Magical moments from your daughter's third
birthday, your son's graduation or your parents' wedding anniversary
are the stuff of every family photo album. Tumbling prices for
digital cameras may now signal the decline of the ubiquitous
point-and-shoot camera that takes film. With a digital camera,
capturing images takes on a whole new realm of creative possibility.
By combining
a digital camera, software, and your PC,
you can alter, size, and crop picture images. Then send them in
e-mail, print them out or even use them for screen Wallpaper. Since the
image storage device is reusable, you can keep only the pictures you
like.
Unlike conventional cameras, which use film, digital cameras
store their images electronically. There are several types of
storage media for digital
cameras, and they work like the hard drive in
your computer by storing information digitally. Viewing your family photo album now becomes
a matter of clicking through the images on a computer.
Memory Stick, CompactFlash and SmartMedia are
among the brands of storage media in common use. Some cameras
accept standard diskettes. Although the
different media storage formats are not interchangeable, all are
designed to allow you to transfer images to your computer. As with
other emerging technology one, or, possibly two, formats will
triumph. But you need not worry if the camera you bought has the
"winning" format of image storage. What's important is being able to
easily transfer your images from the camera into your computer.
From
snap to happy
A majority of cameras use
some type of cable that will link your camera and computer, allowing
the transfer of images. A common method is a cable that plugs into
the camera and into a vacant serial port on your computer. A
connection cable is normally included with the purchase of the
camera. Some cameras may allow you to plug the storage media
directly into your computer, or even offer a wireless connection,
which transfers the images by use of infra-red technology, between
camera and computer.
Once you have set up your computer to
receive images, you're ready to make the most of them. If you're
using Microsoft®
Plus! 98, you already have picture editing software installed. If you're
using Windows 98 or Windows 98 Second Edition, you can use
the software that comes with your digital camera. It normally takes
a few minutes to install the software, and you will need to shut
down your computer and restart it to complete the installation.
Say it with a photo
Once the image is in your computer you can send photos by e-mail or
create a Wallpaper image from a favorite shot. To send a photo by
e-mail in Outlook Express: - Save the desired image in a folder that
will make it easy to find.
- Compose an e-mail message in the normal way, entering the recipient's address
and a subject line. Type a message, if desired.
- On the Insert menu,
click File Attachment.
- Locate the file containing the image you
want to send by browsing through your file folders, then click
Attach
.
- Click Send.
Note:
how the recipient views sent images depends on the
image format. For example, .jpg or .gif files can be viewed using
the browser. The more efficient format for storing images is .jpg.
Microsoft Paint, which comes with the Windows operating system,
can be used to view .bmp files. Other types of
graphics software may handle all or most graphics file formats.
Picture It! Express If you purchased Microsoft
Plus! 98, your computer is already equipped with
picture-editing software. Picture It! Express allows you to import
images in a range of popular file formats, such as jpeg and gif. You
can then resize, remove red eye, alter color and tone and crop to a
range of shapes and patterns.
To load Picture It! Express:
- Click the Start button point
to Programs, and then click
Microsoft Plus 98.
- From the drop-down menu, select
Picture It! Express.
- You can take images from your digital
camera and import them into Picture It! Express for editing
before sending them off in e-mail or preparing them for use in a
publication.
With a virtual photo album inside your
computer, it's no chore to dash off a picture of the little 'uns
birthday party to the grandparents or for them to send you a photo
taken at their anniversary dinner. ![](../../../images/winslugsm.gif)
![Gordon Black](../../../images/edtGordon.gif)
Gordon Black has started a virtual photo album in his computer.
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Windows 98 & Microsoft® Plus! 98 users: If you use a cable or wireless connection, your computer needs to
be set up to receive the information from the digital camera. To do
so:
- Click Start, point to
Settings and then click Control
Panel.
- Click Scanners and
Cameras.
- Click Device, and then
click Add.
- Select the camera type from the names displayed or insert the
disk supplied with the brand of camera you own.
- Follow the instructions on the
Installation Wizard.
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