The Art and Science of Digital Compositing, 2nd Edition

Chapter Four. Basic Image Manipulation

Now that we have a basis of understanding for the digital representation of images, we can start to look at methods for modifying these images. Most of the tools we will be discussing initially fall into the category of traditional image-processing operations.

Throughout this chapter, and really throughout the rest of the book, we will be discussing tools and procedures that modify images. It is extremely important to understand that these modifications do not come without a price. Of course it will take a certain amount of time to perform any given operation, which must be planned for. But more important is the fact that just about any image manipulation will ultimately degrade the image. In some cases this ...