Monitor Calibration-When was the last time you did it?
by admin on Mar.15, 2010, under Digital Camera Basics, photo color
Calibrate your monitor on Monday.
This morning as I log onto my computer a reminder popped up suggesting that I calibrate my monitor. I have gotten a little lax in calibrating my monitor every Monday morning since the monitor on my new laptop seems to hold calibration longer than my old one. But, that is no excuse for not calibrating on a regular schedule. I have written about the importance and benefit of color calibrating computer monitors in previous posts but since the last time I mentioned it was in June 2009 I thought it was time to mention it again. And, of course, I did calibrate my monitor this morning.
I use a Pantone huey that I have had for a couple of years and within a minute or so my monitor was calibrated. And, WOW, did it make a difference!
How can you tell if your monitor color is off? Here is a image of a GretagMacbeth Color Checker chart. The graduated grey color blocks on the bottom will help you determine if your monitor needs to be calibrated. If they are really grey(and white and black) and not a little blue or magenta or cyan then you are probably okay. If not, you need to calibrate. My guess is that even if you think it is grey, it is not. So, I suggest you invest in a monitor calibrator.
GretagMacbeth ColorChecker Chart
For us amateurs I would suggest either a Pantone huey or a Datacolor Sypder3express. The are available for about $90.00 and well worth the investment. Both companies have more expensive calibration devices, but unless you are a pro I would not spend the extra bucks.
If you are editing photos and trying to Make The Color Right, you really need to have a calibrated monitor unless, of course, if you are color blind like my friends, Dick and Ron. They can save the money because it wouldn’t really make a difference. However, there are ways for color blind people to Make the Color Right and I will cover that in a separate post one of these days.
Turn Snapshots Into GreatShots?-The Video
by admin on Mar.03, 2010, under Photo Editing, crop photos
Why not turn your average snapshots into great photos? All it takes is a little photo editing. Here is a video promoting PictoColor’s CorrectPhoto Editor that includes some excellent examples of what cropping and color correction can do to make your mediocre photos outstanding.
You can find out more about photo editing and how easy it is at www.correctphoto.com.
Wayne, www.correctphoto.com
Creative Snow Photos. Make a Sepia Tone Image.
by admin on Feb.14, 2010, under Photo Techniques, photo color
Did you get snowed in recently? There certainly were a lot of people around the USA that were treated to record snow falls these past couple of weeks. In the Twin Cities area we were blessed with another 10-12 inches over the last week and the piles are getting pretty high with no melting in site. If you are like me you can’t resist taking “snow photos”. And, you will probably want to send a few shots to your friends in the warmer parts of the country to show them what they are missing.
Yesterday morning we were treated to one of those beautiful winter spectacles called Hoar Frost. (Frozen dew that forms a white coating on a surface. It is also called white frost.). I took the above shot out of my car window (I did stop the car) on my way to the store. After cropping (16×9 TV format) and color correcting the photo I clicked on the sepia tone button in CorrectPhoto to create the above image.
Here is the color version for comparison. You can decide which version you prefer.
Snow photo was cropped and color corrected using CorrectPhoto Editor.
For the most part, snow photos are pretty dull color wise. So, turning a few of your favorite shots into a sepia tone images might just make them a bit more interesting. And, it is easy to do.
It seems that much of the US has been blessed with snow and bad weather over the past few weeks. Maybe taking a few photos and applying some creative touches to them will ease the problems the weather has created.
Create a Memory—And Share it.
by admin on Feb.07, 2010, under Creating memories, Photo Applications, Windows 7, crop photos
Virginia on her 90th Birthday--Passed Away 1/31/10 at 92
This past week my wife and I traveled to St. Louis for my mother-in-law’s funeral. She passed away last Sunday at the age of 92 (she would have been 93 this month). The night before the funeral we were visiting with my wife’s four siblings and family when someone asked, “Should we have some photos of mom at the luncheon?” Since most had traveled from other cities and nobody thought to bring photos the room was quiet. I finally volunteered that I had my laptop with photos from Mom’s 90th birthday party three years ago and from and Dad’s 70th wedding anniversary two years ago. I offered to select a few photos and put a little slide show together and make my laptop available at the luncheon. While there were certainly a few people who took the time to view the photos, watching my father-in-law (he is also 92) in his wheelchair and relive those memories was a real joy.
Create Memories from a Snapshot
It doesn’t require a lot of work to turn and average snapshot into a memory. And, you might be glad you did. I took this photo of Virginia at her 90th birthday party. I was standing in the back of the room when she received a phone call from one of her grandson’s who was away at school and couldn’t attend. It was only after editing the photo that the joy the phone call gave to her became apparent.
Turn a Snapshot into a Memory with CorrectPhoto Editor
You can find out how I created this memory by going to: http://www.correctphoto.com/CreateMemory.htm
Share the Memories.
There are, of course, many ways to share memories. However, in this particular case I had to use my laptop to quickly assemble and display a slide show. Fortunately, I had my external drive with my photo files with me so I quickly went through the folders of the three events and selected photos I thought would be of interest. I copied the files to a new folder on my desktop (or you could create a new folder in the Pictures folder). (To learn more about organizing photos go to http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/12/07/a-simple-way-to-organize-your-photos/.)
Start the Slideshow
When it came time to start the slide show I right-clicked on the folder I had created and selected Preview.
