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Microsoft Photo Scanner 702 User's Manual

1. Leave it in the original project Choose this option when you want the cutout to remain in the original photo as a separate layer so you can edit it separately from the rest of the photo If you leave the cutout in the original project you can select either the cutout or the background in the Stack and then edit the single layer Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 6 Filters The term filter originates from the colored glass covers placed over a camera lens The first filters in digital imaging sought to mimic the results of these physical camera filters providing a slight shift in color or increasing the intensity of colors But the filters in Picture It can create many other effects from sharpening an image to making the photo look like a painting or a mosaic Three different filters were used on the original photo upper left the colored pencil filter upper right the emboss filter lower left and the stained glass filter lower right Using Special Effects 77 Waiting for filters to be applied Some filters require your computer to make many calculations so on a slower computer they may take a couple of minutes to be applied To apply a filter m On the Effects menu point to Filters and then click a filter Filters create a whole new look for your photos Many filters make the image look less like a photograph and more like a drawing painting mosaic or other hand created art
2. To open individual photos drag photos from the workspace into the Tray Click Done Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 3 Opening Photos in Picture It 47 Scanning a Photo Picture It works with your scanner s software so that you can scan directly by using the Picture It scanner task To scan a photo with a flatbed scanner 1 Make sure the scanner drivers are installed and the scanner is connected and turned on 2 Lift the scanner lid place the photo face down on the scanner surface and then close the scanner lid 3 On the Picture It File menu point to Get Picture From and then click Scanner 4 Select the options you want If you are scanning on a flatbed scanner and your version of TWAIN or WIA supports Automatic Scan click Auto matic Scan Otherwise click My scanner software Opening a Photo From Your Computer Picture It is compatible with many different image file formats The sidebar on this page lists the different types of files that Picture It can open Some imaging programs automatically will by default save photos to the My Pictures folder inside the My Documents folder Other programs and cameras might save your photos within a folder named for the program or camera File formats compatible with Picture It Picture It can open photo files in any of the following formats Adobe Photoshop psd AutoCAD dxf CorelDraw cdr Enhanced Metafile emf EPS eps
3. 1 Make sure your computer is connected to the Internet 2 Open all of the photos that you want to save so that they appear in the Tray 3 On the File menu point to Save to the Web and then click Save to MSN Photos 4 Click The current picture or All open pictures in the Tray 5 Click Next The MSN Photos Web site appears in the workspace 6 Follow the instructions on the MSN Photos Web site Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 12 Printing Photos Picture It offers several options for printing photos on your desktop printer You can optimize settings for the print size print quality orientation and photos per page This chapter describes the procedures for printing a single print or multiple prints You ll also learn how to get great prints by selecting the right print size settings ink and paper Printing a Photo To print a single photo 1 Make sure your printer is turned on and connected to your computer 2 On the File menu click Print 3 Under Select a printer click a printer 4 To specify printer settings click Change printer settings 5 Select the number of copies and then select a print size 6 Click Print Printing multiple photos When you have finished editing a series of photos you can print two four or more photos on a single page o gt Jo o Po Printing on a multi photo sheet saves paper and is a convenient way to create prints to give to family and friends 101 Ins
4. FlashPix fpx GIF gif Home Publishing php JPEG jpg Kodak Photo CD pcd Macintosh PICT pct Micrografx Designer drw PC Paintbrush pcx Picture It php mix fpx PNG png TIFF tif Targa tga Windows Bitmap bmp Windows Metafile wmf Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 48 Chapter 3 Opening Photos in Picture It Finding the correct To open a photo stored on your computer s hard disk drive letter A CD ROM or DVD drive is usually drive D under My Computer A floppy disk drive is usually drive A 1 On the File menu click Open The File Browser dialog box opens Click the Folders tab Browse through the folders to locate the photos you want When you click a folder you can see thumbnails of the photos in that folder Select a photo To select more than one photo press CTRL while you click the photos Click Open Opening a Photo From a Photo CD or Other Disk You can use the file browser to open photos from a photo CD or other disk To open a photo from a photo CD or other disk 1 2 A Insert the CD or disk into the appropriate drive in your computer On the File menu click Open The File Browser dialog box opens Click the Folders tab Click the name of the disk drive you want Select a photo To select more than one photo press CTRL while you click the photos Click Open Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 3 O
5. If you re using fade resistant or archival inks look for coated acid free papers that are also advertised as fade resistant or archival Creating Long lasting Prints How long can you expect a print to last With some inkjet prints you can only expect a fade free lifespan of two months to two years All of the major printer manufacturers are beginning to advertise greater image stability for the output of certain printer ink combinations but few of these manufacturers claim that prints will last more than about four years When buying supplies for your printer check which types of ink and paper are recommended by the manufacturer of your printer and find out about the ink s lifespan rating Some six color printers use inks specially formulated for long life When printed on high quality heavyweight matte paper photos from these printers can last approximately 40 years before perceptible fading occurs Fade ratings are given as the amount of time before any color shift in the print can be seen by the naked eye The actual time it would take for the print to become unacceptably discolored would be several times that These ratings are based on indoor exhibition under glass in an atmosphere that is not chemically polluted Ozone is especially harmful to dye based printing inks Do not display these prints in rooms where oxygen tanks or electric air fresheners are used both produce high amounts of ozone Microsoft Picture It
6. Order prints and create photo gifts When your computer is connected to the Internet you can save photos directly from Picture It to MSN Photos 1 m Printing Photos 2 m Sharing Photos To save a photo to MSN Photos Make sure your computer is connected to the Internet Open all of the photos that you want to save so that they appear in the Tray On the File menu point to Save to the Web and then click Save to MSN Photos Click The current picture or All open pictures in the Tray Click Next The MSN Photos Web site appears in the workspace Follow the instructions on the MSN Photos Web site Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 9 Saving Photos 93 Archiving Photos in the Gallery Picture It enables you to archive your pictures in the Gallery using custom categories which you can name and organize in whatever way makes sense to you The Gallery is not a storage location for your pictures It simply stores informa tion about your pictures including the file name storage location categoriza tion keywords and a date Later when you want to find a picture in the Gallery you can search for it using any or all of these variables To add photos to the Gallery 1 On the Tools menu click Edit Items in the Gallery 2 Click Add Items to the Gallery The file browser opens 3 On the Folders tab click the folder containing the photos you want to add to the Gallery 4 Press CTRL and the
7. After the text has been added you select the text to edit it You can also select the text and use the toolbar buttons to change formatting If text is selected the following tools are available on the toolbar for formatting The font menu provides access to 126 different fonts The font size menu provides access to sizes from 8 to 620 points The font color button offers a standard palette of colors and custom colors The Bold button adds bold formatting to the text The Italic button adds italic formatting to the text The Underline button underlines the text The Alignment button has menu choices for Left Right Center and Justify The Bullets and Numbers button enables you to apply or cancel formatting for bulleted or numbered lists Help Resources You can learn more about using Picture It through a variety of resources In addition to this Companion Guide there is the online Help system the product Tour and Instructional Videos The following sections describe the types of information available Online Help Picture It online Help is the most comprehensive of the Help resources It provides step by step instructions overviews troubleshooting topics access to technical support and the What s wrong with this picture diagnostic tool Help includes several ways to find information including a table of contents a keyword index and a full text search Getting Help from the keyboard Y
8. Companion Guide 54 Chapter 4 Picture It Basics 4 Getting Help See the Help Resources section 5 later in this chapter for more information on the Picture It Tour Instructional Videos 6 and online Help 10 Exa Most work Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Edit Multiple Pictures Click this button to open Mini Lab where you can perform routine editing tasks such as rotating levels auto fix cropping and saving on multiple photos at the same time Create a Project Click this button to pick a project design You ll find a variety of projects such as calendars greeting cards and album pages designed to work with your photos Projects are organized by type and by theme Show on startup check box Select this box to have the Startup Window open every time you start Picture It The Help Center The Help center links you directly to resources to help you with Picture It and digital imaging Picture It Tour launches the product Tour Instructional Videos displays links to the different videos available Help opens the online Help window Online Photo Tips links you directly to the Tips amp Tricks section of the MSN Photos Web site Register Online links you to the registration page of the Microsoft Web site Recent Files Displays thumbnails of the last four photos that you have opened Click a thumbnail to open that photo More Files Click More Files to open the file browser where
9. Creating Long lasting Prints ii A ee Se a ees 106 Printing from MSN Photos s 4 2 casera a Se hi Aik ek aed 107 DIN ON NA 109 Welcome to Microsoft Picture It z Congratulations on your purchase of Microsoft Picture It Photo a unique combination of robust photo editing tools and high quality photo projects Although easy to use Picture It also offers powerful imaging technology that helps you improve your photos What s New Since the release of Picture It 1 0 in 1996 Microsoft has repeatedly updated Picture It with new features improved design and innovative projects Now in its seventh version Picture It has been updated and improved once again built on a strong imaging foundation from years of research and feedback from users Improvements for Picture It version 7 0 include Anew file browser makes it even easier to obtain images from your digital camera scanner hard drive or the Web Animproved Mini Lab where you can perform common editing tasks on several photos at the same time Anew menu format that makes it easier to find the right tasks for editing your photos New Instructional Videos that provide step by step guidance on how to get started with Picture It Other Helpful Resources This Companion Guide is not an exhaustive resource for everything you can do with Picture It For step by step instructions about using all the program s features check out the online Help system available f
10. widening 26 digital cameras action photography 27 battery usage 14 exposure compensation feature 39 Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide megapixel rating 10 opening photos 43 46 time lag 27 digital imaging filters 77 digital zoom 8 13 See also zoom lens dimensions pixels 9 105 disposable alkaline batteries 15 downloading pictures 50 83 dpi dots perinch 105 duplicate feature 84 DVD 43 DVD burners 89 e mail opening photos 49 receiving photos 49 sending photos 9 88 99 edge effects 85 editing images 69 75 81 enhanced resolution 10 enlarging photos 9 estimating file sizes 9 EV setting 39 exposure assessing 40 bracketing 39 compensation 34 39 correcting light levels 20 69 definition 18 determining correct setting 22 helpful tips 34 39 ISO rating 18 long 32 overexposure 18 34 69 underexposure 18 34 69 F f stop 20 file browser 43 84 file formats 12 48 88 file size estimating 9 higher resolution 9 JPEGs 12 88 limiting 9 88 lossless compression 12 88 lower resolution 10 photo quality 10 reducing 11 88 99 TIFFs 12 88 fill flash 17 See also flash film grain filter 75 films daylight 24 speed 17 18 23 24 filters digital imaging 77 flash automatic setting 17 battery usage 14 causing red eye 16 70 filling in shadows 17 learning to use 15 night photography 16 23 settings 15 16 turning off 15 27 floppy disks 13 14 focal length adjusting 13 macro mode 26 focus 21 fram
11. Companion Guide Chapter 12 Printing Photos 107 Printing from MSN Photos Order prints of your photos online at MSN Photos and have the prints sent to you or your family and friends On MSN Photos you can also use your photos to create a variety of photo gifts To order prints and enlargements 1 n hy On the File menu in Picture It point to Print Professionally Online and then click Prints and Enlargements To open additional photos that you want to use for ordering prints and enlargements click Add or remove pictures and then follow the instructions on the screen Click The current picture or All open pictures in the Tray Click Next Order the prints and enlargements you want Click Done To order photo gifts 1 A On the File menu in Picture It point to Print Professionally Online and then click Photo Gifts To open additional photos to use for ordering photo gifts click Add or remove pictures and then follow the instructions on the screen Click Next Order the photo gifts you want Click Done Signing up with Microsoft NET Passport To use MSN Photos you must have a Microsoft NET Passport All hotmail com and msn com e mail addresses are NET Passports If you don t yet have a NET Passport it s free to sign up and you can get to the sign up page by following the instructions for saving to MSN Photos Using MSN Photos For more information on MSN Photos see t
12. On the Effects menu point to Paint Brush and then click Freehand Under Pick a paint tool click the airbrush tool Click the color palette next to More color choices The pointer becomes an eyedropper With the eyedropper click the color you want to paint with and then click Done Click a brush size Paint by dragging the brush on the photo If you are not satisfied with the airbrush color click Reset and then repeat steps 2 through 5 To make the airbrush effect more subtle click Customize paint settings drag the transparency slider and then click Done Click Done Cropping Cropping is an easy way to improve the composition of a photograph For example if your photo has distracting background elements you can crop some of them to focus attention on the subject You can also remove unnecessary regions from the top bottom or sides of the photo When you crop a photo you are removing pixels and therefore lowering the resolution If you crop a significant portion of your original you re limiting the extent to which you will be able to enlarge the photo for printing This is why it s better to compose the photo as best you can when you take it rather than relying on heavy cropping later Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 5 Basic Touchup 73 Cropping a photo allows you to eliminate distractions and improve the composition Cropping your photo to a specific proportion lets you control exactly wh
13. SLR single lens reflex cameras this chapter cannot cover specifics for all features available on all cameras But this chapter does provide a foundation of photography concepts that are vital to taking consistently good photographs Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 8 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera The first section of this chapter contains information specific to digital cam eras concepts such as resolution and compression that don t have direct counterparts in film photography Later sections cover universal photography concepts that apply to both film and digital cameras About Digital Cameras If you re new to using digital cameras several camera features may seem foreign to you Some of these features such as digital zoom and compression did not exist with film cameras because the technology did not exist But it s important to understand what these features do and when it s appropriate to use them or in some cases not use them Photo Quality A digital photograph is composed of tiny colored squares called pixels short for picture elements Like a mosaic the pixels blend together to form a picture Each digital photo consists of a set number of pixels ranging from a few thousand to millions When a digital camera takes a photo it creates a digital file that specifies the number of pixels and the precise color of each pixel Pixels are not a set size so they can shrink or enlarge if photo size c
14. a rough way to judge photo quality Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 12 File formats compatible with Picture It Picture It can open photo files in any of the following formats Adobe Photoshop psd AutoCAD dxf CorelDraw cdr Enhanced Metafile emf EPS eps FlashPix fpx GIF gif Home Publishing php JPEG jpg Kodak Photo CD pcd Macintosh PICT pct Micrografx Designer drw PC Paintbrush pcx Picture It php mix fpx PNG png TIFF tif Targa tga Windows Bitmap bmp Windows Metafile wmf Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera For important photos that you want to make into prints it s good practice to use little or no compression Or if your camera offers it you can take your photos in a format such as TIFF that offers lossless compression Lossless compression reduces file size but retains all of the photo quality File Formats There are many file formats designed for photos or other digital images Picture It can work with JPEG TIFF and many other file formats If your camera allows you to choose file formats for your photos you can decide which format to use based on your particular criteria photo quality file size or compatibility with other programs The JPEG format is the most common format for photos JPEG files are versatile since they can accommodate over 16 million colors can be com pressed and can be viewed
15. after you ve added a mat or a frame to your photo you can edit the mat or frame as a separate layer Chapter 8 Adding Edges Mats and Frames Mats and Frames If you plan to put a photo in a traditional photo frame you can add a Picture It mat to your photo before you print it Mats create an elegant effect and can also help to fit an oddly proportioned print to a standard size frame If you don t plan to mount a photo in a traditional frame but would like to print and display it use a Picture It frame instead You can choose from a variety of frame themes to complement the subject of your photo You can even add both a mat and a frame to the same photo Picture It has a wide variety of mats and frames to finish your favorite photos To add a mat or a frame 1 Select the photo to which you want to add a mat or frame 2 On the Effects menu point to Edges and then click Frames and Mats 3 Click a theme click a design and then click Open 4 Drag your photo from the Tray into the frame or mat and then click Next 5 Move or resize the photo so that it fits within the frame and then click Next 6 Click Done Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 9 Saving Photos If you re like most people you can t stand to throw photos away even if they re imperfect You probably have a large box or two filled with envelopes of old negatives and photographic prints Keeping track of all your old prints and n
16. an unnatural wooden look Don t use the sharpen tool on a photo taken in low light that shows noise from a digital camera or graininess from a film camera The sharpen tool will accentuate the noise or grain in the photo Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 6 Using Special Effects After you have touched up your photos you can transform these images using the many tools that Picture It provides Some special effects such as the film grain filter mimic effects from traditional film photography Other special effects like the chrome and glowing edges filters give you access to the creative possibilities unique to digital imaging Creating Cutouts Compared to working with just one layer creating cutouts gives you more control and more options for editing images You can use cutouts to edit with more precision fixing problems that only exist in part of the photo Or use your imagination to make cutouts into funny or fantastic scenes You can create cutouts from any part of a larger picture which enables you to Apply filters or other effects to a limited area of a photo Duplicate part of an image within a photo Combine parts from two or more photos From the original image upper left a cutout was made of the front most bottle In the upper right image a filter was applied to the background In the lower left photo the bottle cutout was copied to make more bottles In the final photo the backgroun
