|
Aug
19, 2006
|
 |
Newsletter
#24
|
Hi.
Happy Weekend and welcome to the August issue of the Digital Photos 101 Newsletter. I must admit, the lazy days of summer sure are here for me. I meant to get this newsletter out earlier in the month, but time has slipped away.
A few things I wanted to mention:
If you have tons of vacation photos still sitting in your digital camera, now is the time to get them printed. Got a digital camera for the first time and still learning or wondering how to get your photos off your camera and printed? Here's how.
There are lots of great photo printing sales and discounts to take advantage of. Frankly, I'm lazy. I don't like driving to the drugstore to get prints made, or the expense of frequent paper and color ink refills for my color printer to print at home, so I just upload my images to one of the online sites and get them delivered to my house in about 2-3 days. With all the discounts available, the price is usually better than having them printed locally or at home, and the quality is great. See below for current photo printing sales and discounts. If you prefer to print at home, check out these tips on what to look for in dedicated photo printers.
If you are wondering how you can fix pictures with darkly shadowed faces because you were taking photo in bright sun (like I often do), or how to get rid of the "scenic" garbage can right behind your kids, take a look at ACDSee's new Photo Editor software. I swear, it is super-easy to use and cuts out a lot of steps. I reviewed it in last month's newsletter and you can read my comprehensive review here (click on the link at the bottom of the review to get a free 30-day trial from ACDSee).
Looking for a new way of taking photos for a more interesting look? Try macro photography. More below.
How Do I get My Photos Off My Camera?
Dedicated Photo Printers
Macro Photography
Digital Camera & Equipment Sales
Digital Photo Software Sales/Promos
Digital Photo Printing Services Sales & Discounts
How Do I Get My Photos Off My Digital Camera?
For
some of you, this is an obvious question with an obvious answer. But as
digital camera purchases continue to grow in leaps and bounds, with many
people converting from traditional 35mm to digital, I wanted to briefly
go through the options, because there are many.
Via Software and USB Cable - Digital cameras usually come with software that you install on your computer that launches a program that prompts you to transfer your photos directly from your camera to your PC using a USB cable. Photo editing and photo management software like ACDSee Photo Editor and Adobe Photoshop Elements also feature prompts to transfer your images to your computer. You can choose to have your photos automatically erases from your camera's memory card afterward, or you can do it manually later. One your photos are on your computer, you can organize them in folders and rename them just like you would with any other files on your computer, as well as use photo editing software to crop or enhance the images.
Via PictBridge - many cameras have a "PictBridge" feature which means you can connect your camera directly to your printer via USB cable and bypass a computer completely.
Camera Docking Station - Some cameras have a docking station that connects via USB port to your computer. You just put your camera in the docking station and your photos will transfer automatically.
Memory Card - There are several methods here. If your computer or printer has a memory card slot (many newer ones do) you can take your memory card out of your camera and insert it into the appropriate slot and transfer them that way. Another method is to take your memory card out and take it to your local drug store or photo store to review and print them at the photo kiosk.
Upload your Photos to Online Photo Service - Photo companies like PhotoWorks and Snapfish offer simple, free software programs to help you upload your photos either directly from your camera or from your computer. You can use their editing tools to crop or adjust color and contrast and then order prints for home delivery. Some services like Wal-Mart offer in-store pick-up.
Dedicated Photo Printers
The
beauty of dedicated photo printers is you don't even need a PC to print
and they are light enough and small enough to be portable. Prices range
from $200 to around $400 for decent printers that would suit the average
user. Look for printers that allow a variety of printing options including
from PictBridge, USB port and, although a bit pricier, from memory card
slots. The latter printer will usually have a built-in LCD screen and
color menu and allow you to crop or enhance your photos. Pay attention
to LCD screen size if you want this feature, and look for a larger screen
to make editing easier.
Here are some top picks, most averaging around $200:
Kodak Easy Share 500 (approx $200)
Canon Pixma MP950 (approx $400)
Canon Pixma IP5200R (approx $230)
Olympus P-11 (approx $150)
Try Macro Photography for a New Look at Everyday Things
Macro Photography is taking closeup photos of small objects. It could be a flower, a bird, a lizard, sand, your dog's nose (my dog has a cute nose!), etc. Technology has come a long way and you can take macro photos up to an inch or two from the object with most point-and-shoot cameras without buying a special macro lens. Keep in mind that unless you have a digital SLR camera, your viewfinder is offset from the lens so it won't show exactly what you are photographing. Therefore you will want to frame your shot using your LDC screen, not the viewfinder. Since flash will often overwhelm your image in close-up, turn off your flash and shoot in a well-lit area. Outdoors is best. To help keep your object in focus, use the smallest aperture. Using your camera's manual settings, change the f-stop to the largest number. Changing the aperture (f-stop) means the depth of field, the distance at which your image will be in focus, changes with it. Play around with it and you can come up with some interesting shots.
