The speech contained in this document originally accompanied a slide presentation on the altered photographic image. The discussion examines the links between photographic tradition and contemporary visual imaging, the current transformation of visual imaging by the computer, and the effects of digital imaging on visual arts. Photography has a long tradition as a purveyor of "reliable" visual information and as a medium of truth, but the ability of the computer to manipulate images has generated concern about pictorial verity. Creating altered images has been possible since the beginning of photography, because among other things artists could combine and superimpose images or add color, but new technologies and electronic tools continue to blur distinctions between actual and represented reality. Emerging visual art techniques create new ways of influencing perception and new modes of presentation. Artists of future generations must consider the question of whether the computer will eventually be able to generate its own art rather than simply mimic style. Even though the gap between the artist and the technology is narrowing, it seems evident that human input and the creative process will remain important. (BEW)