17. camera 18 25 motion photography See action photography MSN Photos 42 opening photos from 50 ordering prints and gifts 107 saving photos 92 sharing photos 100 multipattern light metering 27 multiple photos editing 81 multiple selection 62 naming files 83 narrow aperture 21 nickel metal hydride 14 noise 24 74 O object handles 59 online Help 65 opening Mini Lab 82 photo card designs 95 photos 43 49 optical zoom 13 ordering enlargements 107 ordering prints and gifts 107 organizing photos 81 overcast conditions See also cloudy days overexposure definition 18 34 69 oversized prints 105 Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 112 Index P paint effects 78 pan control 57 panning 28 panoramic cameras 31 mode 25 31 perspectives 38 photo cards 95 Photo CD 48 photo gifts 107 photo paper 102 106 photo quality affected by camera quality 10 automatic cameras 18 correcting problems 69 deciding file formats 12 88 interpolation 13 JPEGs 88 manual cameras 18 pixel visibility 8 printing considerations 105 redeye 16 70 reduced by compressing 11 88 resolution 9 setting correct exposure 18 settings 10 shutter speed 18 TIFFs 12 88 underexposure 69 photo series 29 photos See images Picture It editing images 69 exploring work area 54 installing 3 instructional videos 68 Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide opening images 43 printing images 101 reinstalling 5 removing 5 saving images
18. great photos but you re much more likely to get at least one good shot than if you d just taken a single frame Another great use of the burst mode feature is to take a photo series of an action sequence Create a series of photos of a golf swing a child riding a bike or a pet moving across the yard Then you can assemble the whole series in a slide show or mount the photos together in a frame Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 30 Relaxing your subject An important aspect of portrait photography is to get your subject relaxed and comfort able for the pose Try using conversation or other pleasant distractions to get your subject s mind away from the camera Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Portrait Mode For portraits and candid shots using your camera s portrait mode is a conve nient way to get good results Portrait mode is set to use a relatively wide aperture creating a shallow depth of field With only your subject in focus objects in the background are less distracting and your subject dominates the frame With a shallow depth of field it s crucial that you get your subject in sharp focus If your depth of field is so short that you can t focus on every part of your subject at the same time focus on the subject s eyes and let hands and feet be in less focus For this portrait the diffuse glow filter was applied in Digital Image Pro to soften the focus For successful p
19. handles appear and a selection box appears around the set of selected objects The multiple selection icon appears at the bottom of the selection box Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 4 Picture It Basics 63 Grouping shortcut You can group and ungroup objects that have been multiple selected by clicking the Hl or icon atthe bottom of the selection These three objects are a multiple selection as indicated by the icon at the bottom of the selection box The objects can now be edited as a set and then separated later While the objects are a multiple selection you can use the objects object handles to edit them as a set You can edit the objects together by using touchup tools or applying effects Clicking outside any of the selected objects cancels the multiple selection leaving intact any changes you have made to the set Grouping objects To join objects more permanently you can group them Grouping works similarly to multiple selection although once the objects are grouped they appear as a single object on the Stack You can perform editing tasks simulta neously on grouped objects but if you later ungroup the objects some effects that you applied to the group will be undone To group objects 1 Press CTRL and then select each object in the Stack 2 On the Edit menu click Group Once objects are grouped the group icon appears at the bottom of the selection box Microsoft Pict
20. in the contents click the plus sign next to it 3 To display a topic in the contents list click the topic title Using the index You can use the index when you are looking for information about a specific term or keyword To use the index 1 In the left pane of the Help window click the Index tab 2 In the Type in the keyword to find box type the word you want to find 3 In the results list select the word you want to find and then click Display Using the search function You can use the search function to find all the topics in Help that contain a word or combination of words To use the search function 1 In the left pane of the Help window click the Search tab 2 In the Type in the keyword to find box type the word for which you want to search and then click List Topics 3 In the Select topic to display list select the topic you want to view and then click Display Picture It Tour The Picture It Tour uses pictures and text to demonstrate popular features and new features of the program Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 68 Chapter 4 Picture It Basics To take the product tour 1 On the Help menu click Picture It Tour The Tour opens displaying icons to represent different categories of features 2 Click an icon A feature list appears on the left side of the window 3 Click a feature Graphics and text appear that explain the feature 4 If more features appear to the right
21. might want to make the picture smaller so that it will be transmitted faster over the Internet In this situation as long as you won t need to print the image you can safely reduce the image size the number of pixels that make up the image and still have an image that looks good on the screen To resize a picture 1 On the Format menu click Resize Image 2 Click an orientation 3 Click an image size To see the size expressed in different units click a selection on the Units list If you click Custom you can enter custom dimensions in the Height and Width boxes 4 Click a resolution and then click Done Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 4 Picture It Basics 59 Manipulating Objects by Using Object Handles E DEPRE Centering an Each element you add to a picture on the canvas is considered an individual object on the object Photos text clip art and even some effects are all considered separate canvas objects and they can be edited individually When you re working with a composite which consists of multiple objects on the canvas you can manipu late each object without affecting the other objects To center the object on the canvas on the Format menu click Each object on the canvas is a separate layer and each layer is represented by a Center Object on thumbnail on the Stack You can change the order of layers by dragging them Canvas up and down the Stack Selecting objects When you
22. of adjustment A perfect exposure is not something that jumps out at you from a photo but a problem exposure definitely stands out In an overexposed photo caused by too much light the shadow areas are light and the highlight areas are almost entirely white In an underexposed photo too little light has been let into the camera creating a photo that lacks detail with filled in shadow areas and dull highlighted areas Special lighting situations can fool the built in light meter in your camera If you want to start with the camera s automatic exposure use exposure compen sation to fine tune the exposure The following list describes some common lighting problems and the recommended exposure compensation for each For a side lit subject Increase exposure by one half of a stop m For a backlit subject Increase the exposure by one stop Or step in close and meter directly on the subject step back and recompose and then shoot at the reading you took on the subject You can also switch to spot metering m For a small dark subject against a bright background or any subject in a very bright scene Use exposure compensation of 1 to 3 or increase exposure by one to two stops for example from f 8 to f 5 6 or f 4 5 m For a small light subject against a dark background Use exposure compensation of 1 or decrease exposure by one stop for example from f 8 to f 11 3 Capture a Moment in the Story Consider driver s license
23. of the feature you ve selected roll over the features to see the effect 5 Repeat steps 2 4 to learn about more features 6 To close the Tour click Close Instructional Videos Instructional Videos use animation and narration to show you how to use a variety of image editing features on your photos To watch an Instructional Video 1 On the Help menu click Instructional Videos The Help window opens to a topic about Instructional Videos 2 Click a video title link The Video player opens and the Video begins The Instructional Videos are accompanied by complete online tutorials that include sample photos on which you can practice To open the online tutorial click the Written Tutorial button on the Video player Technical Support Different Technical Support resources are available based on where you live and how you obtained your Picture It product To view Technical Support information 1 On the Help menu click About Microsoft Picture It 7 0 2 Click Tech Support Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 5 Basic Touchup Almost all photos can be improved with basic touchup Picture It touchup tools can be used to correct common photo problems such as red eye or lighting problems and similar distractions that can ruin a photo In many cases Picture It helps you eliminate basic problems with just a few clicks Touchup tools can in many cases help compensate for problems with expo sure lighti
24. on the left The center object was stretched taller with the top resize handle the right object was stretched wider with a side resize handle To stretch an object 1 Select the object you want to stretch 2 Hold the mouse pointer over one of the side resize handles until the resize cursor appears 3 To resize the object from the center point of the object press CTRL 4 Drag the resize cursor Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 62 Chapter 4 Picture It Basics Setting snap rotation Snap rotation helps you rotate your objects to exact 45 degree increments To turn snap rotation on or off on the Tools menu click Snap Rotation Rotating an object The rotate handle lets you rotate an object by dragging it around its center axis La D By dragging the rotate handle clockwise or counterclockwise you can rotate objects right on the canvas To rotate an object 1 Select the object you want to rotate 2 Pause the pointer over the rotate handle until the rotate cursor appears 3 Drag the rotate handle clockwise or counter clockwise Selecting multiple objects If you want to perform the same formatting or editing tasks on several objects you can select them and treat them as a unit Multiple selection is a temporary way of linking objects To select multiple objects m Press CTRL and then select each object on the Stack After you have selected multiple objects each object s object
25. or action shots read your camera s manual to find out the aperture settings used for those modes Shutterless cameras Many digital cameras do not have a true shutter Instead the image sensor is programmed to control the exposure time The effect of shutter speed control is the same as a physical shutter Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 22 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Of course adjusting the aperture also affects how much light is let into the camera But if a specific depth of field is important for your shot you can switch to manual mode set the aperture and then set the shutter speed to get the correct exposure level Some cameras also offer an aperture priority mode that automatically selects the correct shutter speed to produce the correct exposure for the aperture you select Shutter Speed In most cameras the shutter is the curtain in front of the film or image sensor that is retracted for a precise amount of time to let light into the camera Shutter speed can be adjusted to let light into the camera for a longer or shorter amount of time When determining the correct exposure for a photo both shutter speed and aperture must be considered in relation to each other An increase in shutter speed which lessens the time the film is exposed to light requires that you widen the aperture to let in more light Shutter speeds are measured in fractions of seconds In automatic mode many came
26. so that the text on the inside of the card is positioned on the correct side and at the correct orientation To print a half fold card 1 On the File menu click Print 2 Select a printer printer settings and the number of copies you want to print and then click Next 3 Select the pages to print A Select whether you want to print on one side of the paper or both sides 5 If appropriate select the This printer can automatically print on both sides of the paper check box 6 Click Print Before the card is actually printed Picture It may conduct a short print test This test will occur the first time you select the option to print on both sides of the paper if yov re using a printer that cannot do it automatically After the test is completed Picture It will help you correctly insert the card into the printer for printing on both sides Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 104 Turning on color management Check your printer s manual to see if it offers color manage ment Color manage ment can help your printer to produce colors that match the ones on your monitor If your printer offers color management click Change picture settings while perform ing the Print task Your printer s dialog box will open and you can adjust the settings for color management Chapter 12 Printing Photos Selecting Print Quality Most desktop printers are capable of printing in a range of qualities from a l
27. that you adjust your camera to different exposure settings For example shooting a photo on a beach on a sunny day calls for different exposure settings than shooting on the same beach on a cloudy day For many conditions the camera s automatic exposure setting gives you good or even excellent results But for some situations the automatic exposure does not perform as well Automatic exposure assumes that the scene you are photographing has a few bright spots many midtones and a few dark areas As the camera s meter reads the available light in your scene it averages the light in the bright middle and dark areas and then calculates the exposure necessary to bring the average level to a tone of medium brightness called middle gray Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 20 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Increasing your chances with bracketing If you re not sure what the best exposure setting is try bracket ing Bracketing involves taking multiple photos of the same scene Start by using the automatic exposure and then use exposure compen sation to take addi tional frames with increased and decreased exposure levels With a series of photos taken at different settings there is a good chance that one has the exposure just right Automatic exposure does not work well if your scene is dominated by large sections of very light or very dark colors A bright field of snow for example has so much br
28. the visual information when you take a photo The image sensor on a simple low resolution camera might capture just over 76 000 pixels The image sensor on a high quality digital camera might capture more than 6 megapixels As you can imagine the 6 megapixel camera can produce very large high quality photos with very large files The 76 000 pixel camera can capture a relatively small number of pixels so photo quality would be fair to poor even at small print sizes On many cameras you can set the resolution at which the image sensor captures the photo As a rule of thumb always shoot at the highest resolution possible you ll get higher resolution photos that you can print in larger sizes However in some cases you may want to lower the resolution so that the files will be smaller This allows you to store more photos on the camera s storage media but you must sacrifice some quality for quantity Make sure to check your camera s manual to find out what resolution you will get from the photo quality settings on your camera Beware of settings that offer enhanced or interpolated resolution These features add extra pixels not found in the original photo to produce a higher resolution photo but may reduce overall sharpness or quality Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 11 Compression You ve seen one way to reduce photo file size lower the resolution at which you shoo
29. times the lighting is most dramatic Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 36 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Many photographs are shot in bright or moderately bright sunlight This type of light produces photos that closely match the way we remember seeing the scene That is part of the reason we respond to them with a positive sense of familiarity However colors photographed in the cooler light at twilight or in overcast conditions or in the warmer light of sunrise and sunset offer a new perspective on familiar colors and subjects and provide a more creative backdrop for photographs Overcast and after the rain conditions in particular produce richer more saturated colors For example red leaves photographed against a twilight backdrop instead of in daylight create a moody interpretation that suggests a sense of mystery or drama In the dim light of a rainy fall day the red leaves in this photo look especially vivid For interior photographs look for strong sources of natural light as from a window or a skylight The glow of light coming from one direction can illuminate your subject dramatically Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 37 5 Follow the Rule of Thirds When composing a photograph many beginning photographers always center their subject directly in the middle of the frame While this technique may be the easiest way to get the subject in focus w
30. to copy 3 In the right pane select the photos or folders you want to copy To select multiple photos press CTRL while you click the photos Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 92 Chapter 9 Saving Photos 4 Signing up with Microsoft NET 5 Passport To use MSN Photos 6 you must have a 7 Microsoft NET Passport All 8 hotmail com and 9 msn com e mail addresses are NET 10 Passports If you don t i yet have a NET Passport it s free to sign up and you can get to the sign up page by following the Click the Tasks tab and then click Batch copy The Batch copy dialog box opens Click Browse The Browse for folder dialog box opens Click a location where you want to create the backup folder Click Make New Folder A new folder named New Folder is created Click OK In the Batch copy dialog box click OK The photos are copied to the new folder In the file browser click Cancel Follow the instructions for your CD burner to copy photos from the New Folder to the CD instructions for saving to MSN Photos Using MSN Photos Saving To MSN Photos MSN Photos is an online Web photo service that compliments Picture It features After you save photos on MSN Photos you can For more information on MSN Photos see the sections on MSN Photos in the following chapters m Opening Photos in View photos online from home work or anywhere Share photos with family and friends
31. use the automatic modes to help you take better photos Correcting tint in Picture It If your photo has a colored cast from a light source correct the problem with the Picture It tint tool Setting the white balance manually Some digital cameras offer manual white balance control This feature allows you to set the white balance by focusing on a pure white object such as a piece of paper and then locking down the white balance before you take the photo Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 26 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera If your camera does not allow you to adjust settings manually the automatic modes may be the most likely way for you to take successful photos in these situations The following sections describe the most common automatic modes available on many digital and film cameras Since the type and implementation of automatic modes vary for each camera read your camera s manual for avail ability and usage instructions Macro Mode Most cameras in automatic mode have trouble focusing on objects that are less than 12 inches 30 centimeters away So when you re shooting close up photography like capturing a special piece from your coin collection you need to set your camera to macro mode Macro mode adjusts the focal length to accommodate the unusually short distance to the subject Macro mode usually reduces aperture which widens the depth of field and increases the chances that
