How much space/room is left on any drive or folder?

Check your Computer Properties (determine how much space is used/ open) To determine how much space is used – unused on a computer (C Drive), or on a flash drive, portable hard drive or memory card, or in a specific folder –such a My Documents or My Pictures?

•  Open Windows Explorer – (Quick Access: Windows Flag Key + E) which is a 2 sided screen – whatever is highlighted on the left is what you are looking at on the right..…
• Hover your mouse over the Drive or specific folder you want to check
• When you do this, Right Click on the Drive or folder
• When the action list appears – find PROPERTIES at the bottom of the list
• Now Left Click on Properties

Digital Camera Setting Suggestions – Part 1 of 2

Great weather usually means more time spent outdoors, which often means taking more pictures… If you haven’t begun to play with all the different aspects of your digital camera – now’s a perfect time to begin.

With websites like www.youtube.com  and www.ehow.com  and those for your specific cameras, you can find both print and video tutorials that will help you master each and every aspect of your digital camera…

In the meantime, here are some highlights of some of the standard settings for most digital cameras – remember experiment and play with your camera – it’s the best way to learn…

Action Mode Setting – Icon usually looks like a man running and can help with shots of action, children playing, sports, etc and you want to change to this setting prior to taking your pictures; if you don’t have this setting most cameras allow you to change them to Manual Setting, icon is usually a capital '"M." and then Set your camera to a fast shutter speed setting such as 1/250th, 1/500th or 1/1000th of a second – most cameras today do this automatically when set on "Shutter Priority, icon is usually a capital "S." Remember to turn off your flash and change the ISO setting to 400-800.. to get great action shots


Burst Mode or Continuous Shooting Mode Setting – Icon looks like several pieces of paper stacked up and this setting helps reduce shutter lag and lets you take several pictures by pressing the shutter button just once. This will help you make sure that you get at least one good shot of an action sequence. If it isn’t on the top dial, then go to the cameras menu setting to make this change on the LCD screen looking for the same icon. When you shoot in continuous mode, be sure to focus your camera on the subject you want to capture and hold down the shutter button without releasing it. The camera takes pictures until you stop pressing the shutter button or the buffer memory or memory card fills up.
Notes about continuous shoots:

• Be sure you have a fully charged battery when you plan to do “continuous shooting”
• Continuous shot images are typically first stored in the internal memory buffer on your camera, because writing data to the buffer is faster than writing data to the memory card. By initially storing the image in the buffer, the camera is able to take another picture much more quickly than if the image is written directly to the card. Writing the data to the memory buffer also allows in-camera image processing to occur before the final image is saved to the card usually stored on the Cameras Internal Memory Buffer before putting them on the Memory Card. i.e. the buffer may fill up after 10-14 pictures in Fine/Large/JPEG mode, or after three pictures in RAW mode. The LCD display shows "Busy" when the buffer is full, and shows "Full CF" when the memory card is full . Once the information has been converted to a digital form, it is stored in the camera's internal-memory buffer. Image data is initially stored in the memory buffer because writing data to the buffer is faster than writing data to the memory card. By initially storing the image in the buffer, the camera is able to take another picture much more quickly than if the image is written directly to the card. Writing the data to the memory buffer also allows in-camera image processing to occur before the final image is saved to the card

ISO Settings – these can be changed to control how much light goes into your camera and it’s easy and can make a vast difference in the “brightness” of your photos… Change to the lowest possible setting as noted… By default, the standard Automatic ISO setting in most digital cameras is 200..
Other settings you might want to try would be..
50-100: for photos taken in very bright light
200: for photos when it is overcast
400: for photos taken indoors or with action
800: for photos with continuous shot action


Post continued in Part 2 of 2 on Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Why you can’t add or delete photo’s from you SD Memory card…

The number one reason – you’ve inadvertently locked your SD, Mini or Micro SD Memory Card. On the side of all memory cards, there is a small slider. Check to see if your SD card is locked. If the slider on the left side of the card is in the "locked" position, you will not be able to delete photos. Move the slider away from the "locked" position.

SD-Stands for Secure Digital...but is becoming the most common memory card used today

Now when you reinsert the Memory card into your Smartphone, camera or camcorder - you will be able to take photos. When you put the Memory card into your computer you will be able to copy all photos, music, and other data to and from the computer. You will also now be able to delete anything not wanted.

Remember, never delete or remove the DCIM folder that is on every memory card.

