Common Digital Photo Image Types: jpeg, raw etc..

JPEG - RAW-GIFT-BMP -etc - what's the difference??

They are all "Digital Photo Image Files" the sizes for which are based on the number of pixels in an image and the color depth, or bits per pixel, of that image and images can be compressed in various ways, which are determined by their "image type"

JPEG	JPEG or JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is the most common Digital Photo Image type that we use.  It's the most common type accepted by 3rd party software programs like Walgreens, Shutterfly, MovieMaker and when uploading to the "clouds"...This is because JPEG's are much smaller than other image files types and ideal for storing images.. Because they are known for accurate color representation they are an ideal format for photographs - but each time a JPEG is saved, the quality becomes degraded
RAW	RAW is a raw image format that some of the better more sophisticated digital cameras use.  RAW format typically requires special software for editing.  RAW image format is used primarily for editing because it gives users complete access to the data the camera sees before any effects are applied.
GIF	GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is used for animations and for storing images with low colors because it's limited to using 256 colors but can be saved repeatedly with no loss, which is why it works well for cartoon-based images.
BMP	BMP's are Windows bitmap image files and also work with limited colors, and is an image file format originally used in Windows-based applications.
TIFF	TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is used most often for sending logos and other images to a printer for reproduction, so widely used by photographers and we often see this format when we are using scanner for photos
PNG	PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is the newer version of "GIF" with many of the same features, except PNG supports 16 million colors vs. only the 256 colors of GIF

JPEG or RAW... Which should you choose

Basically, Raw is the unprocessed information straight off the camera's sensor without any processing for sharpness, white balance, color or contrast.

But when cameras take a jpeg image, it takes the info from the camera's sensor and processes it inside your camera with specialized chips to make a final jpeg file.

When you take a "raw photo" you will have to convert it yourself, essentially substituting your own computer and photo conversion software for the specialized chips built into the camera, which will give you more control over how the image ends up--sharper, softer, more contrast, less contrast, white balance, etc.  But the drawbacks to Raw are that you will have to  take the time to convert your digital photo images and the most important drawback is that you can't share raw files as easily as jpeg files, because not everyone has a converter for the raw format

Now that you understand them a little more, for those of you using Picasa Free Photo Editing Software you can modify which types of Photo Image Types your Picasa will Scan/See - When you are in Picasa go to Tools (on Picasa Menu Bar) and choose "Configure Photo Viewer" and when the list appears - Check off which types of digital photos you want Picasa to Scan/See..

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.

February - Classes, Spring Frenzy & Winterfest

February is here and we hope everyone is going to take advantage of some of the wonderful events all over town during this week of “Spring Frenzy” February 6th -12th”. If you aren’t sure what’s happening, just stop in at the Aquatic Center and they’ll gladly fill you in – it’s only $4 a Class or $30 for the week to learn about fishing, kayaking, how to BBQ, golfing, and lots of technology & other classes all over the city, including here at MCC…


The end of the week, Saturday & Sunday, February 11th & 12th is our annual Winterfest on McCulloch Blvd (Main St) between Acoma & Smoketree – enough vendors, food & music to satisfy everyone’s taste, so “come on down” and remember to stop by and visit the Mohave Community College Booth..


You asked for it and you’ve got it - I’ve added several new computer and technology related classes that you asked for, even expanded a few to 12 hours instead of 8 hrs.. And if computers aren’t your thing, then MCC has many other wonderful credit and non-credit classes in a wide variety of subjects, including fitness, yoga, dance, ceramics, history, jewelry making, maintaining your motorcycle & much more...


Visit our website: http://www.mohave.edu/ ; or visit our campus at 1971 Acoma Blvd in Lake Havasu or call for more information.. Don’t forget to stop by and visit our Library at MCC and ask their staff to give you a tour and explain all the wonderful services available to you for free, including library books, using our computers to check your email or surf the web or accessing countless databases and much more..


I am teaching the following computer/technology classes in February and we will have these and many more classes thru April.. We look forward to working with you. So sign up today and bring a friend along - Call Registration 928-855-7812 or 453-1139 and we’ll save you a seat...


You can use one of our class computers or bring your own laptop.  We do require a minimum of six (6) participants in every classes, otherwise we will sadly have to postpone that class until the next scheduled class, but typically this time of the year – classes fill up quickly….