32. you determine the number pixels in a photo If you haven t cropped the photo since you ve taken it you may know the pixel dimensions that you had set on your camera for that photo But if you don t remember how you set the camera or if you have cropped the image you can check to see a photo s pixel dimensions before you print it Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 12 Printing Photos 105 To check a photo s pixel dimensions 1 On the Format menu click Resize Image 2 Under Select a page size set the Units box to pxl The Height and Width boxes fill with the pixel dimensions 3 Click Cancel How large a print can you get When you print a photo you can set the printer to print at a variety of sizes which is expressed as dots per inch dpi or sometimes called pixels per inch ppi Different desktop printers vary as to how much resolution they require for the same print sizes Some printers can produce crisp sharp prints at only about 150 dpi other printers require 300 dpi to produce quality prints Experi ment with your printer to see what kind of prints it can produce Use this table as a guide to see how large a print you can make from your photo Print size Pixels required Pixels required Pixels required for 150 dpi for 200 dpi for 300 dpi 3 57 KS 525 x 750 700 x 1000 1050 x 1500 4 x 6 600 x 900 800 x 1200 1200 x 1800 S XI 750 x 1050 1000 x 1400 1500 x 2100 8 x 10 1200 x
33. 1500 1600 x 2000 2400 x 3000 After you ve determined how large you want the print to be you can select a print size during the print task To select a print size and print 1 On the File menu click Print 2 Under Select a print size click a print size Or Under Select a print size click Custom and then enter specific dimen sions in the height and width boxes 3 Click Print Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 106 Chapter 12 Printing Photos Choosing Photo Paper If you want your images to look like traditional photographs choose paper that 1s clearly labeled as photo paper Photo paper comes in a range of thickness and texture Paper weight ranges from ordinary office document weight to a fairly heavy watercolor paper If you choose a heavyweight paper check your printer s manual to make sure that your printer can handle it The quality of the image will be affected by the kind of paper stock you choose As a rule you 11 see the widest range of colors and get the deepest blacks from paper that has been specially coated to accept inkjet inks The range of colors appears to be widest on the whitest papers Glossy surfaces also create the illusion of deeper blacks However if you re going to display your prints glossy surfaces can cheapen the look of the work and surface glare can make the images more difficult to view Paper formulations also contribute greatly to resisting fading and color shifting
34. 87 scanning images 47 technical support 68 tour 68 upgrading 5 picture series 25 pixels definition 8 determining number 104 interpolation 13 noise 24 74 panoramic mode 31 removing 72 99 using digital zoom 13 portrait mode 30 portraits 17 21 30 power adapter 14 power conserving 15 presenting photos 86 95 previewing photos 14 15 39 print size 10 105 printer drivers 101 inks 106 settings 104 printing from MSN Photos 107 labels 102 photo cards 95 photos 9 101 103 resolution 104 small print sizes 10 program modes 21 25 projects calendars 96 creating 95 photo cards 95 R rechargeable batteries 15 redeye 16 70 81 reinstalling Picture It 5 removable storage media 13 14 44 45 removing red eye 81 removing Picture It 5 renaming images 44 83 resize handles 59 resizing images 58 60 104 resolution 72 88 104 rotating images 44 62 rotate handle 59 rule of thirds 37 38 S saving images 49 87 92 saving images from Web pages 50 saving photos in different formats 12 88 scanners 47 self timer feature 32 39 sending images through e mail 9 88 99 sensitivity setting 24 setting correct exposure 18 resolution 10 setup See installing shadows 15 17 sharing photos 99 sharpen tool 73 sharpening images 73 showing photos 42 shutter See also shutter speeds activating with self timer 27 autofocusing 32 definition 22 lag 28 29 priority mode 23 shutter speed action mode 27 definition 18
35. Flash ii eens oie aa 16 A O O O O A 17 Using Your Camera s Manual Settings ccccccccsscssesseesseeseceseesecesecseeesecnsecseeesecnsecaeeeseceeecaeeeseceeesaeenseseeeeseeaaes 17 EXPOSULE to cueing a a a a a a a aa a vie deste ENO 18 Exposure Compensation sienn a dp 20 PAPCTUUEC EEE E A E NO E NEEESE 20 O a R 22 ISO Setting or Equivalent oneer r r a a a a a a iie EEN 23 Setting the White Balance miocene i a E E R EER 24 Using Automatic Modes on Your Camera ccccceccssscessesscesseeeeeseceneceenseceseceeecaeesseseneceeecaeenseceseeneeeseseeeneesees 25 Macro Modern A EA R asedon 26 Action Modest cinc baii A ali ii reasedt 27 Burst Mode iii AAA ee ae 29 A A AR ua EAAS 30 Pr Md A E 31 Using these Tit AA A A een 32 Getting Yourself into a Photo ccececccesccsseeseeeseeseeeseeeseceeeesecesecesesseesaesececseensecnsecseeeaeceseseeeseesesnseceeenseesaes 32 Taking Long Exposure Mts ai A a Gees es 32 Ten Tips for Gra o eto e datan 00D ad 33 1 KDOW Your Ge ici ia cabin sods ewiveasusti codes sneavacesdca sateeevcedtenstveabesets 33 2 Nail the Exposures lt 4 Asante thee nds Mccain welts Suse ee Bae hes es E E es 34 3 Capture aMomentid theta A Sean hanes teens 34 A Look tor the lt od do ee een a dae ccoo do o a e caco ll 35 9 Follow the Rule of Third dica A a 37 6 Find a Unique Perspectives iaa dond caida dla dada od ike ated ae 38 TBC ei 39 8 Analyze and Shoot Again c cccceccccseesccsseescceeeesecenees
36. Guide 90 Chapter 9 Saving Photos To copy photos to a Zip disk 1 Insert a blank Zip disk into your Zip drive 2 On the File menu click Open The file browser opens 3 On the Folders tab click the drive or folder containing the photos or folders you want to copy 4 In the right pane select the photos or folders you want to copy To select multiple photos press CTRL while you click the photos 5 Click the Tasks tab and then click Batch copy The Batch copy dialog box opens 6 Click Browse The Browse for folder dialog box opens 7 Click My Computer click the Zip drive and then click OK S In the Batch copy dialog box click OK The photos are copied to the Zip disk 9 In the file browser click Cancel Copying Photos to a CD For copying photos to a CD the procedure varies depending on your operating system and your particular model of CD burner Copying photos to a CD in Windows XP If your computer is running Windows XP you can use the CD Writing Wizard to copy photos to a CD Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 9 Saving Photos 91 To copy photos to a CD in Windows XP Insert a blank writable CD into the CD recorder Click Start and then click My Computer Click the Folders button and then in the left pane browse to the folder containing the pictures you want to copy Click the photos or folders you want to copy to the CD To select more than one photo hold down the CTRL key while you cli
37. If you find that people are not very excited by your photos ask them what they think is missing and what you could do to make them better You ll be surprised what some people like and do not like about your photos Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 42 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Find other photographers in your community You can look at each other s work and give feedback This kind of mutually beneficial arrangement also helps you to develop your critical eye A Web based photo site such as MSN Photos makes it convenient to share your photos with lots of other people both your local connections and distant family and friends While it s important to show your photos to others remember that you are the ultimate judge of your own work Photography is an art and as an artist you should establish your own voice and style You don t have to listen to every piece of advice and you may produce your best work by taking chances and following your own instincts That said photographs are made to be seen As you improve your photography skills showing off your photos can be the best part Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 3 Opening Photos in Picture It 2 Using the File Browser Opening photos In most cases you can use the file browser to locate your photos and open them from other in Picture It The file browser can be used to open photos from cameras A digital camera that is a USB Mass Storage Class
38. Picture It N E Companion Guide Microsoft Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Information in this document including URL and other Internet Web site references is subject to change without notice Unless otherwise noted the example companies organizations products domain names e mail addresses logos people places and events depicted herein are fictitious and no association with any real company organization product domain name e mail address logo person place or event is intended or should be inferred Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user Without limiting the rights under copyright no part of this document may be reproduced stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise or for any purpose without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation Microsoft may have patents patent applications trademarks copyrights or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents trademarks copyrights or other intellectual property O 2000 2002 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved Microsoft Picture It and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Micr
39. The mouse pointer becomes an eyedropper 2 With the eyedropper click an area in the photo that should be white Picture It automatically corrects the colors 3 If you are not satisfied with the results use the sliders for fine tuning Set the Color slider to the color of the cast in the photo and then use the Amount slider to lower the amount of that color in the photo 4 Click Done Fixing Red Eye Using your flash indoors in low light situations can give your subjects red unnatural looking eyes The Fix Red Eye tool eliminates the redness Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 5 Basic Touchup 71 To fix red eye 1 On the Touchup menu click Fix Red Eye 2 Use the pan and zoom controls to magnify your photo and focus on the red eyes 3 Click the red part of the eyes You can click up to two eyes at once 4 Click Red eye auto fix The redness in the eyes disappears 5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 as necessary 6 Click Done Using the Airbrush The airbrush tool can help to hide minor flaws such as facial blemishes or stains The airbrush tool works by sampling a color you select from the photo and then painting that color over the blemish or stain In the original photo on the left the dog has a spot of ice cream on his nose The airbrush tool is ideal for covering up spots like this with a solid color Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 72 Chapter 5 Basic Touchup To use the airbrush tool
40. ameras setting the digital equivalent of the ISO setting to a faster speed can introduce noise to the photo Similar to the graininess from high ISO film noise is random pixels in the photo that are slightly off color or too bright Cameras vary widely so it is worthwhile to experiment with your digital camera s ISO settings and examine the results In low light situations consider turning off the flash and setting the camera to a faster ISO setting This may produce some noise in the photo But that result might be preferable to what you d get by taking the photo at slower ISO setting with the harsh lighting of the on camera flash Setting the White Balance Most digital cameras are automatically programmed to calculate the proper white balance for each exposure To calculate the white balance the camera assumes the lightest spot in the picture is white and adjusts the other colors accordingly Under most circumstances this automatic function should prevent an off color cast in your photos Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 25 However in some lighting conditions the camera fails to correctly set the white balance If you re shooting indoors for example incandescent lights give off a yellowish or reddish glow This color is not really visible to the naked eye but often shows up in indoor photos To counteract this problem most digital cameras have preprogrammed color balance setting
41. and passport photos We think of these photos as uninteresting and unrepresentative of how people usually look Why are these photos dull Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 35 One problem but certainly not the only problem with these photos is that they capture people out of their element without context or a story There are no interesting details in the background to draw in the viewer and the subject often looks impatient or uncomfortable When you are the photographer you can strive to capture people events and places that tell a story In addition to having your subject look natural and not posed details in front of the subject or in the background can stimulate the imagination to re create the story of the photo This photo captures the destruction of an earthquake just hours after the event Because the photo was taken before the rubble was cleared away the photographer was able to capture the many details of the scene that tell the story With enough of these details and a strong relationship between your subject and the other elements the photo can suggest ideas that are not even in the frame You can take the old clich A picture paints a thousand words and make it your goal to paint more than a thousand words with your photographs 4 Look for the Light Many of the best photographs are taken early in the morning late in the afternoon and at twilight At these
42. ar nnu beter hati teedeged aaa 56 Sache tati tinto ta ico cion ndo Mia trode a Gotten sbasatgcaede eae e sha stnacaesbechiacds 56 DAY ics a a at AEE Maes a Ra 56 TA A EE GAUSS Alle bi NN dee NS od horse aes 56 Pan COMO A ei ah AA ene nee ee 57 Basic Image Formatting ccccccccccessessecsseeseeeseceeeseensecsecesesenecaeeesecsecseeesesesecseeesesenecaeeeseseseesecneesseenseeeenseeatens 58 Changing picture S126 wn Ad iia 58 Manipulating Objects by Using Object Handles ooooonccnnonicococonononononnnonnconnnnn non oo nron cnn nc n nro n ron nrnnrnnnnnnos 59 Applying Lex A A ee st ene Pa ee 64 Help Resources 25 ee A E Poe ae Be 65 Online A Be ee oe Te Ee Ss 65 Product TOUT ae aaa a Ns a ll e Satta 68 Instr ctional Videos icon dr aa A a tdi 68 TeehnicalSupport 024 22 scesce cess hasty decade eee et eas aes Pea da Shean ea eae E ica eset e asias 68 Chapter 5 Basic TOUCKUp gicisccscscsscszccsccdcesccsscessscasscedsctetcontsosoccscondsascesoacsdonsguevtenedscoaseact ssgecdoaseasesacecoaesdcoesdscetoaeese 69 Adjusting Brightness and Contrast cccccsccscessseeseeeseeseeeseeesecnecseeesecenecseeesecesecaeecaeeeaecesesaeesseenseeaeseeeseeeaeenees 69 Adjusting e e a eee ek 70 Him Red Bye Al te 8 ee a a 70 Using the Airbrush e o 71 Cropping esis ds eee Mee O Sela va Montes O 72 Sharpening yout Photos A oh nes ee ec PS ie ev A NS 73 Chapter 6 Using Special Effects vns de oo ooi Ee tosto ven ooo Esos r Di 75 Creating Cutou
43. ard drive so you will not have to reinsert a Picture It CD while you are using the program Look under Description in the Installation Options dialog box for the disk space required for this option Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 1 Installation 5 Special Circumstances Other Picture It Products The family of Picture It products includes programs with the Previous versions If you have a Picture It product previous to version following brands 7 0 already installed installing a version 7 0 product will make both Digital Image Pro programs available on your computer Upgrading from a Different Picture It Product If you already have a Picture It product installed on your machine several scenarios may occur when you try to install another Picture It product E m Greetings Upgrade from another version 7 0 product You can install a Picture It version 7 0 product that has more features than a version 7 0 product m Greetings Workshop already installed The version of Picture It with fewer features will be m Home Publishing uninstalled automatically but your pictures and projects will not be m Picture It deleted m Picture It Express Blocked downgrade If you have a Picture It version 7 0 product m Picture It Photo installed you will not be able to automatically install a version 7 0 product with fewer features To install the version with fewer features m Picture It Publishing you must f
44. as The white area is called the canvas and it represents the printable area of the page When you open a photo the canvas is often not visible because it is covered entirely by the photo You can use the zoom controls to magnify or reduce the canvas so that it covers more or less of the workspace Workspace The gray area represents the workspace the area surrounding the canvas Menu bar Menus provide access to all of the Picture It features The Help menu gives you access to the Help window the Instructional Videos and the Picture It Tour Toolbar The toolbar contains shortcut buttons for single click access to some of the most common commands To see the name of a toolbar button move the pointer over the button Stack The Stack displays a thumbnail to represent each layer in your photo You can rearrange the order of the layers by dragging a thumbnail up or down within the Stack You can also use the Stack as a precise way to select objects that are very small or hidden behind other objects You can select multiple objects on the Stack by holding down CTRL as you select them Tray The Tray displays thumbnails of all open projects You can switch your active project by clicking a thumbnail in the Tray You can also add a project to the current project by dragging the thumbnail from the Tray to the canvas Zoom controls The zoom controls magnify or reduce your photo so that you can see it in more or less detail Ther
45. ature does not move the lens Instead the software inside the camera crops the photo to make the subject appear closer Because the pixels are removed from the area that s cropped out the overall resolution is lower Many cameras offer a combination of optical and digital zoom For best results use only optical zoom Then if necessary use Picture It to crop the photo Both digital zoom and enhanced resolution features use interpolation to add pixels to the original photo a process that increases the overall size or resolution Interpolation assigns colors to the added pixels based on the colors of the surrounding pixels While these features technically do increase resolu tion they do not achieve the same photo quality as a photo that has not been interpolated If your camera has digital zoom or enhanced resolution test it and make sure you like the results before you use it for important photographs For true zoom capability and highest image quality use optical zoom Memory Cards Disks and Sticks After the image sensor captures a photo in your digital camera the digital information is stored on removable media such as a CompactFlash or SmartMedia card a memory stick a floppy disk a CD a microdrive a minia ture storage card or a secure multimedia card Floppy disks and CDs have the advantage of being inexpensive and easy to Expand your perspective Zoom lenses are great for capturing objects you can t get cl
46. bject handles m On the View menu click Object Handles Moving an object on the canvas Objects can be moved around on the canvas to change the way your composite is arranged To move an object on the canvas 1 Select the object 2 Hold the pointer over the object until the move handle appears and then drag the object Resizing an object When you resize an object you can resize it proportionally maintaining the ratio between height and width J 1 These two objects were originally the same size A corner resize handle was dragged outward on the right object resizing it proportionally eels Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 4 Picture It Basics 61 To resize an object 1 Select the object you want to resize 2 Hold the mouse pointer over one of the corner resize handles until the resize handle appears 3 To resize the object from the center point of the object press CTRL 4 Drag the resize cursor Stretching an object When you select an object you can stretch it by moving one of its top bottom or side resize handles The top and bottom resize handles stretch the object taller or shorter and the side resize handles stretch it skinnier or wider As with resizing an object holding down the CTRL key stretches the object around the center point of the object The top bottom and side resize handles stretch an object out of proportion The original object is
47. ck the photos you want Click the Folders button again Under File and Folder Tasks click Copy this file Copy this folder or Copying to a DVD burner You can use the file browser to copy image files to a folder to be copied to a DVD burner Then follow the instructions provided with your DVD burner to copy the files to the disc Copy the selected items 7 In the Copy Items dialog box click the CD recording drive and then click Copy 8 In My Computer double click the CD recording drive Windows displays a temporary area where the photos are held before they are copied to the CD Verify that the photos and folders that you intend to copy to the CD appear under Files Ready to be Written to the CD 9 Under CD Writing Tasks click Write these files to CD Windows displays the CD Writing Wizard Follow the instructions in the wizard Copying photos to a CD in Windows 98 Windows 2000 or Windows Me If your computer is running Windows 98 Windows 2000 or Windows Me you should follow the instructions for your CD burning software to copy photos to a CD With some CD burners you have to first copy photos stored in multiple locations to a single folder before you copy the photos to a CD To copy photos from multiple locations to a folder before copying them to a CD 1 On the Picture It File menu click Open The file browser opens 2 On the Folders tab click the disk or folder containing the photos or folders you want
