Easy Digital Cameras is a 4-color practical guide guide that explains how to use a digital camera, how to take and edit pictures, and how to share online with friends and family. The author breaks down each process in a simple, step-by-step format that provides visual learning and an easy reference. A true novice to computers and cameras can use this book with ease. Some of the most popular and inexpensive hardware and software are used to demonstrate the processes.

Table of Contents

Introduction. 1. Getting Comfortable with Your Digital Camera. Anatomy of a Digital Camera. Types of Digital Cameras. Key Camera Features. Recognizing Camera Features-Kodak EasyShare DX6340. Recognizing Camera Features-Nikon Coolpix 995. Recognizing Camera Features-Olympus Camedia C-4000. How Digital Cameras Record and Store Images. Inserting Flash Memory. Media Size, Picture Capacity, and Camera Resolution. 2. Preparing Your Camera. Common Digital Camera Components. Charging Your Battery Pack. Inserting the Battery Pack into the Camera. Turning On the Camera to Take Typical Photos. Activating the Camera Menu. Navigating the Camera Menu. Setting the Date and Time. Selecting Image Size and Picture Quality. Viewing Other Setup Menu Options. Formatting the Media. Using the LCD Monitor. 3. Digital Photography Basics. Common Camera Controls. Using the Zoom Lens. Using Exposure Compensation (EV Adjustment). Using Exposure and Focus Lock. Viewing Metering Modes. Using Spot-Metering Mode. Reviewing and Deleting Pictures with the LCD Display. Using Your Flash. 4. Taking Digital Photos-Outdoors. Outdoor Shooting Situations. Shooting in the Early Morning. Shooting in the Late Afternoon. Adjusting White Balance Settings. Shooting in Bright Sunlight. Shooting in Fog. Shooting in the Snow. Shooting a Close-up. Shooting Scenery. Shooting on Cloudy Days. Shooting in Dim Light. Shooting a Backlit Subject with Fill Flash. Shooting at Night. Photographing Wild Animals. Protecting Your Equipment. 5. Taking Digital Photos-Indoors. Indoor Light Sources and Techniques. Using Electronic Flash. Adjusting White Balance for Indoor Shooting. Available Light Versus Flash Photography. Using the Wrong White Balance Setting. Shooting a Close-up with Additional Lighting. Avoiding Glare and Unwanted Reflection. Reducing Red-Eye. Using Window Light. Shooting an Activity with Flash. Better Photos with the Rule of Thirds. Shooting a Group with Available Light. Photographing Jewelry and Reflective Objects. 6. Using Advanced Camera Features. Advanced Camera Features. Shooting Panoramic Photos. Creating a Panorama from Your Photographs. Capturing Short Movies. Using Shutter Priority to Capture Action. Capturing a Photo Sequence. Using Aperture Priority to Adjust the Area of Sharp Focus. Attaching Your Camera to a Tripod. Put Yourself in the Picture with the Self-Timer. 7. Transferring Digital Photos to Your Computer. Data Transfer Hardware and Software. Connecting the Camera to a USB Port. Using the Scanner and Camera Wizard in Windows XP/Me to Transfer Photos. Using Vendor-provided Software to Transfer Photos. Using a Camera Dock to Transfer Photos. Using a Flash Card Reader to Transfer Photos. 8. Scanning Old Photos. Using a Scanner. Using the Scanner and Camera Wizard to Scan Photos. Using Vendor-Supplied Software to Scan a Photo to Disk. Scanning Slides or Negatives. Color-Correcting Your Scans. Saving the Scan in Adobe Photoshop Elements. 9. Viewing and Managing Your Digital Photos. The My Pictures Folder. Using the My Pictures Folder in Windows Me. Using the My Pictures Folder in Windows XP. Previewing Photos with Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Running a Slideshow in Windows. Renaming Your Images in Windows XP. Deleting Your Images in Windows XP. 10. Enhancing Your Digital Photos. The Adobe Photoshop Elements Interface. Opening a Photo. Rotating a Photo. Cropping a Photo. Adjusting Photos That Are Too Dark or Too Light. Fixing Photos That Look "Flat". Removing Color Casts. Fixing Red-Eye. Removing Dust and Surface Damage. Sharpening Your Photos. Using Special Effects. Removing Speckles with the Despeckle Feature. Saving Your Changes While Keeping Your Originals. Resizing the Photo for Email or Web Use. 11. Printing Your Digital Photos. Photo Printing Options. Configuring the Printer for Glossy Photo Paper. Printing with Windows XPs Photo Printing Wizard. Printing Contact Sheets with Adobe Photoshop Elements. Creating Picture Packages with Adobe Photoshop Elements. Printing Photos on Roll Paper. Printing Direct from a Flash Memory Card. Printing Photos with a Printer Dock. 12. Presenting and Sharing Your Photos. Ways to Share Photos. Reducing Your Photo File Size. Emailing Photos. Signing Up for an Online Photo Album Service. Uploading Photos for an Online Photo Album. Creating a Slideshow with Adobe Photoshop Elements. Embedding Your Images in a Microsoft Word File. Embedding Your Images in a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation. 13. Storing Your Digital Photos. The My Pictures Folder. Using Windows XPs CD Burning Feature. Using Windows Explorer to Copy Pictures to Another Drive. Using Roxio Easy CD and DVD Creator to Backup Photos. Repairing Damaged Photo CDs. Renaming Photos with Windows Explorer. Renaming Photos with A.F.5 Rename Your Files. Creating Folders for Your Photos.

Author Biography

Mark Edward Soper is President of Select Systems and Associates, Inc., a technical writing and training organization located in Evansville, Indiana. Mark has been a serious amateur photographer since 1971, so he brings more than 30 years' experience to this book. In addition to working as a high school and college newspaper and yearbook photographer, he has also worked as a church directory photographer. His work has been published in the Durand (Michigan) Express newspaper and Passenger Train Journal magazine. In recent years he has used his photographic and computer skills to create image archives for several libraries in southwestern Indiana.