This page reviews the steps necessary to sending back colorful HTML reports to the Institute via email. It is intended for use by UTIG scientists conducting field work.

Graphics may be generated several different ways. The ultimate product should be a compressed JPEG image. Input possibilities include digital still camera, analog VHS camcorder, flatbed scanner, or computer graphics software.

A digital still camera captures static images which are then downloaded to a Macintosh or PC, scaled, and converted to JPEG images. We tried this on the Palmer using a black and white camera without a flash and recovered about one good photo per "roll" of 36 exposures. Most photos suffered from focus or exposure problems.

Many of the color images on the Palmer report were captured from a VHS video camera which had an NTSC output plug. A Silicon graphics computer on the ship allowed direct NTSC analog video input for use with software for recording movies and/or still images. This was very useful as the best frame of a clip could be chosen for use in the report.

A flatbed scanner, if available shipboard, may be used to capture good color images of printed matter. On the Palmer we scanned some of the raw seismic plots in black and white and put them on the web page. Polaroid pictures could also be scanned. Some of the seafloor pictures on our cruise were taken on quick-develop black and white slide film. The slides were projected on a screen and captured with the video camera, as above. Slide scanners, if available, are another useful means of getting images into the computer.

Computer graphics may be either converted from their native format to a JPEG, or captured from the screen using an appropriate screen dump utility. The latter method may be useful for grabbing real-time color images, such as multibeam swath bathymetry, from a monitor screen.

Graphics Software. On the UNIX side, xv is the most useful graphic display, scaling, and conversion program. It is freeware. Macintosh mavens ought to use GraphicConverter or Adobe Photoshop to produce JPEG and GIF images.

Mailing. All of your graphics must be converted to text in order to email them. The easiest way to do this is to use uuencode, either on a Macintosh or UNIX machine. The HTML text file and each graphic to which it refers should be emailed to UTIG with instructions for decoding them (uudecode) and placement of referring files in directories (if applicable).
BJS 01/10/96