Microsoft have published a new article which is a lot more interesting than the title, “Creating an Optimized Windows XP Digital Imaging System”, first suggests. And when you notice that it’s written by acclaimed author Tim Grey, you know that it’s definitely worth reading if you currently run Windows XP as your operating system.

“Of course, many photographers utilize medium format film to maximize the detail they are able to capture. The size of the file grows with the film. Scanning a 6x4.5 transparency at 4000 dpi yields a file of nearly 200MB in 8-bit, or 400MB in 16-bit.

When these files are optimized with photo-editing software, values for millions of individual pixels must be recalculated. This requires not only storage space for all those pixel values, but computing power to actually crunch the numbers. When dealing with such a significant amount of data, small details affecting overall performance issues can have a significant impact on the time required to perform various tasks. These gains are especially notable for tasks that place a particularly high demand on the system. For example, complicated filters are processor and memory intensive, while file read and write operations call for improved data transfer performance.”

Website: Microsoft - Pixel Performance: Creating an Optimized Windows XP Digital Imaging System