Is Editing with a 1080p 32-inch from 48 Inches a Good Idea?

[George Tyndall]

Thanks to Bobby, I went out this am and temporarily purchased such a TV. Here's my concern:

I usually edit my slide shows on a 52-inch Samsung from a distance of about 10 feet, which is somewhat beyond the recommended viewing distance of 1.5-2x the diagonal measurement of the TV.

At this moment, I am using the TV described above, and, oh my! I am seeing details in my slide shows that I never saw before, specifically, lots of "dust spots" on both the models and the backgrounds. The 32-inch screen is about 54 inches away.

Because this web page ran off the screen, I needed to allow NVIDIA to reset the image-- to 1832x1022--and I changed the AV setting to Game (Off is too bright, Cinema too dark, Sport still too light).

Question: Given that customers may also be purchasing smaller HDTVs in 1080p rather than 720p as in the past, is it strongly suggested that I begin to use a TV such as this for my HD editing?

[RJ Johnston]

I can't believe that you haven't had a 1080p until now.

That's not as bad as when I went from a CRT to a LCD 1080p and noticed all the mistakes I made using the CRT.

[George Tyndall]

I can't believe that you haven't had a 1080p until now.

That's not as bad as when I went from a CRT to a LCD 1080p and noticed all the mistakes I made using the CRT.

The Samsung is 1080p--but 10 feet away.

The LG 1080p is about 4 feet away.

[Bobby]

George, those AV settings are only presets for those unwilling to play around. You should find where the manual or custom settings are and get yourself a good BD/DVD alignment disc to set them up. I have played for hours with my settings getting them the way I want.

As far as resolution goes, I would concentrate on the webpage creation tool and ensure that it supports a fairly standard screen size such as 1280x1024. If it fits on your monitor at that resolution it should fit others too. Resize the images if needed.

As far as blems go, that is always an issue. You may need to check your camera sensor for dust and may have to look into blem removal software tools. Ah, the price we pay for high resolution. As I told in a previous story many months ago, my wife would not let me do HD closeups of her.

[George Tyndall]

As far as blems go, that is always an issue. You may need to check your camera sensor for dust and may have to look into blem removal software tools.

To check the sensor, would I, one of the world's most accomplished klutzes, need to disassemble the camera? Then what?

What is blem removal software? I already have Portrait Professional and am very happy with its ability to smooth the skin.

My remaining problem consists of tiny white spots, mostly on my black background but also, occasionally, on my models. Could those be dead camera pixels? Or just dust on the sensor?

[Chuck Engels]

George I have seen those white spots with a couple of my digital cameras. Always seemed to have something to do with bright lights, like sunlight or flash. Seemed that the flash would cause it more and it didn't cause the problem on every image, some worse than others. I think it is an issue with the camera or maybe a low battery? Not really sure and I never have figured out exactly what is causing this. It doesn't happen anymore with my new camera.

[Bobby]

If your camera doesn't have automatic dust removal, then it is best left to a professional. You may want to think about dust sources, how you carry your equipment (in a ten year old dusty bag?) and how you change lenses (in a dust storm?).

Take a couple of photos of a clear sky at widest apperture and see if you see spots then. If you see spots in the same place it is probably dust on the sensor.

I assume you clean your lenses frequently and carefully, front and back.