As always, if you have any questions or aren’t sure which class might be best for you – just email me… cherie_houston@hotmail.com


PICASA PHOTO EDITING LSC081-121: Feb 10, 11 & 17 – Fri, Sat & Fri mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm, Three-4 hour classes learning to edit & print Digital Photos using Picasa (free Google software) learn to upload photos from your camera and/or scanner to the PC, learn lots of editing features including cropping, name tagging and what GeoTagging is, how to create collages & quick movies and of course printing tips.. Bring photos to class (on camera or flash drive)


COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC062- 122 : Feb 13 & 14, Monday & Tuesday mornings, ~ 8:30am-12:20pm, Two 4 Hour classes reviewing computer hardware, software (operating systems, application software, browsers and drivers), printing tips, keyboard shortcut tips, customizing desktop-changing backgrounds, create shortcuts, using quick launch bar, Start Menu, Task Bar, control panel & much more…


DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-122: Feb 15 & 16, Wednesday & Thursday afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm, Two 4 hour classes-Intro to digital cameras; pixels, camera lingo, basic how to’s, move photo’s to your PC with memory card & memory card reader, organize photos on your PC using Windows Explorer; save photos to portable drives Bring your digital camera to class


HOW TO BUY & SELL ONLINE LSC101-122 Feb 13 & 14, Wednesday & Thursday mornings, ~ 8:30am-12:20pm, Two 4 Hour classes reviewing tips for making travel arrangements-flights-hotels-rental cars-how to register, when to and not use your credit card; selling & buying online using eBay, Amazon, CraigsList and others – shortcuts & security tips…


WINDOWS 7 OPERATING SYSTEM WORKSHOP LSC100-127 Feb 15, Wednesday afternoon, 1pm-4:50pm, One 4 Hour workshop reviewing many of the features and improvements available with Windows 7 – including using the Libraries to manage files & folders, Jump Lists vs Task Bar vs Quick Launch, Running apps, Shuffling wallpaper & screens savers, System Tray, Media Player, Alerts vs action center and much more – Bring your laptop


SKYPE & GOOGLE VOICE WORKSHOP LSC100-123 Feb 16, Thursday afternoon, 1pm-4:50pm, One 4 Hour workshop reviewing the differences of using Skype and/or Google Voice to make free phone calls (with or without video web cams) all over the world for FREE from any computer and/or Smartphone… lots of tips.. Bring your laptop and/or Smartphone to class


FIND & ORGANIZE WHAT’S ON YOUR PC LSC062-124: Feb. 27 & 29, Monday & Wednesday mornings ~ 8:30am-12:20pm, Two 4 hour classes-Learn to use Windows Explorer so that you can easily and quickly find & organize everything you’ve saved on your PC; organize your work, files & photo’s to find them quickly & easily. Learn to back up your pc, photo & documents with portable flash & hard drives, memory cards and memory card readers..


INTERNET AND IT’S MANY USES LSC071-122: Feb 27 & 29, Monday & Wednesday afternoons ~ 1pm-4:50pm, Two 4 Hour classes designed to help you get totally comfortable with the internet, tips& lingo, such as ISP, browser, blogger; when/why to use F5 & F11; website basics, hyperlinks, email basics, “tabbed browsing for multi websites”, using “Google & Bing” to search web, images, news; translating to & from different languages; blogging and more


POWER POINT FOR GREAT SLIDE SHOWS & PRESENTATIONS & TO CREATE LAYERED PHOTOS LSC069D-121, Feb 28 & Mar 1, Tuesday & Thursday mornings ~ 8:30am-12:20pm Two 4 Hour classes designed to help you create basic slide show presentations to share with family, friends & your organization – how to enhance them with text, photos, clip art, animation, music, transitioning and timing features and how to create and save “slides” as photos for use in other projects such as greeting cards and books… Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)


MOVIE MAKER LSC100A-121: February 28 & March 1, Tuesday & Thursday afternoons ~ 1pm-4:50pm, Two 4 hour classes learn to use the Free Windows Movie Maker software to create movies with your photos, music & other special effects: transitions, titles/credits, your favorite music, timeline narration, and much more. This software is free with Windows XP, Media, Vista and/or Windows 7… Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

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.

Think twice before rushing to buy a new computer

Before you rush out to buy a new computer you’ve seen advertised, because your PC might seem a little slow, you might want to consider a few things…

First of all, when you are on the Internet visiting various websites – are you one of those individuals who always clicks “install this toolbar” assuming it will be helpful when you visit the website again in the future..  Many experts say that more than 75% of the software that is on your computer – either pre-installed or installed by you is never used…  So be careful about what you install and why and consider removing software that you have never used - It is easy to do, but if you aren't sure how to do this, ask for help.. 

Second, organize what you have on your current computer.  Be sure that all document, photos etc. are neatly stored away in specific topic folders so that it is easy for you to find…   Once eveything is neatly organized, if that hasn't helped - consider storing all for your documents, photos, music and videos on a portable hard drive,  You can purchase a 1TB portable hard drive for under $100 – much less than a new computer will cost.  Once you have cleaned off unnecessary application software programs and documents you don’t want or need – you may be pleasantly surprised at how well your computer performs…  Also once you know where everything is it helps to control duplicates – and this especially applies to any of us who have been allowing our digital cameras or camcorders to download our digital media files…  we may have many more copies on our computers than we think, which will cause your computer to crawl…

Third, make sure your drivers are current.  Drivers are the software that allow peripheral equipment to work well with your computer, and those for your printer & scanner should be updated periodically..

