This document provides an overview of digital photography and using a digital camera. It discusses how digital cameras have become more affordable and accessible. It then covers various uses of digital photos including capturing memories, sharing photos online, and using the camera as a scanner. The document also discusses different types of cameras, camera features, settings, and basic functions. It provides guidance on transferring photos from the camera to a computer and using Picasa software to organize, edit, print and share digital photos online.

1. Presented by Celia Bandelier

2.  Since the 1990s, digital cameras have
become more and more common, and also
more affordable. Because of this, it's now
easier than ever to get started with
photography. Luckily, you don't need to buy
a professional-level camera to get good
results. The most important factor is the skill
of the photographer.

3.  Capture memories: You can take snapshots of your friends or
document your family's trip to the beach. If you want, you can
print them on photo paper, or you can just view them on a
computer, TV, or digital photo frame.
 Share your photos online: You can post your photos on Facebook,
Flickr, Picasa Web Albums, or another site. This is even easier if
you have a smartphone, since you can take a photo and then
upload it immediately.
 Use it as a scanner: If you don't have a scanner, you can simply
take a photograph of a document. For example, you could take a
picture of your tax forms to keep a record of them.
 Capture data: You can use a camera to help you remember things.
For example, when you park your car at the mall or airport, you
can take a photo of the parking lot section number so you can find
your car later on. You could also take pictures of things like store
hours, phone numbers, and more. A camera phone is ideal for this,
since you'll always have it with you.
 Start taking photos as a hobby: You can hone your photography
skills, get creative, and even use image editing software to
experiment with your photos. At this point, you may want to
invest in a higher quality camera to improve your photos.

4.  If you're shopping for a digital camera, the
number of choices can be overwhelming.
However, if you can narrow your search to a
specific price range or type of camera, then
it may make your choice much easier. In
addition, many cameras have special
features such as red-eye correction and
anti-blink, so you may want to think about
which features are important to you.

5.  Most cameras can be grouped into four main
types: Digital SLR (or DSLR), point-and-
shoot, bridge cameras, and camera phones.
Each type has advantages and disadvantages,
and some types are more expensive than
others. To narrow down your search, try to
determine which of these types will best fit
your needs.

7.  Digital cameras often have special features
designed to help you take better photos.
Depending on what types of photos you want
to take, some of these features can be very
useful. In the next slide are some things that
you may want to look for.

8. Red-Eye Correction: Automatically removes red-eye, which is
useful if you're taking photos with the flash on. If your camera
doesn't have this feature, you can use image editing software
to remove red-eye.
Sports/Active Child Mode: Allows the camera to focus more
quickly to capture action shots. Some cameras also use motion
detection to "freeze" a fast-moving subject, making your
photos even sharper.
Anti-Blink: Automatically detects whether someone has
blinked, and displays a warning after the photo is taken so you
know to retake it.
Smile Detection: Uses face recognition technology to take the
photo right when your subject smiles.
Blemish Reduction: Automatically retouches your photos to
reduce blemishes and wrinkles.
Artistic Effects: Allows you to add brush stroke effects, lens
distortion, or other effects to give your photos a unique look.

9.  Keep in mind that higher-end cameras (such
as DSLRs) are less likely to have some of
these features. For those cameras, you'll
have to rely more on your own skill, as well
as post-processing with Photoshop or a
similar program. For everyday snapshots, the
convenience of point-and-shoot cameras
often makes them a better choice.

10.  Most digital cameras store the photos on a
separate memory card, such as a Secure Digital,
SDHC, microSD, or CompactFlash card. These
cards usually have several gigabytes of storage
space, and the exact number of photos that they
can hold will vary depending on the resolution
and file format of the photos. You may need to
purchase a memory card separately, and it's
important to choose a card that is compatible
with your camera. You can find this information
in your camera's manual, on the outside of the
box, or online.
 Generally, you'll want to use the memory card as
temporary storage until you transfer your
photos to your computer. You can then delete
the photos from the memory card so you'll have
plenty of space for your next photo shoot.

