The light from a photographic scene is captured by the camera and converted into digital data in Stage 1. The scene can then be viewed on on the camera display, be sent to a printer for a paper copy, or be sent to a computer for storage. There, in Stage 2, the picture data can be further manipulated using specialized software to yield optimum image quality on a computer monitor. The data can also be prepared for optimum print quality depending on printer, ink and paper in Stage 3