Fourth, while we’re talking equipment, we also find it helpful (and healthful) to use the keyboard shortcuts as often as possible.  You want to protect your wrist, elbow & shoulder from tendinitis related issues, caused by the repetitive motion of going back & forth all day long from keyboard to mouse and vice versa… If you are hands are on the keyboard than use keyboard shortcuts to give commands and if they are on the mouse, use the menu or toolbar/ribbon icons… 

TIPS TO TAKE GREAT FIREWORK PHOTOS

By Suzanne Kantra, Techlicious.com (July 2011)

Wanted to be sure you didn't miss this great article, which was posted on the following website... some great tips to help with taking awesome photos of fireworks-have a safe & happy 4th of July holiday...

COPIED FROM: http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/06/30/6976038-take-sparkling-photos-on-the-fourth-of-july?gt1=43001

Heading out with the family for HOLIDAY fireworks celebrations is a time-honored tradition. And, if you're like me, you enjoy capturing those memories in pictures. But photographing fireworks with no camera shake and proper exposure is difficult, unless you know these simple tricks.

1. Use a tripod
When you take picture of fireworks, the camera needs to hold the shutter open long enough to “see” the fireworks. The longer the shutter is open, the more susceptible your photo is to motion blur. So use a tripod to make sure there’s no movement. For open areas, use a stand-alone model with telescoping legs like the Dolica AX620B100 Proline ($36 on amazon.com). A more mobile option is the Joby Gorillapod original ($19.95 on joby.com), which can wrap around trees and poles or stand up on the ground.

2. Use the “fireworks” scene mode
Most point-and-shoot cameras have a button or dial with “SCN” or “Scene” on it. Otherwise you’ll find it under the “menu” button. When you put your camera in scene mode, a list of the available modes will pop up on screen. Select the one that looks like a spray of fireworks and/or says "fireworks". Most cameras sold today have a "fireworks" option for scenes. Some models I recommend include the Canon PowerShot A3300IS (an affordable 16MP camera with a 5x lens, $179 on usa.canon.com), Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 (an extremely rugged 12MP camera, $399 on panasonic.com) and the Fujifilm FinePix HS20 (a 16MP camera with a monster 30x wide-angle lens, $425 on amazon.com).

3. If your camera doesn’t have a “fireworks” mode, put it in “landscape” mode
Your camera automatically tries to find an object on which to focus. And when presented with a black featureless sky, the camera doesn’t know what to do. By putting your camera in “landscape” mode, you’ll be presetting the focus to infinity and narrowing the lens opening, which keeps both near and far objects in focus.

4. Turn off the flash
Turning your flash off will let the camera know that it only has available light to take a picture. This is important because the camera will then keep the shutter open long enough to capture the fireworks. The flash button is usually a separate button on the back of the camera. On some cameras, you can’t turn off the flash unless you put it in a scene mode or program mode (P).

5. Turn down the ISO
High ISO will crank up the sensitivity of the camera so it can see details in the dark. However, the fireworks themselves are quite bright. So, to avoid overexposure and reduce film noise, take your camera out of Auto ISO and change the setting to ISO 100 or even lower. The ISO setting is usually found under the main menu. You may have to put your camera in program mode to change this setting.

Sharing Photos Safely on the Internet

Today more and more of us are sharing our photo’s with others online. This can be done today using our digital cameras and cell phones as soon as the events happen.. No doubt, these options are another wonderful way of using technology but it’s important to be sure you are sharing your photos safely..

Almost all cell phones today have cameras, and because most of us carry our cell phones with us all the time - and the quality of the cell phones cameras have and continue to improve almost daily - they are becoming a popular way to post photos as soon as we take the picture...We may post them to our online photo-sharing accounts (such as Picasa Web Albums, Walgreens, Snapfish, PhotoBucket etc accounts, our blogs, mobile blogs (called moblogs); personal Web sites; or share them via our e-mails and IM - no doubt sharing our photos and videos has never been easier.

But it’s important to carefully manage who sees your digital images, from photos to videos, is critical to avoiding the potential exposure of private or personal information to people outside your trusted friends and family. The same pictures and videos you want to share with friends and family may contain information that also has value to criminals.

Only use reputable sites (such as Picasa Web Albums, Walgreens, Shutterfly, Snapfish and others we’ve discussed in class) and only share photos that contain identifiable information with people you trust.

To make photos with identifiable information safer to share publicly:

• Use a photo editing tool such as Picasa that we work with in our classes, or Windows Photo Gallery to cover up or crop out information that could put you or the people in your photos in harms way, such as house or apt. numbers, street names, name of your school or business, etc – Photo Editing sites allow you to blur small sections of your photos, so you can then put them online safely.


