Darkroom Manipulation Vs Digital Photo Manipulation

They say the best images are developed in the dark. The photographer’s dark room used to be a chamber of secrets where pictures were developed manually. Today the world has accepted digital photo manipulation as a coveted art form. Either for commercial or personal purpose, it is a process that is essential to many businesses. The advent of digital photography has played a major part in it. But the magic lies in the photo editing software which has programs for manipulation. With simple tools and techniques, this software offers anyone the benefit of the art of image manipulation.

So what is Photo Manipulation? It includes restoration jobs, enhancement measures, removal of unwanted elements and introducing the image to a new background. All these factors come under its gambit during editing. The enhanced uses of several techniques make it possible for editors to serve different purposes-Be it for a commercial purpose, where images are used for advertising or for personal archives, where beautiful images are in popular demand.

Photo manipulation and modern techniques:

In the early years of photo industry, the photographers would follow simple techniques to manipulate photos. Now the cutting edge of digital technology is used to create prefect results. It also includes texts and graphics as well. The crux of image editing is associated with the software used for this purpose. The extensive use of Adobe Photoshop and Coral draw has brought a change in the way the world perceives these images. Many innovative tools like clipping path, image masking, photo retouching are used too. The software can also be used to introduce 3D effects. This is particularly important in case of commercial photography. To add a beautiful background or to remove it is a tactful job for the editor.

The scope is as varied as the human imagination. One of the best applications is to restore old photos. Often some parts of such photos are destroyed. With the correct tool in hand, they can be recreated to appear realistic. To generate a composite picture using elements of many different images is not only fun but also an artistic expression. As for the editors, they need to be ethical in producing work. It is the element of honesty that helps their career further. Whether ‘doctoring’, ‘altering’, or tweaking is done, it should not be deceiving at any point. Fake pictures only give bad press. But a good visual attracts compliments.

Is darkroom manipulation totally outdated?

To the amazement of many, it is still in practice. Though they are few in number but some artists still believe that the darkroom is indeed a chamber of secret. And they create magic out of it. It is interesting to note that most of the modern digital techniques have been picked up from darkroom procedures. When they are used in its original form, the results are mind-blowing. The only difference is that digital photo editing is easier compared to the darkroom methods. The digital techniques can be used by everyone. But to create images in darkroom special expertise is essential.

So, while darkroom represents the mystery of the past, the digital techniques hold the reins of future.

Atiqur Sumon
Chief Executive, DTP & SEO Expert at Outsource Experts Ltd.
Photo Manipulation | Image Manipulation

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