Digital Camera and Equipment Sales
>> WAL-MART - has some excellent prices on top cameras and printers:
» Kodak Easyshare Photo Printer 500 - $188.88» Casio 6 MP Exilim EX-Z60 Digital Camera w/ Anti-Shake Feature - $234.54
» Canon PowerShot SD700 IS Digital ELPH 6 MP Camera - $441.54
» Kodak 6 MP EasyShare Z650 Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom - $255.54
» Kodak 5 MP EasyShare C530 Digital Camera & Dock - $169.54
» Panasonic 6 MP Lumix DMC-FX9S Digital Camera w/ Bonus 256 MB SD Card - $249.86
Go to Wal-Mart
>> COMPUSA
» Save up to $40 on Digital Cameras and up to $100 on Digital Printers» Free shipping on purchases over $150
Go to
CompUSA
KODAK
» Free standard
shipping on orders of $50 or more thru Aug 31.
» Save up to $100 on Back to School
Bundles and get a free gift. Thru Aug 31.
» Save 10% on 2 accessories and 15%
on 3. Thru Aug 31.
>> AMAZON.com
» Get an instant rebate of $20, $25, or $40 when you purchase a qualifying HP digital camera. Deals include $40 savings on the popular HP R927 digital camera, which features 8-megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, a 3-inch LCD, and 32 MB of internal memory.» Get a free 256 MB memory card when you purchase a Casio Exilim EX-S500 in white.
Go to Amazon.com
>>WOLFCAMERA.COM - One Week Only SALE: Saturday, August 19th through Saturday, August 26th
» FREE Epson Photo Printer w/Select Nikon Digital Cameras» FREE HP Photo Printer after Rebates with any digital camera over $149
» FREE Gift Coupons, up to $50 on Select Digital Cameras
» FREE Shipping on orders over $100* and NO SALES TAX!
Digital Photo Printing Services - Promos and Discounts
SNAPFISH: 12 cent prints all the time. I saved a bundle on my vacation photos when I used Snapfish.
- Free Shipping on up to 30 prints. Coupon Code - HPFREESHIP. Valid through 09/01/06
- 20% OFF Photo Gifts - Coupon Code: AFFMEM2006. Valid through 10/01/06
- RECEIVE $2 OFF Any Order Over $12. Coupon Code: AFF21006. Valid through 10/01/06
- 20% off notebooks and stickers. Coupon code 20FORSCHOOL. Valid until 9/01/06.
SHUTTERFLY: prints are 19 cents
Go to SHUTTERFLY
PHOTOWORKS: prints are 19 cents and as low as 9 cents on prepaid plans. Get 25 free when you join Photoworks (membership is free).
25 Free Prints
when you join Photoworks.
$5 gift certificate from PhotoWorks.com use coupon code: c699-38-5111-41
Free Shipping On Baby Announcements Courtesy of PhotoWorks.com
20% Off Coupon at PhotoWorks.com: COUPON CODE: C608-38-5124-41
Free Compact Photo Book - $12.95 Value Coupon Code C440-38-5161-81
Go to PhotoWorks.com
KODAK EASYSHARE GALLERY: has 15 cent 4 x 6 prints every day.
Save 25% on photo products when you make a purchase of $25 or more, thru Aug 31. Use coupon Code SUNBURN25. Restrictions apply.
Go to Kodak EasyShare Gallery
WAL-MART : Photo Prints for just 12¢ at Walmart.com
You can also order prints online and pick them up on an hour at your local Wal-mart for 19 cents/print.
Digital Photo Software - Sales, Rebates
Here are the current sales/promos on digital photo editing and organizing software as of Aug 19. They can change at any time. There are several rebates available too.
ACDSee
Photo Editor
is $69.99 direct with instant download.. Click
Here to get a FREE 30-day trial
.
Adobe
Photoshop Elements 4
Corel
Paintshop Pro X
Corel
Photo Album 6 Deluxe
Microsoft
Digital Image Suite 2006
PhotoImpact
11 - photo editing software
is $89.99 or $49.99 to upgrade from prior version. Download
a free 30-day trial.
This is an excellent photo editing program and easy to learn. With your
purchase, get FREE Pixmantec RawShooter essentials 2005, an award-winning
package that lets you preview, adjust and covert RAW image files from
your high-end digital camera.
That's all for now. Have a great weekend.
Best regards,
Valerie Goettsch
www.digitalphotos101.com
How to get the best from your digital camera
To access prior newsletters: Click on this link.