• Remove metadata from the photo. Some sites allow viewers to see the settings used to take the photo, the time and date when the photo was taken, and even show the geographical coordinates of the place where the photo was taken if the camera or camera phone documents this information. The last thing you want "just anyone" being able to see is the actual address of your home, school or day care center when you took pictures of your kids or grandkids...


• Change/reduce the resolution of the photo – because lower resolution makes it less likely that others will copy the photo.

How to get better digital photos & videos

First ~ be sure you have visited the specific website for your camera – this is the quickest and easiest way to learn all the specific features of your digital camera and all that it can do. Most camera manufacturer’s websites have tutorials that will teach you- via video – all the specific features unique to your camera; once there, save it to your favorites and visit the site often…

Second ~ go to your favorite search engine - Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.. and search for your digital camera or camcorder model + tutorial, many times tutorials are created by users like yourself, who love their camera and have wonderful tips to create better photos and make the most of your new camera and all that it has to offer.
Third ~ The following are some popular websites to help you improve the quality of the photos and videos that you take and to learn more about “digital photography” from the comfort of your home… explore and enjoy:

• http://www.better-digital-photo-tips.com/
• http://www.dcresource.com/
• http://www.digicamhelp.com/
• http://www.digital-camera-help.com/
• http://www.digital-cameras-help.com/
• http://www.digitalphotography.tipcentral.net/
• http://www.digital-photography-school.com/
• http://www.digital-photography-tips.net/
• http://www.digitalphototipsandmore.com/
• http://www.homephotog.com/
• http://www.photographycourse.net/
• http://www.takegreatpictures.com/

Digital Camera Basics

If you are purchasing a camera for 4 x 6 snapshots a 3-4 Megapixel is fine, but you will find as you shop for this holiday season – December 2019 – that most cameras today come with 12 Megapixels or more, so that isn’t a problem. If you like a particular brand of camera, go with it. Some features to look for are:

Battery Type
Depending on your preference you may want regular AAA batteries because they are everywhere and easy to replace or a proprietary rechargeable battery that comes with your camera. It’s really just a matter of choice.

LCD size
Generally, the larger the LCD, the better. The larger your view, the better idea you have whether the picture is good, or if you should take another.

View Finder
Most new cameras don’t have an eyepiece to view your subject, you use the viewfinder instead. If an eyepiece viewer is important to you, make sure the camera you purchase has one. Only in very bright sun is the eyepiece viewer important.

Zoom
For me, Optical Zoom, is the most important feature. When you frame a picture, you usually want a part of the scene- maybe just the face or faces – maybe the whole body and the interactions between people- maybe the people as they relate to the vast scenery. The larger your zoom, the better chance you have of capturing what you’d like to see in a picture. The average zoom sold today is 4X. So ask about Optical Zoom (not Digital Zoom)

Image Stabilization
This helps make your picture more sharp and less fuzzy. Image stabilization is more important the longer your zoom and has become a standard feature in most cameras today .

Our next post will discuss memory and memory cards...

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

TIPS FOR BETTER DIGITAL PHOTOS

FIRST AND FOREMOST: Visit your camera manufacturer’s website – whether they will have lots of helpful tips and suggestions specific to your camera and how to take great pictures.. Always check the flash range and how close you can get to your subjects; which vary with every camera

GET CLOSER TO WHAT YOUR ARE PHOTOGRAPHING: The most common mistake we all make is that we are too far away from the person or object we are photographing… Get closer and if you aren’t sure how close – as always check your camera to see what the manufacturer recommends so your pictures are not blurry.

TAKE PHOTOS ON THE SAME LEVEL AS YOUR SUBJECT : Hold your camera at the same levels as who y0u are photographing – whether that is an adult, children or animal… Yes that might mean stooping down – but the results are wonderful… being at eye level improves the quality of your picture…

OFF CENTER HAS ITS ADVANTAGES: Often times if we move our subject to the side of the photo – versus dead center – our photo will have more life & personality… But remember if you have an auto-focus camera you need to lock it so it doesn’t focus on whatever is in the center

LOCK THE FOUCS: You can check the manufacturers recommendations on locking your focus, but usually all you have to do is center the subject and press and hold the shutter button halfway down, then when you are still holding the button, reposition your camera so the subject is away from the center and then pressing the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.

THE MORE SIMPLE THE BACKGROUND THE BETTER: too often our subjects get lost in the back ground – so consider shooting up towards the sky at your subject or have them move so that they don’t have “objects” growing out of their bodies, like chair legs or poles.

WHAT ABOUT LIGHTING?: No doubt, this is critical to great pictures – watch for shadows and don’t hesitate to move or have your subject move and on vacation, when you are attempting to take those great landscape shots, try to take pictures early or late in the day when the light had different tints and can greatly enhance your scenery shots.

