Section 1.8. Final Output

1.8. Final Output

The very last stage of processing is to create your invaluable and nearly irreplaceable digital positive. First of all, calling it a negative is technically incorrect and, well, negative. Besides, we've gone well past the point where the image was RAW. You're now making a copy that can be flattened, sized, converted to a more universal format (such as JPEG or TIFF), and assigned the proper color profile for the destination reproduction vehicle. How you create that digital positive (Figure 1-5) will depend on what your purpose is for any given version of a final output file: web, online media, offset printing, or output to a desktop printer. The process may also require switching Color Spaces and Color Management Profiles. We'll cover the ins and outs of all of that in Chapter 12.

Figure 1-5. In the end, the goal is a beautiful photograph that can be sent out into the world.