If anyone has any concerns about image editing check out http://www.gimp.org/ they have a forum which will help answer most image editing questions.
Brief Summary
Image editing is not that complex but plays a large role in how images are presented. There are simple editing programs and highly complex ones depending on the level of manipulation needed. Manipulation is an odd word to use but it makes sense as the image is being manipulated to fit the need of the editor. An image can convey a lot more than words and takes almost no time to view. Hence, images are starting to replace text as important. Photography is still a relatively new concept. We are just starting to see the power of mass medias ability to share an image. These images need to be presented in a way that conveys information but yet does not distract from the worded message. this is not to say some images do not stand on their own. a lot of images are starting to convey more meaning with less words. The cliche a picture is worth a thousand words is becoming more and more true as we see the ability of images to be used in multiple mediums to convey a greater message.
Personal Experience
A lot of companies I write for want images to be linked to their sites. The reason for this is to increase traffic through Google image search. Google images can also be used as a way to generate web traffic and with more people looking for images than articles it has become a key part of the business. Linking out to a photo is a little difficult as not all companies follow the guide lines when it comes to copy right laws. That is why it is important to make sure the image you are editing or using is legally permitted to be manipulated. I use the term manipulate again as I like the connotation that an image can be changed to convey a different meaning. It has become amazing to see how a simple filter or cropping can drastically alter an images meaning. There are people who dedicate their lives to graphic design and with how fast the world of image editing is growing it seems to be a stable market. It has been joked that with how easy image editing has become everyone with a camera phone now thinks they are a photographer. Which is killing the professional photography field with image editing being easier than ever and high quality cameras being built into phones it will be interesting to see how professional photography competes.
Questions With Discussion
Did you find this chapter boring?
I personally did as I feel it didn’t teach much about digital writing it just gave us a brief over view of image editing. There is more to the field than a chapter can cover. Doing a Google search for “free image editing” brings in tons of results which can teach us more than the chapter tried to.
Images or words what works for you?
Images work better for me the term visual learner is becoming obsolete as no one is actually a visual learner we just grew up in a visual culture. The need to read and research is becoming obsolete as there is a YouTube video on just about everything. It will be interesting to see when textbooks are replaced by online mediums made by open source contributors. With image editing and mass media so readily available it is amazing anything survives in print form any more.
What affect do you feel an image can create?
The answer is basic that an image can trigger any emotion. The thing to remember is an image can be interpreted different ways by different people just as writing can. It is important when using images to make sure the right emotion is triggered which is why images are studied thoroughly.
Here is a link for “How Far Image Editing Can Go” to get an idea on how much an image can truly be manipulated.