Posts Tagged: pictures

General Computer Tips — 4 Comments
2
Nov 09

Should I backup?

Five Days' Backup

photo credit: daryl_mitchell

Should you carry health insurance? Should you carry car insurance? Should you save for retirement? Should you eat every day? Does a bear….  Well, hopefully you get the picture. The answer is a resounding YES!!

You should backup, and depending on your computer needs and usage your backups should occur frequently (sometimes daily). Many computer users equate backing up their computers with their mother’s giving them castor oil. It’s no fun, but a necessary evil. What is castor oil any way?

Things you should backup on your computer include Continue reading →

Windows Tips — 5 Comments
19
Oct 09

A quicker way to Rename folders and files in Windows

Windows XP, Vista and the upcoming version 7 continue to help us accomplish certain computer tasks more quickly.

One of my favorite features involves the renaming of files. You can still use the techniques I outlined in a previous tip, but renaming files can be even faster with the right steps. If you have the need to rename a group of files (for example a group of freshly downloaded pictures from your digital camera), you can select them and rename them in groups. Here’s how: Continue reading →

Email Tips — 11 Comments
3
Oct 09

Backup Outlook Express Email – Video Tip

This week’s tip also applies to Windows Vista users who use Windows Mail…which is basically Outlook Express with a new name.

I still recommend that emailers save their important pictures and documents sent to them via email to a folder on their computer for easier backup (see my video tip on how to do this by clicking here), but many people also save a great deal of email and don’t want Continue reading →

Tech News — No Comments
4
Aug 09

Nikon to release camera with built-in projector

Wow, a digital camera with a built-in projector capable of producing a 40″ image to show off your pictures and video without having to huddle around the camera and hope everyone applied deodorant and brushed their teeth.

Read the whole story in this Endgadget.com article:

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam beams into reality along with friends.

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
9
Mar 09

Add photos to Facebook quickly and easily – Video Tip

I helped a retired aged computer user today who was cajoled into using Facebook by his family. His Facebook friends hammered him daily about posting some pictures to his online profile. But like many computer users, he juggled time between three different photo management programs. One of them, luckily, was Google’s Picasa and I configured Picasa to locate all his pictures.

A quick web search led me to the Picasa Uploader for Facebook. Not all Facebook applications (small add-ons) are safe, however, so I checked this one out by Continue reading →

Computer User Group / Digital Photography — No Comments
10
Feb 09

Digital Photography Basics – February 2009

DIGITAL

photo credit: Hamed Saber

Adam Cochran ran our Digital Photography Special Interest Group (DPSIG) for almost six years and all that great information he shared during that time is archived here at HelpMeRick.com. Make sure to use that information.

In today’s class we covered the basics about digital photography divided into three quick, hard hitting segments:

  1. Using the camera
  2. Transferring the images
  3. Organizing and using the images (including printing and email).

Using the Camera

  • Unless you are an expert film camera user and know all about f-stops, depth of field, focusing, ISO, light metering, etc, stick with using the Auto or the presets on your camera. For the most part, you will be extremely pleased with the results from using the Auto function.
  • The best tip Adam ever taught me about the digital cameras is how to use the camera’s auto light metering. All cameras have this function and it involved the shutter button. Your shutter button has TWO positions. If you hold the shutter part of the way down, you will see (and sometimes hear) the shutter adjusting to the light it is receiving. Keep the shutter depressed partially for a split second to get the proper light reading, then push it the rest of the way to take your picture. I promise that mastering this tip alone will dramatically improve the quality of your pictures.
  • Learn to use your camera’s flash. Typically that involves toggling the lightning bolt icon on the camera to one of at least three settings:  Automatic, forced, or off.  For the most part, you want to use your flash only in the darkest conditions or to offset a subject that is standing in front of a bright light source. Otherwise, learning the second tip will help you avoid using the flash almost entirely.
  • Hold your camera steady and don’t immediately lower it to view the photo you just took. Give it a split second to finish taking the photo before moving it. Combine this tip with tip #2 and you will see photos that you didn’t think were possible.
  • Your camera memory can hold literally hundreds of photos, you really don’t need to delete the “bad” ones. Wait until you get to your computer, download them, then weed them out. Too many mistakes can be made using the clumsy controls on a camera and the small screen.
  • Don’t install the camera’s software…you don’t need it. The alternatives work much better and are easier to use.