48. d was replaced altogether putting the bottle in a totally new setting 75 Cutting a hole in a photo You can use the trim tool if you want to remove just a part of a photo such as cutting a hole The trim tool is located on the Format menu Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 76 Chapter 6 Using Special Effects Getting more Help with cutouts See the online Help topic Use cutouts for more detailed instruc tions on specific cutout methods You can create cutouts in four different ways Select the method that best fits your photo and your intended use for the cutout The Edge Finder works well if your photo has well defined edges along where you want to cut Tracing on your own gives you the most precise control when cutting irregular shapes Color Selection helps you cut away large areas of solid color Cutting with a cookie cutter shape cuts the photo into a shape such as a circle star or heart To create a cutout 1 On the Format menu click Create a Cutout 2 Click one of the following With the Edge Finder By tracing an area on my own By color selection With a cookie cutter shape 3 Follow the instructions on the screen On the last screen of the cutout task you will have the option to either Open the completed cutout In a separate project Choose this option if you plan to combine the cutout with other photos or use the cutout in a project such as a greeting card
49. determining correct setting 22 measurements 22 night photography 23 reducing blurriness 23 stopping action 22 SmartMedia 13 snow 20 special effects 75 special paper 102 splotchy color 11 Startup Window 53 stopping action 22 28 See freezing action storage disk 12 89 file size limitations 9 media 14 29 31 technology 14 89 storing photos 10 14 87 89 92 stretching objects 61 sunlight 17 24 support technical 68 T technical support 68 telephoto lens 30 text adding 64 TIFFs compression 12 88 file size 12 88 lossless compression 12 88 overview 12 88 photo quality 12 time lag 27 tint correcting 70 tips assessing composition 40 composing photos 37 equipment 33 exposure 34 39 gaining experience 41 lighting 35 toolbar 56 tour Picture It 68 Tray 56 tripods close up shots 27 makeshift 32 mounting cameras 23 32 reducing blurriness 23 TWAIN support 46 twilight 36 U underexposure causes 34 definition 18 fixing 69 upgrading Picture It 5 uploading to the Web 100 USB Mass Storage Class devices 45 Index 113 vV videos instructional 68 viewfinder 15 28 Ww Web browser 12 Web images editing 50 Web sites editing Web images 50 uploading photos 88 white balance 24 25 40 70 WIA support 46 wide angle lens 31 widening depth of field 26 workspace 56 Z zoom lens 13 30 Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide
50. device A USB Mass If your camera is not a Storage Class device works as a virtual drive letting you browse and USB Mass Storage open photos from the device as you would from a hard disk or floppy Class device see the disk section later in this A digital photo card reader chapter Opaning m The hard drive on a computer Photos From a Digital ACDorDVD Camera or Card 2 Reader A floppy disk Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 44 Chapter 3 Opening Photos in Picture It This picture identifies the main features of the file browser 1 05 Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 6 7 8 9 10 Folders tab Click the Folders tab to see the folder structure on your computer Click a folder to display its contents and subfolders The folder structure includes internal and external drives on your computer includ ing disk drives card readers and USB Mass Storage Class digital cameras Tasks tab Click the Tasks tab to perform batch editing tasks such as rotating and renaming Look in box Displays the name of the current folder selected on the Folders tab View menu Use this menu to change the way the image files are displayed Thumbnail size slider Move the slider to change the size of the thumb nails File name box Displays the file name of a selected thumbnail Chapter 3 Opening Photos in Picture It 7 Files of type menu Use this menu to change the types of image files to be displayed 8 T
51. e Saving for E mail and the Web Unlike photos for printing photos for e mail and the Web work best if they are relatively low resolution Low resolution files such as one that is 440 x 330 pixels move faster through dial up modems and they are the right dimensions for viewing on most computer monitors Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 9 Saving Photos 89 To save a photo for e mail or the Web 1 On the File menu point to Save Special and then point to Save as Web ready Picture 2 Click a picture size and then click Next The file browser opens 3 On the Folders tab click the folder to which you want to save the photo 4 In the File name box enter a file name and then click Save Long term Storage on CD Zip Disk or DVD Whether you take photos for personal or professional use it would be tragic to lose your photos due to a fire flood or problem with your computer hard drive You should back up your photos periodically to avoid loss just as you would with other important files on your computer Fortunately backing up your digital photos is much more convenient and inexpensive than backing up film negatives To back up your photos you have a variety of storage options A few of the most popular and practical options are outlined here Zip drive An internal or external Zip drive is probably the least expen sive drive you can add to your computer for high capacity storage Zip disks are ava
52. e are five zoom controls available Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 4 Picture It Basics 57 The zoom percentage control displays the size of the canvas in the workspace expressed as a percentage of its actual size such as 50 100 or 200 percent To change the view size type a new percentage in the box and then press ENTER The Zoom to entire page button E magnifies or reduces the canvas so that its largest dimension fits just inside the workspace The Zoom to page width button HH magnifies or reduces the canvas so that its width fits just inside the workspace The Zoom to selection button magnifies or reduces the selected object so that its largest dimension fits just inside the workspace This button is useful when you want to edit just one object in a composite The slider control lets you quickly zoom in or out from 1 to 999 percent of actual size You can drag the slider for fine tuning or just click a spot on the slider to zoom in or out quickly You can also click the minus or plus buttons to zoom in or out at preset intervals The zoom controls do not increase or decrease the resolution of a photo they simply control how large a photo looks on the screen Pan control The pan control displays a thumbnail of your active project When your photo 1s enlarged so that the canvas is larger than the workspace a box appears on top of the thumbnail This box represents the part of the pic
53. e e mail message will already have a subject and instructions on how to open the photo If you want enter a new subject and additional text to the message Click Send Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 100 Chapter 11 Sharing Photos Signing up with Microsoft NET Passport To use MSN Photos you must have a Microsoft NET Passport All hotmail com and msn com e mail addresses are NET Passports If you don t yet have a NET Passport it s free to sign up and you can get to the sign up page by following the instructions for saving to MSN Photos Using MSN Photos For more information on MSN Photos see the sections on MSN Photos in the following chapters m Opening Photos in Picture It m Saving Photos m Printing Photos Sharing on MSN Photos MSN Photos is a convenient and fast way to share a group of photos or share photos with a whole group of people Whether you want to share with just a few friends and family or many people around the world MSN Photos makes it easy In addition to showing your photos to your recipients you can also let them order prints or gifts with the photos When you share photos on MSN Photos you have the option of allowing your recipients to Download high resolution photos to their computer Order prints and gifts of your photos With a connection to the Internet you can upload photos directly from Picture It to MSN Photos To share photos to MSN Photos
54. e of the most common flash settings are outlined in the following sections Upgrading your flash If your camera supports an external flash consider buying one especially if you take a lot of indoor photos of people An external flash will give you much more control and often better results The range of your flash Check your camera s manual to find out the recommended range for your flash Most on camera flashes are designed to illuminate a subject that is 10 to 15 feet from the camera If the flash is too close your subject may look too bright or washed out in the photo If you re too far away the flash doesn t provide enough light Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 16 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Fixing red eye with Picture It If you end up with red eyes in your photos Picture It makes it very easy to remedy this problem For more information see the section on removing red eye in Chapter 5 Basic Touchup No Flash Contrary to what you might think you may be better off without your flash in many situations If you think the scene is too dark to take without a flash try increasing the ambient light by turning on lamps and opening the drapes On most digital cameras you can increase the ISO equivalent setting in effect making the image sensor more sensitive to the available light which allows you to shoot in low light without a flash Many newer cameras offer low l
55. e the path 5 Click OK The Installation Wizard begins w Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 4 Chapter 1 Installation Completing the Installation Wizard The Installation Wizard will show you a series of dialog boxes that provide setup status and some installation preference options For most users the default preferences will be appropriate Information about the different setup options is provided below Installation Folder Dialog Box The Installation Folder dialog box allows you to choose where the program will be installed on your computer To install the program to a different folder than the folder in the Installation folder box do one of the following Type a different path in the Installation folder box Click Change select a folder in the Change Installation Folder dialog box and then click OK Note that some files will be installed to the Program Files drive even if you choose to install the program to a different drive Installation Options Dialog Box The Installation Options dialog box allows you to choose between Typical installation and Full installation Typical installation takes up less space on your hard drive and is recommended for most users With Typical installation you will have to insert the Picture It CD in your CD ROM drive to use some of the projects and clip art while you are using the program Full installation copies all of the Picture It projects and clip art to your h
56. eeesecseeesecesecaecseseseceseceeeeseeeseseeeseseaeseeeaeeteeeseeaeees 40 9 Shoot Every Single Day nea ioro ea toe ia 41 10 Show Your Photos to Other People ccccecessesssesseesseeseceseceeeeeceseceseceeecseseseceseceesseenaecnseeeeeeseaeeates 41 Chapter 3 Opening Photos in Picture It ooosoossoosooesseesossoesscssoessosesssosssososesoessosssossosssesssesssososossosessesssesoesssesse 43 Usine the File Bro WS seo decada ghee 43 Opening Photos From a Digital Camera or Card Reader cccccccessesseesseeseeeseeeeeeeeeseeeseceseceeeceeeseenseenaeeneeass 45 Scanning a Photon el ea eiaves A he iene heeds eee wel ee E Neh ih alas 47 Opening a Photo From Your Computer ccscccscssseessceseeeseeseeeseeeseeseeesecnseceeecseenaeceseeseesseeeseeeseceeeeeeseeseeeaeenss 48 Opening a Photo From a Photo CD or Other Disk ccccccecceesceeseeeseeseeeseeeseceeecseeeseeeseeeseceeeeesaeenseenaeesenaeeaes 48 Opening a Photo Sent Through Emaili iran a e EE E E e EEE 49 Opening a Photo from a Web Page in Picture It s ssssssessessssessssessrsressrsreseesessessesttstesessessessesresreseseseseeseene 49 Opening a Photo from MSN Photos reiningen ai nn e ida 50 Chapter 4 Picture It Basi i Teiv neos Tonei oati SET Saens ENSERES REESE oS TEE Eorsi es 53 Startup A E E E E E EE E E ET EEES 53 Examining the Work aS r RET E A EE E A 54 Common Tasks lt A cae 55 ON 56 Workspace a A eeths Seanad Sie ee Se a oda 56 A AS 56 Toolb
57. egatives can be a formidable task Fortunately digital photography makes saving storing and organizing photos much easier However there are some important things you should know about saving your photos to make sure they II be in good condition whenever you want to enjoy them Saving Multiple Versions After you ve downloaded a photo to your computer and erased it from your camera your computer s hard disk contains the only copy of that photo This original version should be treated like a film negative you don t want to do anything to it that will alter the original content Besides rotating to correct orientation and renaming the file the original version should be left alone When you want to edit a photo or add it to a project you should always make a copy of the original and work with the copy That way if you make some editing changes that you regret later you can go back to the original make a new copy and start over To make a copy of a photo 1 Open the photo 2 On the File menu click Save As The file browser opens 3 On the Folders tab click the folder where you want to save the copy of the original 4 In the File name box enter a name for the copy 5 Click Save The file browser closes with the new copy of the photo open in the workspace 87 Creating a folder for edited photos You may want to save your edited photos in a different folder from your originals To create a new folde
58. end photos through e mail or post photos on a Web photo by e mail to site friends and family around the world can see your photos just minutes after you take them multiple people at the same time Just If you have photos share them include all of your recipients addresses Sending by E mail on the To line of the e mail message If you have a single photo to share you can use Picture It to send it to your friends and family If you want to send a high resolution photo Picture It can help you easily optimize the photo to be sent through e mail which Reduces the file size so that the photo moves faster through Internet connections Reduces resolution so that the photo is sized properly to be viewed in most Web browsers Converts the photo to the JPEG format which can be opened on most computers Picture It uses the default e mail program on your computer to create an e mail message with your photo as an attachment To send a photo by e mail 1 2 3 Open the photo so that it is in the workspace On the File menu point to Send As and then click Picture Attachment Click a picture size The file size of the resized photo is displayed along with download times for different types of Internet connections Click Next and then click Put the project in an e mail message A new e mail message opens with your photo already attached Type your recipient s e mail address in the To line of the message Th
59. ere the photo will be cut Otherwise if your photo is not the same proportion as the print size more of the photo will be automatically removed when you print it To crop a photo to a specific proportion 1 On the Format menu point to Crop then click Canvas 2 Under Select a proportion click a print size 3 Click a starting point on your photo and then drag the outline to the opposite corner of the area to be cropped The outline is proportional to the print size you selected 4 Click Done Sharpening Your Photos There are several times during the photography process that photos can become blurred while taking the picture during printing and during scanning While excessively blurry photos cannot be saved the sharpen tool can improve the focus of slightly blurry or moderately blurry photos The sharpen tool increases the contrast around the edges of objects in your photo Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 74 Chapter 5 Basic Touchup The sharpen tool can help blurry photos look more focused For the best results sharpen the focus of your photo last after you finish all other enhancements To sharpen a photo 1 On the Touchup menu click Sharpen or Blur 2 Drag the slider to the right until the photo is adequately sharpened 3 Click Done For best results with the sharpening tool Be careful to use the sharpen tool in moderation Especially when printing a photo that has been over sharpened has
60. erture the shutter speed and the ISO rating Aperture is the size of the opening that lets light into the camera Shutter speed is how long light is allowed into the camera ISO rating the film speed in a film camera is the sensor or film s sensitivity to light Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 19 The water glass analogy When taking a photograph your goal is to achieve a perfect exposure To create the right exposure you need to understand the relationship between the three exposure factors aperture shutter speed and ISO rating Achieving perfect exposure can be compared to filling a glass completely without spilling any of the water For a perfect exposure the glass should become completely full with no water spilling over In this analogy the tap symbolizes the aperture the wider the tap is open the faster the glass fills up The time that the tap is open represents the shutter speed leaving it open longer lets more water into the glass To fill the glass to exactly the right level the rate of flow must be set according to the time the tap is open The third factor ISO rating can be equated to the size of the water glass A smaller glass representing a faster ISO rating fills up more quickly than a larger glass representing a slow ISO Understanding automatic exposure As a photographer you will come across a wide range of lighting conditions and each condition requires
61. ese are the first three pages of a 12 month calendar To create a calendar project 1 On the File menu click Create a Project Click Calendars Click a calendar type Click a theme click a design and then click Open Set the start date for the calendar and then click Next Follow the instructions on the screen to add a photo to your calendar and then click Next 7 Move or resize your photo on the calendar Use the corner resize handles to resize the photo proportionally 8 Click Done nDAn kW WN When you create a 12 month calendar you can add different photos to each page To add photos to a 12 month calendar 1 Complete the instructions above to create a 12 month calendar 2 Open the photos you want so that they are in the Tray 3 Make sure the Common Tasks list is expanded 4 Click the page icons at the bottom of the Common Tasks list to switch between pages 5 Drag photos from the Tray into each page Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 98 Chapter 10 Creating Projects Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 11 Sharing Photos One of the biggest advantages of digital photography over traditional film photography is the ease with which you can share your photos Rather than Sending multiple creating paper prints for everyone who wants to see your photos you can share copies a digital copy of a photo with an unlimited number of people When you post You can send your photos on MSN Photos s
62. ess adjusting images 69 buffers 29 built in flashes 15 light meters 34 zoom lens 13 109 burning CDs 83 89 burst mode 29 c calendars 96 camera opening photos from 46 candid shots 13 See also zoom lens canvas 56 card reader 45 CCD 10 CD 13 43 83 89 centering objects 59 charge coupled device 10 children photographing 27 29 chips CCD 10 CMOS 10 clip art 95 close up photography 26 27 See also zoom lens cloudy days See also overcast conditions adjusting exposure settings 19 balance settings 25 correcting light levels 20 CMOS 10 color affected by exposure 18 applying color effects 78 balance settings 25 correcting tint 70 grouping pixels 11 incandescent lights 25 lighting effects 36 white balance 24 Common Tasks list 55 compact cameras 18 CompactFlash 13 compensation exposure 34 39 Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 110 Index composing photos 37 composition assessing 40 improving 72 techniques 33 transforming 38 72 compression artifacts 11 definition 11 experimenting with settings 12 JPEGs 11 88 lossless 12 88 reducing file size 11 87 TIFFs 12 88 computers memory requirements 12 storage options 89 contrast adjusting 69 copying images 49 83 84 87 copyrights 49 correcting light levels 20 69 creating calendars 96 photo cards 95 projects 95 cropping images 72 cutouts 75 D daylight See sunlight depth of field affecting with aperture 21 definition 21 shallow 21 30
