ART H340 Painting
Fall 2005

Instructed by Ralph Larmann
DIGITAL PORTFOLIO

Painting Information

A digital portfolio is a collection of digital images on a CD-ROM. These pieces should be modified so that they display well on a user's monitor and are compatible with most computer platforms. The file types that work best for the purpose is TIFF and JPEG image file compression.

JPEG is more versatile and is easily transported between computer platforms. There is a loss of visual information when using this compression, but the effect is minmal and it is recognized as an industry standard. TIFF is less versatile, but retains more of the original information. The image is more true to the original image when using this format. If the image is to be printed, either of these formats will work.

The digital portfolio should have several versions of the same image at different resolutions for a variety of uses. For print purposes there should be one version that is at least 300 dpi, the lowest resolution that can be printed and retain the character of the image. 600 dpi is recommended. If the image will be printed in a tabloid or newspaper, 144 dpi will suffice and keep the file size small enough for easy transport. For use on computer monitors, including the web, the resolution should be 96 or 72 dpi. 72 dpi will almost always be high enough because there a very few 96 dpi monitors in use.

These modifications can be done in Photoshop. Within the Image menu, pull down to Image size and a dialog box will appear. The image can then be resized, or its resolution changed. It is not possible to raise the resolution of a digital image without shrinking the dimensions of the image, but an image's resolution can be reduced without loss of character. For monitor use, the Save for web function in the File menu can speed up the process. This function only changes resolution, the dimensions of the image need to be changed prior to performing this function.

Saving the files to a CD-ROM, then burning the disk will insure that there is always a copy available for print or computer use.