Do electric ink/electronic paper “digital” picture frames exist?

Question

I've been trying to find some alternative ways to display my photography around my home. I tried one of those LCD digital picture frames, however I hated having this brightly lit picture frame at the corner of my eye when watching TV or working at my computer. I like the idea of a digital frame that can cycle through my photos, however I would prefer it not illuminate. Has anyone heard of an electronic ink or electronic paper picture frame? If they exist, have you tried one, and how did it perform?

Asked by jrista

Answer

None exist currently. There is one or two chinese made e-readers that have "photo frame" capabilities, (the kindle has this as well, but it is a hidden feature), but these are all limited to displaying the images in grayscale.

Color e-ink photoframes are pure speculation at this point.

If you are the DIY person, you could conceivably find one that is easily hackible (ie runs linux) and hooked up to a proximity sensor, so that only enables the backlight when someone is close by for more than a few seconds.

Answered by Alan

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What kind of tape to use when mounting photo to mat?

Question

I'm looking to print, mount, and frame a bunch of photos I've taken. I've normally used poster-style frames (borderless and with no mat), but I'm beginning to develop an aesthetic preference for matted photos. I recall hearing at some point that there's a special sort of tape one should use when mounting the photo to a mat board, but I can't remember what it was. Is it a special acid-free tape so it doesn't eat away at the picture over time?

What should I look for in tape or other adhesive for the purpose of mounting a photo to a mat board? Is there a particular brand that is more revered than others?

Answer

I use Lineco Self Adhesive Mounting Strips. The advantage of these is that the photo is not mounted physically at all to the mat. This takes into account the different rates of expansion (due to humidity changes) that the photo and the mat have, the photo will never buckle since it floats on the back of the mat.

Plus it is super easy and cheap also!

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How to calculate viewing distance for a print size?

Question

I'm working on a photomontage (35mm landscape). The client is asking for what size they should print it at and what is the viewing distance.

I'm planning to print the final image on either A1 or A2 sized paper.

I have read numerous guides on how to work out the viewing distance. But none of them make much sense. The advice note from the Landscape Institute suggests it is not guess work by I'm more confused by it.

The Diagonal x 1.5 rule seems to produce a large viewing distance. I thought a value of around 400mm for an A1 print would be more suitable, but looking for a way calculate it rather than guessing it. Any help is appreciated.

Answer

The viewing distance of an image is based on two factors; first is the diagonal image size and second are the pixels per inch required at that distance to give a sharp image.

Firstly the rough rule of thumb is that the viewing distance should be 1.5 to 2 times the diagonal length. This will give you an optimal viewing distance for the overall printed size based on the human eye's ideal viewing angle. You have to understand, however, that for a landscape this may not be optimal as you may actually want the viewer to pan around the image, and you may want the size of features within the image to be the basis of this calculation. This is an artistic decision though, based on the composition of your image.

Secondly for the image to look good at the distance you choose, there need to be sufficient pixels per inch (ppi) to fool the eye into seeing a smooth image that isn't pixelated. The minimum ppi needed for a print with acceptable quality is calculated by dividing the value 3438 by the viewing distance. Anything above this ppi will look good at the distance chosen.

So: minimum ppi = 3438/Viewing Distance

where 3438, a constant for human vision, was derived as follows:

1/ppi = 2 x Viewing Distance x tan(0.000290888/2)

1/ppi = Viewing Distance x tan(0.000290888)

ppi = 3438/Viewing Distance

where 0.000290888 radians (1 arc minute) is known as the 'visual acuity angle' and represents how much resolution a human can see.

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What are the most important EXIF data to display in photo-presentation software?

Question

First of all, let me tell you one thing. I'm not a photographer and know nothing about photography.

I'm a programmer making a software program for photographers, and I would like to know what are the most important exif data for photographers to look at when seeing other photographers' art work.

I prefer that the list you will give will be of 10 items or less. But if you feel that 10 is not enough you can expand your list a little bit more.

Answer

The most important are the ones that are needed to help the decision at hand. This will depends on the context and who looking at images.

For everyone:

1. Date & Time - Are probably most important. They are often different than the file-data since that may reflect when the files were copied, shared, sent, edited, etc. To look for a photo of an event or to find the time-of-year when things looked like that, this is key.
2. ISO - Along with resolution (Metadata but not part of EXIF) determines the maximum possible print size for an image.

For the photographer himself and to learn from other's work:

1. Aperture & Shutter-Speed - This is the basic of exposure and that lets you know how a shot was taken. If you are the client looking for a photo, you really do not care but another photographer may.
2. Metering mode & Exposure-Compensation - Same as above, good for photographers to know how a shot was taken. Even the one who took the picture can use that information to learn and improve his technique.
3. Focal-Length - In 35mm-Equivalent terms, otherwise it becomes very difficult to compare. This is important to manage photo gear, decide which lenses to take and which ones to leave behind.
4. Lens Model - Also helps with trip preparation or purchase decisions for others.
5. Camera Model - Various uses, sometimes to look for specific quality or image characteristics.

For client requests:

1. Keywords - The first things clients look for is a photo of a specific subject or concept.
2. Resolution - Clients have a print size in mind and resolution together with ISO is required to determine which photo is usable.
3. Aspect ratio - Some usage like publications, advertising, banners, etc require a specific aspect ratio. Note that the final aspect-ratio is more important than the shot aspect ratio which is mostly fixed by camera (contrarily to consumer models, only a few pro cameras support multiple aspect ratios).

There plenty of other useful ones and sometimes we use certain data to compensate for inadequacies in others, particularly keywords. For example, it is impossible to keyword all images for every possible future use. Someone may ask for a photo of something which is not keyworded but I known that I probably took it with such lens or camera.

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What solutions are available for a self-hosted portfolio website?

Question

I am trying to find a simple yet solid solution for a self-hosted photo site. I have been through a bunch but have found them outdated code-wise (Gallery2), technology-wise (Flash based) or just plain ugly or disorganized (Coppermine).

I am considering using non-photo CMS like WordPress simply because the themes look good and the user interface is so simple, but would like to know if there are any other options out there.

P.S.: Please don't mention photo sharing sites like Flickr, Picassa, etc. I'm not interested in anything that is not self hosted. And nothing based on Flash, please.

Edit. I am a web developer and have no problem working with code/servers/etc, just wondering what options are out there, most everything I have seen is dismal.

Answer

My favorites are ProPhoto and RawFolio. Both of these are going to cost you money up front and both of them have self hosting options. They even have the option to install the software for you if you decide that is the path you want to follow.

You will find that the ProPhoto blog is used across the photography industry. It is hard not to run into this template at some point if you view a lot of photography websites. I personally like it, and am very happy with its customization options. The backend GUI is very intuitive, and the support staff is very helpful if you need further customization added.

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