What You’ll Need

• Photo Story 3 for Windows (requires Windows Genuine Advantage)
  
• Windows Media Player 10
  
• Sonic DVD for Photo Story 3 for Windows
  

• Digital camera
  
• USB cable
  
  Note: This cable is usually included with your digital camera.
• DVD burner
  
• Blank DVD
  
• DVD player
  
• TV
  
• Microphone (optional)
  
  Note: A microphone is required only if you want to add your own narration to your photo story.
• USB storage card reader (optional)
  
  Note: Most digital cameras save pictures to a removable storage card, such as a CompactFlash (CF) or Secure Digital (SD) card. If your computer has an internal or external storage card reader, you can quickly copy pictures from the card to your computer by removing the card from the camera and inserting it into the reader. This eliminates the need to connect your camera to your computer by using a USB cable, which can be more time-consuming to use than a storage card reader.

Back to Top

Step 1: Connecting Your Camera to Your Computer

1. Plug the USB connector into the USB port on your digital camera, as shown in the following figure.
   
2. Plug the USB connector on the other end of the cable into a USB port on your computer, as shown in the following image.
   
3. With the digital camera in playback mode, turn on the digital camera.
4. If this is the first time that you have connected your camera to your computer, Windows might prompt you to insert the installation CD that came with your camera. If so, insert the CD into your computer, and then follow the instructions in the Found New Hardware Wizard.
   When the necessary software (sometimes called a device driver) has been installed, Windows XP will recognize your camera, and you'll be ready to move on to the next step.

1. Insert your removable storage card into the card reader.
2. In the resulting dialog box, click Copy pictures to a folder on my computer, and then click OK.
3. Skip to step 2 in the following procedure "To copy pictures from your digital camera to your computer."

Back to Top

Step 2: Copying Pictures from Your Camera to Your Computer

1. In the dialog box that appears when you connect your camera to your computer, click Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard, and then click OK.
2. On the Welcome to the Scanner and Camera Wizard page, click Next.
3. On the Choose Pictures to Copy page, the selected pictures will be copied to your computer. If you do not want to copy a picture to your computer, clear the check box for that picture. Click Next.
4. On the Picture Name and Destination page, do the following, and then click Next:
   • In the Type a name for this group of pictures box, type a name for the pictures.
   • In the Choose a place to save this group of pictures box, choose the place to which you want to save the pictures. If you want to choose another location, click Browse, choose the new folder location, and then click OK.
5. After the pictures are copied to your computer, on the Other Options page, click Nothing. I’m finished working with these pictures, and then click Next.
6. On the Completing the Scanner and Camera Wizard page, click Finish.

Back to Top

Step 3: Downloading and Installing Software

1. If Windows Media Player 10 is not already installed on your computer, download this software from the Windows Media Player 10 Web page, and then install Windows Media Player on your computer.
   Before you can install Photo Story 3 for Windows, Windows Media Player 10 must be installed on your computer.
2. Now, download Photo Story 3 for Windows from the Photo Story 3 for Windows Web page, and then install it on your computer.
3. Finally, if you want to burn your photo story to a DVD directly from Photo Story 3 for Windows, purchase, download, and then install Sonic DVD for Photo Story 3 for Windows.

Back to Top

Step 4: Making and Saving a Photo Story to DVD

1. To start Photo Story 3 for Windows, on the taskbar, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Photo Story 3 for Windows.
2. In Photo Story 3, on the Welcome to Photo Story 3 for Windows page, click Begin a new story, and then click Next.
3. On the Import and arrange your pictures page, click Import Pictures.
4. In the File Browser dialog box, on the All Files tab, click the folder in which the pictures you copied from your digital camera are located. Select one or more pictures, and then click OK.
   You can import several pictures at one time. For consecutive pictures, click the first picture in the list, press and hold down the SHIFT key, and then click the last picture. For pictures that are not adjacent to one another, press and hold the CTRL key, and then click each picture that you want to import.
   Your pictures appear in the film strip at the bottom of the page.

1. If you want to rearrange your pictures on the film strip, select the picture you want to move, and then click the Move Forward or Move Back button. To quickly rearrange pictures, you can also click and drag pictures to a different location on the film strip.
2. If you want to enhance the appearance of a picture, click one or more of the following buttons at the bottom of the picture preview area:
   • Correct Color Levels
   • Correct Red Eye
   • Rotate Counterclockwise
   • Rotate Clockwise
3. If you want to make additional changes, such as correcting contrast or adding an effect to your picture, click the Edit button, and then do one of the following in the Edit Pictures dialog box:
   • To rotate the picture, click Rotate Counterclockwise or Rotate Clockwise.
   • If you want to crop the picture, select the Crop check box, and then select the area of the picture you want to keep.
   • To correct contrast, click the Auto Fix tab, and then in the Correct Contrast box, click On.
   • To add an effect that changes the appearance of your picture, such as Water Color or Black and White, click the Add Effect tab, and then click an effect in the Effect list.
   • When you are done editing your pictures, click Save to save the changes made to your pictures, and then click Close to exit the Edit Pictures dialog box.
4. To continue, click Next.

