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Managing, Printing, and Sharing Photos
There are many tools designed to help you import, organize, edit, print, and share your digital photographs. For example, all Windows® XP-loaded computers ship with the built-in My Pictures function. You can also choose from a variety of photo applications available for purchase or download.
No matter what software you choose, it should perform the basic tasks you need.
Importing photos
Once you have taken, received, or located the photographs you wish to edit and store:
- Connect the device, like your digital camera or scanner, to your PC via an available USB port or other connection
- Or, insert the removable storage medium, like a memory card or CD, into the appropriate slot or bay
- Your photo application should launch automatically and prompt you to import the pictures
Organizing photos
Photo storage and management applications do not store the photographs themselves. Instead, they store metadata—or information about your pictures. Most allow you to create folders to organize pictures and label individual pictures.
When you want to retrieve and edit, print, or share a photo, either scroll through the thumbnails or search by date, label, folder, or similar criteria.
Editing photos
Most photo editing applications share similar elements:
- Menus like File, Edit, and View
- One or more toolbars
- A scrollable thumbnail list of stored photographs
- A large central editing area
- A selection of commonly performed tasks
Toolbars house single-click icons, or buttons, to help you alter your photo’s resolution, rotate and resize it, zoom in or out, select and crop a specific area, and add text, mats, and frames. Additionally, many toolbars and commonly performed tasks lists help you manipulate your picture’s brightness and contrast, eliminate red eye, enhance coloring, and add color filters and paint effects.
Opening imported pictures for editing is as straightforward as importing them:
- Launch your photo storage and editing program, then click on and open a picture from the scrollable thumbnail list
- If a photo does not appear in the thumbnail list, click the Open icon on the toolbar, or select Open from the File menu, and then browse for, choose, and open the photo as you would any other document
Printing photos
Photo applications allow you to print out more than just 4”x6” snapshots. Depending on the application, you can print greeting cards, calendars, invitations, and a variety of other fun projects.
There are two main ways of making prints from your digital photos:
- To print on a regular printer or a dedicated photo printer, click the Print icon on the toolbar; or, if you wish to make adjustments, select Print from the File menu, and then click Properties to change printer settings
- To order prints through a Web-based service, each provider has its own ordering process, so follow the on-screen directions carefully
Sharing photos
Digital photography offers innovative ways to share your favorite pictures:
- Sign up with a Web-based photo sharing service, which will allow you to upload, organize, edit, and store pictures; share them with family and friends for free; order prints; and create unique gifts
- Create your own webpage or online scrapbook
- Attach photos to email messages
- Burn photo collections to CD or DVD
(Please note, this guide is only an introductory overview. To achieve optimal results, always follow the manufacturer’s instruction manuals for your equipment and software.)
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