Questions and Answers
Downloading and working with digital photos
Learn how to download pictures from your camera or camera phone, easily rename photos, purchase the right computer for your photography needs, and create fun projects using your digital camera. If any of your digital photography questions are not answered in this digital photo Q&A, you can ask a digital photography question here.
- How do I get my digital photos onto the computer?
- How can I get my photos off my camera phone?
- What is the easiest way to make an online family photo gallery?
- Is there an easy way to rename a group of photos?
- How can I get my photos onto my TV?
- How do I backup my photos?
- I want to create a memorial photo collage for my aunt. Do you have software that can help me preserve and share my family memories?
- Do you have any tools to help with my scrapbooking project?
- I'm going to purchase a new computer and I'm very interested in photography. What kind of computer should I buy?
- How can I cut something out of a photo?
- Send the picture to yourself in an e-mail using your camera's messaging features.
- Copy the pictures directly from your camera to your computer using a USB cable.
- Take a picture, and then select the option to send the picture in a message.
- In the To field, specify your e-mail address, and then send the message.
- Connect your phone to your computer with the USB cable.
- Use the software program to copy the pictures from your camera. The exact steps for copying pictures will vary from phone to phone. Consult your phone's documentation for more information.
- Once you've copied the pictures, delete them from your camera to save space.
- Open Windows Explorer, and go to the folder containing the first set of pictures that you want to rename. For this example, we'll use the Vacation—2005 folder.
- From the Edit menu, click Select All.
- Right-click the first file or thumbnail in the list, and then click Rename.
- Type the file name that you want to use to identify all the digital photo files in this folder, followed by the file name extension. For this example, we'll use "SkiTrip.jpg."
- Press Enter. All of the files will be renamed and appended with sequential numbers, for example, SkiTrip01.jpg, SkiTrip02.jpg, and so on.
How do I get my digital photos onto the computer?
With a digital camera and Windows XP, it's easy to download pictures from your camera to your computer. First, connect your camera to your computer using a USB cable.
Windows XP will detect the connection, and ask if you want to launch the Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard. This wizard shows you thumbnails of your pictures, helps you name them and choose a storage location for them on your hard disk drive, and lets you specify which ones to download. Click OK to launch the wizard and then follow the steps on the screen. For more information, see the article on downloading pictures from your digital camera.
How can I get my photos off my camera phone?
There are two ways to copy your pictures from your camera phone:
To send the picture to yourself in an e-mail, follow these steps:
For more information, see the article on camera phone picture basics.
What is the easiest way to make an online family photo gallery?
There are a variety of online galleries to choose from, including MSN Spaces, which is a free service to users with a .NET Passport.
To create a family photo gallery online, simply sign up with one of the online photo galleries, set access permissions (do you want your photos to be available to the family or the entire Internet?), and upload your photos. Your online gallery will have a URL, which you can send in an e-mail to friends and family. That's all there is to it! For more information, see the article on creating a family photo gallery.
Is there an easy way to rename a group of photos?
Yes. First, it's best to organize your photos into folders based on the subject matter or date of the photos. For example, if you have photos of your child's 4th birthday party, your vacation, and your brother's wedding, then you might want to create folders called: 4th Birthday, Vacations—2005, and Jim's Wedding.
Now with your photos categorized, renaming them all at once is easy. Just follow these steps:
For more information, see the article on renaming a batch of photos.
How can I get my photos onto my TV?
Some digital cameras come with a cable that connects directly to your TV.
You can create photo CDs and DVDs that will play on many of today's DVD players, so you can view your photos from the comfort of your couch.
A Microsoft Windows XP Media Center PC connected to your TV is a great way to view your photos while you play your favorite digital music.
How do I back up my photos?
You can easily back up your digital photos on a CD or DVD with Windows XP. Just follow these step-by-step directions, and in no time you'll have your pictures securely backed up for years to come. Be sure to store your disc in a safe place, like a fireproof safe or safety deposit box.
I want to create a memorial photo collage for my aunt. Do you have software that can help me preserve and share my family memories?
You can use Microsoft Photo Story 3 for Windows to create a movie from your digital photos that includes background music and narration with panning and zooming effects. Photo Story is available as a free download.
Windows Movie Maker can also help you create movies from your digital photos. It is the recommended tool for combining video and photo memories. We have a great article that shows you how to create a photo movie in Movie Maker.
With Digital Image Pro 10, which is part of Microsoft Digital Image Suite, you can use background templates to create beautifully laid out scrapbook pages. See our article on creative ways to share for more ideas.
Do you have any tools to help with my scrapbooking projects?
Digital Image Pro 10, which is part of the Digital Image Suite, has templates for your scrapbook projects. You can choose from a number of scrapbook pages for different themes or events. You can also select templates for photo collages and customize the template you want to use with your pages.
I'm going to purchase a new computer and I'm very interested in photography. What kind of computer should I buy?
You'll want to consider the following when making your purchase:
Operating system. Windows XP is the operating system of choice for any photography enthusiast. Many of the common functions related to digital photography, such as copying your photos from your camera to your computer and printing your photos, are easily handled through wizards that will step you through these tasks.
Hard disk drive capacity. Photos and photo movies take up a lot of space, so ideally, you'll want at least an 80 Gigabyte (GB) hard disk drive; a 120-GB drive or higher is even better.
Speed and performance. A Pentium III or AMD Athlon processor is recommended, preferably running at 2.0 GHz or higher. Be sure to have at least 256 MB of RAM; 512 MB or 1 GB is preferable.
CD/DVD drives. When purchasing a new computer, upgrade to a DVD burner. DVD burners can still burn CDs, but a recordable DVD can store nearly seven times more information than a recordable CD. A DVD burner also enables you to add a photo slideshow or movie to a hard disk for playback on your TV through your regular DVD player.
Internet connectivity. Broadband access (cable or DSL) makes it much easier to share photos online with friends. If you have high-speed Internet access, or plan to get it, make sure that your new computer has an integrated Ethernet card. A built-in Wi-Fi (wireless) card is ideal if you have a wireless network in your home or are thinking about installing one in the future.
Peripherals. A good-quality color printer is a must. If you'll be scanning old photos currently stored in shoe boxes, then you'll also need a flatbed scanner. Be sure to find a computer with multiple USB 2.0 ports so you can connect multiple devices simultaneously. (Having some of the USB slots at the front of the computer is convenient.)
Monitor. A 17-inch monitor is standard these days, but for a little extra money, a 19-inch monitor or larger is really nice. Make sure your monitor has a minimum resolution of 1280 x 1024, and also look for a high-contrast ratio of 500:1 or higher.
For more information, see the guide on buying a PC for digital photography fans.
How can I cut something out of a photo?
With Digital Image Pro 10, you can remove unwanted objects from your pictures. Whether it's a person or a blemish on someone's face, the process is quite easy. Soon you'll be a master of the Smart Erase tool, and your pictures will look the way you want them to.
