Digital Cameras and photo smart ideas.
I volunteer helping seniors with computer skills and understand some of the problems.
Jim,s picture perfect information about image data functionality and enjoyment thereof.
If you are not into photography, photographic quality prints, or you do not expect to accumulate more than a few photos this information is not necessarily important. However keep in mind that 200 photos times 10 Megs is a lot of time and data to handle and protect. Use it and don’t lose it. This is just a little information compiled from other people’s mistakes that I have accumulated as a tutor. Learn from their mistakes and enjoy the benefits of digital photography without paying the price of double digit deletion, digital nightmares, and digital depression. Spend a hundred dollars on an external and internal hard drive and you will be glad you did. Ask anyone that lost their photos.
It would be nice to have someone show you how to work the camera. I always use the auto setting. We need to know about flash, how to take the picture, view it, delete it, and move it to the computer.
Ask some one to install a second hard drive. Ask them to explain C drive, internal 2nd hard drive, and external hard drive. You won't remember but that's OK.
If you are not familiar with select, open, save, copy, past, close, delete, making, filing, and naming folders, then have someone teach you how to using notepad. Keep it simple. Do not begin with MS word a simplistic start is best.
Learn the filing concept. Finding lost folders can become a nightmare. Know how to move the memory chip between the camera and the computer. Using the USB camera cord move a few photos back and forth. Try deleting the camera's memory of photos with computer mouse controlling the delete.
1. Select the maximum resolution of your camera. more resolution makes clarity available for larger prints and wide screens. If you pay for 3, 6, or 10 Megs use it. Unless its just for cyber use then the minim resolution is appropriate.
2. If you are using 3, 6, or 10 Megs save it.
3. If you are saving 3, 6, or 10 Megs back it up.
5. Close the program that opens when you connect your camera or camera card. Beter it be for you to take charge of your picture filing system. Changing cameras, storage, photo programs, formats, and or definition will play havoc on your habits.
4. Download all pictures directly from the camera to two different hard drives and or locations.
5. In my computer (usual an icon on the desktop or from the start menu) select your camera Drive ?, it shows up as a drive letter (if unsure try random choice until you find it, no harm done).
5A. Open the camera folder (Sometimes also the folder within that folder) until you see a list of pictures or thumbnails)(thumbnails are small images like an icon).
5B. In edit select all.
5C. And then In edit select copy.
5D. Next (or before make a place to store the pictures) go back in my computer.
5E. Selects the internal or external hard drive to store the information.
5F. Make a new folder.
5G. Label it with title and date.
5H. Open the new folder.
5I. In edit of new named folder select paste and a copy of the pictures will appear.
6. Click and drag is also used but I prefer not to use that method. I like using Copy and Past found on the file menu. I prefer to have both of the folders (from and To) open and sized for 1/2 the screen. I do not trust the computer and like to see the files and or pictures moving from one place to the other.
7. Do not let any computer program tell you what to do. Close any program that tries to open. you can always get to the pictures later with your favorite program. often more than one photo program is used and that program will change as you learn new skills.
8. Unless you don’t care if the pictures are lost when that hard drive fails (computer crash) download all pictures to the backup external hard drive and repeat step 5 transferring all the data into that second location.
Now you have two high quality 3, 6, or 10 Meg copies and unless you want to show the pictures to someone using the camera now is a good time to delete them from the camera. Select all from the camera folder edit menu. Then select delete from the File menu or as I like to use the Delete button on the keyboard. The camera is now empty and ready for a new batch of pictures.
When the external hard drives are not in use disconnect them. Suffice it to say they are less prone to evil and damage when they are disconnected and the power is turned off.
9. Using Photoshop or your similar photo program you can access the photos from the external or 2nd internal hard drive the same as you would have from the camera and degrade the quality of the image depending on the intended use keeping what you paid for stored and backed up.
The two most popular alterations are:
A. Reduced picture size to 600/800 for full screen computer image.
B. Reduce image quality and formatting to less than 500K jpeg for email.
Usually these altered images are stored in your internal C hard drive under "My Photos" providing instant access for a multiplex of abilities.
The external drive is still used for making photographic quality prints at home or burning to a CD for a local store to do that printing for you. The CD is also a method of backup but we do not have the time to sort through several disks and search for pictures that could otherwise be found with the click of the mouse.
Other formats and alterations of the image are endless. All of which can be attained from the original copy on the external drive but not from the degraded 600/800 Jpeg, cropped, altered, or other format copies.
In most cases several variations of the same image are useful to have on the internal C. hard drive. I do not recommend keeping all the original high quality pictures on the internal C hard drive because virus scans and other search functions will take forever to complete.
A good way to keep track is to label them with the same name plus adding more info about the modifications jpeg or size.
Folder "Thanksgiving09" on C. drive.
Folder name, "Thanksgiving09", contains the original Photo of, "DadInBoat", Also stored on 2nd hard drive (back up location) or partitioned C drive (another type of backup location)and or external hard drive (the best backup location, usually portable and good for sharing at family reunions and such.)
"DadInBoat2", Date, Format, Size, Shape, Cropped or use.
"EmailCopy" "DadInBoat2EM".
"CroppedCopy" A portion or face within the original picture. "DadInBoat3Crop".
A second folder labeled "Dad" is sometimes helpful.
"Dad09All".
Make another copy of all dad’s photos and past them into that folder with labels.
Email copy "DadInBoat4EM".
Cropped copy "DadInBoat5CR".
Copy 4 and 5 are not necessary and I past a shortcut to image 2 and 3. I do not want to complicate the process at this time. I you are up to the 100th photo it is time to delete the 4th and 5th copy and learn to past a shortcut to photos "DadInBoat2EM" and "DadInBoat3Crop". That requires a right click on the photo and selecting create a shortcut. The shortcut has to be moved to the folder location "Dad" (in this example) and the shortcut of that picture will be in the "Dad" folder but it will open the picture located in the folder "Thanksgiving09" saving memory and space on the hard drive.
Any Questions
The best way to keep track of photos is with an XL spread sheet. If you have trouble with XL at least learn to use NotePad and keep notes. Sooner or later there will more data than you can navigate through without help. You will spend more time searching through folders than the 3 hours it takes to master the Note Pad program. Keep in mind you only need to use the basic skills of Note Pad or XL to keep track of all your photos. Sometimes the easy way is not.
Thank You, Jim Raab
