File talk:Secundra Bagh after Indian Mutiny.jpg

Gray level adapted.

What is more important: the original photograph or the details it shows? Anton 20:19, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

Both are important. One can't predict how an image is going to be used or of what use it will serve. For example, for someone whose interest is albumen photography this "gray level" alteration renders an image that is no longer useable - it doesn't look like an albumen print anymore. Also, the upper left corner is now in shadow (as are other dark portions of the image), when the original was not. And I don't find the image more readable than before - actually less so. The change has resulted in something that looks blurry, rather than simply faded. Finally, the answer to your question can also be put this way: the original photograph is the details it shows (or doesn't show). I think this should be reverted. Pinkville 18:01, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

The information within picture can only decline. But perception may be improved. Another example: [1] and [2] Anton 13:14, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that is a less drastic change - but the original image was already very bad - and apparently the source was a page from a newspaper or some other poor quality image source. The original Beato photo, though, was in a museum collection presented on a museum site and represents the photo as it really is. Pinkville 16:14, 20 March 2006 (UTC)