CHAPTER 11 HOW THE DIGITAL DARKROOM MAKES GOOD PHOTOS INTO GREAT FANTASIES^177
Each cell is compared to each of the photographs that have been gath-
ered to make up the larger photograph. On an aesthetic level, it’s more
interesting if the smaller photos have some relationship to the larger
image, such as using Matthew Brady photos, to
create a portrait of Lincoln. But their content is
immaterial to the software. The program is
comparing the cells to the photos for color,
brightness, texture, and density values. (Some
other programs rotate cell photos or change
their brightness or hue to better match the
large photo, but that seems like cheating.)(^5) The resulting larger picture appears to have more reso-
lution than it does because the program also compares
the colors and shapes within each smaller photo to
match cells
that contain
markedly dif-
ferent areas,
such as the
edge of an
object that
cuts diagonally
through a cell.
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