Re: AIS: REF: AIS as International Registration Authority

Dorothy;  I  am very much a believer in allowing those who are doing the work to define how they do it. Since I hope to have a face to face meeting with members of the Median team at the convention I am not sure how precise I can make the guidelines until we have that discussion. Probably we will have to work some things out by e-mail after the holidays. But since I am the person doing the spuria checklist, allow me to explain how I have approached the problem in that class.

            First, the goal is to produce a printed archive, in the form of an illustrated checklist. A printed document will far outlast CDs with shelf lives of maybe 5 years. I have used in most cases only one picture of a cultivar for the printed product. But I store on my hard drive and on disc multiple pictures of each cultivar. In the future these might be used on a website, CD, etc. Every file is stored in the largest format that is practical. Generally this means about 2.5 inches at 600 dpi.  Dpi is dots per inch. For printing this is the minimal acceptable size for publishers like Timber Press who do high quality work. Digital images are usually accepted by servers going back and forth over the internet at 72 dpi, and for viewing on a monitor that is all that is necessary for a quality image on the screen. I receive many images via e-mail at 72 dpi but I request that the image be as large as possible, usually 15-20 inches. When the size is reduced the dpi can be increased at
 the same time and I can either store these as the smaller denser image or as received. Each file is stored as a jpeg. Largely because this seems to be the type file that can be manipulated by the most programs. If people send me prints, slides, etc I scan and convert all of these to digital files. I prefer that images not be greatly enhanced. Kodachrome always has too much red in the blues and digital images usually do not have enough. Often when a kodachrome is printed digitally the two technologies offset their inherent problems and the printed image has just about the correct color balance. Despite having several photoshop programs to work with I have never seen results that can adjust color balance to its actual living state. Even if you store a file that has been adjusted for the monitor you are viewing it on it will print slightly differently. Generally photos can be enhanced for brightness or contrast without a distortion of color perception of the image but I prefer to do
 only a 15% enhanced in such cases and prefer to have a picture that does not need adjustment. 

            At the National Convention there will be the illustrated checklist for Spurias. I have promised Francesca Thoolan that I would print a few of the illustrated Aril Society Checklist which is now on line, and I suspect the Louisiana Iris Society will have their CD of an illuastrated checklist. People will be able to see what can and is being done. In the past Societies have maintained slide collections and these were an archive. Today we can maintain digitals formats that can be duplicated easily and inexpensively so they are less vulnerable to loss, fading etc. 

            Dorothy; I would been happy to help in anyway I can, I pay a flat rate for long distance so if you like I can call and maybe help you with your scanner.

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