SHOOTING IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT: Consider using your flash to help lighten your subjects faces. Some cameras have 2 choices fill-flash mode or full-flash mode. We use fill-flash mode when the person is within five feet and we use full-power mode for beyond five feet… On overcast days – try your pictures both ways with & without the flash – often times without gives your photos a soft glow..

Digital Camera Terms & Tips

Some common digital camera terms we hear and what they mean:

ISO: Traditionally used as an indicator of sensitivity for film cameras, ISO on modern digital cameras represents the camera’s sensitivity to light. Generally, the darker the scene, the higher the ISO should be set.

APERTURE: The aperture, or “f-stop” to the film purists, is the amount of light the lens lets into the camera. This can be adjusted in single-lens reflex cameras. The aperture is fixed for most point-and-shoots.

IMAGE STABILIZATION: This refers to a part of the digital camera, built into the body or the lens, that prevents “camera shake” in pictures.

DIGITAL/OPTICAL ZOOM:

• OPTICAL ZOOM refers to the manual zoom on a camera, which is located on the lens. Twisting the lens moves it closer to the subject. This is important – they higher the optical zoom the more “zoom” ability you have – 3x optical zoom was common, but today many cameras have 10x & 12x zoom..
• DIGITAL ZOOM is not used by moving the lens, rather it is part of the software of the camera. Most digital cameras – even point-and-shoots – have a form of both. Many consider digital zoom – camera hype…

CONTINUOUS PHOTO SPEED/BUFFER: Every digital camera has continuous photo speed; the number you set it on is the number of photos you can take per second. The faster the camera’s continuous speed, the more photos you can get per second.

Two types of digital cameras

In general, there are two main types of cameras you can buy: the point-and-shoot and the SLR.

SLR MEANS SINGLE-LENS REFLEX, which means you are looking directly through the lens. SLR cameras often bring in a great deal more light and can be used as camcorders, Adams said. They are typically more expensive and are usually the top choice for pros and shutterbugs alike – one of the most popular is the Canon Rebel for about $750

POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA’S, this is by far the most popular type of digital camera sold today - point and shoot means that you are looking at the screen on the back which shows you what is coming through the megapixels on the lens. Some point-and-shoot cameras have their own technological advantages, however. The new Sony Cyber-shot camera, for example, can take panoramic images for you while you simply turn in a circle. It is a 10.2mp and cost about $250. So instead of having to work with, or manipulate the cameras “stitching feature” to accomplish the panoramic photos, the camera does it for you.

BUYING TIPS:
Consider the price - set your budget and stick with it - Camera technology is changing so rapidly that what is new today will be obsolete tomorrow
Consider asking to look at the discontinued models which are often much less expensive - remember yesterday they were "current" so consider buying something that has just been replaced with the newer model and save yourself some money - often as much as 50% or more

Digital Cameras-Panoramic Stitching

Many digital cameras offer a feature called PANORAMA STITCH MODE. It allows you to create panoramic shots by combining up to three shots together into one large picture. As always, go to your camera manufacturer’s website for your specific camera model to learn the ways in which your camera performs this function.
The following are some tips from Kodak to keep in mind while using this feature..

PLAN YOUR PICTURE
• Your camera is preset to stitch together a certain number of images. Most use three.
• Compose your vision within that number to get the desired effect

OVERLAP YOUR PICTURES
• To help you stitch together pictures, panoramic stitch mode gives you a slice of the previous image in your viewfinder.
• For a seamless stitch, line up your next shot over the slice from the previous picture

WATCH THE SEAMS
• Your camera automatically edits pictures while stitching them. This works best on static objects that don’t change position from picture to picture, like background scenery.
• Try not to place subjects that move, like people, at the edges of the photograph. If they get too close, they will enter the stitching area, which could result in undesired cut-offs

Digital Cameras - Zoom: Optical vs. Digital

If you want zoom power, Only Optical Zoom Matters

Optical zoom uses the optics (lens) of the camera to bring the subject closer – 3x optical zoon was quite common on Digital Camera’s but today we often see 10x or 12x zoom – The higher the Optical Zoom, the better.

Digital zoom is strictly an invention (and in my opinion hype) of digital video cameras. It is not uncommon to see digital videocams with 300x digital zoom – so when a digital camera is advertised with 3x digital zoom, no big deal. You can achieve the same 3x (and in fact as much as you want) digital zoom effect in an image editing software, such as Picasa or Photoshop. It is much more advantageous to do your “cropping/editing” later, so that you can then decide exactly which portion to crop and how much to enlarge (3x, 4x, …). If you do it in camera, image quality is irreversibly lost and you use valuable battery power.

More computer classes this month....

