The InLiquid.com staff takes very seriously the color-correcting of scanned images so that they may represent their original as closely as possible. Since this site is dedicated to artists and their work, image quality is of the utmost importance. So that InLiquid.com members might have a better understanding of how their artworks are being viewed by the international audience that visits the site, we would like to explain some of the issues and constraints that go along with publishing images on the web.

One important constraint of posting images on the web is the file format we use. JPEG (pronounced "jay-peg") is a standardized image compression mechanism. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the original name of the committee that wrote the standard. JPEG is designed for compressing either full-color or gray-scale images of natural, real-world scenes. It works well on photographs, naturalistic artwork, and similar material. JPEG is "lossy," meaning that the decompressed image isn't quite the same as the one you started with. (There are lossless image compression algorithms, but JPEG achieves much greater compression than is possible with those methods.) This "lossy" quality is one reason why your images may not look exactly as you would expect they should. To read more about the JPEG format please visit: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/.

Another issue is the color calibration of the monitor the web site is being viewed on. Monitors are like TV sets in that their color, brightness, and contrast can be adjusted; ideally, they should be professionally calibrated so that an image appearing on the screen will match the colors of the same image in an original hard copy. In reality, monitors are calibrated differently and vary in resolution quality. This allows much diversity on what the end user sees, depending on their monitor. If an artist were to get their slides scanned for print, the print would resemble the original image, but the same digital file will still look different on some monitors due to this variation.

The final issue, and what may actually be the most crucial, is the quality of the source material. When working with pictures or slides, the end result will only be as good as the original, not better. If the materials we are receiving are questionable, the final result of the scan will be as well. Please make sure that the slides or photos that you choose to send in of your work are of presentation quality.

Due to these various issues, InLiquid.com cannot be held responsible for fluctuations in an image's appearance. Please be aware of the issues at hand, and know that InLiquid will do its best to present your work as it's intended.