The Digital Imaging Workflow for Treatment Documentation is an internal instructional manual for conservation photodocumentation used in the Conservation Division at the Library of Congress. The Digital Imaging Workflow is based on the protocols presented in The AIC Guide to Digital Photography and Conservation Documentation (ed. Jeffrey Warda, 2017, 3rd edition), workshops taught by Jiuan-Jiuan Chen to the Conservation Division in 2016 and 2017, training in conservation graduate programs, and advice from consultants. The manual abides by the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice. The manual is specific to the setup and equipment in the Conservation Division, but the procedures may be adapted for use in other conservation imaging studios. Inclusion of equipment and supplies in the manual is not an endorsement; in most cases similar materials may be substituted.
The manual is divided into three parts: Primary Workflow (Sections 1-5), Secondary Workflow (Sections 6-13), and Multimodality Workflow (Sections 14-20).
The Primary Workflow provides instructions for setting up computer and software preferences, image capture using normal illumination and a digital SLR camera, addition of metadata, post-capture image processing, and archival printing.
The Secondary Workflow describes additional imaging modes using standard cameras, including: raking illumination, transmitted illumination, polarized illumination, UVA-induced visible fluorescence, and slide capture using a digital SLR camera; photomacrography (using a stereomicroscope) and photomicrography (using a compound microscope).
The Multimodality Workflow describes imaging modes using a modified camera (a standard digital SLR camera with the IR-blocking filter removed), including: visible illumination, reflected infrared, visible-induced infrared luminescence, UVA-induced visible fluorescence, and reflected UVA photography; as well as false color infrared and false color ultraviolet image processing.
The combined manual and individual sections can be downloaded below.
Digital Imaging Workflow for Treatment Documentation [PDF: 36,319 KB, 201 pp.]
Front Matter [PDF: 485 KB, 5 pp.]
Primary Workflow:
Section 1 – Setting Up Preference [PDF: 1,929 KB, 15 pp.]
Section 2 – Image Capture [PDF: 2,682 KB, 15 pp.]
Section 3 – Metadata [PDF: 707 KB, 7 pp.]
Section 4 – Image Processing [PDF: 2,307 KB, 19 pp.]
Section 5 – Output [PDF: 1,682 KB, 7 pp.]
Secondary Workflow:
Section 6 – Raking Illumination [PDF: 1,472 KB, 7 pp.]
Section 7 – Transmitted Illumination [PDF: 1,198 KB, 7 pp.]
Section 8 – Specular Illumination [PDF: 1,676 KB, 9 pp.]
Section 9 – Polarized Illumination [PDF: 1,633 KB, 7 pp.]
Section 10 – UVA-Induced Visible Fluorescence (Standard Camera) [PDF: 1,725 KB, 9 pp.]
Section 11 – Slide Capture [PDF: 1,935 KB, 9 pp.]
Section 12 – Photomacrography [PDF: 3,264 KB, 13 pp.]
Section 13 – Photomicrography [PDF: 1,764 KB, 11 pp.]
Multimodality Workflow:
Section 14 – Visible Illumination (Modified Camera) [PDF: 1,775 KB, 9 pp.]
Section 15 – Reflected Infrared (Modified Camera) [PDF: 2,143 KB, 11 pp.]
Section 16 – Visible-Induced Infrared Luminescence (Modified Camera) [PDF: 3,617 KB, 13 pp.]
Section 17 – UVA-Induced Visible Fluorescence (Modified Camera) [PDF: 2,382 KB, 9 pp.]
Section 18 – Reflected Ultraviolet (Modified Camera) [PDF: 2,265 KB, 9 pp.]
Section 19 – False Color Infrared [PDF: 1,723 KB, 5 pp.]
Section 20 – False Color Ultraviolet [PDF: 1,977 KB, 5 pp.]