11.  Generally, cameras use
rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs,
although some can use AA batteries. The
battery pack is usually included with your
camera, but you may want to buy an extra
one in case the battery runs out while you're
shooting. Make sure to buy a battery pack
that is designed to work with your camera.
 Your camera will also come with a charger
that you can use with your battery. It's a
good idea to recharge the battery overnight,
so that you'll be ready to take photos the
next day.

12.  In order to take a photo, there are many
different things that your camera needs to
take into account, such as the focus and
exposure. Most of the time, these things will
be set automatically by your camera.
However, you'll sometimes need to make
manual changes to the settings to get the
best possible photo.

13.  Each camera make and model is different. In
the images below, you can see that the
camera on the left has some additional
buttons. Your camera may have a different
layout, so you should consult your manual to
learn about which buttons your camera has.

14.  Although your camera is designed to work
automatically, there are a few settings that
you may want to change depending on the
situation. There will usually be an icon next
to each button, and these icons are the same
no matter what brand of camera you have.

15.  Flash: Most cameras have a built-in flash to help you
take photos in low-light situations. If the flash is set
to Auto, then your camera will only use it when it
needs to.
 Timer: If you're taking a group photo, you may not
always have an extra person to take the photo. By
setting the timer and placing the camera on a table
or tripod, you'll have time to join your friends in the
photo.
 Macro Mode: This is a setting that you can use to
take closeup shots. It allows the camera to focus on
objects that are only a few inches away.
 Exposure Compensation: If your photos are coming
out too dark or too light, you can use this setting to
adjust the exposure.
 Zoom: If your camera has a zoom lens, then you can
control the optical zoom using buttons or a dial
(depending on the camera). On many cameras, you
can zoom in even further by using the digital zoom.
However, the digital zoom will lower the quality of
your photos, so it's best to avoid it.

16.  Many cameras include presets called scene
modes, which you can access from your
camera's menus or from a dial at the top.
Each scene mode is geared toward a specific
situation (or scene). For example, the Sports
scene mode will use a faster shutter speed,
and it may also use motion detection to help
reduce blur. On the other hand, the Portrait
scene mode is designed to easily focus on
your subject, and it also adjusts the color
balance so that skin tones look as natural as
possible.

17.  What happens after you take the
pictures???

18. 1. Connect the USB Cable to the USB Port on
the computer
2. Connect the other end of the USB Cable to
the camera’s Data Port.
3. Turn on the camera
4. Windows should then find the new devise
and new window will appear asking you
what action to take.

19. 1. Click on the Copy pictures to a folder on
my computer using Microsoft Scanner and
Camera Wizard option.
2. Click the OK button
3. The Scanner and Camera Wizard is
displayer. Click the NEXT button.

20.  Select the pictures to be copied to the
computer by clicking in the check box next
to the picture. (You can deselect an image
by clicking in the checkbox to remove the
green checkmark)
 Click the Next button.

21.  Type in a group name for the pictures to be
copied.
 Choose a location for saving the pictures (if
needed click the Browse button and locate the
desired folder).
 Make sure you DO NOT have the check box for
deleting the images after copying checked.
Always leave your images on the camera until
you know they have been transferred
successfully.

22.  Click the Next button
 Click the Next button again.
 Click Finish.

23.  A window displaying your images will display.
View the images to make sure they all got
transferred.
 Click the X in the top right corner to close
this window.

24.  Disconnect the camera from the computer by
right clicking on the green arrow icon in the
system tray (next to the time).
 Then click on “Safely Remove Hardware”.
Then you should click “Stop” and finally
“Okay”. Following these steps should avoid
corruption of the camera or computer.

25.  Picasa is a free downloadable program that
can be used to organize, edit, and share our
pictures. There are several picture editors
out there but this seems to be the easiest
tool for basic editing. Picasa can be found at
http://picasa.google.com .