63. evel of competence you can concentrate more on the creative aspects of photography When you get a new camera first read through the manual With digital cameras especially operating the controls may not be intuitive since many digital cameras controls must be accessed through menus on the LCD screen After you ve read the manual and you understand how and when to use your camera s features go out and take a variety of photos using the different settings Take some photos outdoors and indoors with the flash and without the flash with automatic settings and with manual settings As you shoot take notes to record the settings used for each shot Later look at your photos on your computer and take note of both the settings that worked well and the settings that produced poor results Missing a great photo because you get hung up on technical issues is frustrating Spend time getting to know your gear and prepare for great photo opportunities Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 34 Planning for the imperfect Learning to nail the exposure takes a lot of experience and no one gets it right with every shot If you suspect the lighting might make it difficult to nail the exposure you can increase your chances of success by bracket ing as explained in tip 7 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 2 Nail the Exposure In a finished photo exposure is something that you usually only notice when it is out
64. for 1 the shot is one stop overexposed lighter than normal So you can bracket by taking three photos one each at the 1 0 and 1 settings Some cameras offer an automatic feature which takes a range of photos each with a different exposure setting Even if your camera doesn t permit you that much control or if you don t want to take the time to change the exposure settings another technique will give you results similar to bracketing To get a lighter exposure aim your camera at a darker portion of the subject and then press the shutter button partway down until you begin to feel a little resistance Next without releasing pressure on the shutter button reframe your photo to include what you want and then push the shutter button all the way down to take the photo Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide A quick check with the LCD One of the benefits of digital photography is that you can get a look at your photos on the LCD preview screen right after you ve taken the shot This feature is great for a quick analysis of the photo s composition exposure and color tone Just be aware that since the preview screen is so small it often does not reveal problems with focus 39 40 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Depending on your camera pressing the shutter button halfway down may lock in the exposure and the focus If this is the case you need to set the exposure on an object that is exactl
65. hanges When a photo is enlarged too much the individual pixels become visible making a poor quality photo The original photo on the left was saved at high resolution and you can see sharp detail The photo on the right has been saved at such low resolution that you only see the individual pixels Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the The number of pixels that make up a photo is the photo s resolution Resolution and compression are key factors in determining the quality of a digital photo The following sections explain resolution and compression Resolution Resolution is one of the main determinants of photo quality since it is a measure of the total number of pixels that make up a photograph Resolution is sometimes expressed as the total number of pixels such as 3 megapixels 3 million pixels or in pixel dimensions such as 320 x 240 which equals 76 800 total pixels Resolution is important primarily because it determines how much you can enlarge and print a photo Everything else being equal a 3 megapixel photo and a 320 pixel x 240 pixel photo look the same in a wallet size print But if you enlarge those two photos to 5 x 7 prints the quality of the 320 x 240 photo is very low you can see the individual pixels The 3 megapixel photo still looks sharp at the larger size since its pixels are too small to be seen Resolution is also important because it determines file size High resoluti
66. he sections on MSN Photos in the following chapters m Opening Photos in Picture It m Saving Photos m Sharing Photos Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 108 Chapter 12 Printing Photos Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Index A AC power adapter 14 action mode 27 28 action photography burst mode feature 29 children 27 29 compensating for shutter lag 28 digital cameras 27 freezing action 22 27 28 higher speed film 24 moving subjects 27 28 shutter speeds 22 23 adjusting aperture 21 depth of field 21 exposure settings 19 lens focal length 13 Advanced Photo System APS cameras 31 airbrush tool 71 ambient light 16 aperture action mode 27 adjusting 21 affecting depth of field 21 affecting focus 21 automatic mode 18 controlling exposure 18 22 definition 20 determining correct setting 22 fixed 21 focus 17 21 portrait mode 30 priority mode 22 program modes 21 reducing 26 shutter priority mode 23 size 20 21 archiving photos 93 artifacts 11 aspect ratio 31 attaching photos 99 autofocusing 32 automatic cameras 17 18 25 39 exposure 19 flash 17 modes 26 background analyzing 35 balancing 37 blurriness 21 28 details 35 38 72 light 34 simplifying 30 backing up images 83 balance settings 25 base file names 83 batch editing 81 batteries 14 blurriness increasing 21 28 reducing 22 23 73 borders adding 85 bracketing automatic cameras 39 definition 39 still objects 39 brightn
67. humbnails Small versions of your photos stored in the current folder 9 Open Opens the selected thumbnails 10 Cancel Closes the file browser without opening any photos The file browser provides a quick view of the photos on your compatible camera or card reader and allows you to open the photos directly without using additional programs To open the file browser m On the File menu click Open Opening Photos From a Digital Camera or Card Reader Many newer digital cameras are USB Mass Storage Class devices which allow the computer to read the photo files on the camera as a virtual drive Other cameras use TWAIN or WIA support as a way for the camera to transfer information to the computer If your camera or card reader can function as a USB Mass Storage Class device you can connect it to your computer and select the photos as you would from a CD or disk drive Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 45 About TWAIN and WIA TWAIN is interface software that allows communication between a camera and your computer Many digital cameras come with a TWAIN driver WIA is a newer interface that works similarly to TWAIN but often provides more control over the device WIA is compatible with TWAIN but is available only on some computer operating systems 46 Using your camera s software Some digital cameras especially older models may not function as a virtual drive or be TWAIN or WIA complia
68. i Lab you can select multiple photos and perform the following tasks Levels auto fix Rotate Crop Brightness and contrast Fix red eye Adjust tint Save Save as Print Mini Lab displays all of your open photos and includes a list of editing options that you can perform on multiple photos This picture identifies the main features of Mini Lab Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 82 Chapter 7 Batch Editing and File Management 1 Open more files opens the file browser to let you find more photos to edit 2 The editing options list shows all of the tasks available for batch editing 3 File options let you save or print multiple photos 4 The Workspace contains thumbnails of all of your opened photos 5 Done closes Mini Lab keeping the photos open and maintaining the changes you have made To save photos before leaving Mini Lab select the thumbnails and click Save before you click Done 6 Cancel closes Mini Lab undoing any unsaved changes To open Mini Lab On the Touchup menu click Multi photo edit in Mini Lab After you open Mini Lab select the photos you want to edit and then click one or more editing tasks Three of the batch editing tasks levels auto fix rotate clockwise and rotate counterclockwise will be performed to all of the selected photos at once In other editing tasks such as cropping you can set your preferences for each photo Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Cha
69. ight light that the automatic exposure lowers the brightness until the snow looks gray To work around this shortcoming you can use exposure compensation Exposure Compensation Some cameras have an exposure compensation feature that lets you manually override the automatic exposure setting Exposure compensation lets you adjust the exposure with settings such as 2 1 1 and 2 A 1 setting for example tells the camera s automatic exposure system to make the middle tones brighter When taking a photo dominated by bright snow increasing the exposure with the 1 setting might correct the light level for the snow filled scene Your actual results will vary according to your camera and the brightness of the day With bright snow in a scene setting your camera s exposure compensation setting to 1 or 2 may help you to get the right exposure Aperture The aperture is the opening through which light passes to reach the film or in digital cameras the image sensor Aperture is measured by f number where a specific setting is called an f stop With f stops a low number such as f 4 represents a wider opening that lets in more light A small aperture such as f 16 lets in significantly less light Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 21 Some cameras have a fixed aperture that can t be adjusted If you re adjusting the aperture yourself a setting of f 8 is a good place to start s
70. ight shooting modes and night flash settings that improve the quality of low light photos If your camera offers these options use them Otherwise always stay within the recommended range of the flash Red Eye Reduction Flash One of the most common problems with flash photos of people and pets is red eye This problem is caused by a flash located very close to the camera lens The light from the flash reflects off the blood vessels in the subject s retina causing the pupils to look red This problem occurs frequently in low light situations when pupils are likely to be dilated There are several things you can do to help avoid red eyes in your photos Increase the ambient light in the room Turning on lights and opening up the drapes reduces the size of your subjects pupils Use your camera s red eye reduction setting This feature fires preflash bursts that help reduce the dilation of the pupils before the exposure If you have an off camera flash move it away from the camera lens Then even if your subjects pupils are dilated the light comes from a different angle and reduces or eliminates the red eye effect Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 17 Fill Flash You can use the fill flash setting to fill in deep shadow areas caused by bright overhead sunlight or in a scene where the light is behind the subject gt In the left photo the strong backlighting create
71. ilable in 100 MB and 250 MB capacities and the disks offer a rewritable format that works essentially like a floppy disk If you get an external Zip drive look for a USB or FireWire connection for fast data transfer CD burner Many new computers come with a CD burner which can copy photos to a CD R or CD RW disc CD R discs can only be copied to once while CD RW discs can be copied to multiple times Either way the blank discs are inexpensive And at up to 700 MB per disc you can store a lot of photos at a very low cost DVD burner DVD burners are relatively new to the photo storage scene but they show a lot of promise There are a number of slightly different formats to choose from including DVD RAM DVD R DVD RW and DVD RW While there are still some compatibility issues to be worked out for DVD burners the enormous capacities of DVD discs up to 4 7 GB can be saved on a single DVD disc is very attractive for storing photos Copying Photos to a Zip Disk You can use the file browser to copy a whole batch of photos at once Avoid sending large photos in e mail Sending high resolu tion photos in e mail may cause problems for your recipients For example a single 5 MB high resolution image will take over 20 minutes to download on a 28 8 Kbps modem Also some e mail programs limit the size of attachments and may for example block e mail with attachments larger than 1 MB Microsoft Picture It Companion
72. ily correct common photo problems such as red eye and from your digital overexposure And you can use features like filters and layers to create photos camera strikingly different from your originals For ATOE am Although Picture It is a powerful photo editing program it s important to get opening photos from the best photo you can at the time you take it Picture It can do a lot to correct your camera in Picture minor problems with the originals but certain problems such as severely Itl see the digital blurred or underexposed photos cannot easily be fixed with computer software camera section in And if you can develop your photography skills to take higher quality photos chapter 3 Opening you can spend your time doing creative photo editing with Picture It rather Photos in Picture It than fixing mistakes that can be avoided The extreme blurriness and lighting problems of this photo would be difficult if not impos sible to overcome with image editing software Many cameras available today offer a high degree of automation just turn the camera on and press the shutter and the camera does the rest While this approach is quick and easy it isn t perfect in all situations As a photographer you can learn to fine tune the settings on your camera to gain greater control of the camera to get the best possible photo for each situation With the range of cameras available from basic point and shoot models to professional
73. in a photo it should run about one third from the top or one third from the bottom depending on whether the terrain or the sky is the center of focus The rule of thirds is not an absolute law and there have been many great photographs taken that don t abide by it But the rule can be a great way to add balance and interest to your photos 6 Find a Unique Perspective Challenge yourself to take original photos that convey unique perspectives Rather than just pressing your shutter button as soon as you have the urge to capture a scene take some time to assess your shooting angle proximity to your subject and background elements You may transform your composition by taking one or more of the following simple steps Get closer to your subject to show more detail and eliminate distractions in the background Include just a portion of your subject in the frame Take your original subject and place it in the background Find a new subject that adds context to the object in the background Get lower to the ground and point the camera up toward your subject Move to a higher location above your subject so you are pointing down when you take the photo For example if you are traveling your natural instinct might be to take stralghtforward photos of local monuments But with this approach you might wind up with the same lackluster photos taken by scores of other tourists before you And there would be a good chance that a nearb
74. in a project to be viewed online Can this photo be printed To find out if a photo has enough resolution to print see How large a print can you get in Chapter 12 Printing Photos Watch for copyrights Pictures you see on the Web may be copy righted so make sure to read the site s legal information before you use an image Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 50 Saving images from a Web site When saving an image from the Web make sure to click Save As on the File menu so you can specify the folder where the image is saved Otherwise the image may be saved in a temporary Internet files folder Signing up with Microsoft NET Passport To use MSN Photos you must have a Microsoft NET Passport All hotmail com and msn com e mail addresses are NET Passports If you don t yet have a NET Passport it s free to sign up and you can get to the sign up page by following the instructions for saving to MSN Photos Chapter 3 Opening Photos in Picture It To capture an image from a Web page you can drag it from the Web page to the Picture It Tray To open a photo from a Web page in Picture It 1 Make sure both Picture It and your Web browser either Microsoft Internet Explorer or MSN Explorer are open and running on your computer A button for each program is in the taskbar along the bottom of the screen 2 In your Web browser locate the Web page that contains the photo you wa
75. in any Web browser To reduce file size the JPEG format always uses compression although the degree of compression varies by camera Experiment with the compression settings on your camera to find a low compression setting that produces good or excellent results Because JPEG uses some compression every time a file is saved many photo purists prefer formats like TIFF over JPEG The TIFF format provides an extremely accurate recording of digital image data Some cameras can use a lossless compression method with TIFF But even with some compression TIFF files are generally larger than JPEG files for photos with the same resolution For example a single uncompressed 5 megapixel TIFF image is larger than 10 MB To work with photos of that size you need a lot of memory on your computer as well as a high volume storage disk Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 13 Using Zoom Features A zoom lens lets you adjust the focal length of the lens making your subject appear closer to or farther from the camera Some cameras have built in adjustable zoom lenses others accommodate interchangeable zoom lenses of different focal lengths Digital cameras may offer optical zoom or digital zoom An optical zoom feature uses the same principle as a zoom lens on a film camera the lens itself moves to change the focal length In any of the zoom positions the resulting resolution is the same A digital zoom fe
76. ince it gives you a fairly wide zone of sharpness If your camera allows you to adjust the aperture use the settings to regulate the depth of field in your photo Depth of field refers to the zone in your photo that is in acceptably sharp focus A wide aperture gives you a shallow depth of field while a small aperture allows a very deep zone maybe even everything in the photo to be in focus Imagine pointing your camera down a set of railroad tracks which go all the way to the horizon With a wide aperture like f 2 8 if you focus on a railroad tie a short distance away only a few of the other ties are in sharp focus With a narrow aperture like f 22 many more of the ties are in focus even those quite a distance from your main focal point A wide aperture will give you a short depth of field as illustrated in the photo on the left where only a limited range of the tulips are in focus The photo on the right was taken with a small aperture so almost all of the tulips are in focus For portrait photography a wide aperture helps to limit the focus Your subject s face is clear and sharp but objects in the background are blurred But if you re shooting a vacation photo of someone posing in front of a monument a narrow aperture may be in order With the narrow aperture both the person and the monument can be in focus in the same photo Program modes If your camera offers program modes for specific photos like portraits
77. ing images 85 freezing action 22 27 28 G Gallery 93 gifts 107 graininess 24 74 greeting cards 95 103 grouping objects 63 Help resources 65 high capacity storage 89 l image sensors buffering 29 capturing photos 13 controlling exposure time 21 definition 10 digital cameras 10 24 increasing sensitivity 16 megapixel rating 10 overexposure 18 setting resolution 10 images adjusting brightness and contrast 69 applying color effects 78 archiving 93 backing up 83 copying 49 83 84 87 correcting tint 70 cropping 72 opening 43 49 paint effects 78 printing 101 103 rotating 44 62 saving 49 50 88 92 scanning 47 sending through e mail 9 49 99 sharpening 73 incandescent lights 25 40 70 installing Picture It 3 printer drivers 101 interpolation 10 13 ISO rating 18 19 J JPEGs compressing 11 88 file sizes 9 88 overview 12 88 L labels printing 102 LCD preview screen 14 15 28 39 light adjusting exposure settings 19 assessing 40 correct exposure 18 69 correcting levels 20 69 incandescent 25 70 lighting tips 35 overexposure 18 34 69 shooting in low light 16 underexposure 18 34 69 light meter 34 39 lossless compression 12 88 low resolution 9 10 49 72 macro mode 26 27 manual cameras 17 18 maximum print size 9 105 megapixels 9 10 89 105 memory 12 memory cards and sticks 13 14 43 Index 111 microdrives 13 middle gray 19 midtones 19 20 Mini Lab 81 modes
78. irst uninstall the version with more features Reinstalling or Removing Picture It If you are having problems running Picture It reinstalling the program may help it to run better on your computer You should not attempt to remove Picture It by deleting the program files from your hard disk Instead use the Picture It Installation Wizard to properly uninstall the program Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 6 Chapter 1 Installation To remove or reinstall Picture It on Windows XP 1 From the Windows Start menu click Control Panel 2 Click Add or remove programs 3 From the list of installed programs click the version of Picture It you want to remove or reinstall 4 Click Change The Installation Wizard opens 5 Follow the instructions on the screen To remove or reinstall Picture It on Windows 98 Windows 2000 or Windows Me 1 From the Windows Start menu point to Settings and then click Control Panel 2 Click Add Remove Programs 3 From the list of installed programs click the version of Picture It you want to remove or reinstall 4 Click Add Remove The Installation Wizard opens 5 Follow the instructions on the screen Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 2 Making the Most of Your Camera f No matter how polished and creative you are as a photographer Picture It is a valuable tool for helping you get the most out of your photos With Picture It Opening photos features you can eas
