6   Methods of Presentation

Photographs

Photographs are good for showing readers what something looks like, but are not good for pointing out small details (use a technical illustration instead). Use where textures and tones are important or to demonstrate that something is real. See Figure 6-6.

Photographs can be scanned from colour prints or taken using a digital camera. If using a digital camera, check the quality of the photographs to make sure they are acceptable.

Photographs should be placed as closely following the reference in the text as possible, and should have a figure number and caption describing what the photograph shows.

.JPG format works well for photographs destined for the Web.

Figure 6-6: This photograph was scanned from a colour print and saved as a .TIF file

Tips on Using Photographs

Here are some tips on using photographs:

• Photographs can significantly increase the size of your word processor file. If you’re planning to use a lot of photos, you may want to split up the file.

• Do not use photographs if you plan to photocopy the manual—they do not reproduce well. Use offset or digital printing instead.

• Crop photographs to focus attention on the essential parts.

• Use leader lines and callouts to point out specific parts of the photograph.