Spring is just around the corner-so spring into action and “master your computer” These are the classes being held the last few weeks in March (April classes will be posted on the blog Sunday, March 21st)… To reserve your seat, Call Registration 928-855-7812 or 453-1139.. Consider signing up with a friend – coming to class with someone else gives you the motivation to practice and the more people in each class the more is learned from questions....If you have any questions about a specific class or topic – email me: cherie_houston@hotmail.com

For those of you returning to “other locales” for the hot summer months. We hope you enjoyed your classes - have a safe trip and wonderful summer and check our class blog/newsletter often for interesting tips and ideas. We look forward to working with you again when classes begin again in the fall..

All Mohave College Campuses are Closed for Spring Break

Sunday-Sunday, March 14th-21st (re-open Monday March 22)

COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC 062-122 Mon & Wed, 8:30-12:20pm, Mar 22 & 24 - Two 4 Hour classes reviewing computer hardware, software, printing tips, keyboard shortcut tips, customizing desktop-changing backgrounds, create shortcuts, using quick launch bar, Start Menu, Task Bar, control panel & much more… Bring your questions..

FIND/ORGANIZE WHAT’S ON YOUR PC LSC 062-223 MONDAYS, 1-4:50pm Mar 22 & 29 - Two 4 hour classes to find what you’ve saved on your PC; organize your work, files & photo’s to find them quickly & easily. Learn to back up your pc, photo & documents with portable flash & hard drives, memory cards and memory card readers..

HOW TO BUY & SELL ONLINE LSC101-122 Tues & Thurs, 8:30-12:20pm, Mar 23 & 25 - Two 4 hour classes-Buy and Sell on Line, find what you want; searching, making travel arrangements, general shopping tips, intro to online sales with sites such as eBay; eBid; craigslist & others: shortcuts, security

MAIL MERGE USING WORD & EXCEL LSC068- SEC 223 Tues & Thurs, 1pm-4:50pm, Mar 23 & 25 - - Two 4 hr classes create a data list using both excel and word software learn to enter & sort data various ways; to merge data for multiple “personalized” documents such as mailing labels, other labels, envelopes or form letters..Bring an address book or contact list to class

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-123 Tues & Wed 8:30am-12:20pm, Mar 30 & 31 - Two 4 hour classes-intro to digital cameras; pixels, camera lingo, basic how to’s, move photo’s to your pc with memory card & memory card reader, organize photos on your pc using windows explorer; save photos to portable drives - Bring your digital camera to class

INTERNET AND IT’S MANY USES LSC071- SEC 222 Tues & Wed 1pm-4:50pm, Mar 30 & 31 - Two 4 Hour classes with lots of internet tips & lingo, such as ISP, browser, blogger and more; when & why to use F5 & F11; understanding websites & hyperlinks, basics of email, using “Google & Bing” to search web, images, news; translating to & from different languages; blogging

POWER POINT LSC069D-222 Thursdays, 8:30am-12:20pm, April 1 & 8 - Two 4 hour classes to show you how to create a basic Slide Show presentation and enhance your presentation with text, photos & clip art, animation, transition & timing features Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

CREATE/PUBLISH YOUR OWN BOOK LSC100A-225 Mon & Fri, 8:30am-12:20pm, Apr 5 & 9 - Two 4 hour classes learning to create & publish your own book, using free book publishing software from www.blurb.com known as personal book making & publishing-Use your WP skills & digital photos and learn in quantities as small as just one. You decide: soft or hard cover, various sizes, all text, all photos or a combination of photos & text, story book or recipe book Bring photos to class (on camera or flash drive)

CREATE GREAT LOOKING DOCUMENTS LSC068-Sec 123 Tues & Wed,8:30-12:20pm Apr 6 & 7 - Two 4 hour classes-reviewing the basics to open, create, save documents; highlight; cut-copy-paste, set & change margins; create letters, envelopes, labels & use clip art, word art to enhance documents, create flyers & invitations & lots of printing tips

March Computer Classes

MARCH… the month of “luck & leprechauns” – so change your luck with your computer; learn all you can and become more comfortable and more creative.. These are just some of our computer classes being held in the next few weeks - to reserve your seat, Call Registration 928-855-7812 or 453-1139.. Consider signing up with a friend – coming to class with someone else gives you the motivation to practice and the more people in each class the more is learned from questions....If you have any questions about a specific class or topic – email me: cherie_houston@hotmail.com

PICASA PHOTO EDITING LSC100A-SEC 124 Tues & Wed 8:30-12:20pm, Mar 2 & 3 - Two 4 hour classes-Learn to edit & print DIGITAL photo’s using Picasa (a free Google software); learn to upload photo’s from your camera and/or scanner to the PC & learn to order prints online - Bring your digital camera to class

