 17 inch monitor – the bigger the better.   Most computers nowadays have a high resolution screen, which means your monitor is able to display millions of colours.

 

 

Buying Software

 

Most software comes in CD format, so you can load your new programs into your computer.  There are many photo editing programs available.  One that I use is Adobe Photoshop … they are always upgrading their software with new tools and to make easier working, but there are also competitive programs out there, which maybe just as good – it’s worth checking the market.

 

 

Check your software is compatible

 

Before you buy software, always check that your software is compatible with your Windows version if you have a PC, and check the specifications will allow the software to run on your computer.  For example, if you have just bought a new PC, then your windows version may probably be Windows Vista.  Check the Windows version of your software matches (it may not match if it’s an older program).  Most software comes compatible with either PC or MAC (Apple Macintosh) which is a different operating system.

 

 

Check what Bonuses are included when you buy your PC or MAC

 

If you are buying a new computer, some retailers offer certain software programs as a bonus.  Explain you wish to do digital imaging, and ask if they have a Windows compatible version of a photo editing program, such as Photoshop for example.  You never know – you might just get lucky!

 

Hope these tips for digital imaging have given you a start on what to look for when buying your PC or MAC … coming soon more digital imaging tips for using peripherals with your computer.

 

 

 

 

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