26.  To start the download process click the
Download Picasa 3 link on the webpage that
appears. Then click on the Save button in
the File Download dialogue box.

27.  The Save dialog box will appear. Click Save.

28.  Click the Desktop icon on the left of the
dialog box and then click the Save button in
the lower right of the dialog box this will
save the setup file to your desktop.

29.  After the file download has completed there
will be a new icon on the desktop for the
Picasa setup program. Double-Click this icon
to start the setup process. Follow the
directions that appear on the screen to
complete setup.

30.  After Picasa is installed to the computer,
locate the Picasa program icon on the
desktop and double-click this icon to open
the program.

31.  When Picasa opens it will automatically start
scanning your hard drive for pictures that
can be organized. After locating some
pictures, the main Library View will display
on the screen. This view allows you to
browse through your pictures.

32.  Albums are virtual groupings of photos that
only exist in the Picasa software. Like a
playlist, you can create combinations of any
photos in an album or use a single image in
multiple albums without taking up extra
space on your hard drive. If you delete
photos in albums or whole albums, the
original photos files will be untouched.

33.  Folders in Picasa show how your photos files
are arranged physically in folders on your
hard drive. Folders in Picasa match exactly
the folders on your computer that contain
photos. Moving a photo between folders will
result in the photo being moved between the
folders on your hard drive. Deleting a photo
from a folder will result in the file being
deleted from your hard drive.

34.  There are two special albums called “Starred
Photos” and “Screensaver” which are
created by Picasa and cannot be deleted.
Any starred photos will be automatically
added to the “Starred Photos” album.

35.  The “Screensaver” album holds the photos
that will be displayed using the Picasa
Screensaver feature.

36.  Editing features include tools for removing
red eye, cropping, straightening, contrast,
brightness, and special effects. To edit a
picture simply double-click the image to be
edited within the Library View. This will
open the Edit Picture View.

37.  The editing tools are located on the left side
of the window separated into three editing
category tabs.

41.  Picasa also includes a web sharing
component that allows you to easily upload
your pictures and store them on their site.
You can send the link to anyone and they can
view, save and print without the hassle of
emailing individual pictures.

42.  The Picasa Web Album is located at the
bottom of the program, but first we need to
register at http://picasaweb.google.com

43.  Open Picasa
 Select the photos you want to upload. To
select multiple photos, press the Ctrl key.
The selected photos will appear in the
“Picture Tray” in the lower-left corner.

44.  Click the “Upload” button at the bottom of
the page. If you’re not signed in to your
Picasa Web Albums Account, you’ll be
promoted to sign in.

45.  Select the album you would like to add
photos to or create a new one.

46.  The Upload Manager will display the status of
the upload. Once the upload is complete,
you can click “View Online” to launch the
album in your browser. You can rearrange
your photos by clicking “Organize” at the top
of the web album.

47.  Picasa includes a printing tool that allows for
printing photos in standard sizes. The
Printing tool is accessed by clicking the Print
button located in the bottom task pane
panel.

48.  For best results, you will want to use photo
paper and make sure your printer is set for
the highest quality. This type of home
printing can get expensive, so for large
quantities you might want to consider
ordering prints.
 You can do this within Picasa, and even pick
them up within one hour if you choose Wal-
Mart, Walgreens, or CVS. Also some
providers enable you to print the photos on
calendars, mugs, t-shirts, etc…. Make sure to
evaluate each provider carefully for price,
shipping costs and quality.

49.  After choosing the photos that you want to
save click the Export button. This will bring
up the “Export to Folder” dialog. From here
you can choose where you want to save the
pictures to and change size and quality
options. The photos will stay in Picasa, but
copies will be saved.

50.  Any Question?
 Please fill out the questionnaire
 For more information, contact the Library at
260-672-2989 or director@roanoke.lib.in.us
or come in and talk to a librarian.