As technical writers our primary concern is words, but what happens when the primary content is graphical instead of textual? Writing procedures using graphics instead of text is becoming more common so working with images and image editing software is an important addition in the tech writer’s toolbox.
Unless staged, conditions are rarely perfect for taking flawless product photos. Whether the product is half finished or located on a cluttered factory floor you have to be able to take that photo and turn into something clean and usable.
This is where basic knowledge of photography comes in handy. Digital camera technology and the Internet nullify any excuse for not knowing how to utilize your camera’s features. All it takes is a little research and some old fashion trial and error (in my case more error than trial, but that's the beauty of a digital camera). Read the camera’s user guide; Google some of the features; and above all, experiment. Have some fun. I’m not going to go into detail about specific settings but, understanding how to adjust ISO sensitivity, aperture settings, and shutter speeds are essential to improving your picture quality.
So, what do you do after you’ve spent a couple of hours photographing your product? It's time to break out the image editing software. I use Corel’s Paintshop Pro Photo Ultimate X2, but there are others such as Adobe Photoshop and the open source program, GIMP. Choose one that best suits your needs, but whichever one you decide on, take the time to understand its many powerful editing tools. Again, I won’t discuss individual features in detail, but there are lots of resources that can help you get the most out of your image editing software.
Before you start working with photos, read the User Guide, peruse the Help file and visit the company’s website where there is usually tons more information. Know the difference between a raster image (made up of pixels on a screen) and a vector image (made up of mathematical equations) and learn what each feature should do to your picture when applied. Know how to work with layers and how to resize images for the various media required.
Shadow lightening; color corrections; contrast; hue and saturation; and object removal are just some of the elements you should become familiar with to get the most out of your image editing software.
On top of photo correction, adding vector elements such as text and arrows is another must-have skill. Users don’t like to search for information, especially when trying to get a piece of equipment up and running quickly. Using arrows and text to identify and point out major features will save them time and hassle. This will make them happy and as cliché as it sounds, a happy customer is a returning customer.
I’m not a professional photographer, but because I understand how my camera and my image editing software work together I am able to create high quality graphics for the documentation I write. With a little effort, you will too.
Check out these valuable resources for much more on digital photography and image editing software.
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