October 2007
“Scanning Slides, Film, and Photographs”
Synopsis: Many of us recognize the numerous benefits of having family history data in electronic form, amenable to publishing, preserving, and otherwise sharing with current and future generations. Unfortunately, one of the bigger challenges we face is that we have boxes upon boxes of slides, negatives, and prints that are not yet in electronic form. Fortunately, many of us have computers, and capable scanners are available for relatively low cost.
In this class, I will present the basic concepts and techniques of scanning. We will discuss file formats (such as JPEG and TIFF), spatial resolution (how many pixels are in the image), color resolution (how accurately color is represented), cropping, and scaling. I will also demonstrate the scanning of slides, negatives, and prints; these demonstrations will be done with a Macintosh computer and an Epson flatbed scanner, but the concepts are broadly applicable regardless of the computer or scanner used. Time permitting, I will also give an overview on best practices for preserving our scans.
The prepared students will come into the class with a basic understanding of computers. At the end of the class, students will have gained a conceptual understanding of how to use a flatbed scanner, including what features are important and what can be adjusted. Depending on the time available, I may be able to scan one or two images from students; so, if you have a slide or negative or print (8x10 or smaller) that you would like scanned, please bring it with you (along with a blank CDR so that you can take the resulting file home with you).
Instructor: Jerome Broekhuijsen
When: Sunday, 14 October 2007, 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
Where: Family History Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah,
sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Participation: Open to the public (Sunday attire is appropriate)
Course Materials: Available at the class
April 2007
“Concepts in Digital Photography Applied to Scanning”
Synopsis: The “Digital Age” has radically changed how we teach photography in our schools. Instead of building darkrooms with chemicals, developing tanks, and enlargers, we’re now building “lightrooms” with computers, scanners, and inkjet printers. Not only is this change safer for our students and more environmentally friendly, we also have more control over our results, and we can make more effective use of in-class time. One of the challenges (and opportunities) of digital photography involves bringing yesterday’s analog (film-based) images into the digital realm. In this workshop, we will present some of the basic concepts of digital photography, discuss best practices, and then apply those concepts and practices to scanning film and prints. For our hands-on demonstrations, we will use Macintosh computers and Epson flatbed scanners, but the concepts taught are broadly applicable regardless of the computer or scanner used.
Instructor: Jerome Broekhuijsen
When: Thursday, 12 April 2007, 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: American Fork Jr. High School
Participation: Select teachers from the Alpine School District, by invitation only
Course Materials: Coming soon
February 2007
“Using Video to Tell Today’s Story”
Synopsis: Family history, when captured in stories, can be much broader than just vital statistics. We all like to be story-listeners but (for the benefit of future generations) we must also be story-tellers. Using video as a medium for telling stories affords us a richness in expression that wasn’t possible until recently. Being skilled with a video camera and computer is less important than having compelling subject matter, and future generations will find stories about their ancestors to be sufficiently compelling to overcome deficiencies in our skills with technology. A little planning (including picking a theme) before shooting video clips can make for an easier and more successful effort. Preservation is a significant challenge to using video as a vehicle for tellings stories; having a data-migration strategy is important. Recommendations are made for equipment (hardware and software), and suggestions are given in the spirit of encouragement.
Instructor: Jerome Broekhuijsen
When: Friday, 23 February 2007, 7:40 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Highland Family History Fair, 9600 North 6800 West, Highland, Utah 84003,
sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Participation: Open to the public
“Dealing with Photographs in a Digital Age”
Synopsis: The “Digital Age” has radically changed photography (mostly for the better). We can get better results, and we can share photographs in ways that were previously not possible. Embracing the benefits of digital photography presents at least a couple of challenges: bringing yesterday’s analog (film-based) photographs into the digital realm, and optimizing the sharing and preserving of our (now digital) photographs. This course will...
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•present a survey of the benefits and challenges of digital photography,
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•discuss strategies and techniques for scanning our older photos to make them digital,
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•explore printing options, and
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•present workflow suggestions for minimizing frustration, maximizing efficiency, and preserving our digital media (including photographs and video).
Instructor: Jerome Broekhuijsen
When: Friday, 23 February 2007, 8:50 pm to 9:45 pm
Where: Highland Family History Fair, 9600 North 6800 West, Highland, Utah 84003,
sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Participation: Open to the public