BLOGGING BASICS LSC080-122 Tuesdays, 1-4:50pm, Mar 2 & 9 - Two 4 hour classes – Get a better understanding of “social networking” “Facebook” “Twittering” etc and learn to Create your Own Blog for your family, group or organization - Learn how, why & when to post, comment on posts, design features such as Templates; Gadgets, Add Ons: Links, Photos, Slide Shows, Blog Tools & more

POWER POINT LSC069D-222 Wednesday & Thursday, 1-4:50pm, Mar 3 & 4 - Two 4 hour classes to show you how to create a basic Slide Show presentation and enhance your presentation with text, photos & clip art, animation, transition & timing features Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

WORD IRON ON TRANSFER PROJECT LSC100-123 Thursday, 8:30am-12:20pm, Mar 4 - A 4 hour workshop using Microsoft Word to create “iron on transfer projects” using text, graphics, photos, word art and more for fun t-shirts, quilts, canvas tote bags & other fabric projects … Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

CREATE/PUBLISH YOUR OWN BOOK LSC100-126 Mon & Fri, 8:30am-12:20pm, Mar 8 & 11 - Two 4 hour classes learning to create & publish your own book, using free book publishing software from www.blurb.com known as personal book making & publishing-Use your WP skills & digital photos and learn in quantities as small as just one. You decide: soft or hard cover, various sizes, all text, all photos or a combination of photos & text, story book or recipe book Bring photos to class (on camera or flash drive)

EMAIL HOW TO’S LSC071-122 Tuesday & Thursday, 8:30am-12:20pm, Mar 9 & 11 - Two 4 hour classes to enhance your basic email skills – work extensively with attachments of all types – documents, photos, videos, power point – learn to open & save, find & attach. Also learn to work with hyperlinks; learn to copy & paste to & from emails, internet and word

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-122 Wed & Thurs 1pm-4:50pm Mar 10 & 11 - Two 4 hour classes-intro to digital cameras; pixels, camera lingo, basic how to’s, move photo’s to your pc with memory card & memory card reader, organize photos on your pc using windows explorer; save photos to portable drives - bring your digital camera to class

Mohave College Campus will Close for Spring Break Sunday-Sunday, March 14th-21st

COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC 062-122 Mon & Wed, 8:30-12:20pm, Mar 22 & 24 - Two 4 Hour classes reviewing computer hardware, software, printing tips, keyboard shortcut tips, customizing desktop-changing backgrounds, create shortcuts, using quick launch bar, Start Menu, Task Bar, control panel & much more… Bring your questions..

February Computer Classes

February – they say it’s the month of love, so learn to love your computer and all that you can do with it… These are some of the computer classes being held in the next few weeks - to reserve your seat, Stop by or Call Registration 928-855-7812 or 453-1139.. Consider signing up with a friend – coming to class with someone else gives you the motivation to practice and the more people in each class the more is learned from questions....If you have any questions about a specific class or topic – email me: cherie_houston@hotmail.com

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-122 Monday & Friday 8:30am-12:20pm Feb 8 & 12 - Two 4 hour classes-intro to digital cameras; pixels, camera lingo, basic how to’s, move photo’s to your pc with memory card & memory card reader, organize photos on your pc using windows explorer; save photos to portable drives - bring your digital camera to class

EMAIL HOW TO’S LSC071-223: Monday & Tuesday, 1-4:50pm, Feb 8 & 9
Two 4 hour classes to enhance your basic email skills – work extensively with attachments of all types – documents, photos, videos, power point – learn to open & save, find & attach. Also learn to work with hyperlinks; learn to copy & paste to & from emails, internet and word

COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC 062-122 Tuesday & Thursday, 8:30-12:20pm, Feb 9 & 11 - Two 4 Hour classes reviewing computer hardware, software, printing tips, keyboard shortcut tips, customizing desktop-changing backgrounds, create shortcuts, using quick launch bar, Start Menu, Task Bar, control panel & much more… Bring your questions..

LAPTOP BASICS LSC100-121: Wednesday, 8:30am-12:20pm, Feb 10
A 4 hour workshop to help you become more comfortable with the differences between desktop & laptops; helpful hints on using a laptop, accessories needed, maneuvering around, internet & WiFi Basics, shortcuts, security & more

MOVIE MAKER LSC100A-223 Mondays, 8:30-12:20pm Feb 22 & Mar 1
Two 4 hour classes during which you will create movies with your photos, including music and other special effects: transitions, titles/credits, audio tracks with your favorite music, timeline narration, and much more. This software is free with Windows XP, Media, Vista and/or the new Windows 7 operating systems… Great fun & easy to learn - Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

INTERNET AND IT’S MANY USES LSC071-121 Mondays, 1-4:50pm, Feb 22 & Mar 1
Two 4 Hour classes with lots of internet tips & lingo, such as ISP, browser, blogger and more; when & why to use F5 & F11; understanding websites & hyperlinks, basics of email, using “Google & Bing” to search web, images, news; translating to & from different languages; blogging

