Here are some basic guidelines, reminders, and things to think about when you are composing digital fine art projects, based on some observations and experiences along the way. Take 'em or leave 'em!

All art is a balance between substance and style, but in computer art it's especially easy to give in to the lure of digital tools and effects, often sacrificing art to technology (unless you purposely want to seek that state). So, in working with digital imagery, always try keeping content foremost and apply your digital arsenal with forethought and tact. But don't get so conservative and controlled that you limit your horizons. Once you set your basic artistic foundations, experiment and take risks.

Don't let the computer control or determine the style of your artwork. Do use the computer as a means of expressing and stretching your natural artistic abilities.

Standardize your workspace lighting and monitor brightness/contrast; calibrate your monitor and use a neutral gray, non-chaotic background. Always be aware of the difference between monitor (RGB) color and print (CMYK) output color, and remember that what you get in print may be different from what you see on the monitor. So..........

Use a color management system (e.g. ColorSync; Adobe CMS) in your workflow and try to keep color standardized as well as feasible between input device, monitor, and output device. This is not easy, but try at least to control what you can between applications and devices.

Don't work in too-high (i.e. millions) or too-low (e.g. 256) color depth unless you have a specific reason in mind (e.g. file size; color fidelity). Best bet is to stick to 16 bit (i.e. thousands). Same considerations for resolution and size.

Even if your files are to be printed on a press in CMYK, do all of your major composition, editing, and color correction in a high color space (e.g. RGB or CIE Lab), then convert to CMYK later.

Formulate a workflow scheme. Preplan your projects, so that you can keep in mind the various formats, file types, resolutions, etc you will need for various media outputs (e.g. print, web, CD-ROM, etc). Always keep your legacy file in the largest color space, highest resolution, most flexible format, etc. That way, you can always create multiple forms of output without compromising or degrading your main content.

The best digital artists have mastered the basic tools and techniques like making selections, masking, editing, and using levels, curves, and channels accurately. The appearance of finished artworks is usually a result of knowing how to use basic tools effectively, not reliance on special effects and dozens of filters. Master the basics!

Avoid up-sampling (e.g adding pixels by interpolation) or scaling-up as much as possible. Start at higher than needed resolution or size and down-sample or scale-down from that -- it causes much less image degradation. This is especially important for scanning input.

If you move graphics, etc. between applications (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator and page layout programs), know what file formats are the most suitable for each application, so that translation between programs (e.g. bitmap to vector to page-layout) is smooth and image information loss is minimized. (e.g. TIFF is a good common currency for interapplication file placement). Use the program(s) best-suited to produce your desired objective.

Learn the basics of type composition and layout; know how to use typography and spacing (e.g. leading, tracking, kerning) to create effective layouts and interesting lettering. Use the appropriate font(s) for the proper result (impact, mood, theme, etc). If you use type in your compostion, give legibility and information content the highest priority. And always check your spelling!!!!!!

Don't become dependent upon using clip-art or stock photos for your work. Although they have their places, are convenient, and can be used effectively on some occasions (under severe budget and/or time constraints), nothing replaces the power and distinctive flavor of your original art . Remember that if you must use web images in your composition, they are generally low quality and low resolution and must be corrected when possible. Besides, they are usually copyrighted and legally protected!!

Know when it's most appropriate to use jpg vs gif formats (generally, jpg for fine detailed photo- quality, continuous tone images; gif for graphics, type, animations). Balance image quality vs. file size and download time. Keep re-editing of jpeg images to a minimum. Remember that it's a lossy compression scheme, and each time you resave an edited jpeg you lose information.