What CAN Be Done
to photographs without disqualifying them from TrustImageSummary
Definitely not for pleasure reading, this list officially spells out the only four kinds of post-shutter appearance-related actions that DON’T disqualify a photograph from TrustImage (if you haven’t been paying attention in class, the four are enumerated in Qualification #2). By an amazing coincidence, those four kinds of actions — fleshed out in “A” through “D” below — are the only four kinds of changes that are allowed by every newspaper in the world (many newspapers allow more, but none allow fewer). [Why is Q2 so strict?]
What’s the purpose of this list? It’s provided not for regaling dinner guests but for comparing a TrustImage-labeled photograph to the unaltered original, whether that’s a digital capture (including {MDOs}) or a film original.
Apart from the effects of overall image degradation, any post-shutter action that affects the appearance of a photograph and is not listed below always disqualifies a photograph from TrustImage. (Such photos will fail to meet one of TrustImage’s three qualifications, and you know what that means. . . .)
The Complete List of what can be done to TrustImage photographs (in order of their appearance in Qualification #2)If a photograph is to qualify as TrustImage, the combined effect of all of these actions must meet newspaper reportage standards, as per Qualification #3:A. Newspaper-acceptable cropping of the photograph
(TrustImage photographs, in keeping with newspaper reportage standards [as per Q3], can only be cropped to a rectangular or square shape. Cut-out backgrounds always disqualify photographs from TrustImage.)
B. Newspaper-acceptable sharpening
(Any sharpening that would not meet newspaper reportage standards will disqualify the photograph from TrustImage, as per Q3.)
C. Newspaper-acceptable changes to “light”-related aspectsC1. Correcting “light”-related aspects (brightness, contrast, hue, saturation) to bring the photo’s tones and color closer to newspaper reportage standards for what was “seen at the scene” (see FAQ #404 {currently disabled}). This includes correcting for underexposure or overexposure and converting a negative into a positive.
C2. Newspaper-reportage-compatible variations in the portrayal of “light”-related aspects (brightness, contrast, hue, saturation), including recording in black-and-white, non-deceptive conversion of a color photograph to black-and-white, and variances in the overall “color tone” of black-and-white photographs and halftone reproductions (warm gray, cool gray, etc.)
(Acceptable variances in “light”-related aspects of TrustImage photographs are gauged by the newspaper-reportage standards of Q3; see the “Guides” page on Changes to “Light”-Related Aspects {currently disabled})
C3. Correcting “light”-related anomalies introduced by the camera or lens
. . . (e.g., chromatic aberration, lens flare, moderate light fall-off in the corners) — providing that such corrections do not alter the depiction of things other than “light”-related aspects of the photo in a way incompatible with Q2 and Q3. See the page on correcting “light”-related anomalies {currently disabled}.Post-shutter corrections of non-“light”-related anomalies caused by the camera or lens — e.g., pincushion or barrel distortion — disqualify a photograph from TrustImage ({links currently disabled} (see FAQ #132 and #407, and see the page on Light if the “light”-vs. non-“light” distinction is unclear)
D. Changes to “surface” aspects of the photograph that were not part of the scene that was photographed
D1. Correcting small surface anomalies that are not part of what is “pictured” in the photograph
D2. Altering overall “surface characteristics” that are not part of what is “pictured” in the photograph
. . . in ways that are compatible with newspaper standards, for example changes involving halftone dots, CMYK dots, matte/glossy finish, etc.D3. Converting the photograph to a different medium or format
. . . for example, converting a photograph from analog to digital (e.g., scanning a print or negative), converting a photograph from digital to analog (e.g., printing a .jpg), converting a .RAW file to a .tif, or a .tif to a .jpg.D4. Proportional resizing of the entire photograph (before and/or after cropping) for example by enlargement (if in the darkroom) or by down-rezzing or interpolation (if on a computer)
But TrustImage photographs cannot be visually compressed or stretched on one axis, not even a teeny bit (that would mean reshaping the depictions of things within the photograph, in violation of Q2), and of course nothing within a TrustImage photograph can ever be selectively resized (that would also disqualify the photo from Q2).___________________
Those who find the list “limiting” are reminded that most of the best-known photographs in the world underwent no more changes than these. TrustImage does not preclude the making of great photographs!
This website is completely independent and nonprofit.
All contents copyright ©2008 TrustImage.org
Contents may be reproduced in whole or in part only if clearly credited to trustimage.org