1- Save your files as a TIFF or other uncompressed file format. Do not save an image file as a JPEG unless it needs to be sent over the Internet. Furthermore, saving a file repeatedly as a JPEG compresses information that has already been compressed resulting in the rapid degradation of image quality. . 2- Profile your monitor on average once every other week. A calibrated monitor is your most valuable asset in your digital workstation. If you cannot profile it yourself hire someone that can do it for you. 3- Work in a device independent color space such as Adobe RGB (1998) and save all images in the same working space. This will not only maintain consistency in your color workflow but also allow other s that are also profiled to easily use your images. Remember if your monitor is not profiled very well others will not have a clear indication of what your file looks like on your monitor even if you are working in Adobe RGB (1998). 4- Scan all images at the highest optical resolution. Do not interpolate. When a scanner specifies that it is a 600 dpi scanner but can scan up to 12800 dpi, the second figure refers to an interpolated value. Scan at 600 dpi in this case. 5- Do all retouching and color corrections before sizing an image. This way the original, and highest resolution scan can be saved for future use. You can then size this file to any size any time and have a clean image.         Return to Profile