Basics of Digital Imaging

Understanding what's under the hood in space image processing

What does it take to "process" an image? How can snapshots be scientific data? Where can you find space image data, and is it possible for just anybody to work with it? How can spacecraft get clear, bright pictures of worlds so far away from the Sun? How real are space photos -- would it look like that if you are there? In this Basics of Digital Imaging course, Emily Lakdawalla will answer these questions and more, and walk you through using either Adobe Photoshop or the free and open-source Gnu image processing software GIMP to process raw image data into beautiful photos. The skills you learn along the way will apply just as well to your own Earth photography.


Your Instructor


Emily Lakdawalla
Emily Lakdawalla

Emily Lakdawalla is an internationally admired science communicator and educator, passionate about advancing public understanding of space and sharing the wonder of scientific discovery.

Emily has been processing digital images from space for science and fun since 1990, when she took a summer course in multispectral image processing for undergraduate geology majors. She has loved digital painting since she spent much of the summer of 1984 playing with MacPaint on a Macintosh computer at her mother's office, drawing one-bit art with black and white pixels. Since 1998 she has combined the two in the artistic processing of spacecraft image data in order to render beautiful images of the places that robots have visited.


Course Curriculum


  Introduction
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  Lesson 1: Images Are Data
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  Lesson 3: Image Processing vs. Digital Painting
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  Lesson 5: Saving Things for Later
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  Lesson 7: Space Data Sources
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.

Get started now!