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