1. On the Add a title to your pictures page, click a picture, and then type the title.
2. If you want to change the appearance or location of the title, do the following:
   • To change the font, click the Select Font button. In the Font dialog box, select the font type, style, size, effects, color, and script you want to use. Click OK.
   • To change the horizontal alignment of the text, click the Align Left button, Center Horizontally button, or Align Right button.
   • To move the title up or down on the page, click the Align Top button, Center Vertically button, or Align Bottom button. By default, the title appears in the center of the picture.
     As you make changes, you can view them in the picture preview area on the left side of the page.
3. If you want to add an effect to a picture, select the picture, and then choose an effect from the Effect list.
4. To continue, click Next.

1. If you want, you can add a narration to your photo story. First, make sure a microphone is connected to your computer. If necessary, in the Sound Hardware Test Wizard, follow the steps to configure your microphone.
2. To narrate a picture, click the picture, click the Record Narration button, and then begin speaking into the microphone. You can record up to five minutes of narration for each picture.
3. To stop narrating a picture, click the Stop Recording button.
4. To record a narration for another picture, click the picture on the film strip (or click the Previous Picture or Next Picture button under the picture preview), and then begin your narration.
5. After you are finished with your narration, do one of the following:
   • If you do not want to customize the motion or add transitions to your photo story, click Next. Skip to the procedure “To add music to your story” later in this article.
   • If you want to customize the panning and zooming effects or add transitions to your story, click a picture, and then click Customize Motion. Continue to the next procedure in this article.

1. On the Narrate your pictures and customize motion page, click the picture for which you want to customize the motion, and then click Customize Motion.
2. In the Customize Motion dialog box, select the Specify start and end position of motion check box.
   A rectangle with handles appears on the picture in the Start position and End position boxes.
3. In the Start position box, do one or both of the following:
   • To resize the rectangle, point to a side or corner of the rectangle. When the cursor changes into a double-headed arrow, drag the handle on the edge.
   • To move the whole rectangle, point to the center of the rectangle. When the cursor changes into a four-headed arrow, drag the rectangle to the area of the picture that you want to focus on when the picture first appears in your story.
4. In the End position box, do one or both of the steps in the previous step.
5. If you want the motion for the selected picture to start where the motion for the previous picture ended, select the Set start position to be the same as end position of the previous picture check box.
6. To save the customized motion for a picture, click Save. You can customize the motion for one or more pictures in your story.
7. Do one of the following:
   • If you do not want to add a transition, click Close to close the Customize Motion dialog box. On the Narrate your pictures and customize motion page, click Next. Skip to the procedure “To add music to your story” later in this article.
   • If you want to add a transition, click the Transition tab, and follow the next procedure.

1. On the Transition tab, make sure the Start current picture using a transition check box is selected.
2. In the Transitions box, click a transition, and then specify the duration of the transition.
3. Click Save to save the motion and duration changes you made.
4. To preview your story with the panning and zooming effects and transitions, click Preview.
5. When you are done selecting transitions for the pictures in your story, click Close.
6. On the Narrate your pictures and customize motion page, click Next.

1. On the Add background music page, to add music that is on your computer, click Select Music, locate and choose the music file, and then click Open.
2. If you want to create your own customized music, click a picture, and then click Create Music.
3. In the Create Music dialog box, do the following:
   • In the Genre list, click a genre.
   • In the Style list, click a style.
   • In the Bands box, click a band.
   • In the Moods list, click a mood.
   • In the Tempo box, move the slider to adjust the tempo.
   • In the Intensity box, click Low, Normal, or High.
   • Click Play to preview the music.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 until you have selected all the music that you want to add to your story.
5. Click Preview to play your story.
6. If you need to adjust the volume of a piece of background music in your story, select the anchor image, and then move the Volume slider on the Add background music page.
7. Click Next.

1. Insert a blank recordable DVD into your DVD burner.
2. On the Save your story page, click Save your story for playback on your home DVD player.
3. Click Next to temporarily save the photo story.
4. On the Completing Photo Story for Windows page, click Continue and save your story to a DVD for playback on your home DVD player.
5. In the Create a DVD dialog box, do the following:
   • In the DVD Title box, type a title for your DVD.
   • In the Video Title box, type a title for the photo story video.
   • If you have more than one DVD burner installed on your computer, make sure that you choose the correct DVD burner.
6. Click Create DVD.
   The time it takes to save the story to DVD is determined by the overall performance of your computer system, the length of your story, and the recording speed of your DVD burner.
7. In the Disc Create Complete dialog box, click No to close the dialog box,
8. If you want, save the project for your story. To save the project, click Save Project, and then in the File name box, type a name for your project, and then click Save.
   By saving the project for your story, you can later open the project in Photo Story 3 and make additional changes, and then save it to your computer or save it to another recordable DVD.

Back to Top

Step 5: Playing Your Photo Story on TV from DVD

1. Insert the recordable DVD with your photo story into your DVD player.
2. Using your DVD remote control, press Play.
3. Sit back and enjoy the show!

Back to Top