Imagery Manipulation

The Uses of Imagery Manipulation in the MediaDeborah MauldinArt Institute OnlineCarla StoutCC114 Fundamentals of Media CommunicationNovember 3, 2006

Imagery Manipulation

AbstractImages are used in the media in order to conveymessages and to evoke responses. Image manipulation hasalways been a part of the photographic process, but in thelast decade the ability to manipulate moving images (video)has achieved great advances in technological development.Digital imaging technology has brought about a wealth ofnew possibilities for artists and media producers increating images. It has also brought forth new efforts todefine acceptable practices in regards to representing thetruth in media produced for public view. Understanding themethods and reasons for image manipulation might contributeto a more balanced media experience for consumers.

Imagery Manipulation

At no point in the history of mankind have there beenmore images created and recorded than now (M. Goldstein,personal communication, October 29, 2006). Images can befound almost anywhere in modern society. They are used toeducate, advertise and to entertain, sometimesaccomplishing more than one of these activities at the sametime.In the last several decades there have been advancesin technology that have enhanced the production of videoand still images. The widespread use of the personalcomputer, the development of image processing software, andthe ability to create, process and transmit digitalinformation at very high rates of speed have all combinedto form the current environment that images are produced in.These elements have also made it simpler to manipulateimages after they have been captured by the photographer orvideographer.Manipulating Digital VideoJim Mendrala reports in his History of Digital Cinema(2002) that the 1980s saw the rapid development ofcomputers for personal use in both power and speed and thesubsequent infiltration into the film business. The early1990s saw the introduction of computer-based non-linearediting systems that within a few short years dominated