What is the DCIM Folder? DCIM (Digital Camera IMages) is the default directory structure for digital cameras and is there to keep your photos and or videos organized. When you put a memory card into a camera, camcorder or Smartphone, the camera device immediately looks for a ‘DCIM' folder. If it doesn't find such a folder, most cameras will create one.

What are the ISO settings for in my digital camera?

ISO settings are the measurement of how sensitive your digital camera's sensor is to light. The speed or light-sensitivity of a digital camera's sensor is rated in ISO numbers -- the lower the number, the slower the response to light.

Generally, we get the best picture quality by using the lowest ISO setting (such as 100 or 200). Higher ISO settings, such as 800, enable us to shoot in lower light situations with faster shutter speeds..

Higher ISO setting numbers indicate a higher sensitivity to light, so less time is needed to expose a picture. Most digital cameras let us control the ISO setting to allow the use of higher shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures, according to circumstances

Memory cards are so inexpensive today, that it’s worth having an extra one so that you can get out and shoot as much as you can in as many different circumstances. Don't be afraid to try different exposure settings and use the different settings available on your specific camera model. The more you experiment taking lots of different photos, the more comfortable you will get understanding your camera and what works for the types of pictures you want to take. 

Check your manufacturer’s website for their video tutorial and also check YouTube for more help learning to use your specific camera model.

Yes Size Matters - What are Bytes, KB’s, MB’s, GB’s, TB’s, PB’s or EB’s?

What do all these “measurements” mean that we see for both RAM (Random Access Memory) or the space on a hard drive, portable hard drive, flash drive or memory card/stick?
The smallest unit of memory storage is called a BIT. A bit either contains a ONE or a ZERO. That's it.
• Eight bits is one BYTE ("bite"). That's enough storage for about one letter of the alphabet.
• 1,024 bytes is one KILOBYTE (KB) or about one page of text.
• 1,024 kilobytes is one MEGABYTE (MB) or about 1,000 pages of text (short novel).
• 1,024 megabytes is one GIGABYTE (GB) or about 1,000,000 pages of text (pickup truck filled with books).
• 1,024 gigabytes is one TERABYTE (TB) – and that is equal to about 50,000 trees made into paper and printed
Today, the most popular form of measurement that we hear about is Terabytes (TB) but on the horizon and in some publications we are already hearing about PETABYTES (PB) and EXABYTES (EB) - we've come a long way baby since the Commodore 64's....and we wonder where it will end..

To give you an idea of how much data a TB is or how much it can hold based on a document: It is said that The U.S. Library of Congress Web Capture team claims that "As of April 2011, the Library has collected about “235 terabytes of data" and that it adds about 5 terabytes per month.

HOW TO GET PHOTOS FROM YOUR CELL PHONE TO YOUR COMPUTER..

You’ve taken photos or videos with your cell phone, but how can you get them to your computer so you can print or email them… There are several ways, depending on the type and model of your cell phone – use one of the following tips or check your cell phone manufacturer’s website for their tutorial instructions for your specific cell phone..

CABLE FROM CELL PHONE TO COMPUTER: Some phones, come with cables that have a connection for the phone and the other end has a USB port connection – if you phone has this, you will copy and paste the photo’s from your cell phone to your computer, the same as you would from a flash drive/memory card to your computer.. For example, if you have a Motorola phone you can use a tool called Motorola Phone Tools-It isn't free but comes with a USB cable you can directly connect to the computer

FOR CELL PHONES WITH TEXTING CAPABILITIES: Then you can simply “email the photo’s to yourself or anyone else with an email address” just like a text message; instead of a phone number you would send it to the “email address”

FOR CELL PHONES WITH MEMORY CARDS: Before you take pictures with your cell phone, be sure you have a memory card in the slot and that your camera setting is set to save all photos & videos that you take, and other information you’d like, to the memory card. Refer to your user manual to make sure you buy the right kind of memory card for your cell phone If your cell phone didn’t come with one. Common cell phone memory card formats include: TransFlash MicroSD, MiniSD, Sony MemoryStick but, the most popular is MicroSD (remember "MiniSD" and "MicroSD" are not the same kind of cards)..

Small memory cards require a larger adapter to insert in a computer memory card reader.
Once your small memory card is in the adapter, insert the memory card adapter into a memory card reader or into your laptop/computer/printer’s built in memory card reader..

Now it is ready to be “read” - Open Windows Explorer (Windows Flag Key & E), you will then see your memory card with an assigned drive letter – typically E or F. When you left click on that drive, look to the right side of the screen and you will see the photos and or all information on the memory card.