Right Click on photo and select Preview
In Windows 7 the following preview window opens. There is a similar function in Windows 7 and Vista. If you are using XP and the folder containing the photos is in My Pictures you can select “View Slide Show” under the Picture Task window.
Click the Slide Show Button in the Center to launch the show
Then click on the Slide Show button in the middle and the show will begin and automatically cycle through the photos in the folder.
Lessons to Learn
There are a few lessons to learn from this brief discussion on creating and sharing memories. The first is to take a lot of photos at events you share with family and friends so you can share the memories in the future. Second, take the time to turn those snapshots into memories. It really is quite easy and fun to do. And, for those of you who didn’t know how to create a slide show on your computer you now know how to do it. You don’t need any special software. All you need is in the Windows operating system.
Here is one more photo memory of Virginia and her five children on her 90th birthday.
Create and Share a Memory-Virginia and her children on her 90th Birthday
Wayne, wayne@correctphoto.com, www.correctphoto.com
Importing Digital Photos with Windows 7-Use Windows Explorer
by admin on Jan.03, 2010, under Digital Camera Basics, Helpful Stuff, Windows 7, crop photos
I talked to my friend Bob (he is the retired teacher/financial advisor turned artist) the other day and he had bought a new Windows 7 computer to replace his old Mac. Can you believe a Mac user admitting he switched to Windows? Now he had to learn how to import (download) his photos from his camera into the computer so he could fix them with “my” software. Of course, he was talking about CorrectPhoto. Since Bob Is in Florida for the winter and I am up here in Minnesota freezing (it was -15 degrees this morning) I decided to help him out by posting instructions on using Windows 7 functions to import the photos. I have written about downloading and organizing photos using Windows Explorer in previous posts so this post will focus on Windows 7 and my importing preferences.
Photo Import Options
I normally use a card reader when importing pictures but decided to use the USB cable that came with the camera for this example. When I connected the camera cable into the computer Windows 7 automatically installed the driver for my Canon PowerShot G5. Then the Auto Play window popped up giving me several import options. The same option window will appear if you use a card reader or if you plug in the memory chip into a slot on your computer if it supports camera memory chips.
Windows 7 Auto Play Photo Import Options
I prefer using Windows Explorer to organize and manage my photo files as opposed to Photoshop Elements, Windows Photo Gallery, or other photo organizing software as they tend to take over one’s computer and complicate the process. The easiest import option is the first one in the list, “Import pictures and videos using Windows”. The disadvantage of this option is that it forces you to import all of the photos in your camera to a single folder. Since most people are like me and have photos from multiple events in the camera by time they get around to downloading them I generally use the “Open device to view files using Windows Explorer” option. Here is a brief description using both methods.
Import pictures and videos using Windows
Selecting the Import pictures option will pop up the following window.
Windows 7 Import photos with AutoPlay-Enter Folder Name in Tag Field
The first time you use the import function you should click on Import settings and select the settings according to your preferences. The “Tag” will become the destination folder for the imported photos.
Upload Photo Preference Window
I would suggest setting the Other options as shown. When you click the Import button Windows 7 will automatically create the new folder and transfer the photos to it. When the transfer is complete Windows Explorer will open and by right clicking on a photo you can select the next action you wish to take. If you just want to look at the photos click on Preview. If you want to edit the photos click on Open with and select the photo editor.
Right Click on thumbnail to select action
Open device to view files using Windows Explorer.
The the import method I generally use is the “Open device to view files using Windows Explorer as it provides the flexibility to put the photos into multiple folders. When you click on this option the following window will appear.
View camera photo files in Explorer-Select view Large Icons
Actually, when the window pops up it will probably show the “Tiles” view of the photos which are really too small for me. Windows 7 gives you a few more optional views. On the right side of the menu bar click on the little arrow and select Large or Extra Large Icons to increase the size of the thumbnail and it will be easier to select the photos you want to import into a particular folder.
Now left click on the first photo of the group and then hold the Ctrl key down and click on the remaining photos in the group (or, hold the Shift key down and click on the last photo in the group if they are in sequence). Then right click and select Copy.
Select photos to be copied to My Pictures folder
Open the My Pictures folder on your Desktop and select the destination folder for the photos. If you haven’t created a New Folder for the photos you can do so by clicking on New Folder in the Menu bar.
Select destination folder for photos
Then right click on the folder and select Paste and the photos will be transferred to the folder.
Copy photos to selected (Christmas 2009) folder
When the transfer is complete you can open the folder and select the next action or simply close it and go have a cup of coffee or whatever.
Well, Bob, I hope this helps answer the question, “How do I get my photos from my camera to my Windows 7 computer?” Here are links to some other posts that might be helpful as you explore the wonderful world of digital photography and Windows 7.
A Simple Way to Organize Your Photos
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/12/07/a-simple-way-to-organize-your-photos/
Storing and Archiving Digital Photos-A Simple Way.
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/07/13/storing-and-archiving-digital-photos-a-simple-way/
Previewing Photos in Windows Vista (Win 7) and XP
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/06/29/previewing-photos-in-windows/
Get the Red Out–What to do about Red Eye?
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/06/10/get-rid-of-red-eye-in-photos/
Downloading Photos to Your Computer. Use Windows Explorer.
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/05/21/downloading-photos-to-your-computer-use-windows-explorer/
Crop Photos for a Purpose.
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/02/15/crop-photos-for-a-purpos/
Wayne www.correctphoto.com
