Updated: 26th October, 2001
Edited by Paul Vigay (email paul.vigay@dp-now.com) Please note - sadly, at present, RICS OS browsers will not display the majority of pages on dp-now.com correctly. However, this page *should* be OK and I will try to ensure that any RISC OS specific updates will be compatible. A RISC OS compatible front page can also be found here (IB)  Introduction: RISC OS is a plucky piece of British technology that has survived, against all the odds, and continues to be the focal point of an enthusiastic and international community of users. Now into its 13th year and out-living its creator, Acorn Computers (the company that invented the ARM RISC processor that you’ll now find in over 90% of mobile phones, the Nintendo GameBoy Advance and *all* Pocket PC 2002 devices) RISC OS remains a remarkable personal computer OS and one that I still consider to have the best user interface, bar none. As the former contributing editor of Acorn User magazine and a fan of the technology, I thought it would be good to provide some support via dp-now.com for the cause. Paul Vigay is an accomplished RISC OS programmer, writer, afficionado and evangelist and he’s agreed to edit this section of dp-now.com. So, it’s over to you, Paul!
Ian Burley (editor/publisher, dp-now.com) Digital Photography using RISC OS based computersBy Paul Vigay RISC OS based computers, formerly made by Acorn Computers plc and now licenced to a number of third-party hardware developers, were arguably the first home computers ideally suited to digital imaging and manipulation. Arguably the first digital photography personal computer Back in 1994, when the first Risc PC was launched, its graphics capability of 16 million colours in 800x600 resolution or up to 1600x1200 pixels in 8 bit colour was virtually unrivalled by all but the most powerful workstations. Since then, PC technology has caught up and even budget PCs can now cope with high resolutions in millions of colours. This has resulted in the explosion of digital photography during the last couple of years, with prices dropping almost daily. How do the current RISC PC computers cope with the options available to today's digital photographer? RISC OS digital photography considerationsThere are several things to be aware of when considering digital photography using RISC OS based computers. Current machines don't have USB ports (although one hardware manufacturer is currently developing a USB podule, so this problem should be resolved within the next six months), so this is one consideration when purchasing a camera, as quite a few manufacturers are dropping serial ports in favour of USB, especially with the larger file sizes due to increased resolution and quality. Memory card reader for RISC OSThe other option is to purchase a camera equipped with SmartMedia or Compact Flash. Being the two most common memory card formats, this shouldn't limit your choice much and you can purchase a parallel port memory card reader. At present the only company producing card readers for RISC OS computers is SurfTec (http://www.surftec.net). Having used their CompactFlash reader, I can confirm that it works well - just insert the flash card into the reader, load the FlashFS software and the card will be treated like an ordinary disc drive. The images saved from the camera appear as standard files and can be dragged and dropped, either into RISC OS image applications or simply saved to your hard drive for later use. If your choice of camera does come equipped with a serial interface, then its worth paying Photodesk Ltd a visit. Photodesk Ltd (http://www.photodesk.ltd.uk) are the pioneers of digital photography on RISC OS machines, not only having developed a range of serial interface drivers for a large range of cameras, but also being the leading developer and supplier of photo-quality printer drivers and printers. Although Photodesk specialise in Epson and Canon printers, they can offer advice on a wide range of RISC OS printing issues and if you purchase the printer from them, they'll include all the relevant RISC OS software for free (in addition to the standard PC software). Once you've transferred your photographs onto the computer, RISC OS copes flawlessly, and will read all manner of image formats. Indeed, in my personal experience RISC OS copes as well, if not better than Mac OS - the long time choice of printers and imaging technicians. If you're thinking of seriously getting into digital photography using RISC OS then the definitive package you need is Photodesk (see above), which is roughly the RISC OS equivalent of Photoshop or PaintShopPro. Although it will set you back £135.00, this is still an awful lot cheaper than Photoshop or similar under Windows or Mac OS and will perform all the imaging effects you should need, even 'professional' effects such as layering (Photoshop compatible) and CMYK separations. Shareware utilities availableHowever, if you just want to view or catalogue your images, there are plenty of public domain and Shareware utilities which will allow you to view virtually any foreign image format, tidy up JPEGs by stripping out unrequired header information, or just index all your photos by creating a catalogue of thumbnail images. A small range of what's available: If you have any questions regarding using a RISC OS computer for digital photography, please email paul.vigay@dp-now.com and we'll see if we can find an answer for you. If you have any suggestions for this dp-now.com RISC OS Focus resource, then we’d like to hear from you now! Some key links: RISC OS Ltd Acorn User magazine [Back to top of the page] | 