79. ith a point and shoot camera it is not always the most interesting way to present the subject To apply the rule of thirds divide your scene into three sections horizontally and vertically Place the focal point of your photo on one of the intersections of the dividing lines Most advanced photographers follow the rule of thirds when composing the space inside a picture frame The rule of thirds divides the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically and places the point of interest on one of the four spots where these dividing lines intersect The rule of thirds is used throughout the graphic design world because it helps to create balance between the subject and the background Following the rule of thirds the bicycle in this photo lies right on one of the points where the dividing lines intersect The top of the dock also roughly follows the horizontal line that runs one third down from the top of the frame Recomposing a photo with Picture It After a photo has been transferred to your computer use the crop tool in Picture It to change the composi tion By removing the edges of the photo you can reposition your subject to comply with the rule of thirds Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 38 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera If you have a person or animal in your photo you can place the subject s face on one of the four points looking toward the center of the scene If the horizon 1s
80. k Stamps 2 Click a stamping style and then click a stamp 3 Click a stamp size and then stamp by clicking on the photo 4 Click Done Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 80 Chapter 6 Using Special Effects Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 7 Batch Editing and File Management E If you take photos regularly it can be time consuming to edit all of your photos as you download them from your camera And once the photos are on your hard disk it can be a challenge to keep them all organized Picture It contains tools that can help you save time with Routine editing on a batch of photos File management that helps you keep your photos organized Mini Lab allows you to batch edit photos with tasks such as rotating renaming and cropping The file browser can help you manage your photos with tasks like batch rename batch move and batch copy Batch Editing with Mini Lab If you have a high capacity storage medium in your camera you may have dozens or more photos to download at once to your hard disk Some of these photos may be excellent keepers that you will want to spend some time editing carefully later on But many of the photos only need a few quick edits changes like rotation and removal of red eye Opening each photo individually performing basic edits and then saving the photos could take a lot of time Instead you can use Mini Lab to perform these routine editing tasks on many photos at once In Min
81. light incandescent and flash Using this feature can help reduce tint problems in your photos Zooming in to find white If there are no significant areas of white in your photo use the zoom tool to magnify the photo on the screen When you zoom in you may be able to use a very small area of white such as the white of a person s eyes Chapter 5 Basic Touchup Adjusting Tint When you take photographs the source of the light can create a colored cast in the photo We tend to think of light being white but nearly every light source has its own unique color For example natural sunlight has more blue in it while incandescent tungsten lights including most household light bulbs give off a reddish or yellowish cast When taking a photo you can compensate for these different colors of light by setting the white balance with a digital camera or using special filters on a film camera But if you still end up with a cast in your photos use the adjust tint tool to correct the balance of colors to make the lighting look more natural You adjust tint by locating a point that should be white and then Digital Image Pro balances all of the colors in the photo based on the white point you set If you have already used the levels auto fix tool the tint problems in the photo may already be corrected Use the adjust tint tool to make additional adjust ments To adjust tint 1 On the Touchup menu click Adjust Tint
82. meras could produce adequate or even excellent photos without requiring knowledge of advanced photography concepts While you can still find fully automatic and fully manual cameras many of today s cameras offer different modes for different degrees of automatic and manual control For example some SLR film cameras let you switch to an automatic mode where the camera determines everything from focusing to setting the aperture Many compact digital cameras are designed to be used primarily in automatic mode but also allow you to switch to program and manual modes to control exposure settings like shutter speed and aperture With digital cameras the adjustments that you make are often digital approxi mations of the equivalent function in film cameras as with shutter speed or ISO But the photographic result is the same The following sections provide an overview of the most important manual camera settings and concepts Exposure Exposure describes the amount of light that comes into your camera when you take a photo Setting the camera to the correct exposure is crucial to getting the proper tones and colors in your photos Overexposure occurs when too much light has reached the image sensor or film in a film camera which decreases detail and causes the photo to look washed out Underexposure occurs when insuffi cient light has been let into the camera and the photo looks dim and murky Exposure is controlled by three factors the ap
83. n select the thumbnails 5 Click Open 6 In the Categories list check the box for each category you want 7 To create a new category click Add Rename Delete category S In the Keyword box type the keyword and then click Add 9 In the Date box enter a date 10 Click Apply 11 Click Done After you have added a photo to the Gallery you can locate it later by searching by category keyword or date Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 94 Chapter 9 Saving Photos To find and open a photo from the Gallery 1 2 3 On the File menu point to Get picture from and then click Gallery The Gallery opens Click the Find tab Do one or more of the following m Type one or more words describing the item s you want to find m Check the Advanced find box and then enter a date range m Check the Advanced find box and then select the type of item you want to find Click Find Click the thumbnail you want and then click Open Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 10 Creating Projects dd A great way to present your photos and share them with friends and family is to create photo projects Picture It offers a range of designs that you can use to showcase your photos Choose from greeting cards calendars business cards and more Creating Photo Cards Use your own photo to personalize a greeting card for a holiday a party invitation or any other occasion To open a photo card design a Open a
84. n you have finished editing the photo in Picture It you can save it to your computer or back to MSN Photos Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 52 Chapter 3 Opening Photos in Picture It Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 53 4 Picture It Basics This chapter covers the fundamental aspects of Picture It that you ll need to get started You ll find information on the Startup Window the work area basic image manipulation applying text and Help resources Startup Window The Startup Window is a quick launching point to photos projects tasks recently opened files and Help By default the Startup Window opens every time you start Picture It After closing the Startup Window you can open it at any time from the main work area by clicking the Startup Window button E in the Common Tasks list This picture identifies the main features of the Startup Window 1 2 3 4 5 Picture It Delp Cemter D met N Ter E iaaa iden 1 Open Click the Open button to open the file browser where you can open photos from your hard disk a network drive a digital photo card reader a CD or DVD or a floppy disk 2 Import from Camera Click this button to open the digital camera task so you can download photos from a digital camera using Picture It or your camera s software 3 Scan a Picture Click this button to open the Scan Picture task where you can scan a picture directly into Picture It Microsoft Picture It
85. ng or composition Touchup tools can even hide flaws such as blemishes or stains on clothing Adjusting Brightness and Contrast When you take a photo with an automatic camera the camera s automatic exposure feature measures the available light and determines how much light is required to take the photo Sometimes the exposure meter s measurement is too low or too high creating problems with brightness and contrast in the photo Picture It provides tools to fix the levels of brightness and contrast To correct brightness and contrast 1 On the Touchup menu click Brightness and Contrast 2 Click Levels auto fix 3 If you are not satisfied with the result click Contrast auto fix 4 If you are not satisfied with the result fine tune the settings with the Brightness and Contrast sliders 5 Click Done The photo on the left is both too dark and too low contrast The levels auto fix tool was applied to the version on the right correcting both the brightness and contrast levels 69 Making a copy to touch up Never edit one of your original photos Always make a copy and edit only the copy Then if you later decide that you don t like how the edits turned out you can start again by making another copy from the original Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 70 Setting the white balance on a digital camera Many digital cameras allow you to set the white balance for specific types of light such as sun
86. nload the photos to your computer and erase them from the camera at the same time Batch copy When you copy your photos to a CD you often need to copy many photos from several locations to a single folder The batch copy feature makes it easy to move multiple photos to a folder which you can then copy to a CD Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 84 Chapter 7 Batch Editing and File Management Duplicate It s never a good idea to edit your original photos and the duplicate feature makes it easy to ensure that you have copies The duplicate feature copies each selected photo and adds Copy of to the beginning of the copied photo s file name To manage files with the file browser 1 On the Tools menu click Manage Files in File Browser The Tasks tab is already selected 2 If you want to manage files in a different folder click the Folders tab click the folder you want and then click the Tasks tab 3 Press CTRL and then select each photo you want in the right pane On the Tasks tab click a file management option _ 5 Follow the instructions on the screen Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 8 Adding Edges Mats and Frames 33 When you ve finished editing a photo you can add polishing touches by surrounding it with an edge a border a mat or a frame Shrinking a photo to show the edge effect Some edge effects Edge Effects Edge effects alter the outside edge of a photo For portrait phot
87. nt 3 Click the photo hold down the mouse button and drag the photo down to the Picture It button on the taskbar Pause on the Picture It button The Picture It window opens 4 Drag the pointer to the Picture It Tray The photo appears in the Tray and on the canvas Once the photo is opened in Picture It you can edit it as you would any other photo and save it to your computer Opening a Photo from MSN Photos MSN Photos is an online photo Web site that enables you to share and organize photos as well as order prints and gifts Picture It and MSN Photos are designed to be used together with MSN Photos offering services and informa tion only available on the Internet Many of the features of MSN Photos can be accessed directly from Picture It Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 3 Opening Photos in Picture It 51 After you have uploaded photos to the MSN Photos Web site you can open them from any computer with Internet access In Picture It you can download Using MSN Photos photos directly from MSN Photos to edit on your computer For more information about MSN Photos see the sections on MSN Photos in the 1 Make sure that your computer is connected to the Internet following chapters 2 On the File menu point to Get Picture From and then click MSN Photos 3 Follow the instructions on the screen To open a photo from MSN Photos m Saving Photos m Sharing Photos m Printing Photos Whe
88. nt For these cameras use the software provided by the camera to download the photos to a folder your computer and then open them in Picture It Chapter 3 Opening Photos in Picture It To open photos from a camera or card reader that is a USB virtual drive 1 2 Make sure your camera or card reader is turned on and connected to your computer On the File menu point to Get Picture From and then click Digital Camera Under Click a camera or drive click your camera or card reader Click Download The File Browser dialog box opens displaying the photos on the camera or card reader Click a photo To select more than one photo press CTRL while you click the photos Click Open If your camera does not show up as a drive in the file browser it is probably designed to work using TWAIN or WIA support Picture It works with TWAIN and WIA and your camera s software so that you can open photos into Picture It To open photos from a TWAIN or WIA compliant camera 1 2 Make sure that you have installed all the drivers and software that came with your camera Connect your digital camera to your computer and then turn on the camera On the File menu point to Get Picture From and then click Digital Camera Under Click a camera or drive click a camera Click Automatic Download Click Download The photos stored on the camera are displayed in the workspace Click Download all pictures or
89. on photos contain color information for many more pixels than low resolution photos so the files for high resolution photos can be significantly larger File size becomes an issue if you have limited storage on your camera or hard disk or if you need to send the photos through e mail The following chart gives an estimate of file size and maximum print size for various resolutions The chart lists file sizes for JPEG format which is a common but not the only format for photos Most of Your Camera 9 Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 10 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Approx JPEG file size Mega pixel rating Dimensions Total pixels with slight compression Maximum print size One of the main 320 x 240 76 800 23 KB Wallet size factors in the price of a 640 x 480 307 200 91 KB 4x6 digital camera is its megapixel rating The megapixel rating indicates the maximum number of pixels in millions that are 2 048 x 1 536 3 145 728 970 KB 11 x 14 and larger 3 1 megapixels 1280 x 960 1 228 800 363 KB 5x7 1 2 megapixels 1600 x 1200 1 920 000 576 KB 8 x 10 1 9 megapixels captured by the camera s image Compression which is explained in the following section varies by camera so you may find sarsor different file size results Instead of film a digital camera uses an image sensor usually a CCD charge coupled device or CMOS complementary metal oxide semiconductor chip to capture
90. onnconnoonnconconnconnoon con con ncon non connconorn nono cca non c oca ss ssis 1 What s NeW ads 1 Other Helpful Res e o ao 1 SAPIENS O A ON 3 A ssccxksiep8 20538 see Fea E AS vase biea ad sad dean eeak eee eee el ved NEE eat Rae had 3 Completing the Installation Wizard cccecceescessesssceseeceeseceseceeesecesecaecseeeseeesecssecseesseeeseceeceeeaeeaeenseseenaeeetenaes 4 Installation Folder Dialog BOR senioren ynn nn NE EE as 4 Installation Options Dialog BOX ccecceesesseesseeseceseeseeeseeececsseeseceseenecseeeseceseeseeeseeeaeceseseeeseseseeaecneeeaeeeeeas 4 SpecialCircumstante A date de e 5 Upgrading from a Different Picture It Product ceccecceseeseeeeeececseeeseeeseceseceseceeeseeeseeeseseseceeeeeeeeenseeas 5 Reinstalling or Removing Picture It oo cece ccceseeeseeseesseeseceseeeseeeseeseeesecesecaecseeeseeeseseseceeesesesecsecneeeeenneeas 5 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera sscssscsssssscsccsscsssessscscscceesssscscsecsscssccesssecssscesscsssessscsssscssseees 7 About Digital Cameras it A Baa e ncaa cs A MO A Ea 8 Photo Quality es 32055 eshte a ccaeh a aaah so eed Ma ode ae NRE a oa 8 File Portiats s c08 RT eee au beeen aed 12 Using Zoot Peatures A o a a a a E E a a a a a oad 13 Mem ry Cards Disks and Sticks nni A ii Se ee 13 Battery Dah T ATTE AEE E E EE Ld A E E TEA E A 14 Usmethe Fl s harroen a o hes ede 15 INOA DEI ERRENTE ET a T e e ad e ett e eared eras 16 Red Eye Reduction
91. op and bottom of the frame This type of panoramic shot does give you a wider aspect ratio but not a wider angle On some digital cameras using the panoramic mode means that each photo has fewer pixels since the top and bottom are cropped so each panoramic shot takes up less space on your storage media Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 32 Creating a makeshift tripod If you re outdoors try propping the camera on a rock or car roof Then fine tune the positioning by putting the camera on a jacket or other object that you can shape to adjust the camera angle Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Using the Self Timer Many digital cameras even inexpensive ones come with a self timer feature Some self timers open the shutter after a preset amount of time such as 10 seconds others allow you to adjust the length of time before the shutter fires Either way this fairly simple feature is great for getting yourself into a photo and taking long exposure shots Getting Yourself into a Photo To get yourself into a photo plan where you want to position yourself for the shot Then set up the camera by putting it on a tripod a table or any other flat stable surface With your camera in position focus the camera on your subject which should be close to the position where you will stand for the photo If your camera has autofocus press the shutter halfway down to focus press the self timer button and then press
92. ortraits remember to fill the frame and use a slightly telephoto lens such as a 105mm or a slight zoom setting Keep the background very simple unless you are using objects in the background as context for your subject If shooting indoors an off camera flash or other light source works best Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 31 Panoramic Mode For landscapes large groups of people and other long horizontal shots a camera s panoramic mode helps you compose the photo without too much sky or ground in the photo Panoramic shots have a different aspect ratio than standard shots meaning the width of the frame is proportionally much greater than in a photo with a standard aspect ratio Some panoramic cameras take photos with an aspect ratio of 4 11 four units tall by 11 units wide compared to the aspect ratio of 3 4 for standard shots on most digital cameras As with the shape of a movie theater screen versus a television screen the wider frame gives you some new creative territory when composing your photo Switching your camera to panoramic mode gives you new compositional possibilities True panoramic cameras use a wide angle lens to let you capture more width of the scene by staying in the same position Many cameras including digital cameras and APS cameras offer a panoramic mode without a wide angle lens Instead the panoramic effect is achieved by simply cropping off the t
93. os try the soft appear only behind edge effect To draw attention to photos that you post on a Web site try and outside the photo applying one of the highlighted edges So if your photo reaches the edge of the canvas you might not be able to see the edge effect when you print it or save it to the Web To make sure you can see an edge you ve The photo on the left has highlighted edges applied which works great for using photos on the added press CTRL Web and in e mail The photo on the right has been enhanced with soft edges while you drag in one of the photo s corner resize handles This To add an edge effect will shrink the photo proportionally on the canvas so that the border lies within the printable area 1 In the Stack click the layer to which you want to add the edge effect 2 On the Effects menu point to Edges and then click an edge effect or border 3 Click a specific edge or border 4 Follow the instructions on the screen to customize the size or color of the edge or border 5 Click Done Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 86 Choosing the right mat When choosing a mat consider the colors in your photo and the colors of your frame A mat should not overpower the subject of the photo Try selecting a soft colored mat that matches one of the photo s second ary colors Editing mats and frames Unlike edge effects mats and frames are separate layers in your photo project So
