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