Here are a few good articles covering this topic right here at HelpMeRick.com:

Transferring your images to the computer

The easiest way to transfer images from your camera is to use a card reader. Most new computer users come with them pre-installed, but you can purchase a USB version for less than $20. This method saves wear and tear on your camera and saves battery life.

I recommend using Google’s Picasa to download your images, but the next easiest way is to use Windows’ built-in photo transfer wizard.

The important part of transferring your images is to know where they end up. YOU have the power to control that. Most of the time, they will end up in your My Pictures folder (XP) or Pictures folder (Vista).

Organizing and using your pictures

Again, I believe the easiest and most straight forward method is to use Picasa. The built-in tools Windows provides for emailing are pretty good with some email services as well. Third party tools like Canon’s Zoom Browser, Kodak’s Photo Gallery and others seem too clunky to me compared to polished products like Picasa. Two other photo management programs that do a good job are Adobe’s Photoshop Elements Organizer and Creative Memories.

The important factor is that you pick ONE photo organizer, learn it, master it, and move forward with it.

Once you decide on a photo organizer, use its tools to add keywords, albums, and other organization methods so you don’t end up with a giant digital shoe box (a mess). All the photo organizer programs offer good to very good printing utilities, but I think you get the most bang for your buck by transferring your photos to a service for printing or copying them to a CD and taking them to a developer.

Here are some pertinent tips for organizing and using your pictures that we have shared over the years:

Windows Tips — No Comments
13
Jan 09

Using the Windows Snipping Tool – Video Tip

One new feature that Windows Vista brought to the table is an easier way to take pictures of your screen…known as screen shots. In previous versions of Windows you had to learn how to use the Print Screen button (click here for my tip on that technique) or find a third party utility to do the same thing.Windows Vista introduced a new tool called the Snipping Tool that makes taking screen shots easier and more flexible than Print Screen. Vista users can find the Snipping Tool in the Accessories menu. The Snipping Tool will also be included in the upcoming Windows 7. To see how it works, watch my video below.

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 7 Comments
1
Dec 08

5 Reasons why YOU should be moving to the cloud

Cloud ComputingOver the past two or there years, I have written many articles about Web 2.0 or cloud computing. Cloud computing means that you work with programs and/or data that are not installed or saved on your computer. Instead, the programs and/or data live on an Internet connected computer (server) somewhere else in the world. These computers provide security via the password and user name that you choose. Five reason come immediately to mind on why you should start moving your data and computing power to the cloud.

1.  Although more powerful than ever before, computers have become more unreliable than ever.

In particular, Windows computers require more expertise to keep them safe, updated, and problem free than at any time in the short history of home computers. Macintosh and Linux operating systems certainly require less technical expertise from the security standpoint, but still rely on desktop applications to create, save and edit data. Web based (cloud) applications provide plenty of power and flexibility for the vast majority of computer users while also presenting a simpler interface.

2.  You already spend 90% of your time in the cloud already. 

Non-business computer users spend the majority of their computer time emailing, surfing and researching the web and playing online games. Transitioning to web based mail and web based word processing, spreadsheets and more is easy and free with products like Zoho Office, Google Docs and ThinkFree.

3.  Digital photography is easier in the cloud…and cheaper.

Too many computer users do not know how to properly resize and attach photos to email or gauge how many photos to attach to email. You spend way too much money and time on ink cartridges and paper trying to print good quality pictures. All these problems are solved in the cloud by helping you organize your photos better, share them easier, and print them in higher quality in more formats professionally. Flickr, Picasa Albums, and albums and services from Shutterfly, Snapfish, Winkflash, and others help you do all these things much easier than any desktop application. For those who like to edit their photos, these services offer some limited editing, but Pixlr, Picnik, Fotoflexer, Snipshot, Photoshop Online, and many others provide more than enough power for almost any digital photographer.