HOW TO BUY & SELL ONLINE LSC101-121 Tues & Wed, 8:30-12:20pm, Feb 23& 24
Two 4 hour classes-Buy and Sell on Line, find what you want; searching, making travel arrangements, general shopping tips, intro to online sales with sites such as eBay; eBid; craigslist & others: shortcuts, security

WINDOWS EXPLORER-FIND/ORGANIZE WHAT’S ON YOUR PC LSC 062-222 Tues & Thurs, 1-4:50pm Feb 23 & 25 - Two 4 hour classes to find what you’ve saved on your PC; organize your work, files & photo’s to find them quickly & easily. Learn to back up your pc, photo & documents with portable flash & hard drives, memory cards and memory card readers..

WORD-CREATE GREAT LOOKING DOCUMENTS LSC068-SEC 121 Thurs & Fri 8:30-12:20pm Feb 25 & 26 - Two 4 hour classes-reviewing the basics to open, create, save documents; highlight; cut-copy-paste, set & change margins; create letters, envelopes, labels & use clip art, word art to enhance documents, create flyers & invitations & lots of printing tips

SPECIAL NOTE-We are excited to announce our newest class: CREATE & PUBLISH YOUR OWN BOOK LSC100A-Sec 126, Monday & Friday, 8:30am-12:20pm, March 8 & 12 - Two 4 hour classes to teach how you can create and publish your own book, using free book publishing software known as personal book making & publishing. Use your WP skills & digital photos, you can order in quantities as small as "1"-You decide soft cover, hard cover - various sizes-al text, all photos or combine both... Great fun... remember to bring your memory sticks or camera photos to work with..

What to do with the digital photos you are taking?

Here we go again – taking lots of photos and then stashing them in our computers – like we’ve done over the years with photos that weren’t properly identified with whose in the photo, when it was taken or where – we meant to do that, but life got in the way.. Now it's the digital age and we're doing the same thing when we put them in our computer instead of in a box, bureau drawer or closet… We hope these ideas will help you as you build your photo library on your computer…

When you copy photo's from your camera's memory card to your computer to the "My Picture or Picture" folder it is beneficial to immediately create a folder indicating what the event is - better yet, consider having master folders for each year, and then sub-folders for the 12 months during the year and within the months, sub-folders for specific events... When you want a particular photo (s) in one of these sub-folders, simply create a new folder with the project name on it, or to email, or to print, and copy the photos you want from the various folders, to the project folder; done with your project-empty/delete the folder - and you will know that the original photo is safe in the correct folder...

Editing photos using Google's "Picasa" a "free photo editing software program" that allows you to easily and quickly edit your photos, crop them - improve color, change to sepia or black & white, add soft focus lighting or enhance them in a variety of other ways; upload them to web albums to share with friends & families or to add to your blog, create collages, movies, print them and many other wonderful features... and it's all free...
to download this free software, go to http://www.picasa.com/ and follow the download wizard

Windows Movie Maker: another free software, that will allow you to create movies with your photos and enhance those movies with with animation and music that you've downloaded from your favorite CD's. Again, this software is free and easy to work with - finished movies can be saved to CD's or DVD's for gifts or personal use..
This free software is included on all computers with Windows XP & Vista and can be downloaded to those pc's with Windows 7 - for more info on this go to the following hyperlink:
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/02/11/windows-movie-maker-2-6-available-for-vista-windows-7/

Create and Publish your own book: another free software from either http://www.blurb.com/ or http://www.lulu.com/ that allows you to create and publish your own book - either all photo's, all text, or a combination of both... Sizes, styles, paper choices all vary depending on what you want and your budget... when you go to these websites - you can download their free book creation software - blub.com uses "booksmart" and you can then create your book in your own time; personally I know of people who've taken over a year - so no rush.. once the software is on your computer you can work at your own pace...

Hopefully we've given you some food for thought - we will share more ideas with you in the weeks ahead, including digital scrapbooking and more. If you have a suggestion, send it to us so that we can share it with your fellow students... In the meantime - enjoy...

Classes Cancelled This Week

Quick Note - All of my classes for this week are cancelled due to a minor glitch!!
I've been in the hospital since the weekend for a minor cardiac problem, but I am now home and after a few days rest will be just fine..

All classes scheduled next week will be held... We will notify everyone via email and/or phone of the following make-up dates for classes that we had to cancel this week..

• Digital Camera Part 2 on Friday, Jan 29th 8:30am-12:20pm
• Internet and It's Many Uses on Monday & Friday Feb 1st & 5th 8:30am-12:20pm
• Excel List Management on Fridays, Feb. 5th & 12th, 1pm-4:50pm

Thanks for understanding. Cherie Houston