Photo Sharing Tips

When it comes to Photo Sharing, we've been there, done that, now serving 121 tips in 12 categories ranging from Creating An Online Photo Album to Shooting Tips.

What is Infrared Transfer?

Infrared Transfer

Downloading your digital camera pictures can also be done via infrared transfer, if your digital camera and your computer have that option available. Making sure your digital camera and your computer are both communicating to each other for a successful download may be difficult, but it can also be a quick way to download pictures.

If your digital camera is equipped with infrared transfer, this means that your camera can be set near your computer and just like your television remote control, you can transfer your pictures using an infrared ray.

You must first have something called an IrDA port, which allows you to transfer pictures using infrared rays rather than using a USB port. This type of port and transferring does require software, so make sure you download the software that came with your camera and that you have the IrDA port hooked to your computer correctly before you try to do an infrared download of your pictures. Once you have started the infrared download, follow the digital camera software directions for completing your download!

   
What is a Digital Camera Wizard?

Using Digital Camera Wizard

One cool and easy way to download digital camera photos from your digital camera is to use the Digital Camera Wizard. Digital Camera Wizard available with Windows XP, which is an operating system within your computer. When you connect your digital camera to your computer for download, a dialogue box should pop up that will walk you through the downloading process.

The Digital Camera Wizard allows you to copy or transfer pictures from your digital camera, your scanner or any other device that hooks to your computer for downloading pictures. The dialogue box will pop up with easy-to-follow directions. The first box will tell you what the Digital Camera Wizard will allow you to do you should click "next" to start downloading photos. You can choose the ones you wish to download.

Once you have chosen the pictures you wish to download, you can name the group of pictures and where on your computer you wish to save them. After doing this, click "next" and proceed with downloading. The Digital Camera Wizard will show you just what is occurring during the transfer process and how much time is left for the downloading to occur. Once the download is complete, you can choose to publish your pictures to a Web site if you wish, you can purchase pictures or you can state that you are done working with the Digital Camera Wizard and close the dialogue box.

The Digital Camera Wizard is a neat tool for downloading and if it is available to you, it may be something worth trying out!

   
What is a Cable Transfer?

Using a Cable Transfer

What about for those of us who own older model digital camers that aren't able to transfer photos to a computer using all of those fancy, new methods? It's ok! You can still download photos from your digital camera to your computer. One warning: the photos can take a little longer to download.

Your digital camera should have come with a cable cord for transferring pictures. This is what you will need to use to transfer photos from your camera to your computer. This cord is often referred to as a serial cable. You should turn off your computer and your camera before connecting the two with the serial cord.

Once you have your computer and your camera turned off, take the serial cord and place it into the camera, then take the other end of the cord and connect it to the computer, typically the COM port. Then turn on your computer and your camera. Once your computer and your camera are back on, you need to make sure the camera is set for transferring pictures. Once you have done this, you will most likely need to follow the directions that pop up from your downloading software that comes with the camera.

The good thing about purchasing a new digital camera is that they now come with USB ports for transferring, which speeds up the process compared to using a cable transfer via a cable cord.

   
What is a Digital Camera Dock?

Using Your Camera Dock

Many people's computers are not equipped with a slot to place your digital camera's memory card in. Another great way to download photos is by using a camera dock.

A camera dock is what it sounds like. It is a place to park your digital camera. However, it does so much more than that. A digital camera dock allows you to transfer photos from your digital camera to your computer, it also allows you to recharge your digital camera's batteries and in many models, you can even hook your camera dock up to the television to view slideshows of the pictures you took with your camera.

Digital camera docks allow you to set your camera on the dock, push a button and viola! you have easily transferred your pictures to your computer for downloading or viewing. The camera dock hooks directly to your computer and is easy to install by simply following the directions that accompany the dock. It usually just involves hooking a cord or two from the dock into the correct area of your computer and also plugging the power source into the wall. Once you have installed the dock, you will see just how easy it is to use!

   
What is a Memory Card on my Digital Camera?

Using Your Memory Card

Digital cameras most often are equipped with a memory card. A memory card is a card that holds all of the pictures that you take with your camera. The memory card is removable, which allows you to download pictures directly from your digital camera onto your computer.

To download pictures from your digital camera to your computer using your memory card, simply remove the memory card from your digital camera. Once you have done this, you can choose which way you want to download pictures. One way to do this is to place your memory card directly into a card reader slot that your computer may be equipped with. Not all computers come equipped with this. Once you have placed the memory card into your computer card reader, follow the directions that will appear for completing a download.

If you do not have a card reader on your computer, but you still wish to print pictures from your digital camera memory card, check your computer's printer. The printer may come equipped with a slot that you can slide your memory card into for printing pictures directly from the memory card of your camera.

You will need to see if these options on your personal computer or printer are available to you. If not, you should choose another way to download photos from your digital camera.

   
How Can I Back Up my Digital Camera Pictures?

How to Back Up my Digital Camera Pictures

Many people take thousands of wonderful digital camera pictures and download them right onto their computers. Often times, this is their last step in saving all of these wonderful mementos. You should go one step further, however, in case your computer crashes or you are the victim of a nasty computer virus that erases your hard drive. If that occurs, you will lose those great pictures.

Everyone who saves digital camera pictures onto their computers needs to make a back up of the pictures. You can do this easily by transferring your saved pictures onto a disk, a CD or a DVD. This ensures that if something were to happen to your computer hard drive, your pictures are safe somewhere else.

Most often with Microsoft Windows, you can click on the "Start" menuu and then click on "My Pictures." After selecting "My Pictures," you will choose pictures to save by using your control key and selecting your pictures. Or you can select a specific folder if your pictures are all in one spot. You will then want to save your photos selected.

First, there will be a heading entitled "Picture Tasks," pick this and where it says "Copy to CD or Disk," click on that. You will then follow the directions that pop up on your computer from there, including naming your CD or disk and inserting your blank disk into the disk drive for copying. When you are done copying the disk, the drive should open back up and you can remove the disk.

Remind yourself once a month to save your digital photos to a disk and keep those photos in a safe spot!

   
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Lynne Christen