1. Highlight the photos you want to put on the computer
2. Choose COPY
3. Now go to or create a new folder for the picture
4. Once you are in the correct folder, choose PASTE

Your photos are now on your computer in the folder you have chosen or created…

How many photo images can be stored on a Memory Card?

The following information for photo images is a guideline, the number will vary based on several things, such as camera model, internal file size, compression settings, what you have chosen for resolution and compression mode settings and finally, JPEG or .JPG (is a compressed file) compression will result in different file sizes based upon picture complexity…
MP=Megapixels: MB=Megabytes, GB = Gigabytes

This approx. number of photo images can be used on these 2 different size SDHC Memory Cards on 4 different size cameras - 6MP, 8MP, 10MP and 12MP. The SDHC Memory Card is one of the most popular memory card styles used today by camera manufacturers..

4GB: 6MP=1905 images; 8MP 1270 images; 10MP 802 images or 12MP 677 images

8GB: 6MP=3812 images; 8MP 2540 images; 10MP 1604 images or 12MP 1354 images

Note: all memory cards have a DCIM folder (Digital Camera Image) which should never be removed..

New Wi-Fi Memory Cards for Digital Cameras

Have you heard of the new “wi-fi” memory cards for use in your digital cameras and camcorders… Check out this website:

www.eye.fi

The Eye-Fi memory cards look, stores media, and fit into cameras just like a regular SDHC memory card. On top of that, the Eye-Fi card has built-in Wi-Fi that uses your wireless network to effortlessly transfer photos and videos

The Eye-Fi card uses your home or office Wi-Fi network-Upon setup, specify which networks the Eye-Fi card uses to transfer your media. You can add up to 32 networks for your card to use. The next time your camera is on and within range of a specified network, your photos and videos will fly to your computer and to your favorite sharing site.

The Eye-Fi cards (4GB – 8GB for $40-$150 each) are the first wireless memory cards.

Features (from their website)

• 
  
  4GB memory. Store up to 2,000 photos or 90mn of video with top-notch Class 6 speed. Works just like with your regular SDHC memory card. Perfect for your compact camera


• 
  
  Wireless. Upload .JPEG or .JPG photos & videos fast through your home Wi-Fi network thanks to built-in 802.11n speed


• 
  
  Endless. Get the only card that can free-up space for you after pictures are safely delivered. Never worry about running out of space again


• 
  
  Automatic back-up. Wirelessly upload JPEG photos and videos to folders of your choice on your computer, or even directly into iPhoto for Macs


• 
  
  Organized. Photos and videos can automatically land in date-based folders, so memories are organized effortlessly


• 
  
  Compatible. No need to buy a new camera – visit their website to confirm that your camera can be turned into a wireless uploading machine


• 
  
  Effortless sharing. Wirelessly send your JPEG photos and videos to a popular website. Visit their website to see a complete list that you can choose from, which includes Flickr, Facebook, Picasa, MobileMe, and YouTube


• 
  
  Pick your pics. You can select which photos and videos are uploaded


• 
  
  Get notified. Get email, Facebook or Twitter alerts when your photos are uploading online


• 
  
  Quick and sweet. Set up takes just minutes

What are computer Drives

Drives are the “hardware/equipment” that read and write the information the various disks.

Disc drives rotate the disk very fast and have one or more heads that can read and/or write data to them..

When “drives” are put into the computer, the computer assigns them a “letter” making it easier to identify them to then be able t see what is stored/filed on the specific drive, such as:

• "C" is typically the Hard Drive on almost all computers is
• "D" is often times the CD or DVD Drive
• "E" or "F"- when you put your flash drive in the USB Port in one computer it might be the “E” Drive – in another computer it might be the “F” drive..

The "letter" the computer assigns, allows you to know where things are..

There are different types of disc drives, but the common ones that we work with are:

• CD-Rom can read audio and data CD discs
• CR-RW drives can read and record (burn) audio and data CD discs
• DVD-ROM drives can read CD and DVD discs
• DVD+RW+R Drives, can read and write (burn) CD and DVD discs
• COMBINATION DRIVES, combine the functions of 2 rives into one-either a DVD+RW/+R drive and a CD-RW drive or a DVD-RIM drive and a CR-RW drive
• Flash/jump drive and read and write to a flash/jump drive
• Hard disk drive (HDD) reads and writes hard disks (can be internal or external or totally portable)
• “6 in 1” - “50 In 1” Memory Card Readers – allows you to read from the memory cards of digital cameras and other media devices

Disk drives can be either internal (housed within the computer) or external (housed in a separate box that connects to the computer)