Introduction to Digital Photography Part III

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Introduction to Digital Photography Part III

• Getting photos into your computer

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Photos can be digitized in several ways

• Take them with a digital camera (Big surprise!)
• Take them with a film camera and ask for a Photo
  CD when you develop them.
• Scan existing prints with a flat bed scanner
• Scan existing slides with a slide scanner.
• Crumple pieces of photos into little balls and
  push them through the cooling vent into the
  computer. (Just kidding!)

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Transferring photos from a digital camera to a
computer

• Open the software program that you installed.
• Look in the program window for your camera icon
  and click it open.
• Find the DCIM folder and click it open.
• Select the photos you want and save them to your
  MY PICTURES Folder or other archiving software
  like PE4.

• Install your cameras driver software
• Connect using the specially provided cable
• Turn on your camera and turn dial to transfer
  mode.(See camera manual).

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OR Use a card reader

• Generally no driver software is required.
• Insert the readers USB cable into your computer.
• Insert your cameras memory card into the reader
  and select a download option from onscreen list
  of choices.
• OR Open Photoshop Elements and choose IMPORT and
  find the card reader .

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Confused by too many choices?

• Remember you can always just close the dialog box
  with all the choices or select no action at the
  bottom.
• Open the MY COMPUTER folder and find the new disk
  drive letter that will appear when you connect
  the card reader.
• Treat this like any other folder on your
  computer. Open it. Select the pictures you want
  and move them to your student folder in the MY
  PICTURES Folder.

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Using a film photo CD

• Ask for medium to high resolution. It costs a
  little but photos stored this way can be moved
  easily to multiple computers and printed in any
  size.
• Insert the CD into the computer. They usually
  come with their own software to download photos.
• Follow directions as they appear.
• Select and save the pictures into your my
  Pictures Folder ( option use the archiving
  software that may come with the CD.)

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Scan existing prints with a flatbed scanner

• Install the scanner driver software.
• Connect the scanner to the computer.
• Open the scanner software.
• Place your photo on the flatbed and hit the
  preview button
• Change size and settings as desired. Push the
  SCAN button

• Save the photo to your MY PICTURES folder.
• OR open Photoshop Elements and choose IMPORT and
  select the scanner from the drop down list to
  start this process.

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Scan existing slides with a slide scanner

• Good quality slide scanners start at 400 but are
  worth it if you have a large collection to scan.
• Flatbed scanners may come with a 35mm slide
  scanning option but are unlikely to produce high
  quality scans for large prints. They work best on
  photo prints. Costs start at under 200.

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Ready for the test, right?

• Dont be afraid to ask for help.
• Ask your helper to stay with you until you have
  mastered at least ONE useful way of getting
  photos in and can do it without his or her
  assistance.
• Repeat this until it has become second nature.
• Expand your repertoire of options only as you
  feel ready.