Make Windows XP Thumbnails Larger

Windows XP brought many new and useful features to computer users. Digital photographers benefited greatly with the roll out of Windows XP nearly three years ago. One of my favorite features is the ‘thumbnail’ view in my photo folders. Thumbnails allow you to see mini pictures instead of just file names. Windows Me had this feature albeit not as elegantly implemented as in XP. To view your photos in thumbnail...

Use Your Digital Camera to Take Inventory

Planning for a disaster seems almost pessimistic to some, but in the long run, planning for the worst can save you. I talk about backup of your important digital data all the time, and this week’s tip takes the term backup a little closer to home. One great, practical use of your digital camera is to take inventory of your personal belongings. Use your camera to photograph your heir loom china, your classic car, your...

Print your Digital Photos with a Developer

Digital camera owners typically take three to four times as many photos than their film counterparts. And why not…there are no developing or film costs. However, the printer industry would love for you to print out all those photos you are taking. With digital, the potential savings can be huge IF you approach the printing process as I outline below: Backup all your photos to a CD (preferably make at least two backups)...

Print Pictures with the Windows XP Wizard

[inline:1]If you like to print your digital pictures at home versus using a service, save time and paper using the Windows XP Printing Wizard. Microsoft built many helpful tools into Windows XP to make working with digital photos much easier and the printing wizard is one of the best features. Here’s how to use it: 1. Open a folder that contains pictures 2. In the Task Pane on the left, Click “Print...

Is a Cordless, Optical Mouse in Your Future?

The two most used computer peripherals we use get the least amount of respect and thought…the mouse and keyboard. In fact, many of us shop for the cheapest possible mouse or keyboard when it comes to replace our existing one. If you still use a standard, corded mouse, you might want to strongly consider spending $30-40 on a new optical or cordless, optical mouse. The primary difference between an optical and standard...

Holiday Digital Photography

Nearly one out of every four homes in the United States own at least one digital camera. Chances are you are one of those households. And if you are one of those digital camera owners, you will probably be taking a few pictures this month. Following are some tips on how to take some interesting and fun photos during the holidays. * Keep your batteries charged or have extras available. “Kodak moments”...

Flash Memory Drives

A flash memory drive (a.k.a. thumb drive or USB drive) consists of a chip of memory (flash) mounted in a plastic case with a USB interface on one end (see the illustration for some examples). With Windows Me, 2000, XP and Macintosh computers, flash memory drives automatically get recognized as another storage drive on your computer. No installation CD’s, no formatting, just fast, safe removable storage. In addition to...

Digital Cameras

The Photo Marketing Association show was last week in Orlando, Florida and there were dozens of new cameras announced for the consumer level. If you have been putting off purchasing a new camera because you wanted to wait for the latest models, now is the time to consider making that purchase. This is also a great time to buy the older models at a closeout price. Here are the important features that you want to look...

Computer Add-ons and

Adding a few computer components or peripherals to your computer can breathe new life into your system and make you more productive at the same time. In this week’s tip, you will find some easy ‘do-it-yourself’ ideas for your computer. Cordless Mouse and/or Keyboard Lose the wires! Cordless mice make a great gift for a computing friend, and certainly for yourself. When shopping for one, make sure to get an...

Give Your Digital Pictures an Artistic Flair

Whether you use a digital camera, scanner, get your film developed on disk, or just collect digital photos from your friends and family via email, learning to work with and edit your photo’s with your computer is great fun. One of my favorite (and easy) tricks to do with digital photos is convert them to black and white. Black and white photos offer a unique perspective and effect to almost any photo but work...