Non-Destructive Image Editing

Part I – The Evolution of Non-Destructive Imaging


Define ‘Non Destructive Imaging’

In general, NDI refers to imaging processes where the source image may be adjusted in
a way that leaves the original data intact.


List four challenges introduced by digital photography :-

1. The creation of a vast number of photos
2. The need to apply identical adjustments to many photos in one operation
3. The need to interpret a single source image in multiple ways (black andwhite, and color, for instance)
4. The desire to take advantage of rapidly evolving imaging technology to reinterpret images with more capable software in the future

What is meant by a ‘Derivative File’ ?

You might have an exact duplicate of the photo file—a copy—or you might have
a version of the photo file that has had some adjustments incorporated—which we will call a
derivative file, since it’s derived from the original. 

What are two problems with using ‘Save As …’ to create derivative files ?

1. might be hard to sort out later.
2. in terms of storage.

What is ‘Self Referenced Non Destructive Imaging’ ?


In Photoshop 3, layers were introduced and it became possible to save multiple versions 
of the same image within a single file. This helped with the management difficulties associ-
ated with derivative file workflow but did nothing to address the storage needs. In Photoshop 4, adjustment layers were introduced, and it became possible to wrap up the source image with a set of instructions (or many sets of instructions) for rendering the photo. Let’s call this 
self-referenced NDI.


List two advantages of Self Referenced NDI over the use of Derivative Files :-

1. Using self-referencing files offers some significant advantages over derivative file workflow. Since the instructions to adjust the image take up much less space than creating an additional file, it’s much more economical in terms of storage.
2. Using adjustment layers also offers you the ability to create a separate interpretation of the file—a black-and-white version, for instance—while still making use of some of the work done for other versions, such as retouching.

 
Define ‘Parametric Image Editing’ :-

In video editing, referenced file editing is again
necessary because file sizes are too large and processors are too slow to work with the full-
resolution assets.
We’re going to call the editing of images by creating instructions or parameters parametric image
editing (PIE). For the purposes of this paper, we’ll call the software that does this PIE software.
 

What is the difference between a Live Rendering and a Fixed Rendering ?
Nearly all digital cameras produce a mosaiced image as a raw file. Although this may look like a regular photo once it’s displayed in software, in reality it is a checkerboard of red, green, and blue values that are transformed into an RGB image when the file is processed by a Raw File
Converter. When we look at one of these raw photos on our computer screen, we either see a 
live rendering of the mosaiced data, or we see a fixed rendering in the form of a JPEG preview that has been made by the camera and placed inside the raw file.

List three advantages of NDI :-

1. Multiple photo manipulation: Digital cameras have the ability to produce large numbers of similar files in a way that scanning photos never would have. Parametric image editing (PIE)the process of editing images by creating instructions or parameters for adjustment—makes it easy to apply settings made for one photo to many others very quickly.
2. Unlimited undo: Since all image adjustments are saved simply as processing instructions, it’s easy to change those instructions to create a different interpretation of an image. In order to save the additional variations, all the user needs to do is to save the instructions that are used to create the variations.
3. Space savings: Now that computers are fast enough to create renderings from the images as needed—let’s call this just-in-time rendering—the user can build a library of images that consists largely of the source images and the rendering instructions. Since instructions are a lot smaller than pixels to store, the storage requirements are greatly reduced.