94. ose to such as a ship sailing in water far from the shore Use a zoom lens to get candid close up shots of people without seeming intrusive or conspicuous Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 14 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera The best recharge able batteries Lithium ion batteries and nickel metal hydride NiMH batteries both work very well with cameras providing power and convenience find even if you re traveling abroad Floppy disks however have very limited storage capacity Memory cards are small durable and reusable And storage technology has been steadily improving so you can now find cards that store as much as 1 gigabyte GB Memory cards can be reused over and over which over time makes them less expensive than film Buying additional storage media like these CompactFlash cards allows you to take many more photos in a single session Storage media size dictates how many photos you can store The media that is included with some cameras can only hold a few high resolution photos This type of low capacity card can be impractical for situations such as traveling To give yourself more flexibility you may want to purchase additional removable storage media Battery Life Compared to film cameras many digital cameras use batteries at a surprising rate The LCD preview screen and the flash on the camera both put a heavy drain on the batteries And unlike some manual film cameras digi
95. osoft Corporation in the United States and or other countries This product contains images from PhotoDisc Inc Definitive Stock Gary Morrison Kathleen Hanzel Jon Canfield Tony Chor Tim Hedlund Charlotte Lowrie David Parlin and Tom Simmons This software is based in part on the work of the independent JPEG Group Portions of graphic filter software used with the permission of Eastman Kodak Company Copyright O 1996 Eastman Kodak Company ImageStream graphics filters Copyright O 1996 ImageMark Software Labs Inc Graphic filters licensed from Access Softek Inc Copyright O 1996 Access Softek Inc Graphic filters licensed from Media Cybernetics L P Copyright O 1996 Media Cybernetics L P Portions of graphic filter software are based in part on the work of Group 42 Inc Some project templates Copyright O Madison Park Greetings O Bonnie Zuponcic This product contains Macromedia Flash Player software by Macromedia Inc Copyright 1995 1999 Macromedia Inc All rights reserved Macromedia and Flash are trademarks of Macromedia Inc Portions of this product were created using LeadTools CopyrightO 1991 2000 Lead Technologies Inc All rights reserved The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners 0702 Part No X08 83103 Printed in the United States of America Table of Contents Welcome to Microsoft Picture It uoonoonnonnoonnonnconnconoconaonnonononnn
96. ou can open the online Help system at any time by pressing F1 on the keyboard Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 66 Chapter 4 Picture It Basics This picture identifies the main features of the Help window Erezi Ube E ihe F Laws ered PEH i ba He ia A A tde ta Obert arat arhado Hirisa nii ih iin eirf 6 7 8 9 1 Show Hide button Click this button to expand or collapse the left pane of the Help window 2 Back button Click this button to go back to the last Help topic 3 Options menu This menu has options to print a topic or to set options such as Internet Options where you can change the font size in the Help window Content pane displays the current Help topic Close button closes the Help window Contents tab displays the Help table of contents Index tab lets you find keywords in the index list Search tab finds topics that contain words that you enter Favorites tab lets you save topics for quick access later NV 0 JD To access online Help On the Help menu click Microsoft Picture It Help Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 4 Picture It Basics 67 Using the table of contents You can use the table of contents to locate information by subject The table of contents is a useful way to see all of the features available in each category of features To use the table of contents 1 In the left pane of the Help window click the Contents tab 2 To expand a book
97. ow quality draft mode to a high quality setting that requires more time and uses more ink Printer settings for quality and color vary but you may be able to specify your paper type ink type dots per inch required and color manage ment preferences Some printers have simplified printing options such as Good Better and Best Make sure to read your printer s manual to find out how to take advantage of these different settings To select print quality for your printer 1 On the File menu click Print 2 Click Change printer settings Your printer s dialog box opens 3 Adjust your printer s quality settings and then click OK Selecting a Print Size The quality of photo prints is directly related to the number of pixels in the photo A high resolution photo contains a lot of detailed visual information and can be printed at larger sizes For example a photo whose dimensions are 2048 x 1536 pixels 3 1 megapixel would look good even when printed as large as 8 x 10 on most printers A low resolution photo has less detailed visual information and therefore cannot be printed in larger sizes A photo with pixel dimensions of 1280 x 960 for example lacks the detail needed to fill an 8 x 10 print The result would be a grainy pixilated image But printing this photo at a smaller size such as 4 x 6 would give you a sharp detailed print Determining a photo s pixel dimensions How do
98. pening Photos in Picture It 49 Opening a Photo Sent Through E mail Many friends and family members enjoy sending photos through e mail When you receive photos through e mail you can save them to your computer and then work on them with Picture It Many photos sent through e mail are low resolution photos which are not suitable for large prints But low resolution photos may be fine for online viewing or printing at small sizes To open a photo sent through e mail in Picture It 1 Use your e mail program to save the photo to a folder on your computer Save the photo to a folder that will be easy for you to locate later such as the My Pictures folder 2 In Picture It click Open on the File menu The File Browser dialog box opens 3 Click the Folders tab 4 On the Folders tab browse to the folder containing the photo and then click the folder 5 Select the photo and then click Open Opening a Photo from a Web Page in Picture It When you surf the Internet you may come across photos and other images that you would like to use in your photo projects You might find photos of celebri ties vacation spots that you want to visit or graphics that would look good as part of one of your photo projects Unless the Web site uses image protection you can capture these images and use them for your own projects Web images are usually low resolution so they may not be suitable for printing But you could still use the images
99. photo so that it is in the Tray On the File menu click Create a Project On the Pick a Design page click Cards Click Photo Cards Click a theme click a design and then click Open Drag your photo from the Tray to the card and then click Next If you want move resize or flip the photo Click Done To edit the inside pages make sure the Common Tasks list is expanded and then click the page icons at the bottom of the Common Tasks list NV ANA MN FB WN After your card project is open you can add your own text photos and clip art Because most printers cannot print to the edge of the page the purple margins on the edges of a card project represent the unprintable areas of the card Photo cards are either half fold cards which are larger cards printed on both sides of the paper or quarter fold cards which are smaller cards printed on only one side of the paper A favorite golfing photo was used to create this half fold card Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 96 Chapter 10 Creating Projects To change the fold style of a card m On the Format menu click Change Card Fold Creating Calendars Calendars are a great way to showcase your favorite photos Calendar projects are available in one week one month 12 month and one year formats A one year calendar A one month calendar Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 10 Creating Projects 97 mu Th
100. pter 7 Batch Editing and File Management 83 Mini Lab does not automatically save your batch edits To save your photos select photos and click Save If you click Done to leave Mini Lab without Using the saving the edits will remain in the photos for you to continue editing but will file browser not be saved For an explanation of some of the other File Management with the File Browser feau Io browser see Using The file browser the same window you use to open photos can be used to the File Browser in manage your photo files The Tasks tab contains file management tasks that Chapter 3 Opening you can perform on multiple files The file and folder tasks are Photos in Picture It Batch rename Batch move Batch copy Duplicate Batch rename When you take photos with a digital camera the camera usually names them using numbers that are not helpful in identifying the photos You can rename all of these photos at once using a file name that makes sense to you When you rename the photos you specify a base file name and then Picture It adds a four digit number to that base file name to ensure that each file name is unique For example if you rename three JPEG files using NewGuitar as the base file name you will end up with three files NewGuitar0001 jpg NewGuitar0002 jpg and NewGuitar0003 jpg Batch move If your digital camera is a USB Mass Storage Class device you can use the batch move feature to dow
101. r from the file browser click the Create New Folder button 2 and type a name for the new folder Then double click the folder to open it to save your photos inside Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 88 Chapter 9 Saving Photos Choosing a File Format Picture It allows you to save photos in a number of image file formats You can determine the best format for saving your photos based on what you will use the photo for compatibility with other computers and file size To help you understand the difference between file formats here are some important characteristics of three common image formats Picture It PNG Plus png saves the layers in your photo projects so you can edit them later PNG plus offers lossless compression but not all computers have the software to open PNG plus files TIFF tif is a common format for cameras that produce lossless images TIFF does not support layers but is a good format for saving important photos although the files are relatively large JPEG jpg is the most common format for images since the files can be opened on practically any computer JPEG does not support layers JPEG compression reduces image quality slightly but makes small files that work well most purposes especially for e mail and the Web To save a photo in a specific file format 1 On the File menu click Save As The file browser opens 2 In the Save as type box click a file type 3 Click Sav
102. ras will use a shutter speed of about 1 125 of a second For action photography a very fast shutter speed like 1 500 of a second can help to stop action and reduce blurring caused by movement of your subject A fast shutter speed like 1 250th of a second can help you freeze action Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 23 At the other extreme you might set the shutter to stay open for four seconds or even more for low light night photography without a flash But shutter speeds ASA versus ISO slower than 1 30 of a second increase the likelihood that slight movements in If you have an older your hand while you take the shot will cause a blurred photo To avoid camera camera the film speed shake mount your camera on a tripod or other firm surface for slow shutter dial might be labeled speeds ASA instead of ISO These film speed ratings are the same and the ratings are interchangeable To accommodate the low light of this twilight scene the camera was mounted on a tripod and set to a slow shutter speed Some cameras offer a shutter priority mode that sets the aperture automatically after you set the shutter speed This can be useful if you re in a situation where shutter speed is more important than aperture like when you re shooting a subject in motion ISO Setting or Equivalent When shooting on film you have the opportunity to select different types of film for specific u
103. rom the Startup Window or the Help menu Or for a demonstration of some key Picture It features watch one of the Instructional Videos Digital photography is fun and exciting and Picture It makes it easy to get great results Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 2 Welcome to Microsoft Picture It Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 1 Installation Starting Setup To install Picture It you must be running Windows 98 Windows Me Win dows 2000 or Windows XP or higher On Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems you must have administrative privileges For information regarding privileges please refer to the operating system Help On most computers Picture It setup will begin automatically when you insert the Picture It CD into your CD ROM drive To begin automatic setup 1 Turn off any antivirus software that you re using and close any programs that are running 2 Insert the Picture It CD into your CD ROM drive The Installation Wizard begins automatically If the above procedure does not start the setup process you can start it manually To begin setup manually 1 Turn off any antivirus software that you re using and close any programs that are running 2 Insert the Picture It CD into your CD ROM drive Click Start and then click Run 4 If your CD ROM drive is listed as letter D type d setup exe If your CD ROM drive has a letter other than D replace D with the correct letter when you typ
104. s Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 41 9 Shoot Every Single Day To become a talented and confident photographer make photography part of your daily routine Fortunately digital cameras have made it much more convenient and inexpensive to shoot lots and lots of photos Once you ve purchased your digital camera you can take as many photos as you want The only cost is for batteries and storage for your photos The more you practice the more confident you 1l become in your skills and in your equipment You 1l also develop the habit of keeping your camera close by and having it ready for photo opportunities Train yourself to look for these opportunities and take advantage of them when they come to you Some of the world s most memorable photos were taken by amateur photographers who happened to be in the right place at the right time So to be ready to take that once in a lifetime shot know how to use your gear have your equipment handy and be on the lookout for great photo material 10 Show Your Photos to Other People Even when you are making great progress with your photography skills it s easy to overlook the shortcomings in your own work To continue improving your abilities show your photos to other people Getting others opinions is an invaluable learning experience Good photos should be visually exciting to people eliciting a Wow this is great response
105. s a shadow that covers the subject s whole face For the photo on the right fill flash was used to counteract the backlighting and keep the shadows off the subject s face If your flash is using the automatic setting bright daylight can prevent it from firing Turn on the flash manually or if your camera has a fill flash setting turn it on If you see shadows on your subjects faces as you re composing the shot fill flash is a good idea An alternative to using the fill flash is moving to a different place where the light from the sun is diffuse and indirect which produces a softer more flattering portrait light Using Your Camera s Manual Settings In today s camera marketplace the lines between manual and automatic cameras have become blurred It used to be that manual cameras were 35mm SLR single lens reflex cameras with manual controls for focusing aperture shutter speed and film speed On the other end of the spectrum were fully automatic cameras with very limited controls possibly only a shutter button Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 18 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera For serious camera users the manual SLR cameras were usually the best option since they offered so much control The creative process was not left to the automatic settings of a camera Automatic point and shoot cameras were good for novice photographers who didn t want to worry about setting the camera controls Many automatic ca
106. s that compensate for different kinds of light Typical settings include cloudy shade incandescent flash fluorescent and sunny These settings compensate for the different colors of light likely to be present in those conditions and should produce photos that require little or no color correction Read your camera s manual to find out about specific white balance settings it offers With film cameras there is no way the camera itself can compensate for different lighting conditions But there are two ways you can compensate for the colored light Use film designed for specific lighting situations Tungsten balanced films for example help to neutralize the color of tungsten or halogen illumination Use a filter on your camera lens For example if you re using daylight balanced film but want to shoot indoors you can use a blue colored filter to absorb the overriding yellows and reds of the indoor incandescent lights Using Automatic Modes on Your Camera Many of the automatic cameras sold today even some of the less expensive models have pre programmed modes that are designed for special situations Sometimes called program modes these modes automatically adjust your camera to special settings designed specifically for things like macro photogra phy action shots portraits panoramic mode or picture series If you re a beginning photographer who is not always confident enough to adjust your camera s manual settings
107. same position in the frame Your result won t show the subject in as clear a focus as stop action but the blurred background helps to pronounce the speed and movement of your subject Since the camera panned with the subject the girl is in fairly sharp focus and the background is blurred This technique helps convey movement Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 29 Burst Mode Burst mode is a feature that allows you to take a series of photos in quick succession Most cameras burst modes allow you to take 10 to 15 photos in 5 to 15 seconds Even on digital cameras with slow shutter lags the burst mode still allows you to take many frames in a short time span The burst feature uses a buffer to temporarily hold the information from the image sensor After the set of 10 to 15 frames is stored in the buffer the camera processes each frame separately and sends them to the removable storage media If your camera has a burst mode feature you can use it to overcome the slowness of the shutter lag When photographing a child for example it can be hard to get the child to pay attention for the few seconds that it takes to shoot the photo But with burst mode you might be able to shoot 10 frames within 10 seconds During that 10 seconds you can encourage the child to talk look at the camera and make different movements and expressions It s doubtful that all 10 exposures will turn out to be
108. seceeeseenseceaesseeeseceaececeaeeeseceeecaeeeaeeseeeneeeenseesees 90 Copying Photos toa D 2 03 08 A ee an ia 90 Saving To MSN Photos a e e de svete 92 Archiving Photos Ti the Gallery ii tenn ake 93 Chapter 102 Creating Projects isiccciscccsceeccsssssscetseccesesdsccvesecaveccsssoscsnctestessuossosaectnessecssuvoadsosnesboasenteoaescoacsoesvsstessaeeses 95 Creating Photo T 16 EE E heb Re At Beth de Md ad ibe ee kM ae Meh as 95 Creating Calendars i500 oes ee a ES 96 Chapter TL Sharing Photos lt a ie 99 Sending by E mails escoviseees fats Seed ede Ate eden cht A ance E es ots Rain ee ATA eee hd a BA ae Ts 99 Sharin oom MSN PhOtOS AAA O eter dss E E deen ects 100 Chapter 12 Printing PhOtOs s5 csccsssccecsecdesnecssoassvecessesvecsevsecescovesnnsvsondeccecgeastenesesoceresdessecesogsecesssesoncceaasesuccesoeds 101 Printing a Photo nl a a e a eo a 101 Printing Multiple Photos eee ES SE a SE di ed 101 Printing Labels or on Special Paper ccccceccesscesseeseesseesseeseeeseceseeseeeseceaecaecseesseeeseseseeeesseeeseceeseeesaeenseearengs 102 Printing Cards ricer ROR eae ese aac esas eee Gadd nagnc deers Sie gee ee 103 Selecting Print Quality 22 25 o ed to o e e E 104 Selecting a Print S1Ze ii A E Ba ee ees 104 Determining a photo s pixel dimensions 0 0 0 ecceceeseeeseeseeesececeeseeesecneeseeeseceneeseeeseceseeseesseseaeeeeenteseneesees 104 How large a print can you aa 105 Choosing Photo Paper e a ara aria ino Mee ahets 106
109. select an object you can edit it without affecting other objects on the canvas You can select an object by clicking it either on the canvas or on the Stack If you want to select a small object or one that is hidden behind other objects it is often easiest to select it on the Stack You can tell when an object is selected because it will be bordered by a selection box a dashed line rectangle surrounding the selection Around the edges of the selection box are yellow circles are called object handles which are used for moving and resizing the object There are two types of object handles Resize handles Resize handles are located on the corners and along each edge of the selection box Use the corner resize handles to resize a picture proportionally Use the top bottom or side resize handles to stretch a selection box Rotate handle The rotate handle is attached to the top of the selection box Use the rotate handle to rotate a picture clockwise or counterclock wise Use object handles to rotate resize and stretch an object Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 60 Chapter 4 Picture It Basics Resizing to fit the page You can automatically resize an object to fill the whole canvas On the Format menu point to Resize Object to Fit Canvas and then click a resize option By default the object handles are visible every time you select an object but you can set them so they are not visible To show or hide o
