Truth 2 – Digital images are manipulated.

By design a digital image is the result of hundreds of thousands of computer programming instructions that cleverly convert electronic signals from three or four sensors into three or four pixels. Along the way electronic noise and some other potential problems are eliminated from the initial signal (scene) to enhance the image. All of this happens before the image is then processed for display to the photographer.

Typical arraignment of color receptors in a digital camera. This arraignment is repeated in rows and columns as needed to create the full size that the camera records. Note that each receptor actually only records one of the three primary colors. Computer software in the camera then averages the intensity recorded in surrounding receptors and merges them to report a color for each individual pixel. So ultimately each receptor becomes a pixel in your image with it's color and brightness determined by sophisticated computer programming that produces a glorified average of what might have been in the scene.

Now the serious photographer saves this already heavily manipulated image in what is called raw format so that they can continue manipulating the image in a graphic editor such as Adobe Photoshop. If you are not so serious the computer in the camera does some more work for you making a bunch of important decisions about color balance and image quality.

Once the digital files have been pulled into a graphic editor, every action the photographer takes initiates thousands of computer instructions that perform the action. Along with each action many assumptions about what should be done to the digital file are performed behind the scenes by the computer programmer that created the software.

Finally the computer software built into the printer makes some more assumptions and decisions about what the digital file should look like.

Even some well known photographers want you to believe (or maybe believe themselves) that their digitally processed prints are not manipulated. Here is a quote from Kenneth Parker.

"Printing is carefully executed by the artist on the scanned files using state-of-the-art controls as in any traditional color darkroom that correct for color balance, contrast, burning and dodging without alteration or manipulation of the original image — the integrity of which is maintained true to the light and color captured during exposure. Parker maintains a strong philosophical commitment to this approach. "

Got a surprise for you Kenneth, just the scanning process alone has significantly altered your original image. Then once you pull it into the computer and let loose the several hundred programmers that have tweaked the code in Photoshop, well let's just say that the image integrity is long gone before you apply your first manipulation to your first layer. This is not meant in a mean spirited way. I just want folks to recognize the process for what it is and own it.

Bottom line, digital means converting from the real world to a world of zeros and ones. Thousands of assumptions are made for you along the way. For all of you bottom line thinkers out there, this is like saying walking and riding in a car are the same---they both get you from point A to point B. Well then, next time you take the family to Walmart try walking and see if it is the same.