4.  You either don’t know how or are too lazy to backup your important data.

I admit that I’m putting a lot of faith in Web 2.0 companies, but I know they will do a better and more regular job of backing up your data than you currently do. These companies have their reputations and big bank rolls on the line to take backing up your data lightly. If your data is truly important to you, learn to back it up. In the interim, your data will be much safer online than it is right now on your unprotected computer with no backup plan at all. If I’ve stirred you a little to think about backing up your current data, read my tips about online backup services that truly do make backing up your data easier and safer than learning to burn DVD’s, setup and configure backup programs and then maintain them.

5.  Using cloud computing strategies sets you free from any computer.

Since your data and applications live on the web and are accessed through a web browser, you no longer are tied to any one computer or operating system. As long as you have an Internet connection (high speed only) and a browser, you can work and play from any computer!

I keep urging you to learn about and use these services because they are coming down the pike and becoming more mainstream every day. Microsoft, Apple, Adobe and other stalwarts of the desktop continue to make their own plans to finally come on board and offer more and more cloud computing options.

What do you think? Leave me a comment below to tell me about your cloud computing experiences and questions.

Photo by ewen and donabel

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 11 Comments
20
Oct 08

Firefox or Internet Explorer doesn’t display all pictures or backgrounds

For some reason, I have seen this issue about six times in the past few weeks with Windows XP computers. The browser (both Firefox and/or Internet Explorer) symptoms include:

  • Web sites don’t display all images
  • Text seems distorted
  • Backgrounds don’t display

The solution to your browser not displaying the images or backgrounds properly is removing the high contrast setting in the Control Panel. Here’s how:

  1. Click Start
  2. Click Settings –> Control Panel
  3. Double-click the Accessibility options
  4. Click the Display tab
  5. Un-check the “use high contrast” box
  6. Click Apply
  7. Click OK

If your web site viewing is looking a little goofy, and pictures, menus and text aren’t displaying properly, give these steps a try!

Computer User Group / Hardware Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 10 Comments
25
Sep 08

Setting up a new computer

new computer boxPrevention is the best medicine when it comes to avoiding illness in ourselves. Prevention in the computer world is no different. And like a newborn baby, a newly purchased computer is subject to many terrible diseases and problems if not properly cared from the moment it is taken from its cardboard box. I follow these steps when setting up a new computer system for my clients, and recommend this methodology for all new computer setups:

  1. Before setting up the new computer, back up all of your data to CD’s, DVD’s, external hard drives, or flash drives for transfer to the new computer  Make sure you get not only your obvious data like documents, pictures, and financial data, but also your address book, email settings, favorites, etc. Remember, you can backup data, but not programs.
  2. Make note of your email settings and configuration (if you didn’t back them up).
  3. Download a copy of a AVG Antivirus and have them on a CD or flash drive at the ready.
  4. When setting up the new PC, DO NOT connect printers, scanners, cameras, and especially the Internet until later.
  5. Once at the new desktop, the first place to head is the Control Panel and Add/Remove programs (Programs and Features in Vista). Remove all trial software that you don’t plan on purchasing (Quicken, Quickbooks, Office suites, etc). Also remove any <!–break–>Internet provider software that you will not use like AOL, Earthlink, NetZero, etc.
  6. Now go back to Add/Remove programs and uninstall any trial security software that came with the machine.
  7. If you uninstalled the pre-installed security software (recommended), install the AVG antivirus program you have at the ready.
  8. Now, you can hook up your Internet connection. Once you have a connection established, update your anti-virus software immediately.
  9. Setup your email program and accounts.
  10. Install your peripherals (scanners, printers, etc) per your manufacturers instructions.
  11. Install any programs that you want on the new system
  12. Transfer your data from their backup locations.
  13. Strongly consider downloading and using Mozilla Firefox as your primary browser.

  14. Create your Recovery CD set found in your manufacturer’s options or utilities folder (if required).

    Enjoy your properly setup and safe, new computer!

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