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Photograph by numbers (continued) Power play Now what? First, install the software that came with the camera. The CDs bundled with digital cameras usually include necessary drivers, image-editing, and/or image-management programs. Consumer-level cameras connect to computers via USB (universal serial bus), which is nothing more than a geeky way of saying you use a cable. The next step is to attach one end of the USB cable to the camera and the other end to a USB port located either on the front or back of your computer (most computers built within the past four or five years will have USB ports). Finally, turn on your camera. Your computer will automatically launch the proper photo software (if you installed it correctly) and import your images (you might have to click an "Import" button). Your camera should also show up in your computer's file-navigation window or desktop as a storage volume. To copy the photos to your computer, drag them out of the camera's file window and into a folder on your hard drive. What can you do with your photos after that? Almost anything. The aforementioned image-management software is a good place to start. Programs such as ACDsee ($49, www.acdsystems.com) for PCs and Apple Computer's iPhoto ($49, part of the iLife suite, www.apple.com) allow you to import images from a camera automatically. Change the cryptic IMG_123 file names to something more descriptive, like Aunt_Sis, and then organize them into hierarchical folders or virtual photo albums. You can assign keywords to each photo ("Birthday" or "Mountains, Vacation, Cabin") so that finding them later isn't a chore. Most image-management programs also include basic editing features such red-eye removal, cropping, and brightness and contrast adjustment. The best programs also let you burn CD or DVD back-ups of your photo libraries, and connect you directly to online photo services to order prints and hard-copy photo albums. Those who want to do more than basic editing should give serious consideration to consumer-level image-editing software, such as Adobe's Photoshop Elements ($99, Mac and PC, www.adobe.com). Because digital cameras save photos in common, cross-platform image-file formats (JPEG and TIFF), you can use image-editing programs to manipulate digital photos on your computer to your heart's content. Although the software can't magically restore that head you cut off in the shot, you can lighten too-dark images and correct other problems. You can also sharpen fuzzy images, adjust contrast, add text or shapes, and apply filters that turn your honeymoon snapshot of Niagara Falls into a watercolor masterpiece - the sky's the limit. The learning curve varies widely among the various brands of editing programs, as do the prices, so do some research before buying. Note that you may find that the image-editing software bundled with your camera is all you need. Experiment with it before spending money on another program. Unless your digital camera is plugged into an outlet via an AC adapter, it uses battery power when you import photos into your computer. To save the battery and free up the camera for other uses when importing photos, consider buying a memory-card reader. These small devices attach to a computer via USB or Firewire (also known as iLink or IEEE 1394) and accept either one or several memory-card types. You remove the memory card from your camera and insert it into the reader; your computer then displays the memory card in your system's file-navigation window or desktop, which you can use to copy the images on the card to your hard drive. Card readers cost from $10 to $40. The key to approaching digital images is to remember that they are nothing more than computer data, like a word-processing document or spreadsheet. Because of this, you have an amazing amount of output options beyond printing. You can share your photos with a good portion of the world by e mailing them to friends and family or uploading them to a Web site. You can use digital photos to jazz up holiday letters, create personalized greeting cards, or burn slide shows to CDs or even DVDs that can be played on set-top DVD players. Don't forget printing! For those who let others do it, an online photo-printing service such as Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com) or Ofoto (www.ofoto.com) is the way to go (there are hundreds of services out there; shop around). You upload your photos to the site and then specify the size and number of prints you want, which are mailed to your home. Many of these sites also offer framing services, and even novelty items such as candy and mugs that can be printed with, well, your favorite mugs. You can also create virtual photo albums that can be shared with anyone with Internet access. Brick-and-mortar types can also visit their local drugstore, such as CVS (www.cvs.com), as many drugstores now offer digital-photo-printing services. In this case, you bring in your memory card, specify prints, CDs, or both, and the store creates the prints and/or CDs for you. Additional resources www.dpreview.com Online photo-service comparison: Usenet: Atticus Fisher can be reached at Atticus_Fisher@pciwiz.com. | |||||
