The tips in Pixels and MegaPixels, Oh My! will hopefully make it a little easier to get those graphics into a project in Classroom Suite®, Clicker 5®, HyperStudio 5®, My Own Bookshelf®, PowerPoint® and other applications.
Pixels and MegaPixels, Oh My! PDF
The main PDF file covers many topics, but it’s certainly not the last word about any of them, many of which could be an entire chapter in a book. What I hope to do here is give you enough on each of these areas to get you through making activities faster and with fewer stress points. If you find any of these topics intriguing, check for more detailed information online, or even take a course in digital photography.
But if you are like me, who has time for that? Here’s the basic practical stuff to help you get the most out of your digital camera, process the photos and digital art you create or edit, and get those graphics into the activities, handouts, tutorials and other educational materials you’re making. The PDF file covers all these topics in some detail, and then the last two pages are bumper sticker summaries of each topic as a quick reference sheet. Some, but not all the subjects covered are:
- Pixels and Bit Depth
- Pixel Dimensions
- What’s a Megapixel?
- Displayed Pixels vs. Pixels in the File
- Monitor Resolution Compared to Pixel Dimensions
- Using Your Megapixels Wisely: Editing and Resizing
- Print Resolution
- Using Part of a Photo
- Graphic Formats and Their File Extensions
- Trade Off: Image Appearance vs. File Size
- Recycle Your Images
- What’s This About JPEG Being “Lossy”?
- Why Do Some Downloaded Web Images Look Lousy?
- What About Copyright?
Examples Files and Tutorial
Hands on is still the best way to learn these things. In addition to the reference PDF, there is a set of example photos, and a tutorial document taking you through demonstrations of four of the most important points. My hope is that both resources will be of general use to you, and also that these may be helpful if you give workshops on digital cameras. You are more than welcome to make copies and use these as handouts!
I’ve just found a good post on the maintenance of the memory cards used in cameras. This article will answer questions such as how long these cards will hold data, how often can you write new information (photos) onto them, why it’s better to delete pictures while the card is connected to a computer than to use delete in the camera, and why you should reformat your cards now and then. Here’s the link to “Memory Card Maintenance Questions Answered” by Dave Johnson.
Pixels and Megapixels grew out of questions several participants asked me in one of my workshops. That’s not unusual, because I get most of my best ideas from you! Thanks as always for the many ideas you inspire.
Applications needed: Acrobat Reader, PhotoShop® or any graphics/editing application
Subject area: Digital Graphics.
Level: Author.
Downloads
PixelsAndMegapixelsOhMy.pdf (1.0 MB) Pixels and MegaPixels, Oh My! tips document in PDF format to print. Acrobat Reader.
MegapixelsExamples.zip (12.8 MB) Example photos and PDF tutorial to demonstrate four of the tips. Acrobat Reader.
Pixels And Megapixels, Oh My! (1.0 MB) Pixels and MegaPixels Oh My! online, ready to present to groups.
Pixels And Megapixel Examples Tutorial! online Pixels and MegaPixels Examples Tutorial online to use with example photos you can download from the main activity set page.
