| One of the main reasons people buy digital | | | | so when you draw a box around the area you |
| cameras is so they can share their photos with | | | | want to focus on it will crop it as 4x6 or |
| others. Even if you are just going to print your | | | | whatever you have specified. That way you |
| photos for yourself, you will want them to look | | | | won't end up with an odd size photo. Kodak |
| their best. Here are some tips on getting your | | | | EasyShare Gallery also has a very good cropping |
| images ready for sharing or printing.1. ORGANIZE | | | | tool for maintaining the proper print size. It comes |
| YOUR PHOTOSDelete the ones you don't like or | | | | with its free photo editor.6. ADJUST LIGHTING |
| those that are near duplicates of others. No sense | | | | AND CONTRASTSome of your photos may have |
| in clogging up your hard drive or CDs with junk. | | | | come out washed out or too dark. You can |
| Use a good photo management software | | | | automatically adjust the color, brightness and |
| program like ACDSEE 7, Adobe Photoshop Album | | | | contrast of your photos. The better programs like |
| 2.0 or Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 to view, | | | | Photoshop Album 2.0, Jasc and ACDSEE also have |
| organize and name your images. These programs | | | | tools for making manual adjustments for |
| also let you batch rename so you can give more | | | | fine-tuning. Be careful not to overdo it, though, or |
| descriptive file names to a group of photos at the | | | | your picture could come out grainy.7. PREPARE |
| same time. You can add key words and tags to | | | | TO SHAREThere are a number of ways to share |
| make finding your photos easier. Be detailed in | | | | your images. Several programs, like Roxio Photo |
| your photo descriptions, not just "John and Laurie." | | | | Suite 7, ACDSEE7, Photoshop Album and Paint |
| You'll probably have hundreds of photos of your | | | | Shop Photo Album allow you to create digital |
| kids and it will be harder to find the one you're | | | | photo albums or slide shows, complete with |
| looking for. Better to say "John and Laurie | | | | music, transitions and captions. You can burn them |
| waterskiing on Lake Powell, May 2004."2. BACK | | | | to CD or resize and optimize for emailing directly |
| UP YOUR ORIGINALSMistakes can happen. It is a | | | | from the program.Online photo services such as |
| good idea to back up all your images to a CD | | | | PhotoWorks, Shutterfly, Snapfish and Kodak |
| before you start editing or changing them. That | | | | EasyShare Gallery also let you share your photos |
| way you always have the original to go back to if | | | | on line, for free. You simply upload your images to |
| you accidentally save over an image or made | | | | their server into your own photo albums and add |
| changes to a photo that you later decide you | | | | captions if you wish. Then email your friends with |
| don't like. CDs hold lots of photos, making it cheap | | | | a link to your albums. With most of the online |
| insurance.3. ROTATE IMAGESTrying to look at a | | | | services your photos stay on their servers as |
| sideways photo is annoying. Use your photo | | | | long as you have an account with them, for free. |
| management or editing software to rotate photos | | | | Signing up for an account is free, you only pay |
| as needed. And if you have any images that are | | | | for photos you choose to purchase.For hardcore |
| a little crooked, you can fix that using your editing | | | | photo sharers, there are also dedicated photo |
| software. Most photo editors have an automatic | | | | sharing applications such as PiXPO v1.5.0, which |
| "straighten" function, or you can manually rotate | | | | lets you share photos right off your hard drive. |
| the image a few degrees to straighten the | | | | This is a peer to peer software application that |
| horizon line.4. REMOVE RED-EYEEven with your | | | | allows you to connect directly with your friends |
| digital camera's auto red-eye reduction function, | | | | and family to share and view pictures online with |
| your subject's eyes may still have red-eye. Use | | | | no uploads. Unlike traditional photo sharing |
| your photo editing software to remove it. Zoom | | | | services, you have unlimited storage and you |
| in on the eyes and it will be easier for you to | | | | don't have to upload your photos to a distant |
| correct the red-eye. I've tried a number of | | | | server or wait for friends to log onto some photo |
| red-eye correction tools and find that the one | | | | sharing site. The application is easy to install and |
| that comes with ACDSEE 7's photo editor is | | | | use and it's inexpensive, around $30. PC Magazine |
| among the best. It zeros in just on the red eye | | | | rated it an Editor's Choice in their January 3, 2005 |
| and doesn't darken the surrounding eye area like | | | | issue.Valerie Goettsch publishes the digital |
| some other software does.5. CROP YOUR | | | | photography website featuring reviews of photo |
| PHOTOSCrop out unnecessary or distracting | | | | editing and album software and digital photo |
| backgrounds and focus in on your subject. Most | | | | printing services. |
| photo editing programs will keep the aspect ratio, | | | | |