Meeting human needs with new digital imaging technologies

It's a visual world. Images capture many people's thrills, emotions, and concerns. Art can shock or inspire, and family photos are some of our greatest treasures. It's not surprising that visual information is a vital component of the new computing. Most people depend on visual input to understand the world around them and as a basis for further creative activities. The popularity of visual media such as photos, short videos, and animations attests to their mainstream acceptance. Digital photos and image-laden Web pages have already become major computing applications, but users still want higher-resolution images and faster downloads