110. ses Films are available in different speeds that are more sensitive or less sensitive to light Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 24 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Avoid sharpening a photo with noise Do not to use the sharpen feature in Picture It on digital photos with noticeable noise sharpening accentuates the inaccurate pixels The film speed is measured by ISO number A high speed film such as ISO 800 is ideal for low light situations or action photography since the film requires less light to properly expose the photo Slow speed films such as ISO 100 or ISO 200 are good for photographing in bright daylight since they require a lot of light If you plan on using the same roll of film for shooting in multiple settings and light levels ISO 400 film is a good compromise and does relatively well in most situations Faster films generally produce grainier photos than lower speed films Some of the newer varieties of professional grade high speed films produce a finer grain structure which is less noticeable Since digital cameras use an image sensor instead of film there is no way to actually change the film speed However many digital cameras provide the digital equivalent of an ISO Sometimes called the sensitivity setting this feature allows you in effect to change the ISO setting For example if you are shooting in a low light situation you can switch from ISO 100 to ISO 400 With most digital c
111. t different kinds of labels including address labels shipping labels and full sheet labels In addition you can print your photo on various kinds of paper including photo paper T shirt transfer sheets and magnet sheets Refer to your printer s manual to determine the types of paper on which it can print To print labels or on special paper 1 na Ww WN Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide On the File menu point to Print Special and then click Labels or Special Paper Select a printer and printer settings and then click Next Under Click a category click a category of layouts Click either Portrait or Landscape orientation Click a template and then click Next Click One project or Several projects and then click Next Chapter 12 Printing Photos 103 7 To fit your entire photo into the print area click Fit within area Or To fill the print area with your photo click Overlay and crop 8 Drag your photo or photos from the Tray into the template and then click Next 9 Select the number of copies you want to print and then click Print Printing Cards Greeting cards often require printing on both sides of the paper so they often require a few extra steps in the printing process Quarter fold cards print on a single side of the paper and do not require special procedures Printing a half fold card by comparison requires that you print on both sides of the paper This printing must be done properly
112. t the photo You can also reduce file size by having the camera compress the photo file as it saves the file to the camera s memory Compres sion consolidates similar information in the photo and discards some informa tion With JPEG compression for example series of similarly colored pixels are grouped together and considered to be the same color In the code that makes up the file the color information for these grouped pixels only has to be listed once instead of hundreds or even thousands of times This shortcut can reduce file size considerably Taken to extremes a photo in highly compressed JPEG format might be 95 percent smaller than the same photo in an uncompressed format Although compression does reduce file size it also reduces photo quality Slight to moderate compression might not noticeably reduce photo quality but high compression produces visible areas of splotchy color called artifacts Even with slight compression artifacts become more pronounced each time the photo is saved and compression is applied The left photo has been saved with lossless compression so all of the image quality is retained The photo on the right was saved with heavy JPEG compression which is not lossless and the compression significantly reduced the image quality File size and photo quality Lowering resolution and increasing compression both reduce file size and photo quality Bearing this in mind you can use file size as
113. tal cameras cannot function without batteries or an AC power adapter Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 15 To ensure longer shooting you can buy rechargeable batteries which last longer than disposable alkaline batteries Keep your spares charged so they 1l be ready when you need them If you are running low on power and don t have a spare battery conserve remaining power by trying the following Turn off your LCD screen and compose through the viewfinder m Turn off your flash so that it doesn t fire automatically Turn the flash on only when you really need it Wait until you re home to preview your photos Using the Flash Learning to use the flash is one of the easiest ways to get better photos both indoors and outdoors Especially when you re photographing people overpow ering light from the flash can ruin the shot often in ways that are difficult to correct with photo editing software Most inexpensive and moderately priced cameras come equipped with a built in flash The flash may be programmed to fire automatically when the camera senses that the flash is needed But relying on the camera s judgment will not always give you the best results Built in flashes can create harsh shadows overexposed areas and unnatural looking light Read your camera s manual to learn what the recommended flash range is and to find out how to adjust different flash settings Thre
114. talling printer drivers When adding a new printer make sure that you install all the printer software and drivers If you re installing an older printer you may be able to find updated printer drivers on the manufacturer s Web site Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 102 Rotating photos for printing When printing multiple photos they will all come out the same size if they are rotated to the same orienta tion When a photo is in the workspace you can rotate it by clicking one of the rotate buttons s on the toolbar Chapter 12 Printing Photos To print multiple photos on the same page 1 NN hay Open the photos you want to print and make sure that they all have the same orientation On the File menu point to Print Special and then click Multi photo Sheet Under Click a printer click a printer and then click Next Under Click a category click your brand or type of photo paper Click an orientation click a template and then click Next Click Several projects and then click Next Do one of the following To fit each picture within the print area without cropping click Fit within area To make your pictures fill the whole print area click Overlay and crop From the Tray drag your pictures onto the shaded areas of the template and then click Next Select the number of copies you want to print and then click Print Printing Labels or on Special Paper You can prin
115. the shutter all the way down Then you ve got about 10 seconds to get yourself in position for the shot Taking Long Exposure Shots Another great use of the self timer is for exposures with a relatively slow shutter speed For speeds slower than 1 30th of a second there is a good chance the slight movements in your hands will cause blurriness in your photo Even if you have very steady hands the slight movement of your finger pressing the shutter button can create movement Using the self timer will eliminate this problem By setting the camera on a firm surface and using the timer your hands don t have to be anywhere near the camera while the shutter is open Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 33 Ten Tips for Great Pictures The following 10 tips offer suggestions for developing your photography approach technique composition and habits If you are an inexperienced photographer some of these tips might be new ideas for you If you re a photography veteran these tips might be a good reminder of things you haven t heard in a while Either way we hope they inspire you to get out and shoot some great photos 1 Know Your Gear Having command of your equipment is an important aspect of enjoying and being successful with photography As you get to know your gear and gain confidence in a camera s capabilities the camera can become an extension of yourself When you have reached this l
116. the whole subject is in focus The camera s macro mode was used to capture the fine detail of the jewelry Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera 27 When using macro mode make sure to turn off the flash since the flash does not provide proper illumination at such close range Tripods are a good way to keep the camera steady for a close up shot If you don t have a tripod set the camera on a firm surface focus the photo and then activate the shutter with the self timer This way your hand does not have to touch the camera and acciden tally introduce any movement to the shot Action Mode If you re photographing subjects such as athletes moving cars or even fast moving children a camera s action mode helps keep your subject in focus The most significant characteristic of action mode is the faster shutter speed of at least 1 500 of a second which helps to freeze the action of your moving subject The action mode in most cameras also uses a wider aperture setting to offset the fast shutter speed and multipattern light metering which compen sates for overly bright and overly dark areas Action mode uses a fast shutter speed to freeze the action of a fast moving subject Digital cameras create a unique challenge for shooting action photography the time lag between pressing the shutter button and the actual exposure With film cameras pressing the shutter button causes the shu
117. ts enean A A E A E ee 75 A ER 77 Color EStdt 78 Pamt Edecanes Roa Use fone a LS NE IRE AE eee a Mods eee 78 Chapter 7 Batch Editing and File Management scccssscsssscscsscssescscssscccscccssscsescccssssscscsecscsscscssscssscseeees 81 Batch Editing with Mint Lab A 81 File Management with the File Browser ccccceescescessseeseesceeseeeseenecseeeseeesecesesaeeseeeseceseceeecaeeeseseseneseneenseessens 83 Batch remaime sco 0 oe O O E O A 83 Batchimove ia Aa ata 83 Batch COPY a o le sl estee ta l cadet e a folio dd 83 DA e e a 84 Chapter 8 Adding Edges Mats and Frames oocconocnconnnnonnnnonnnnonncnconononnonnocoonononnnocnnonononoc conca nono nono rca nonocnoroneos 85 Bdge Eee 85 Mats and Frames aid ecards 86 Chapter 9 Saying Photos vsscsccsscseccsscssessicveshccecstaccessecssccteccsavscssovencocetsascesoesdcontsasqesdces onveasnedsecsseetesaossvsespcsseoc enenesss 87 Saving Multiple Versions cccccsscesseescesseeeseesecesecceeseessecsessecesecsaeeseessecsueeseeesecseesseeeseceeesecseseseceseeatenseeaeenes 87 Choosi g a File Format a ieee ke wien hee ta 88 Saving for E mail and the Web 0 cccccccccceseesseeseeeseeseeeseceseesecesecaeeseessecnecseeesecaececssecsaeseeesesesseseseeeseeneeeatents 88 Long term Storage on CD Zip Disk or DVD 0 cceceecececceseesseeseeeseeeseesecsceesecesecsecseecseeeseceseseeeceeenseenseneeeatens 89 Copying Photos to a Zip Disk ccececcecssesscescceseceseeeeesecn
118. tter to open virtually simultaneously But with digital cameras you might have to wait as long as four seconds before the photo is taken When shooting moving objects four seconds can seem like an eternity When the lag is a drag Some digital cameras have a much shorter shutter lag than others Consider this factor when buying your next camera Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 28 Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera One way to compensate for the shutter lag is to anticipate your shot Imagine you are photographing a runner with a camera that has a four second shutter lag The four second shutter lag will not be highlighted on the camera s packaging but you can figure it out through your own experience First focus your camera on a spot that the runner will cross in about 10 seconds When the runner is only four seconds away from your target spot press the shutter button The exposure should occur just as the runner comes into your field of focus Another way to shoot a moving subject is to pan your camera with the action While a stop action photo freezes everything in the photo panning your camera keeps your moving subject in focus but blurs the background For this effect you do not want to use the action mode because you do not want a fast shutter speed To accomplish this effect follow your moving subject in the viewfinder or LCD screen as it moves but pan the camera so that your subject remains in the
119. ture that is viewable inside the workspace and you can drag this box on the thumbnail to view a different area of the picture As you zoom in on the canvas the box becomes smaller as you zoom out the box becomes bigger You can drag the box on top of the pan control to move your picture around inside the workspace Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 58 Chapter 4 Picture It Basics Choosing a resolution While resizing an image select a resolution appropriate for its intended use For high quality printing choose 300 dpi for Web and e mail choose 72 dpi Basic Image Formatting When a picture is on the canvas you can manipulate the image to a different size or orientation You can make many of these changes directly on the canvas by dragging the different handles on a picture All of these controls can also be accessed through the menus Changing picture size When you open an image so that it appears on the canvas it is automatically sized so that it fills the workspace As a result a high resolution image such as 1600 x 1200 pixels will look as large as a low resolution image that s only 640 x 480 pixels For this reason viewing a picture on the canvas is not a reliable way of judging an image s resolution When you change a picture s actual size not just zooming in on the canvas you change the number of pixels in the image If you have a high resolution photo that you want to post to a Web site you
120. ure It Companion Guide 64 Chapter 4 Picture It Basics Adding text to your project You can add text to any photo giving it a title a caption or comments about the picture You can also change the default text and messages in Picture It projects These three objects have now been grouped as indicated by the group icon at the bottom of the selection box Grouping objects lets you edit the objects as a set if you don t plan to separate them later To ungroup objects 1 Select the group of objects you want to ungroup 2 On the Edit menu click Ungroup After you ungroup a set of objects they will remain multiple selected until you click in the workspace outside the selection Adding Text You can add text to any picture and easily change the text s font font color font size alignment and emphasis You start by adding a text box and then you edit the text in the box A text box is its own layer in the Stack To add text 1 On the Text menu click Insert Text A text box appears 2 Type your text As you add text the text box automatically expands vertically to fit all of your text 3 To change the width of the text box select the text box and drag one of the side resize handles 4 To move the text box select it pause the pointer over the edge of the text box until the move handle appears and then drag the move handle Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 4 Picture It Basics 65
121. work Filter enhanced photos can become an attractive focal point of projects such as greeting cards and calendars Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 78 Chapter 6 Using Special Effects Color Effects You can give a color photo a new look by applying a color effect Turn a favorite color photo into an instant classic by changing it to black and white Or apply the antique effect which ages your photo by giving it a sepia tone To turn a color photo to black and white or antique On the Effects menu click one of the following Antique Black and white Paint Effects With the freehand paint brush you can choose from several painting tools Paint brush Airbrush Pencil Eraser Highlighter Chalk Use these tools to add artistic effects to a photo Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 6 Using Special Effects 79 To use the freehand paint brush 1 On the Effects menu point to Paint Brush and then click Freehand 2 Click a painting tool and then click a color 3 Click a brush size and then paint by dragging on the photo 4 Click Done You can enliven your pictures with a rubber stamp effect Choose from a variety of stamp designs or make your own Paint with a single stamp design or use multiple stamps on the same photo You can choose from a wide variety of stamps to customize any photo To paint with stamps 1 On the Effects menu point to Paint Brush and then clic
122. y souvenir shop would sell superior professionally photographed prints and slides of the same monuments For that matter you could have just stayed home and ordered the professional photos from a catalog Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide Chapter 2 Making the Most of Your Camera Use your imagination to compose some original creative photos that you won t find anywhere else Capture some of the local color by photographing a lively food vendor stationed near the monument and the monument can be the backdrop in your frame Or use the self timer to capture you and your compan ion sampling the local fare that you ve bought from the food vendor in front of the monument 7 Bracket The term bracket means to create exposures that are both lighter and darker than the camera or light meter indicates The idea is to second guess the purely mechanical exposure meter so that you get the right exposure If you re taking photos of a sunset a scenic vista or a plant you have the time to bracket With these subjects you re also likely to have a wider range of tones to record than your camera can handle especially if your subject is brightly lit So how do you bracket with an automatic camera Most digital cameras and many automatic cameras have an exposure compensation feature sometimes called the EV setting If you set the exposure compensation for 1 the shot is one stop underexposed darker than normal If you set the camera
123. y the same distance away from the camera as the subject Otherwise your subject will not be in focus when you take the photo 8 Analyze and Shoot Again Photography takes practice And you will progress at a faster rate if some of your practice time is focused on developing specific skills One way to do that 1s to analyze your photos and then go shoot them again When you get a chance to look at your photos on a computer or as prints you can assess their quality of composition lighting exposure and white balance Upon close inspection you might realize that you placed your subject too close to the center of the frame or that incandescent lights caused an orange glow On your next shoot go out and take this same photo again and make adjust ments for the problems you encountered before When you look at the results of your second round of photos you may find that you got excellent results or you may find that one of your adjustments dis rupted something else in the photo Or maybe the different lighting conditions of the different day made it more difficult to nail the exposure To continue the exercise shoot the same subject or scene on a regular basis You must always compensate for the differences in lighting each day but you can try new approaches to the composition Learning to shoot the same subject under different conditions or with a different approach gives you valuable experience and ideas when you encounter new situation
124. you can open photos from your hard disk a network drive a digital photo card reader a CD or DVD or a floppy disk Close Click to close the Startup Window and go to the main work area mining the Work Area of the photo editing tasks you perform in Picture It will be in the main area This picture identifies the key elements of the Picture It work area Chapter 4 Picture It Basics 55 JA JE at aT ae ae A 7 8 9 1 Common Tasks list 6 Stack 2 Canvas 7 Tray 3 Workspace 8 Zoom tool 4 Menu bar 9 Pan control 5 Toolbar Common Tasks list The Common Tasks list is an easy way to locate features This list provides convenient access to some of the most common Picture It tasks as well as single click access to Mini Lab project selector and the Startup Window All of the features found in the Common Tasks list and some additional fea tures are also available in the menus If you use the Common Tasks list frequently you can leave it in its expanded state Or to maximize the size of the workspace you can collapse the Common Tasks list so that it only shows an icon for each of the tasks To expand or collapse the Common Tasks list On the View menu click Common Tasks Microsoft Picture It Companion Guide 56 Chapter 4 Picture It Basics Expanding the workspace Minimizing the Common Tasks list will increase the size of the workspace letting you see more of your picture while you work Canv

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