Welcome to the October issue of the Digital Photos 101 Newsletter.

How to Recover Lost Photos
How to Print Better Pictures from Low Resolution Images
Top Rated Photo Printers
Digital Photo Service News, Sales

I've had several queries recently concerning how to recover lost images from photo cards, and if it's possible to get better prints from pictures taken at lower resolutions, such as camera phones. So I thought I would address these here in the newsletter.

Also, I wanted to briefly mention that, if you are considering buying or upgrading your photo editing or photo album software, now is a great time to do it. Fall is a big time for software companies to release their new updated versions. In fact, Adobe has come out with Photoshop Elements 4, Corel released Paint Shop Pro X and Photo Album 6 Deluxe, and Microsoft came out with Digital Image Suite 2006. I reviewed ACDSee 8.0 Photo Manager in last month's newsletter. In my book, you can't go wrong with any of these. They are all excellent programs and the prices are reasonable. Plus most of them have some attractive rebates available. You can read my reviews at:

http://www.digitalphotos101.com/digital-photo-albums.htm
http://www.digitalphotos101.com/photo-editing-software.htm

How to Recover Lost Images from Your Memory Card

Last month I mentioned some products to help you back up and restore your computer's hard drive. But what about those times when you accidentally delete the pictures from your memory card. Is there a way to recover them? Yes.

First of all, here are a few tips to help you prevent problems with your memory card in the first place:

• If you suspect a problem with your memory card, stop using it immediately.
• Don't take pictures with a battery that is almost dead.
• It is safer to format the memory card on your camera, even though it is possible to do it on your PC.
• Don't turn off the power or pull out the card right after taking a picture, before the LED screen goes out. Your pictures may still be in the process of being saved.
• Don't accidentally reformat your card before you have offloaded your images.

FYI, although your PC will let you erase images from your photo card, Windows cannot recover them because of differences in operating systems between the PC and the flash card. However, in many cases your photos can be recovered using recovery tools. Two recovery programs I like are ImageRecall and PhotoRescue. After installing the tool, you run a scan on your memory card. The tool will list files that are recoverable. You can usually recover deleted files, and should have decent luck recovering corrupted files. These programs cost around $30-$50. You can get PhotoRescue from www.datarescue.com and ImageRecall direct from www.FlashFixers.com

How to Print Better Pictures from Low Resolution Images

With the proliferation of camera phones, you may have captured what appears to be a really cool shot on your phone, but when you print it, it looks awful. Most camera phones have low resolution, probably no more than 1 megapixel, which means even a 4x6 will look pretty bad. You will be able to clearly see the pixels, which are the dots that look like squares that make up digital images. You can improve the image somewhat by smoothing out the jagged pixels. Keep in mind that you won't get more detail and the image won't be crystal clear, but it will be an improvement over the original.

The technique is called upsampling, which enlarges your photo and make up pixels to fill in the gaps, thus smoothing the jagged pixel edges. You can perform this photo editing technique on most photo editing software, such as Photoshop Elements or Corel Paint Shop Pro. The basic technique is as follows (keep in mind your dialog box may vary depending on your software).

• Open your image and on the menu click "image" then "image size"
• Make sure the boxes "constrain proportion" and "resample image" are checked and set the resample option to "bicubic."
• For image size, enter the dimensions (I recommend no bigger than 4.5 x 6—the smaller your final print dimension, the better it will look)
• You will see a resolution box. The standard print resolution for normal prints is 300dpi. In this instance, you will need to change it to 200ppi

The resulting image should look smoother and less pixelated. Experiment a bit. You might be happier with a slightly smaller print size like 3x5.

Digital Photo Services News, Sales and Discounts

Software

Here are the current sales/promos on digital photo editing and organizing software. LOTS OF REBATES AVAILABLE. Note: prices are as of 10/27/05, they can change at any time.

ACDSee 8 PHOTO MANAGER is $49.99 direct. Download a free trial

Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 is $67.99 at Amazon after a $20 rebate and free shipping.

Corel Paintshop Pro X is$69.99 after rebate and free shipping at Amazon.

Corel Photo Album 6 Deluxe is $19.99 at Amazon after rebate and free shipping.

Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006 is on sale at Amazon for $87.99 with free shipping. PLUS get a $30 rebate, bringing your final cost down to $57.99. This is a great deal.

Top Rated Photo Printers

If you are ready to make the move and print your own photos, here is a list of the top photo printers, as rated by PC Magazine (Sep 2005):

- Canon i9900
- Epson PictureMate Deluxe Viewer
- HP PhotoSmart

Where to find them:

Wal-Mart -  has great prices on printers, digital cameras & accessories and other electronics.

Circuit City is a good resource for printers. You can either order it on line and get it shipped free (and no sales tax) or order online and pick up at local store.

Amazon has a huge selection plus you get free shipping and no sales tax (most states).

Digital Photo Printing Services - Promos and Discounts

KODAK EASYSHARE GALLERY: Kodak EasyShare Gallery lowered their 4x6 print price to 15 cents each. Kodak is now offering Photo Collages (nice gift for the grandparents). Choose 4 to 100 photos for your collage, which can be printed 5 x 7", 8 x 10", 16 x 20" or 20 x 30". Arrange in ordered columns or overlapping. Choice of black, white or gray borders. From $2.99 to $29.99.

SNAPFISH: 12 cent prints all the time. Get 20% discount on postcards, photo cards and photo stickers now through October 31st. Enter coupon code "Septaff20" at checkout. Save 15% on Holiday Photo Cards and Folder Cards. Use coupon code CARDS0515. It's valid through November 30th. For details go to Snapfish.

SHUTTERFLY: New member special offer: Get 5 FREE personalized Greeting Cards in future order on purchase of $25 or more. (Expires 11/23/05). Save 10% on personalized Photo Cards. Use Coupon Code: AF10-CARD (Expires 10-31-05). Save 20% on holiday cards and photo mount through Nov 1. No code needed. Go to Shutterfly for more info.

PHOTOWORKS: 15 cent 4x6 prints every day, through 12/31/05. Enter discount code: C427-38-5182-61 Go to PhotoWorks.com

That's it for now. Hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

Valerie Goettsch
www.digitalphotos101.com
How to get the best from your digital camera

To access prior newsletters: Click on this link.